For a few moments, there was an awkward silence between the three of them. Eventually, Sunny sighed.
"Listen, it is what it is. I have my own reasons to join the campaign in the Southern Quadrant. Both of you are smart enough to realize that the picture painted by the government is far removed from the truth. The truth… the truth is that Antarctica is going to be a disaster, and no one — not even Masters like us — can guarantee their survival. So… you have to decide for yourself."
He looked at Effie and Kai with a heavy expression and added:
"If you decide to join the Second Army, do it for a good reason. Do it for yourself, your desires, your principles… point is, whatever you do, definitely don't do it for me. Chances are that we won't meet even if you ship to Antarctica. It's a big place, you know?"
His friends stared at him with unreadable expressions.
A few moments later, Kai shook his head with a subtle smile.
"Thank you very much for caring, Sunny. But you don't have to remind us, really. We both have good heads on our shoulders. We are more than qualified to make prudent decisions."
Effie nodded.
"Exactly! If anyone should be giving sage advice here, it's us. We're older than you, and also… it's pointless, anyway, because we have already enlisted."
Sunny blinked.
"You what?"
The huntress grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
"What, did you think that we would miss our chance to fight an apocalyptic horde of Nightmare Creatures? Dream on, buddy! Both Kai and I were among the first ones to submit our applications to the recruitment bureau."
He stared at her for a second, then rubbed his temples.
"Wait… you did? Why?"
Effie and Kai glanced at each other and shrugged. The archer was the first one to respond:
"Because there are hundreds of millions of people that need help. Is this not reason enough?"
The huntress shook her head.
"Because I am a warrior. When an enemy invades your home, you don't hide. You go to war and kick the enemy's butt. We humans need to protect what's ours — if we can't even do that much, then we won't be humans for much longer. We'll just be… food."
Sunny studied their faces, then scratched the back of his head.
"Well… alright. I guess that makes sense. Welcome aboard, then! With your power and Abilities, the Second Army is probably salivating over your applications right now. Chances are, you guys are going to outrank me very soon."
'Prudent decisions, huh? Doubtful!'
As they walked toward the Ivory Tower, he shared some details about the operation with them, including the disposition of human forces, the intended phases of the campaign, and his own role as a captain of the First Irregular Company.
As he did, both Effie and Kai grew a little pensive.
"Yeah… I am not sure that the government can actually pull it off. Even if we maintain control over the evacuation centers, repelling the siege of the Nightmare Creatures for months won't be easy. It would be a miracle if we hold out for a year. But can the fleets even evacuate everyone in a year?"
Sunny hesitated for a moment, then tentatively nodded.
"That is the plan. The ships… they are massive. The naval convoy I'm currently at is carrying a hundred thousand soldiers, but that is only because most of the space is taken by the war machines, supplies, and all the logistical stuff needed to support a massive army. On its way back, the same convoy can carry millions upon millions of refugees. There are more convoys than that one, too.
So, a year is not an unrealistic goal. Actually, it's more than most projections suggest."
His face grew darker.
"However, that is only if the convoys don't meet obstacles of their own. So, who can say? I doubt that these projections will survive colliding against reality."
Kai sighed.
"It seems that the Second Army won't be ready to deploy any time soon. By the time we arrive in Antarctica, the situation might be entirely out of control. Many things can go wrong in a few months."
Sunny shared the same sentiment.
"For what it's worth, I don't expect the worst to happen before you guys have the chance to experience it personally. The Chain of Nightmares is going to be ramping up as time goes on, as well. So, you'll have plenty of opportunities to live through the truly terrible parts."
They entered the Ivory Tower, where Hope had once been imprisoned. As always, Sunny felt a subtle shiver run through his body and soul when he saw the great hall where he had faced the ineffable daemon.
Now, Hope's former prison cell served as the heart of the human Citadel. The seven broken chains lay on the ground, forming the wide borders of the circle that served as the Gateway. Myriads of runes glowed softly on their surface.
The Fire Keepers made their home on the upper levels of the great pagoda, so the first level was mostly empty. Only a couple of them were here, busy with chores. Noticing Sunny, they greeted him with excited smiles.
'Weirdos…'
Sunny waved at them, then turned to Effie and Kai.
"By the way… where's Nephis? Has she arrived?"
Getting Changing Star to the Ivory Tower was a complicated process. She had to travel to the Sanctuary of Noctis first, which demanded cooperation from the Saint that had replaced Sky Tide as the person in charge of the Chained Isles. After that, the Fire Keepers had to fly their ship all the way from the Ebony Tower to the surface, pick her up, and return into the depths of the Sky Below.
…However, it had not escaped his notice that the flying ship had somehow ended up on the Ivory Island itself.
Had the Fire Keepers found a way to brave the Crushing?
Kai nodded.
"She reached the Tower a couple of days ago. It didn't take as long as we thought. With Noctis's help, Cassie had studied the flying ship extensively in the Nightmare. I don't know how exactly, but she managed to repair its enchantment circuits enough to move directly between here and the Isles.
The process is a bit precarious, but the travel time between here and the Sanctuary was cut by several weeks."
Sunny lingered for a moment, and then sighed.
"Well, where can I find her?"
Effie gave him a long look and gestured back to the gates that they had walked through.
"She's there, by the lake. Do you want to say hi?"
Sunny took a deep breath.
"Yeah… something like that."