Chapter 2:
The City Under Water
Reaper of Atlant
The ground cracks into an abyss.
Millions of fragments rained into it, slowly a city built up.
Nameless caught the mermaid’s hand before she could fall. With a single leap, he carried them through the storm of glass and landed on the roof of a nearby skyscraper.
From there, they saw it.
A city beneath the water.
It looked like an illusion.
Modern vehicles moved through the streets. Mermaids swam between the towering buildings, while humans—or beings that looked like humans—worked inside the city.
It was a modern city belonging to a forgotten age.
Some people chanted spells in the streets. Flames erupted from their hands, while others controlled water or summoned spectral chains.
The city was alive.
The mermaid silently stared at the world below.
Beside them, a sleek blue motorcycle suddenly materialized.
Its metallic frame shifted and unfolded with a series of mechanical clicks, transforming into a futuristic vehicle covered in glowing lines.
Nameless pointed at it with his thumb.
“Yours?”
The mermaid nodded.
“I can drive you through the city.”
She nodded again.
Nameless climbed onto the motorcycle. The mermaid settled behind him, carefully wrapping her arms around his waist.
In front of them, water rose into the air and formed a transparent bridge across the sky. Far beyond it, an enormous cathedral towered above the city.
Its glowing spires seemed to pierce the artificial heavens.
“Can we visit that place?” Nameless asked.
The mermaid nodded and hummed softly in agreement.
Nameless started the engine.
The motorcycle roared to life, and they sped onto the bridge of water.
As they raced through the city, Nameless glanced over the edge. The vast metropolis unfolded beneath them—countless towers, illuminated streets, and flowing waterways stretching farther than the eye could see.
“Atlant is quite beautiful.”
“It was my city, after all,” the mermaid replied with a small laugh. “So… you already know how the story ends.”
Her smile slowly faded.
“How many years has it been since we went extinct?”
“Eleven thousand six hundred years.”
“Oh…”
She blinked.
“That’s a long time.”
Nameless accelerated.
Above them, the artificial sky gradually turned purple. One by one, the lights throughout the city came alive, bathing Atlant in the glow of night.
“In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t that long,” Nameless said.
“Mhm. I suppose your technology is far more advanced now.”
Nameless laughed quietly.
“You know that thing you fought against?”
The mermaid’s expression changed.
“It will return,” he continued. “Humanity has reached the same limit you did.”
He paused for a moment.
“And, well… I started a war against it.”
The mermaid stared at him in confusion.
Silence.
She looked at him again.
Still silence.
Then realization struck her.
“Oh.”
Her eyes widened.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU STARTED A WAR AGAINST THAT?!”
Nameless calmly nodded.
“You’re insane!”
“I hate being controlled. That’s all.”
The mermaid looked at him as though he had just declared war on the entire world.
“YOU CAN’T WIN!” she shouted. “EVEN WITH THAT STRANGE POWER YOU USED EARLIER, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE!”
“Of course I can.”
His answer came fast.
“I’ve never lost, and I don’t intend to start now.”
The motorcycle accelerated again.
“Even if it destroys everything?” she asked.
“Then I’ll keep moving forward. Just pushing on.
She watched its citizens moving through the streets below. Mermaids swam between the buildings, children played near glowing fountains, and humans worked alongside beings from the sea.
“Do you think we deserved it?” she suddenly asked.
Nameless remained silent.
“To die, I mean.”
He sighed.
“A friend of mine once said that anyone who is prepared to kill must also be prepared to die.”
“We were prepared,” she whispered. “You know that…”
“Yeah.”
Nameless’s voice became quieter.
“But he made a few exceptions.”
The mermaid tilted her head.
“And those exceptions became my rules.”
A small grin appeared on her face. She leaned closer and hugged him more tightly.
“What rules?”
“Never kill civilians.”
His answer was immediate.
“They’re simply trying to live their lives. I despise anyone who drags them into a conflict.”
The mermaid listened silently.
“No collateral damage,” Nameless continued. “That’s the second rule.”
“And the third?”
“Keep it personal.”
“Personal?”
“Your conflict is with your enemy. No one else.”
She rested her chin against his shoulder.
“What if I’m trying to protect civilians?”
“Then protect them.”
Nameless’s gaze drifted toward Atlant below.
“To be honest, I wasn’t always like this. In the past, I killed whenever I believed it would lead to the outcome I wanted.”
His grip tightened slightly around the handlebars.
“But now…”
The ancient city reflected in his eyes.
“When I look at cities like this… at their history and our history…”
He raised his eyes toward the artificial sky.
“I understand that I was wrong.”
The motorcycle drew closer to the cathedral.
The sky darkened further as night fully descended upon Atlant.
“The lie of necessary sacrifices,” the mermaid murmured.
He asked, “Just out of curiosity… why didn’t you escape?”
The mermaid began to hum.
It was a dark, sorrowful melody.
“Atlant would die with us,” she said. “That was the only thing we could think about.”
Her voice carried a grief.
“If our city disappeared, we believed we had to disappear with it.”
“That’s foolish.”
The mermaid’s humming stopped.
Nameless continued.
“Don’t take part in a game where people kill and die for a cause that no longer matters.”
The cathedral grew larger before them.
“Escaping isn’t a sin. Refusing to participate isn’t a sin either.”
The motorcycle began to slow.
“Because…”
They reached the end of the bridge.
“In death, nothing can be accomplished.”
The mermaid’s eyes widened.
For a moment, she could only stare at his back.
“Hearing that from someone strong… wasn’t what I expected.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“But then why don’t you back down, you mean it's not a sin either?”
Nameless smiled deviously.
“I do it for the love of the game.”
The mermaid froze.
“Huh?”
Her grip around him loosened.
“THAT’S YOUR REASON?!”
Nameless laughed as they reached the cathedral.
A vast garden surrounded the sacred structure.
Or at least, it once had.
The flowers throughout the garden had been crushed and torn apart. Broken petals covered the ground like scattered drops of blood.
Lotuses floated within shattered ponds, while white chrysanthemums lay trampled across the stone paths.
The mermaid’s playful expression vanished.
“Someone was here?”
“That’s impossible,” she whispered.
She jumped off the motorcycle before it had completely stopped.
“This place was sealed. Nothing should have been able to enter.”
Without waiting for Nameless, she ran toward the cathedral.
The enormous doors stood slightly open.
Darkness waited beyond them.
Nameless parked the motorcycle and climbed off.
Unlike the mermaid, he showed no urgency.
He placed one hand inside his pocket and slowly followed her into the cathedral.
Millions of fragments rained into it, slowly a city built up.
Nameless caught the mermaid’s hand before she could fall. With a single leap, he carried them through the storm of glass and landed on the roof of a nearby skyscraper.
From there, they saw it.
A city beneath the water.
It looked like an illusion.
Modern vehicles moved through the streets. Mermaids swam between the towering buildings, while humans—or beings that looked like humans—worked inside the city.
It was a modern city belonging to a forgotten age.
Some people chanted spells in the streets. Flames erupted from their hands, while others controlled water or summoned spectral chains.
The city was alive.
The mermaid silently stared at the world below.
Beside them, a sleek blue motorcycle suddenly materialized.
Its metallic frame shifted and unfolded with a series of mechanical clicks, transforming into a futuristic vehicle covered in glowing lines.
Nameless pointed at it with his thumb.
“Yours?”
The mermaid nodded.
“I can drive you through the city.”
She nodded again.
Nameless climbed onto the motorcycle. The mermaid settled behind him, carefully wrapping her arms around his waist.
In front of them, water rose into the air and formed a transparent bridge across the sky. Far beyond it, an enormous cathedral towered above the city.
Its glowing spires seemed to pierce the artificial heavens.
“Can we visit that place?” Nameless asked.
The mermaid nodded and hummed softly in agreement.
Nameless started the engine.
The motorcycle roared to life, and they sped onto the bridge of water.
As they raced through the city, Nameless glanced over the edge. The vast metropolis unfolded beneath them—countless towers, illuminated streets, and flowing waterways stretching farther than the eye could see.
“Atlant is quite beautiful.”
“It was my city, after all,” the mermaid replied with a small laugh. “So… you already know how the story ends.”
Her smile slowly faded.
“How many years has it been since we went extinct?”
“Eleven thousand six hundred years.”
“Oh…”
She blinked.
“That’s a long time.”
Nameless accelerated.
Above them, the artificial sky gradually turned purple. One by one, the lights throughout the city came alive, bathing Atlant in the glow of night.
“In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t that long,” Nameless said.
“Mhm. I suppose your technology is far more advanced now.”
Nameless laughed quietly.
“You know that thing you fought against?”
The mermaid’s expression changed.
“It will return,” he continued. “Humanity has reached the same limit you did.”
He paused for a moment.
“And, well… I started a war against it.”
The mermaid stared at him in confusion.
Silence.
She looked at him again.
Still silence.
Then realization struck her.
“Oh.”
Her eyes widened.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU STARTED A WAR AGAINST THAT?!”
Nameless calmly nodded.
“You’re insane!”
“I hate being controlled. That’s all.”
The mermaid looked at him as though he had just declared war on the entire world.
“YOU CAN’T WIN!” she shouted. “EVEN WITH THAT STRANGE POWER YOU USED EARLIER, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE!”
“Of course I can.”
His answer came fast.
“I’ve never lost, and I don’t intend to start now.”
The motorcycle accelerated again.
“Even if it destroys everything?” she asked.
“Then I’ll keep moving forward. Just pushing on.
That’s all there is to it. You push forward until you reach the end.”
The mermaid looked away from him and gazed down at the city.She watched its citizens moving through the streets below. Mermaids swam between the buildings, children played near glowing fountains, and humans worked alongside beings from the sea.
“Do you think we deserved it?” she suddenly asked.
Nameless remained silent.
“To die, I mean.”
He sighed.
“A friend of mine once said that anyone who is prepared to kill must also be prepared to die.”
“We were prepared,” she whispered. “You know that…”
“Yeah.”
Nameless’s voice became quieter.
“But he made a few exceptions.”
The mermaid tilted her head.
“And those exceptions became my rules.”
A small grin appeared on her face. She leaned closer and hugged him more tightly.
“What rules?”
“Never kill civilians.”
His answer was immediate.
“They’re simply trying to live their lives. I despise anyone who drags them into a conflict.”
The mermaid listened silently.
“No collateral damage,” Nameless continued. “That’s the second rule.”
“And the third?”
“Keep it personal.”
“Personal?”
“Your conflict is with your enemy. No one else.”
She rested her chin against his shoulder.
“What if I’m trying to protect civilians?”
“Then protect them.”
Nameless’s gaze drifted toward Atlant below.
“To be honest, I wasn’t always like this. In the past, I killed whenever I believed it would lead to the outcome I wanted.”
His grip tightened slightly around the handlebars.
“But now…”
The ancient city reflected in his eyes.
“When I look at cities like this… at their history and our history…”
He raised his eyes toward the artificial sky.
“I understand that I was wrong.”
The motorcycle drew closer to the cathedral.
The sky darkened further as night fully descended upon Atlant.
“The lie of necessary sacrifices,” the mermaid murmured.
He asked, “Just out of curiosity… why didn’t you escape?”
The mermaid began to hum.
It was a dark, sorrowful melody.
“Atlant would die with us,” she said. “That was the only thing we could think about.”
Her voice carried a grief.
“If our city disappeared, we believed we had to disappear with it.”
“That’s foolish.”
The mermaid’s humming stopped.
Nameless continued.
“Don’t take part in a game where people kill and die for a cause that no longer matters.”
The cathedral grew larger before them.
“Escaping isn’t a sin. Refusing to participate isn’t a sin either.”
The motorcycle began to slow.
“Because…”
They reached the end of the bridge.
“In death, nothing can be accomplished.”
The mermaid’s eyes widened.
For a moment, she could only stare at his back.
“Hearing that from someone strong… wasn’t what I expected.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“But then why don’t you back down, you mean it's not a sin either?”
Nameless smiled deviously.
“I do it for the love of the game.”
The mermaid froze.
“Huh?”
Her grip around him loosened.
“THAT’S YOUR REASON?!”
Nameless laughed as they reached the cathedral.
A vast garden surrounded the sacred structure.
Or at least, it once had.
The flowers throughout the garden had been crushed and torn apart. Broken petals covered the ground like scattered drops of blood.
Lotuses floated within shattered ponds, while white chrysanthemums lay trampled across the stone paths.
The mermaid’s playful expression vanished.
“Someone was here?”
“That’s impossible,” she whispered.
She jumped off the motorcycle before it had completely stopped.
“This place was sealed. Nothing should have been able to enter.”
Without waiting for Nameless, she ran toward the cathedral.
The enormous doors stood slightly open.
Darkness waited beyond them.
Nameless parked the motorcycle and climbed off.
Unlike the mermaid, he showed no urgency.
He placed one hand inside his pocket and slowly followed her into the cathedral.
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