"Just kidding."
The blue phantom chuckled, clearly pleased with Jenkins's expression.
"Let repeat, I was joking. Absolutely do not do that, or you risk being gored to death by the unicorn. It's a truly perverted act, on par with deliberately trying to lift ladies' skirts.
Alright, alright, back to the point. You just need to connect your spirit with the unicorn's. The unicorn will then spontaneously draw on the power of the one touching it to unlock its own potential. Honestly, creatures like this are quite enviable sotis. When they let you touch them, it's not purely for enjoynt like with a cat or a dog."
"Is that all it takes?"
"Yes, that's all. Rember the steps: fly up, blow the whistle, and use an ability similar to a light spell. Aside from the possibility of dying in the darkness after the moon disappears or being killed by this city's master, you won't face any greater danger. This is a huge stroke of luck; not every rescue mission is this simple. I don't know if you're familiar with the cataclysms at the end of each epoch, but those are the most..."
The talkative figure began to fade, its voice growing softer and softer. It vanished before finishing the word "troubleso," leaving Jenkins alone in the small, red-lit warehouse to contemplate his next move.
(Chocolate is on the move...)
Back in the real world, in Nolan, the conversation between the shorter lady and the red-haired woman continued. Although neither held a particularly high opinion of the other, they both had to acknowledge that they would be living together from now on.
After composing themselves, they easily reached a consensus regarding the Williams family's affairs, as their expectations for Jenkins on that matter were perfectly aligned.
This was hardly surprising. Even a cat knows that humans are always drawn to thrones and shiny crowns. In fact, even cats like that sort of thing.
"So where is Jenkins now?"
With the formal part of their discussion over, Hathaway finally asked. Alexia considered for a mont, deciding not to reveal Jenkins's other identities.
"Dolores Stuart needed to discuss sothing with him, probably about her eting with the Fidektri ambassador. As you know, Dolores intends to inherit her family's throne, so at a ti like this, she needs to win over as many 'friends' as she can."
Hathaway nodded in understanding, then asked another question.
"Do you know what's happening with the sky outside? I've heard Jenkins talk about a doomsday illusion. That thing up there couldn't be..."
"Yes, that up there is the doomsday city from the illusion. I'm not entirely sure what's going on. Jenkins ntioned the Church asked for his help today, but it seems things didn't go very smoothly."
As they spoke, the two won walked over to the window to look outside together. This was incredibly boring for Chocolate, who had been hoping for a fight. So, it hopped down from the small round table, scurried over to the window before they arrived, and leaped onto the sill, claiming a pri spot to watch Jenkins's performance.
"In Ruen... is Jenkins really staying at that princess's ho?"
Though they were both gazing at the sky, Hathaway couldn't care less about what was happening up there.
"It's not exactly a ho; Dolores's ho is the royal palace. But yes, they do live together. Oh, I an under the sa roof... I see what you're getting at. The answer is no. Jenkins has a strange sense of moral purity. Last ti, at a party, Dolores gave him a garter, and he was so spooked he hid in his bedroom clutching his cat and didn't dare co out all night."
The two of them chatted about Jenkins's amusing quirks, which brought them a little closer. During their conversation, they each learned things about Jenkins they hadn't known before. Amid the talking and laughing, the awkward atmosphere from their first eting dissipated.
Finally, Hathaway asked the question that had been puzzling her for a long ti.
"How did Chocolate end up coming with you? I thought Jenkins's precious cat wouldn't pay attention to anyone but him."
"It's quite simple. You just have to know what Chocolate is thinking. Jenkins's cat is actually very easy to understand."
Alexia explained, then noticed the black-and-white kitten's ears twitch. It suddenly shifted from a lying to a standing position and looked up at the sky.
"It's starting."
"What's start—"
Hathaway left her question half-finished, suddenly understanding. The sky had been blanketed by a layer of gloomy clouds at dusk, and as darkness fell, the city had appeared behind them.
It was now eight o'clock at night. The deep darkness of the evening was matched by the gloomy sky. Because of the black clouds and the illusory city, neither the Benefactors who could see the truth nor the ordinary people who could not were able to observe the moon or the stars tonight.
And in the instant the two won looked up, a "stain" as thick as ink appeared in the night sky. Then, a terrifying darkness began to spread wantonly across the heavens, with that stain at its center.
It was the purest darkness; Hathaway could think of no other way to describe it. Though the night sky was already dark and deep, staring at it now was like having an abyss suspended overhead, or as if so colossal beast, large enough to devour the material world, had opened its great maw, ready to swallow everything whole.
She let out a muffled groan and leaned against the wall, lowering her head. A small hand reached out and rested on her wrist, helping to stabilize the restless spirit within her.
"Don't look up. That's sothing mortals shouldn't gaze upon. Now I finally understand what Jenkins ant by the ultimate darkness."
At that mont, all across Nolan, many other Benefactors were looking up at the sky. They all saw the pure black heavens and had much the sa reaction as Hathaway.
Aside from a few powerful demigods, only the dragon in the countryside and the cat on the windowsill dared to lift their heads to the night sky. And both of them saw it: the first ray of light, born from within the darkness.
It was just an exceptionally faint glimr, as fragile as a spark. But it wasn't imdiately swallowed by the darkness. Instead, it tenaciously held on. The light was like a crack in the dark sky, a crack that grew larger and brighter.
Soon, the two won, who had been standing behind Chocolate with their heads bowed, also noticed that sliver of light. When they looked up, a visible patch of light had already appeared in the sky.
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