“Is it a demonic infestation?” Micky asked, causing the projection to raise an eyebrow.

  “How could you know about that? Has it started affecting mortals already?” Ludwick answered Micky’s question with a couple of his own.

  Micky shrugged. “Well, it’s affected at least one Yellow-born to my knowledge. I wasn’t alone on this expedition, originally. A friend of mine betrayed the whole crew, wrecking our ship and stranding us on the island. He then proceeded to pick us off a few at a time, for seemingly no coherent reason other than pure, ill-considered greed. When I interrogated him about his actions, he lost what was left of his mind entirely, turning into a rabid animal. I was forced to put him down. If that wasn’t bad enough, a bunch of black things spilled out of his mouth afterwards, trying to infect me too.”

  The demigod clenched his fists upon listening to him, the skin on his old face somehow turning even paler than it already was.

  “Then this is even worse than we feared. We were hoping to produce new gods in time to deal with the infestation, but… if it’s started turning you against one another already, today’s Green-borns might not live long enough to reach the Clear grade.”

  “I don’t understand,” Micky replied. “Shouldn’t gods be more resistant to an infestation’s influence than mortals? How is it possible that they were the first to succumb?”

  Micky wasn’t exactly an expert on the topic, but he had learned a couple of things about it during his travels. According to the hieroglyphs in Nephthys’s Sanctuary, the weakest among the Amenthei had been the first to fall asleep, with their goddess being the last one to be corrupted. Yet, here on Robari, the infestation was seemingly working in reverse.

  Ludwick smiled bitterly. “What you’ve just described matches our initial understanding of demonic infestations. Sadly, it seems that our case is as far from the norm as one can be – in several ways…”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s powerful. So powerful, that it corrupted several gods even in its infancy. It’s also intelligent. Most infestations are mindless and self-destructive. They blindly infect and kill all the creatures that they rely on to survive, only to eventually share their fate. But not this one. This one deliberately got rid of the only people with the power to potentially threaten it, before going dormant again. It’s also extremely patient. It has been biding its time, slowly gathering strength without making any big moves that would have accelerated our world’s destruction. Not until now, at least.”

  The Saint’s words sent a chill down Micky’s borrowed spine. He’d already known that infestations came in many shapes and sizes – some even capable of threatening deities.

  Even so, he’d written Amenthes off as a special case. It had been a relatively young lesser spring with only a single, inexperienced goddess, lacking any knowledge about the broader cosmos. The fact that Nephthys and her people had fallen wasn’t so surprising.

  Meanwhile, Robari had clearly been a far more developed place, yet this infestation had methodically dismantled it from the very start, sealing its fate.

  Oblivious to Micky’s thoughts, Ludwick continued. “Something dark is brewing in the depths of our world. And once it hatches, I fear that what’s left of our cursed planet won’t be enough to even whet its appetite.”

  “Wait, what? Do you think it’ll leave Robari to destroy more worlds?” Micky asked, getting a nod back.

  The demigod had kept talking about the source of the infestation as if it was a living, thinking entity, causing Micky to recall something that he had heard about in his youth. Well… in Percy’s youth. It was largely a story that adults told to scare children into behaving, but it was common knowledge that the underlying information was rooted in reality.

  “Is it a Cardinal Devil?” he asked again, the blood freezing in his veins as he uttered the words.

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  Cardinal Devils were supposed to be extremely rare, and far nastier than regular infestations. Each was a creature no weaker than the strongest gods.

  Of course, Micky knew a lot more about the cosmos now than he had as a child, so he couldn’t help but wonder just how many Cardinal Devils existed in the universe in total, or how they would fare against the most powerful greater springs like the Moirai or the Void Hand.

  Either way, unlike mindless infestations that only threatened their world of origin, Cardinal Devils could supposedly travel through the universe as they pleased, infecting more worlds and turning them into Great Hells.

  “You… how do you even know so much about this topic?” Ludwick suddenly asked, clearly noticing that Micky’s experience didn’t match that of his assumed identity.

  Micky sighed, deciding to finally come clean to the projection.

  “The truth is, I’m not the owner of this body – just an passenger. I saved Marnok from drowning when his ship sank, and I’ve been trying to help him out since. I’m… not from Robari. This is also how he got his second core,” he explained, flashing the demigod an apologetic expression.

  Contrary to his expectations, the Saint didn’t seem angry upon learning of his deception. If anything, Ludwick’s surprise gave way to excitement, a glint of hope finding its way into his old eyes.

  “Is this true, or are you pulling my leg?” he asked cautiously.

  “Why would I make this up? And shouldn’t you be more concerned about Robari having essentially been invaded by another lesser spring?”

  The Saint chuckled. “Concerned? What is there to be concerned about? We’ve nothing left for you to steal. Most developed worlds wouldn’t want anything to do with an infected planet like ours anyway. The way I see it, getting some attention from the outside could only be a good thing.”

  “Fair point. I’m sorry to burst your bubble though, but I don’t have the means or the time to do anything about a demonic infestation – let alone a Cardinal Devil. I’m working alone, and my real body is only at Yellow… er… Green I mean.”

  “Then, what exactly are your intentions?” the Saint asked.

  “Normally, I go around looking for new ways to grow stronger, but I’m currently on a bit of a break,” Micky replied, scratching his head. “Or I was, though I suppose it ended up being a little more exciting than I expected. Either way, I just wanted to help my host, yet one thing led to another, and here we are. I’ll be leaving soon.”

  The old man’s head drooped in a manner not befitting of a demigod. Micky wasn’t done though.

  “Look, I won’t make any promises, but I’ll keep your situation in mind. Maybe one day I’ll find someone or something that can help you.”

  Ludwick sighed. “Thank you. I suppose it would be unreasonable to ask for any more than that.” The demigod fell silent for a few seconds, seemingly thinking about something else before speaking again. “The energy keeping me operational will not last much longer, so if you or the owner of your body have any other questions, this is your final chance to voice them.”

  “You never told us what Marnok is supposed to eat!” Micky exclaimed.

  The demigod pointed at the carpet of glowing moss covering the rest of the cavern. “We selected this plant to seal with the stashes of beast mana due to its broad utility. It’s edible – highly nutritious, in fact – while also recycling the air in the room and illuminating the place. It grows much faster than a single person can consume it, and the cavern is designed to not let it expand too much, so you won’t have to worry about running out or getting trapped. Its flavour is a bit bland and its texture slimy though, so it’ll take some getting used to.”

  Next, he gestured at another object on the raised platform. It was some kind of massive stone bowl, filled to the brim with water. Droplets of condensation rhythmically pitter-pattered inside it after falling from a giant stalactite on the ceiling, sending ripples that caused the liquid to overflow. The excess water poured down from the edges of the container, guided towards the carpet of moss through a couple of narrow grooves on the floor.

  “You can drink from that bowl, though my data indicates that you possess the air and water affinities, so I doubt that will be necessary,” Ludwick said, before pointing at a hole on the other side of the platform. “That one is for your waste.”

  There was also a stone bed and some additional space for meditation, but those didn’t need any further explanation.

  “I know we got off on the wrong foot, but me and my colleagues have only ever done what we thought was best for Robari. Either way, this is the end of the line for us fossils. Starting now, that responsibility will lie entirely on your shoulders. Both of you – since you’re both my Inheritors, along with anyone else who might stumble upon the special tombs.”

  Micky nodded. He didn’t know Ludwick that well – one could argue that he didn’t know him at all, since he hadn’t actually met the real demigod – but he understood how much the man had loved his world. This wasn’t Micky’s home, yet he already considered Marnok his friend, and that was enough for him to carve out a spot in his heart for Robari.

  Would he ever have the means to help these people?

  He didn’t know, but he was surely going to try. Bowing respectfully toward the Saint’s projection, he watched the old man scatter into a cloud of colourful motes, dispersing around the cavern.

  Micky wasn’t planning to stay here much longer, but he had to deal with a couple of other matters before bidding his host farewell.

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