Saga of Atlantis

A dead body lay on the chair.

"....."

Caught off guard, I stared at the body chained around its arms and legs to the chair, with no flesh remaining on it.

White lights clicked on as soon as I entered, maybe the computer's doing, giving me a clear view of the body.

'...Hmm?'

What was even more weird was its body structure; it wasn't like a human's. It was bigger and sturdier than a human body.

'...It's not human,' I concluded as I walked closer, with the others entering after me.

"...Okay, now this is getting weird," Nadya commented, looking at the dead body.

She still wore her traditional maid dress as she walked elegantly towards me.

Leaving the body, I scanned the room, and it was the same as the previous room—a round room.

Just beside the body lay a large table with mountains of documents placed on it.

On the sides were three smaller tables with orb-like objects placed on them.

A few pieces of equipment were scattered around the room; some were recognizable, while others were things I saw for the first time.

And at the end, along the wall, a ladder led to the hatch on the ceiling.

'...Damn, this room is huge.'

Only after I looked up did I notice how tall the room was.

Maybe fifteen or twenty feet above the ground was the ceiling.

"...Can you guys check what's on the documents?" I asked, gesturing towards the pile of documents on the table.

They nodded, moving towards the table and picking up the documents.

While Linda stood on the side, not doing anything.

While they did that, I moved towards the dead body to examine it closely.

'...I'll just assume it's male for now.'

...well, his body structure suggests so.

The first thing I noticed was how he was chained.

It was tight, and that is when the body had already been stripped of all flesh.

'...Either this guy was way too powerful for his opponents, or the one who bound him hated his guts.'

Extending my hand, I touched his skull, which was cracked in many places.

Like he was punched again and again until his skull couldn't take it anymore.

And the same went for his broken ribs, fractured arms, and twisted legs... still bound with the chains.

'...Yep, whoever tortured this guy definitely hated him.'

...Anyway.

'Any idea what race he is, Edda?'

[Someone from the sea tribe, that's for sure.]

Hmm...

With how stupidly sturdy his body is, it could be possible.

"Did you guys find something?" Shifting my focus towards the girls, I asked.

"...Most of the documents contain anatomy," Elyisa replied, showing me one of them.

"..Of what?" I asked, taking the document.

"...Sea tribes," she replied, piquing my interest.

Opening the document, I scanned it once, and sure enough, it was filled with detailed explanations about mermaids, their weaknesses, how to defeat them, and... how to cure them as well.

"....."

Thinking about the mermaids, two faces flashed in my mind.

'...Emily and her mother.'

The forgotten princess.

...wait.

I scanned the document once again, solidifying my thoughts.

....This could aid me in healing her mother.

....I mean, I would still need to do some work, but I definitely had something to start from.

"...Is that something helpful to you?" Noticing me keeping the documents, Nadya asked, squinting her eyes.

"..Yes, it can come in handy in helping one of my friend's mother—."

"...Female friend?" Interrupting me, she asked, her eyes narrowing further.

"...Yeah."

"Of course, female," Elyisa chimed in as well, "Don't you know he has an allergy to male friends?"

"...I do have a male friend," I replied, emphasizing my words and glaring at her.

"...Let me guess," Nadya asked, clapping her hands, "...You never tried to be friends with him, right?" Experience tales with empire

"..."

"I'll take your silence as a yes," she replied sweetly as I ignored her question and moved towards the orb.

Picking it up, I looked at it closely.

'.....'

I don't know why, but I used a small amount of mana to see if something happened.

...Nothing happened.

Sump!!

....But when I did the same with Star Energy, the orb flickered to life, glowing in a silvery hue before storing the energy within it.

'...'

....Another thing related to Star Energy.

"Didn't you say Star Energy is unique to you?" Walking closer to me, Elyisa asked, looking at the orb, "...then how did this happen?"

"...I have no idea," I mumbled, looking at the orb as it kept storing Star Energy.

"...Isn't it weird?" I shifted my gaze towards Nadya as she muttered, frowning her brows, "...How can everywhere you go, you find something related to you?"

"....Yeah, that's definitely weird," Elyisa agreed, adding, "...And I don't think it's the first time it happened to you, right?"

"..Yeah," I nodded, glancing at her.

"...It's like you are walking a predetermined path," Nadya commented, looking deeply into my eyes, "...Like a path already made for you."

"....A paradox," I mumbled with a sigh.

"Exactly," she nodded before asking, "...wait, what's that again?"

"...How can you be dumb and smart at the same time?" I grumbled as I walked towards the ladder.

"...My thoughts are filled with something else," she replied, eyeing me greedily.

"..."

[You both have the same level of horniness.]

'Shut up.'

"In simple terms, it's a loop," I replied, explaining to her, "...the things I did in the past determine the things that happen in the future, and there is no way to break it."

"...Like going back to fuck a certain silver-haired wome—Ouch."

"...Don't joke about it," I replied as I walked past her while lightly chopping her head, "it's all in theory, and I don't have the energy nor the reason to do anything like that."

"...That's the most concerning part, Neil," she grumbled softly, her voice serious, "...What can make you defy the natural order and do something crazy like that?"

"....."

....I don't know.

....It's scary to even think about what could make me do this.

"...Don't worry, if I get to know something, I'll tell you first," I reassured her with a light smile.

"..You better do that, mister," she replied, smiling back.

"...Wait, then was meeting with us also predetermined?" Elyisa asked, making me glance at her.

"...Not us but Lady Sylvia," Nadya commented, looking at me, "...What made you go to her in the first place, Neil?"

"...Nothing," I replied, shrugging.

"...Well, she is a milf, gilf, and most probably a virgin as well," Nadya counted on her fingers, smiling at me, "...That's more than enough to attract a horny bastard like you."

"I do not like gilfs," I rebuked, glaring at her. I wouldn't let her tarnish my reputation.

[You have one!?]

'What do you know, weird voice in my head.'

"...But the way you ogle our grandma says otherwise," Elyisa chimed in as well, making me shut my mouth.

"...Anyway, we should check out what's on the other side of the hatch," I ignored her once again as I looked at the ceiling, "...Linda should go first."

"Yes, master," the fox girl nodded her head as she walked towards the ladder.

"...You go first, Nadya," Elyisa instructed, looking at her sister.

"..Why?" Frowning, she asked.

"...You are wearing a skirt, have some decency."

"...It's not like he hasn't seen anything," she replied with a smirk.

"...Hey, tell me who should go first," Elyisa shifted her focus, glaring at me.

"I mean, I am happy with any back view," shrugging, I replied, making both sisters glare at me.

"...Fine." Walking close, Nadya kicked my leg, "Go see her 'back view'."

She started to climb the ladder without looking back at me.

"...Let's go," I said, looking at Elyisa.

She nodded before climbing as well.

At last, I also started to climb with both sisters above me and Linda, who reached the top.

She cranked three full rotations of the hatch, and I heard a click.

The hatch tilted downward and fell open, suspended by its hefty hinge.

I shifted my focus to climbing as Linda entered the hatch.

'Thud.'

"Huh?"

But my gaze abruptly shifted to the ground as I heard something falling down.

'...What?'

It took a second to comprehend that the thing that fell down was a head.

....Linda's head.

Fear crept inside me as I snapped my head looking up only to notice a silver blade-like thing inches away from the girl who looked down.

"NADYA!!"