The next day…
Beyond the clouds, the sun rose once again and cast away the dark night. Yet the sunlight never pierced the clouds covering the Gatekeeper's Sea.
Albert groggily awoke from his slumber, stretching his arms and glanced around at the other soldiers. Realizing they were all still asleep, he hurriedly checked the mechanical watch on the wall and frowned.
'It's already five…Why aren't these idiots up yet?!'
Albert shot up from his bed and headed over to the bathroom. After cleaning himself, he exited the bathroom and grabbed his belt. Slipping the belt between his pants notches, he tightened it around his waist before picking up his long coat and putting it on as well.
Then, he paced over to the middle of the back row and sighed. Tilting his head, he rubbed his chin and pondered.
'How the hell am I going to wake them up?'
As if answering his question, a deafening thunder crackled through the air, forcing Albert to flinch. All the slumbering soldiers jolted up from their sleep – the lucky ones managed to stay within their bed
However, the unlucky ones tasted the floor with a little help from gravity.
Confusion arose in their minds, but they all instinctively checked the time on the mechanical clock hanging from the wall. Once they had learned the time and saw their General standing at the back, they quickly stood up and began preparing for the day.
Albert chuckled, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"Thanks…" He mumbled under his breath.
Then, as the soldiers passed him, he headed off to the control room.
***
As he walked down the desolate hallway, the voice of the Lieutenant General thundered.
"General, please make haste to the Scorpion – 017. Night-patrol may return to their rooms. Day-patrol will take over from here. "
With that, footsteps echoed from the towers. Soldiers climbed down the ladders of every tower and went back to their rooms, filling the halls with tired voices and echoing footsteps.
In the next 30 minutes, soldiers crowded in the tower and surrounded the circumference of every tower.
Eventually, he arrived at the control room which was brimming with monitors and scientists. As soon as he stepped inside, the lift leading up to the Scorpion – 017 opened. The Lieutenant General stepped out, exhaling and glanced up. Noticing Albert, he lowered his head and opened his mouth.
"Sir."
Albert placed his hand on the man's shoulder and replied:
"Good job. Now, it's my turn."
Passing him, the General stepped into the lift and spun around as the iron doors shut. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, bracing for impact. The metal vessel shot upward and after a few seconds, he reached the peak of the wall.
As the doors opened, he found himself in a room drowned in utter darkness. The Scorpion – 017 body pulsed with a faint neon blue light, allowing Albert to see properly in the dark.
He stepped inside without a second thought. Inside, the air was still — too clean, too artificial — before the hum of the machine swallowed him. Albert grabbed the headset above him and placed it on his head.
His brain and vision seemed to merge with the machine as the holographic screen displayed the image of the wall from various position.
The screens spun around Albert at a mere though. Accessing the highest camera on the wall, he took in the grim beauty of the Gatekeeper's sea.
He looked at the sight of the Benthos squirming at the base of the Wall, trying to find a way through while being annihilated by the automatic turrets.
Then, after a minute of watching, he began his duties.
"Tower 15. High wave incoming, brace for impact."
"Tower 14. Movement detected near the front, lookout for any Benthos."
"Tower 6. Huge wave with Benthos incoming. Initiate lockdown on tower 6."
"Tower 9… Benthos are gathering near you. Stay alert."
"Tower 5. The sonar is detecting movement 7 feet away at 1 o'clock. Stay vigilant."
As he continued to give commands, time flew by. After a few hours, it was already lunchtime.
"Message to all soldiers. It's lunch time."
He gave out his last command as he released the headset on him. He took a deep breath as the machine started to unfold. Staring into the seemingly endless dark, he grimaced as the Scorpion – 017 pulsed with a faint neon light.
'Never have I wanted to see the sun this much…'
He scowled as the lift behind him opened and a man stepped out. He approached Albert and handed him a plate full of food. The General snatched the plate from his hands and devoured the meal in mere minutes.
After, he handed the plate back to the man, wiping his face with his coat's sleeve. Then, the man left, leaving Albert alone once more as he reconnected himself to the Scorpion – 017.
As soon as he put on the headset, a voice came through the comms.
"Tower 4. Two personnel injured, Requesting immediate support."
"Tower 9. One personnel injured. Requesting immediate support."
'Bro…'
Albert blinked and silently switched over to the medics' comms.
"Paramedics, Tower 4 and tower 9 are requesting aid."
He switched channels again and ordered the soldiers on duty.
"Tower 4 and 9. Provide immediate first aid to your comrades."
After handling the situation, more time passed swiftly. Hours flew by as the endless rain and hail continued to pelt the Great Eastern Wall. Yet, the wall stood defiantly, protecting humanity from the Gatekeeper's Sea ruthless assault.
The Gatekeeper's Sea was a true anomaly in nature. An ocean that never stops raging and a place where the sun hasn't shone since the beginning of the Modern Age or approximately 3 millennia. The sea brims with Benthos and unending storms, which have caused the Pangea Empire to dub it a danger zone.
For that reason, the Great Eastern Wall became its cage.
Albert groaned, sulking into his seat – exhausted. His brain throbbed against the boundaries of his skull, overloaded with information from the Scorpion – 017. A few short moments of silence passed, only the thunder and waves being heard…
However, at that exact moment, something else could be heard… but not by Albert – not by an ordinary human. As something unfathomable and indescribable began to stir… the cameras suddenly went black.
Albert's pupils dilated as the Scorpion – 017 seemed to glitch, the holographic screens in the vision glitching in and out of sight.
All the technology across the Great Eastern wall began to falter.
The darkness shimmered, lightning bent back into the clouds, the waves seemed to calm for a mere moment and the Benthos halted in their tracks.
Then, reality tore apart… and a Chaos Fragment spawned into existence.