Answers

I woke up, still stuck, on the dock, sitting with my arms on my back immobilized. I saw marine animals arriving, with more people coming out of their mouths.

So many people like that? Wait, those clothes… They were enslaved people and prisoners who were on the ship. So they were rescued and allied with them.

“Looks like you woke up then,” said a familiar voice. I looked up and saw Klaus standing in front of me with a cynical smile. “Are you enjoying your stay?”

"So you survived?" I said, looking at him angrily.

"But of course, I think I was going to miss the best part," he said, looking to the side. 

So I said:

“Did you plan to recruit these slaves from the ship?”

"Of course, our group has less than 100. Increasing our group of soldiers is essential for our plans," he replied, turning and opening his arms.

"I see, you're going to use them as expendable pieces when Mora’s troops get here."

He smiled, then made a silence sign with his finger in his mouth.

"We need some time, it’s been 12 hours since we attacked the ship and of course Mora will locate us soon, but that was always part of the plan," he continued. "Mora doesn’t know it, but her downfall is near."

12 hours? So I must have slept about 8 or 9 hours, and if Wini hasn’t come back so far, then she decided to stay or was forced to.

He started to walk away so I said, "There’s just one thing I don’t understand: even if you create something dangerous with this energy accumulated in this immense tree, which makes you think you could attack Mora with this, your defenses were made by people who died to guarantee an impenetrable level of protection."

He stopped.

"But of course, that’s impossible. We never considered attacking Mora. However, what about her power supply, her bases, her allies? What if we destroy everything in a matter of hours and at the same time with a weapon that can kill hundreds of thousands in minutes?"

“What are you talking about? This is beyond the level of a Magus or anyone else.”

He looked at the city.
"You know the people of the past, they had no Numen, but they had something dangerous. Do you know how the legend of the apocalypse on fire came about?"

“Are you referring to the legend of a collapse of a global society that disappeared in one day more than 2,000 years ago?”

"That. You don't know the truth behind it, do you?" He started talking disdainfully of me. “Does Mora always brag about having the knowledge and yet not know about the fall of the last great civilization?”

"Before magic, the Magus, the emergence of Mora, before the era of poisonous wind cities, of cities that burn for centuries, of places that burn skin just from breathing, there was a global civilization, which collapsed by what they called the atomic bomb. The knowledge of how to build the bomb was lost, like 99.9% of everything they built. However, in this city, we found a location with the theory behind it. So we thought, what if we apply the logic of this thing to our abilities? What if we try to create this our way?"

"You’re saying that…"

"Yes, we brought to ourselves what caused the collapse of over 2,000 years ago. We ran the tests and theories, and we finally found a way. And thanks to the Magus who joined us, this will become possible," he started laughing. "We’re going to destroy everything that sustains Mora and she won’t even know how. Supplies from other continents—we’re going to bring in modified and poisonous climates. We’re going to wipe out the workforce. In a matter of time, they’re on the verge of collapse."

“But this will be done at the expense of nations and millions of lives.”

"Nothing that is already being done systematically by the Mora Empire, is it?" he replied. "Whoever allied with Mora will succumb, whoever joins the revolt will remain. No matter the military power, if we have enough Numen bombs to always cause damage, they will have to give in. And we already guarantee this with the tree that has already absorbed the Uire people's energy."

These people, are they crazy? This is pure insanity.

He started to walk away and said, "Tell Mora’s leaders what you heard when they get here. I’d like to see their desperation when they hear about this, but I have other things to do. Goodbye."

If that’s their plan, I think 100% sure Wini won’t agree, but I doubt they’ll give her any options. Both Brigid and Megan should be used as hostages. Also, if he felt comfortable telling me that, they must be pretty sure that they’re going to get what they want, which means that this weapon is already almost or completely ready for use.

So what are they waiting for?

Hmm, he says I could tell what he said to the leaders of Mora…
Wait, they want Mora’s troops to come here to start? But why? There must be another part of the plan I don’t know about? But what?

What’s so important here they want? It is not the what but who. There are 9 known living Magus, and 4 others that are considered missing alive or dead. With the emergence of one Magus, this number increases to 10. Of these, 6 are directly linked to the Mora Empire, and 3 are specialized in the art of war. Suppose two of them are coming here. So they intend to kill them. This would change the whole geopolitics of Mora’s Empire. For the first time in over a millennium, they would not be in military control of the world. And with the emergence of new Magus in the future, they tend to suffer more from their power and influence.

I looked around and saw almost no one else. Everyone entered that ghost town and eventually disappeared from my sight.

"Let’s say I tell what I know to the leaders of the Empire here, what can this change? Will they be more hasty in their actions? No, that probably doesn’t change much. They will do the same. Their military organization is always stuck in order. That’s why Klaus’ bastard told me without any worries. Of course it’s a trap, but the Empire prides itself on being the strongest—they believe they can win and usually win."

That explains their plan. But why would Wini matter to them and this plan?

At first I thought they wanted her because of that prophecy. It’s a prophecy that the Mora Empire takes very seriously, to the point of killing anyone who has the Imitation Ability with the potential to become a Magus. But still it’s just a story. Why did Mother Ludlam’s people want her so badly to send some of the few allies in her cause to rescue her?

Let’s think. The Magus user of these abilities who will produce the bomb fruits from this tree must have the following combination:

“Earth + Restriction + Transmutation”

Already, Wini has the:

“Telekinesis + Imitation + Healing”

How can this help?

Could Telekinesis be used to direct the energy pump and/or keep it stable? Probably not.

Imitation—would it be used to copy something useful to them....

 What would it do?

Wait… he suggested that the effects of this bomb were poisonous…
Is Wini the only person who can leave the Fruit of Numen in the form they want?
If this is true, that is very sad.

Why? Why her? She will be used as a crucial tool for the chaos they want to cause...

Wini will be the catalyst for everything she does not represent. Of all the people I have known in the world, she would be the last one who would want to cause something like this in the world.

“No way… It’s sad, very sad…” I said. “How unfair…”
I started crying.

“It’s too early to cry, soldier!” said a Mora officer going up the dock next to me.

Mora’s troops arrived here. More ships were approaching.

He’s right, I can’t grieve yet, I can still do something!