Tower of Heaven

It was a time of meetings, really. Everywhere, people were gathering together to perfect their own plans so that they could properly compete with their enemies.

Even Atlas was currently engaging in a meeting.

When he sensed that group of six and decided to meet them, he arrived in front of them within ten seconds. They weren't too far away, and in his current condition, Atlas wasn't afraid of any confrontation.

He came from over the crest of a volcano. He started as but a speck in the distance, but he was in front of the six of them by the time they'd realized that the speck they originally spotted was a human.

Seeing his appearance, their surprise only became greater.

"He's the one?"

"He's the one."

"But he came here."

"We were supposed to go there."

"It's not a problem. He's here."

The six of them spoke in quick succession in the same exact tone and voice. It sounded like a single person was monologuing for the world to hear.

"Do we talk first?"

"We're already talking first."

"He is confused."

"I think he's going to attack us."

"He shouldn't do that. We're friendly."

"We're not friendly, but we're friendly now."

Watching their theatrics, Atlas was left dumbfounded. What were these people? Were they trying to hypnotize him with their strange behaviors?

Was this some sort of mind trick, or were they really like that?

He was left only to wonder, because as if those six phrases were enough for them to form a conclusion, they approached him.

He couldn't see their faces through their head garments, but their eyes were clear and filled with excitement. They did not wear clothing other than the bare minimum to cover their most important parts, so ascertaining their emotions through body language wasn't difficult.

"You are him, right?"

"You are Atlas Vaun, right?"

"That is your name, isn't it?"

"Isn't–"

"Yes. That is my name."

Atlas sighed and rubbed his forehead. Did they really all have to speak every single time?

They frowned at him, clearly displeased by the interruption, but despite their discontent, the last three did not continue the chain.

"You have come looking for me specifically, then. If you do not have a proper reason, then we will have to fight."

At this point, Atlas had met too many people who knew too much about him. Their knowledge of his name and whatnot wasn't important anymore.

Back then, his main concern was his past life's connections. He didn't know if there were any enemies in the Tower who would target him after recognizing his name, but clearly that was an unfounded worry.

As of now, he had not met anyone who associated the name Atlas Vaun with anyone other than himself. Since it was unique to him, the only reason to keep it concealed was some minuscule level of protection.

Sure, he wouldn't give it out easily, but if someone knew it, then they knew it. He didn't need to react so aggressively anymore.

It was good that he took such an approach, because the six men looked between each other and nodded, clearly putting their guards down.

"We are not here to fight."

"We are here to make a deal!"

"A deal!"

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"Yes, a gre–"

"What kind of deal can I make with you? And, to begin with, who are you?"

"Ah!"

Six consecutive "Ah!" sounds rang out as they realized they had forgotten their introductions.

"I am One!"

"I am Two!"

"I am Three!"

"I am Four!"

"I am Five!"

"I am Six!"

"No, but why is it…never mind. Pretend I said nothing."

They spoke in reverse order for introductions. When they normally spoke, the person named Six would always speak first and the rest would follow. It was really something Atlas couldn't understand.

Since he decided not to interrupt them, he suffered through their consecutive speech until he was able to understand their point.

"We were sent here to offer you a deal. We can help you build Pangea."

'That…is not a piece of information so easily accessible.'

To say they wanted to help "build" Pangea meant they knew that it was currently nothing and only pretending to be great.

Whoever sent them had a very good information network if they were able to find any evidence of such a thing. The messengers themselves were oafs, but the one behind them was not.

'My intuition tells me to entertain them…they are being so direct that it is strange, but there is no harm in hearing them out. That is why I originally came to meet them.'

Atlas let them talk. He didn't need to converse with them at all. They had been fed a great deal of information, and the moment Atlas stopped responding, they regurgitated it to him without pause.

They were spoken in voices belonging to these six, but those words undoubtedly were not their own.

"We ask for nothing in return."

"No, there is something, but it is trivial."

"The Master wishes to see you."

"If you are willing to meet the Master, then we will help you."

"We will help you gather a great portion of the forces you need for Pangea."

"They will be loyal. They will not falter. They will become your army."

"You may use them as you please. They will have no relation to us."

"This is what our Master has promised you."

"And you…"

"You only need to do a simple thing."

"You can consider it a courtesy from Alkatiya."

"Please view us favorably in the future."

It was the second mention of an organization that Atlas had heard of only once before.

***

That meeting did not have the same gravity as some others that were happening in the Tower.

Those six had been sent as a courtesy. Once they finished speaking, they handed him a communication talisman and told him to contact their Master when he was ready.

Now, Atlas was already inside the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda again.

His eyes were trained on that communication talisman.

'Alkatiya, they said.'

It was a strange mixture of sounds that entered the ears like the ringing of wind chimes, so Atlas remembered it.

He didn't know much about it. He didn't even know if it was an organization incredibly active around the Tower.

Everything was a mystery except for one thing.

One thing that made this communication talisman important to Atlas; one thing that others might not have found concerning.

He thought back to that scene.

A world that was being destroyed in front of his eyes by the madness of chaos and the steps of a giant Demon God.

A world that had one real inhabitant trapped inside, forced to die alongside it.

"Cain."

That person was said to be a member of Alkatiya.

And now, that very same Alkatiya had approached him out of nowhere with information that nobody else knew.

It was a familiar plot, wasn't it?

A sinking feeling rose in Atlas' heart. He felt the same thing back then, but he chose to ignore it.

He didn't know if he could keep putting the possibility aside.

"If he is alive…"

If Cain was alive and this was an invitation…

"...I have no choice but to accept it to find out."

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