Operation Open Sky

Chapter XII: Pride

27 Degrees, Central Imperium (Kingdom of Jeong) Afternoon.

Claire Elford, 16th June 1894, Mount Paektu;

We made our way through the corridor and awaited us was Gim Ji. His general posture was locked in place as though he was waiting for an eternity.

"Are you ladies ready, we'll be heading towards the outpost right next to the epicentre of Mount Paektu, also known as Heaven's Lake." Heaven's Lake, midnight.

"We're ready." He stepped closer, lending his hands to us.

"Remain still and keep physical contact with my hands. Do not at any point let go." Part of me wondered what would happen, but it was best not to test fate. Knowing what fate brings has its price.

"Here we go." The area around us began to glow, further and further until it reached a point where I had to close my eyes. I felt weightless, all sensations had gone numb. As though floating in the air, in complete comfort. Until the relative physics of gravity reverted into motion. My boots landed on hard ground. With chilling winds brushing against my hair, I finally open my eyes.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Gim Ji, let go of our hands, breaking our circle. The lake itself was richly blue, almost comparable to a clear sky. Vegetation huddled around it, as though steering away from the tall peaks that enveloped the whole place. The last remaining haven. Although... right around the centre, hissing away was the root of it all.

"Jang worked here, he surprisingly organised for a dwarf. There's a transmission orb on the table to contact me when you guys need to return. It's fairly old so be gentle with it. " He eagerly points at the dull transmission orb on a table behind us, above it was a makeshift roof, white cloth hanging on the ends of where the poles stubbornly hold it up. An assortment of devices and research notes dot neatly throughout the makeshift outpost on whatever odd bundles of furniture there were.

"I'll see you ladies for dinner. There is a transportation orb on the table that leads you directly in front of the Inn for emergency purposes." Before we could say goodbye he disappeared, leaving me and Sophie alone at Heaven's Lake.

"Shouldn't Jang be with us?" He'd know better where to find all the necessary notes and data. It's almost bizarre that he hadn't arrived with us.

"Looks like you zoned out again during our meal, didn't you?" Now that she mentions it, I was too busy eating away...

"Jang already organised all the research documents into a selective pile and regarding the remaining devices; they'll be taken away next morning by Silver. There's a little route not too far from here that Gim Ji can quickly teleport back and forth with no problem. After that, we'll head straight to Baifong. And well, Jang needs to process his relocation too." Hopefully, by then I can just take a rest for a couple of days. We've been on the road for a while and there's been a we've gone through. The air felt colder, each gust echoing a taunt of what was yet to come.

15 Degrees, Central Imperium (Kingdom of Jeong) Evening.

Claire Elford, 1894, 16th June, Heaven's Lake;

After prolonged hours of documenting each research note from the past twelve years, we managed to finally finish. Every little piece of data for every day is logged into one large logbook. Without Gim's mother's dinner, we'd probably be wiped out.

"A good day of hard work, it's already half-past ten." Time sure did fly by, I'm amazed by how Jang persisted with the research. Not once did he miss a reading, or anomaly. He took his work seriously and it paid off. Hopefully, with the environmental board, we can compare past recordings and estimate when the seven-sin period begins. Before it's too late. "Claire? Sorry to intrude on the rabbit hole of your thoughts but we should probably get going. It's getting rather late now." The sun was long gone, only candle-lit lanterns illuminated the outpost, with the starry night sky enriching the dark shades of the lake. Winds still brushing against the grass, and the air smelled so good.