Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

Quest 97- The Missing Cloud

Shortly after the battle.

‘Where is he!? Where is he!?!?!?’

Looking from high above, Nox was looking frantically; she could feel his life slowly reaching critical levels, but she found nothing.

‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!! Where are you!!’

She dove into the sea like a diving bird.

Swoop! Splash!!!

‘(White Bright) [White Night]!!’

 FLASH!!

From above, Poseidon could see the white light from his ship and several of his children were searching extensively. Lance, having recovered enough, began his search, as did many of the Amazonians sailing around desperately.

After four days of feeling him slowly slip away, she felt her connection with him get clogged up.

"No…no! no!"

She tried to connect to him, but something was stopping her from calling him. The only thing she knew now was that he was still alive. Her existence in the world proved that, but her body and mind connection was blocked off.

"… You're still alive, I’ll find you!!"

She searched tirelessly for weeks on end until eventually; the search had to be called off.

"Hey, little spirit," said Poseidon. "I’m sorry, but… we looked up and down the lines of the cost and then some… he’s gone."

Nox turns back into her human form and stares at Poseidon. He could feel the desperation coming from her eyes.

"He is not dead… and I will continue to look for him, even if everyone stops."

Even her voice was full of desperation.

"… Shall I report to his god—"

"When you return, you report to Ouranos, for he is his god."

"!?!?"

That revelation shook Poseidon; he clenches his fists in anger.

Those chosen by Ouranos were surly special, now the sky lost a star.

"Alright… I’m sorry we couldn’t find him."

With the Poseidon Familia now gone, Nox was on her own. Most of the Amazoness went back to their normal activities except for Bache. She would occasionally drop by and give Nox food and then leave, watching her every now and again.

Nox continued to search desperately, so much so that she lost track of time.

Swoop! Splash!!!

Days bled into weeks—

Swoop! Splash!!!

Swoop! Splash!!!

—weeks into months—

Swoop! Splash!!!

Swoop! Splash!!!

Swoop! Splash!!!

—and months into years.

One day, as Nox was about to resume her search when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Nox!!!"

She turned to see an unfamiliar white-haired Renard. She looked completely haggard, her clothes were dirty and covered in various stuff.

"Nox! I came to help!" she said.

"… Thank you… stranger... But he is my one and only savior. I failed to save him after going in alone like an IDIOT!!" she screamed as she bashed some crates nearby. "DAMMIT!! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!!! DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!"

Her bottled-up emotions have finally cracked without her realizing it. She broke more and more of the crates until her hands were bleeding. She didn’t stop at all. She kept going till she was punching the ground.

The stranger had to stop her from doing it and restrain her.

"LET ME GO!!! LET ME GO!!! I HAVE TO GO!!! I HAVE TO FIND HIM!!!"

She cried her heart out; she couldn’t find her savior.

The stranger held till she tired herself out which wasn't long.

After a good while of recovering from her endless search, Nox woke up and felt empty.

"…"

She turned to see some warm food. She picked up the spoon and tried the warm soup.

"… Tasteless."

She tried the bread.

"Tasteless."

The glass of water.

"Tasteless."

The salad.

"… Soggy."

She finished eating and walked down the stairs to find no one there.

"…"

She then walked outside to resume her search again, thinking that Ai was a hallucination.

But as she walked to the port, she saw a ship out in the distance.

"… it can’t be."

Nox turned into an owl and flew to the ship.

The closer Nox grew, the more vividly she could see its occupants: an Amazoness and a Renard.

Nox flew down and turned back into a human on the ship.

"Ah, Nox!" said Ai, now a teenager. "Sorry I wasn’t there, I was—"

"What are you doing here? You are only a decade old." Nox said flat out.

"… Um…" Both Ai and Bache didn’t know how to respond.

"Lady Nox… um…" said Bache. "It’s been—"

"Four years," said Ai.

"… What?"

Not having realized she lost track of time, hearing from Ai that it’s been 4 years since she didn’t seem Ai as she was when she was 10, but she had grown into a far more mature young lady.

For Bache, she had become an adult.

"I…I…I never—!!"

She grabbed her head in pain.

"Nox!!" they both said, going to her.

"What’s wrong, Nox!" said Ai.

"M-my head!! Its—!!"

‘It’s been a while, Nox.’

A familiar voice fills her head.

"…Cirrus."

Her eyes lit up like fireworks in July.

She turned her head and followed that thread, that feeling that connected them.