Chapter 342: The Candidate

The meeting took place in one of the few buildings in Mythal that had survived mostly intact. It had once been a guild conference room. Now half the windows were gone, one wall had been reinforced with temporary supports, and several cracks ran across the floor. It was still better than meeting outside.

Kai sat at the center of the table, Sera beside him. Lily and Elden were across from them, while Mira and Raze occupied the other side. Gabriel sat quietly near the end of the table. Everyone was waiting.

The room was silent. Then the air changed. Not dramatically. There was no flash of light, no explosion of mana. The Candidate simply appeared. One moment the chair at the end of the table was empty. The next, he was sitting there.

Raze leaned back. "Still hate when you do that."

The Candidate smiled faintly. "You knew I was coming."

"Knowing doesn’t make it less creepy."

Mira sighed. "Ignore him."

"I am."

Raze frowned. "That’s somehow worse."

Kai almost smiled, but the Candidate wasn’t looking at Raze. He was looking at Kai, and for several seconds he said nothing. Kai met his gaze.

The Candidate finally spoke. "You passed."

Kai didn’t answer immediately, then said, "We passed."

The Candidate shook his head. "No." A pause. "You passed three."

The room went quiet. Lily’s expression shifted. Elden adjusted his glasses. Mira stared. Raze slowly sat forward. Gabriel remained completely still.

Kai watched the Candidate carefully. Three. The First Disaster. The Second Disaster. The Third. They had passed all three. And yet Kai didn’t feel like celebrating. Not here. Not yet. Because there was one thing he still couldn’t explain.

The Candidate continued looking at him, then said quietly, "The Third Disaster wasn’t supposed to end like that."

Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly. "The System never told us what it was."

"I know."

"You knew?"

"I knew what it was supposed to be."

He studied him. "Then what happened?"

The Candidate smiled. "No."

He frowned. "No?"

"I don’t know what happened."

That answer surprised everyone.

Raze blinked. "Wait." He pointed at the Candidate. "You don’t know?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly."

"But you knew what was supposed to happen?"

"Yes."

Elden leaned forward. "Then explain."

The Candidate looked around the table. "The Third Disaster was meant to be the King of the Sky."

The room became completely silent.

Raze’s expression changed immediately. "The King of the Sky?"

He nodded. "Bahamut."

Kai remained still. Sera noticed, her eyes briefly moving toward him. Kai didn’t react.

The Candidate continued. "The Third Disaster was designed differently from the first two."

Lily frowned. "How?"

"There would have been no sequence of separate calamities."

"No environmental chain?"

"No."

"No six stages?"

"No."

Elden’s expression became more focused. "Then what?"

The Candidate answered simply. "One opponent."

Raze leaned back. "One?"

He nodded. "Bahamut would descend."

"How long would we have?"

"One month."

Mira blinked. "One month?"

"After the Second Disaster." He folded his hands. "During that month, the city would have time to prepare."

Lily immediately understood. "And then?"

"You would fight him."

Sera asked quietly, "Like Tiamat?"

"Yes." He looked at them. "The Third Disaster would have begun when Bahamut descended."

Kai finally spoke. "And the objective?"

"Defeat him."

Raze stared at him. "That’s it?"

"That’s it."

He looked around the table. "...That sounds simple."

Nobody responded. He slowly reconsidered. "Okay." He raised a finger. "It sounds simple."

The Candidate smiled. "Bahamut is not simple."

Raze’s hand lowered. "How strong?"

His expression became slightly more serious. "Terrifying."

Raze waited. "That’s not a number."

"No." He looked toward the window. "If the System had not limited him..." He paused. "...he could have destroyed the entire continent."

Nobody moved. Even Raze stopped joking.

Mira’s eyes widened. "The entire continent?"

"Yes."

Lily’s expression hardened. "You’re saying one creature could destroy everything?"

"If he were completely unrestricted."

Elden swallowed. "And the System limits him?"

"It limits many things."

Gabriel finally spoke. "How much?"

He looked at her. "Enough that the difference matters."

A chill seemed to move through the room.

Sera crossed her arms. "So we were supposed to fight something that powerful."

"Yes."

Raze looked down at his hands, then gave a weak laugh. "I suddenly feel much better about fighting the Six Calamities."

Mira glanced at him. "You were complaining about those yesterday."

"I have perspective now."

Lily shook her head. "What were the previous civilizations supposed to do?"

"Prepare."

"For one month?"

"Yes."

"And then fight Bahamut?"

"Yes."

Elden frowned. "How many succeeded?"

The Candidate didn’t answer immediately. That was enough.

Elden’s expression darkened. "None?"

He shook his head. "Not in the records I showed you."

Gabriel lowered her gaze.

The Candidate continued. "That is why your success matters." He looked around the table. "All of you." His voice was quiet. "But especially Mythal."

Kai remained silent.

The Candidate smiled. "Congratulations." The words sounded different this time. Not casual. Not ceremonial. Genuine. "You passed the First Disaster. Then the Second. And somehow..." His eyes settled on Kai. "...you passed the Third." A small smile appeared. "Every civilization that failed before you would be proud."

The room went quiet again.

Lily slowly shook her head. "No."

The Candidate raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"We didn’t do this alone." She looked around the table. "We succeeded because of what came before us."

The Candidate said nothing.

She continued. "Those civilizations failed. But they still left something behind. Their mistakes. Their records. Their knowledge. Their experiences." She looked directly at him. "And you gave us those." A small smile appeared on her face. "You showed us what happened to them. You showed us where they failed. You let us experience the Disasters before they happened."

Elden nodded. "The simulations changed everything."

Mira added, "We learned what killed people."

Raze grinned slightly. "And then we made sure it didn’t kill us."

Sera nodded. "The previous civilizations gave us the warnings."

"The Candidate gave us the opportunity to understand them."

Gabriel smiled faintly. "And Mythal chose to listen."

The Candidate’s smile grew. "Exactly." He leaned back. "For a long time, I showed civilizations their failures. They would watch. They would learn. Then they would repeat the same mistakes." He looked at Mythal’s representatives. "But you didn’t. You changed. You adapted. You prepared. And when the Disasters came..." He paused. "You fought together."

Nobody spoke.

His expression softened. "I am glad."

Kai looked at him. "Glad?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I have watched many civilizations die." His voice remained calm. "But seeing one finally succeed..." He smiled. "It is worth remembering."

Silence settled over the room.

Then Gabriel asked the question everyone had been avoiding. "If the Third Disaster was supposed to be Bahamut..." She looked directly at him. "...why did we pass?"

The Candidate was silent for several seconds. Then, "I don’t know."

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed slightly. "The System didn’t tell you?"

"No."

"Not even a reason?"

"No."

Elden frowned. "Then you have no explanation."

"Not one I can prove."

Raze raised his hand slightly. "That sounds suspicious."

Mira looked at him. "Everything about the Candidate is suspicious."

"Fair."

The Candidate chuckled. "There are possibilities."

Kai watched him carefully. "What possibilities?"

His eyes met his. "I have guesses."

Kai waited. The Candidate did not continue. "You aren’t going to tell us?"

"Not yet."

Raze groaned. "Of course."

The Candidate ignored him. "I could guess. I could construct theories. I could tell you what I think happened. But none of those things would be knowledge."

Gabriel studied him. "So you’re waiting."

"Yes."

"For what?"

He smiled. "To see what happens."

Kai’s expression remained neutral. The Candidate looked at him for another moment, then his smile became almost amused. "Sometimes the most interesting answers are the ones that reveal themselves."

Kai didn’t like that answer, but he understood it. The Candidate didn’t know. Not really. He had theories, maybe several, but he wasn’t going to force an explanation onto something he hadn’t witnessed. He wanted to see where the story went.

Sera finally asked, "Should we be worried?"

The Candidate shook his head. "Not now."

"Why?"

"Because you passed." He looked around the room. "Whatever happened, the System accepted it." He gestured toward the ruined city outside. "And for now, you have more immediate concerns."

Raze followed his gaze. "Rebuilding."

"Yes."

Mira smiled. "We’re already doing that."

"I know."

Lily nodded. "And we’re improving the defenses."

"I know."

Elden adjusted his glasses. "The city will be stronger."

"I believe it."

Gabriel smiled. "And the Astral Church will continue helping."

The Candidate nodded. "Good." He looked at all of them. "You have earned this."

Raze blinked. "Earned what?"

He smiled. "A moment without another answer."

Raze stared at him. "...I don’t know whether that’s comforting or insulting."

"Both."

Mira laughed.

The Candidate stood. Kai looked up. "That’s it?"

"For now."

"You aren’t going to tell us what’s next?"

He shook his head. "Not today." He looked around the damaged room. "You have survived three Disasters. Your city is wounded. Your people are rebuilding. Let them." His eyes softened. "And enjoy your victory."

Nobody interrupted. He continued. "What you have accomplished is extraordinary. Do not immediately turn it into another problem to solve."

Lily smiled. "That’s probably difficult for us."

"I know."

Elden glanced toward Kai. "Especially him."

Kai looked at him. "Why me?"

Sera immediately answered. "Because you’re already thinking about the next thing."

He paused. "...Maybe."

Raze laughed. "Definitely."

Mira nodded. "Absolutely."

Gabriel smiled.

The Candidate simply watched them, then said, "For now, go home." He raised one hand, and the air around the room began to shimmer. "Rebuild Mythal. Help your people. Celebrate what you accomplished. And when the time comes..." His gaze settled on Kai. "...we will speak again."

Kai nodded. "Alright."

The Candidate smiled, and then the distortion of light swallowed him. He disappeared.

The room remained silent for several seconds.

Raze finally spoke. "So..." Everyone looked at him. "We were apparently supposed to fight a continent-destroying dragon."

Mira sighed. "Yes."

"And somehow..." He looked at Kai. "...we didn’t."

Kai leaned back. "Apparently."

Raze stared at him. "You’re way too calm about that."

Kai looked toward the window, at Mythal, at the workers, at the damaged buildings, at the people rebuilding their homes. He thought about the frozen moment, about Bahamut, about the strange System message, about the fact that he still didn’t understand what had happened.

Then he smiled faintly. "We passed."

Sera looked at him. He nodded. "We’ll figure out the rest later."

Lily smiled. "Agreed."

Elden nodded. "Agreed."

Mira stood. "Then let’s go."

Raze stretched. "Finally."

Gabriel rose as well, and the group began leaving the room. Kai was the last one to stand. He looked back once. The chair where the Candidate had been sitting was empty. Nothing remained.

No explanation. No answer. Only a question.

Why had the Third Disaster passed?

Kai didn’t know. The Candidate didn’t know. And apparently, neither of them was ready to force the answer.

For now, there was Mythal. There was rebuilding. There was family. There were friends. And, for the first time since the world had awakened, there was something worth celebrating.

Three Disasters. Three victories. Mythal was still standing.

And tomorrow could wait.