March 7th and Aleph walked calmly through the Sanctum of Exaltation.
Aleph let his gaze wander for a few seconds, taking in the surroundings.
A sigh escaped his lips as he spotted Dan Heng waiting for them.
He had been here before. Not long ago, with Dan Shu...
A faint weight settled in his chest. But he quickly pushed those thoughts aside.
She's not her.
She's not her.
He repeated in his head to erase the image from his mind.
"Everything okay?" March 7th asked in a low voice, walking beside him.
Aleph nodded with a serene expression.
"I was just wondering… why does Dan Heng's new outfit look like a dress? Not that I'm complaining—he pulls it off."
"I know, right?" March 7th's eyes lit up, and Aleph suddenly felt like he had just said the right thing. "... So tell me, Aleph—seeing Dan Heng like that, did it do anything to you?"
She raised her eyebrows and looked at him with a mischievous grin.
"Eh?" Aleph blinked, genuinely confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Before March 7th could elaborate—
...
Standing before him, slightly bowed in polite posture, was a Vidyadhara.
Her flawless poise, white silk robe, and perfectly neutral expression couldn't hide the sharp edge vibrating behind her gaze.
As they approached, Huanxi tilted her head slightly.
"Greetings."
Her eyes shifted from Dan Heng to Aleph… and hardened, as if she'd just spotted something filthy.
When she spoke, her voice was cold.
"And who might you be?" She asked, not even bothering to hide her displeasure. "I am speaking with Master Dan Heng. You'd do well to leave and not intrude on others' conversations."
Aleph looked at her in confusion.
Why the veiled hostility?
He opened his mouth to respond, but Dan Heng spoke first.
"Aleph is a dear friend and guest." He said, each word sharp and precise, like a hammer strike on stone. "If you have an issue with that… take it up with me."
Huanxi blinked slowly, weighing the value of responding. In the end, she simply adjusted a fold in her sleeve.
"Of course." She replied. "A guest always reflects their host."
She gave Dan Heng a final short bow, followed by a look at Aleph and March 7th cold enough to freeze the sea, before walking away, her figure fading into the corridors.
Once she was out of earshot, March 7th let out the breath she'd been holding.
"Well…" She muttered. "I think she liked you."
Aleph let out a soft laugh as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah, I think we were one step away from getting invited to tea."
Dan Heng's expression didn't change, but his posture eased a little.
"Let's head to the dock." He said, back to his usual dry tone. "There's no point staying here any longer."
....
As they walked, their footsteps echoing on the polished wood, a group of Vidyadharas stepped aside to let them pass.
All except one.
A tall man in a deep purple robe embroidered with silver thread.
His eyes first landed on Dan Heng, then shifted to Aleph and March 7th, as if he were evaluating the quality of defective merchandise.
He made no effort to hide his contempt.
"Well." He said in a low but perfectly audible voice. "The exile has brought along his own escort of scraps."
Aleph felt a tingle in his fist.
Sometimes, nothing's more therapeutic than punching an idiot.
The Vidyadhara took a step forward, just close enough to assert dominance without touching.
"If you truly cared about this place." He continued, words dripping like venom from a dagger. "You would disappear from it. Don't mistake mercy for welcome. Don't confuse forgiveness with forgetting."
He didn't wait for a reply.
With the arrogance of someone who believes himself untouchable, he turned on his heel and walked away, his robe billowing behind him.
That was when Aleph stuck out his foot.
The Vidyadhara tripped full force, losing all composure as he slammed into the ground.
The sharp smack of impact seemed to echo louder than the murmurs of the crowd.
For a second, the whole dock froze.
Before the situation could explode, Aleph grabbed Dan Heng and March 7th by the hands and led them to the Starskiff.
"Let's go, let's go." He said in a low voice. "The Starskiff waits for no one."
************
"You finally made it!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms with a slight pout. "You took so long I almost thought you got lost."
Aleph let out an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his neck.
Bailu stopped in front of Dan Heng, eyeing him up and down like she was inspecting him.
"...Wait, what's Bailu doing here?" Aleph blinked in surprise, looking from Bailu to Dan Heng. "Hold on… is she…?"
Dan Heng nodded as if answering the unspoken question.
"The Grand Master."
Aleph looked genuinely surprised, while March 7th and Dan Heng stared at him like, "You're just now figuring that out?"
Bailu pouted at Aleph.
"Well? Aren't you going to tell me why you're late?"
"There were… a lot of people who wanted to talk to Dan Heng."
Dan Heng raised an eyebrow at him.
"A few assassins tried to kill me."
Bailu's eyes widened like saucers.
"WHAT?! Are you hurt?"
March 7th gave a dismissive "Hmph" and patted Dan Heng's back.
"Please. We're way too good to fall to such mediocre assassins."
At that, Bailu let out a sigh.
But her expression quickly shifted as she approached Dan Heng, a mischievous glint in her eyes while she played with the tip of her own tail.
"Tsk. I wouldn't expect any less from you…" She said, then tilted her head curiously. "But why don't you have a tail?" She asked, swishing hers.
Dan Heng went silent, unsure how to respond.
In the end, he just looked down and sighed.
********
Continuing on, they reached the center of the ruins.
Dan Heng stepped forward, and once again, the scene of the parted sea repeated itself.
"Wow… no matter how many times I see it, it never stops being impressive." Aleph murmured.
"And this time, I was ready!" March 7th added, holding up a video camera. "Now Himeko and Pom-Pom can experience it too!"
Bailu watched in awe.
"Incredible!"
Dan Heng looked at her.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
*******
Dan Heng had to seal the Ambrosia Tree… or at least what remained of it.
After Aleph's interference, no one could tell how much vital energy it had left—or if it could even recover at all.
March 7th stood behind Aleph, hands on her hips, looking a bit conflicted.
She couldn't help but sigh as she remembered why Dan Heng had invited both her and Aleph.
Aleph was there so they could keep an eye on him and stop him from trying to sneak in and absorb what was left. As for her…
"I'm supposed to make sure he doesn't end up devouring the rest of that tree. Why do I feel like that's going to be easier said than done?"
...
Dan Heng tried to invoke the power of the seal, but nothing happened.
Bailu tried as well, frowning when nothing worked.
"Ugh! I could feel it! Why didn't anything happen?!" She said, stomping the ground in frustration with a pout.
"Hurry up! I don't know how much longer I can hold this!" March 7th shouted, tugging on Aleph's coat.
"Nooooo!" Aleph cried, looking at the dragon-shaped roots with teary eyes. He looked like a kid who just had their candy taken away after finally getting it. "It tasted so good! Are you sure I can't have just a little more? Just a tiny bit? Don't be mean!"
"No, Aleph. No."
"You're all so stingy. That's why you'll end up bald and ugly—especially you, March 7th!"
"Why would you curse me like that?!"
Dan Heng tried again. This time, he closed his eyes—and in silence, Bailu placed her hand over his and joined her energy to his.
The result came instantly.
The seal activated. A deep glow wrapped around the roots of the Ambrosia Tree.
"It's done." Dan Heng said, visibly relieved.
"Can we go now?" Asked March 7th, but when she looked up, her expression changed. "…Oh."
An unusual atmosphere filled the place. Dan Heng frowned.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his pupils gleamed with a faint light.
The entire area was surrounded.
The hidden assassins became visible to him.
"They're using our race's concealment art…" Dan Heng explained. "We need to move carefully—they'll only become visible when they decide to strike."
As they walked, they came across blue silhouettes that vaguely resembled Vidyadhara.
One of them stepped forward arrogantly.
"Hand over the transmutation ritual, Dan Feng. You should know that the Preceptors are above you."
Naturally, he ignored them.
"Abundance gave us hope! We could reproduce! Our numbers wouldn't dwindle anymore!"
"…There were Sanctus disciples among the Vidyadhara?" March 7th asked.
"Regardless of race, there's no one who wouldn't be tempted by the idea of eternal life…"
Aleph looked at the silhouette with a curious expression.
"He said Vidyadhara can't reproduce… does that mean Dan Heng's sterile?"
An awkward silence fell over them. Bailu and March 7th both facepalmed.
"Aleph!"
"You can't just ask something like that!"
Dan Heng slowly turned toward Aleph.
His face remained as expressionless as ever, but something in his gaze sent a chill down Aleph's spine.
In the end, Dan Heng just smacked him on the head with the back of his hand.
"Not the time."
March 7th let out a nervous giggle.
"Aleph… sometimes I can't tell if you're just a fool or a complete idiot."
Aleph rubbed his head, grinning awkwardly—Dan Heng had a heavy hand.
"Sorry… it was a genuine question."
.....
Finally, after a long while, the group reached the exit of the gorge. No one knew exactly when, but at some point Bailu had climbed onto Dan Heng's back and was now using him as a mount.
"Miss Bailu? Are you alright? You were gone for quite a while…" Huanxi said as she saw them approaching.
"Hmph." Bailu puffed out her chest from her spot on Dan Heng's back. "Dan Heng and the others are excellent bodyguards."
"Who would've thought." Huanxi muttered with a frown. "Those shameless assassins… To think they'd dare attack in such a sacred place as the Scalegorge. The elders must be informed. Rest assured, they'll all be punished as they deserve."
"One moment." Dan Heng fixed Huanxi with a sharp gaze. "None of us mentioned assassins. How did you know about them?"
The maid's eyes widened in surprise before she quickly tried to mask her expression.
"W-Well… They attacked you earlier, didn't they? I-I was just worried they might try again…"
"The ones we encountered before were after Dan Heng, but these came for Bailu. How would you know that?" Aleph asked as a bat made of ice began to form in his hand.
"Tsk." Huanxi clicked her tongue and frowned in disgust. "I must've been careless if someone like you managed to notice me," she said, looking at Aleph with a disdainful sneer.
March 7th stepped forward as Dan Heng gently lowered Bailu off his back.
"Was this the elders' order for you? To get rid of the unworthy and unqualified Grand Master?"
Huanxi waved her hand dismissively.
"Ha. No, this was entirely my idea. How could the Preceptors come up with something like this? In my humble opinion, the Vidyadhara only need one Grand Master… So why keep a weak and useless usurper alive?"
The maid let out a soft laugh. From the shadows, several groups of assassins emerged. Now that the truth was out, there was no need to hide.
"Our relationship as lady and maid ends here, Miss Bailu. I'd say it was a pleasure but… ha, wouldn't that be an outrageous lie at this point?" The ex-maid turned her back to them and started walking away from the gorge.
But she didn't take more than a few steps before the sound of shattering ice echoed around her.
"…Did you really think that sending a few more would make a difference this time?" Aleph asked, looking at her with boredom.
Huanxi swallowed hard.
"Seems like I wasn't needed in the end."
A new voice rang out, and as they turned toward it, they saw Jing Yuan. Rather than annoyed, he looked pleased that he hadn't had to step in.
"Ahh, the younger generation never fails to surprise us old folks, don't you think, old friend?" He said, stepping up beside Dan Heng.
Dan Heng simply shook his head.
Aleph's strength was growing at a ridiculous pace, but it wasn't his place to pry too much into others' business. They had respected his secret—anything less would be ungrateful.
"There are three golden rules on the Astral Express. First, if something breaks, it's probably March's fault—"
"Hey!"
"Never leave Stelle alone with anything potentially dangerous or with content even remotely about revolution… It always ends badly." Jing Yuan looked at him, wondering where this conversation was going and if Dan Heng was just distracting him while Aleph tied up Huanxi in a rather… peculiar way.
"The third rule is… never try to make sense of Aleph's actions. You'll only drive yourself mad."
...…
March 7th wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, Huanxi had sent assassins after them… but to humiliate her like that?
The ex-maid's eyes stayed locked on Aleph, as if she was trying to kill him with her glare.
"…Aleph, where did you learn how to tie someone up like that?" March was mortified to recognize the bondage technique Aleph was using.
It wasn't her fault—she came across it back when she didn't know how to use the search bar properly!
"Eh. Stelle taught me. Said it was a skill I'd definitely need in the future. Why?"
"No reason."
Aleph casually hoisted the bound Huanxi up with one hand and brought her over to Jing Yuan, who sighed at the sight of her.
"A shame the Preceptors are naïve enough to think no one knows about their plan. Why don't they just wake up already? Hurting the Dragon Lady will only tarnish what little prestige they have left."
The Vidyadhara woman squirmed in frustration, clearly wanting to speak, but the gag in her mouth made that impossible.
"Save your excuses. The truth will come out when the Nimbus Knights bring you before the Judges of the Ten-Lords Commission." Once Jing Yuan finished speaking, Aleph struck Huanxi on the head with his ice bat, knocking her unconscious.
Bailu sighed.
"I knew the elders didn't think highly of me… but to go this far?"
Jing Yuan shook his head.
"If you're feeling uneasy, the Seat of Divine Foresight can arrange for you to stay somewhere else."
Bailu nodded.
"Thank you, General." She said, before turning to the others. "If you don't mind, may I speak with Dan Heng alone?"
Jing Yuan walked silently toward the exit, Aleph and March following behind.
Dan Heng's expression darkened when he heard their murmuring.
"…Wait, is Dan Heng a possible lolicon? Or is he adopting a daughter?" March looked seriously concerned as she reached for her phone.
"Don't worry. If it comes to the worst, we've got the General here. And I'm here too. Stopping Dan Heng shouldn't be a problem."
...
Once the conversation ended, Dan Heng and Bailu came out to join the others.
"With the seal complete, my business in the Xianzhou is finished." He said.
"Are you sure?" Jing Yuan asked. "The Exile Order has been revoked, and after this mess, it's unlikely the Preceptors will dare do anything else. This could be a good chance to stay."
"No!" Aleph and March both shouted, grabbing Dan Heng by the shoulders.
"You guys already have so many! And now you want to steal our dragon too?" March protested with a pout.
"Hmph. The nerve of some people." Aleph said, crossing his arms.
Ignoring the two of them, Jing Yuan kept his eyes on Dan Heng's expression. He looked exasperated and a bit annoyed—but not opposed.
"…I see. So you've made your choice," the General said, watching Dan Heng get dragged away by Aleph and March like a misbehaving child whose parents were afraid he'd run off if they let go.
******************************************************************
This is a small curiosity—something I considered adding to Chapter 37 but ultimately decided to leave out.
What If: Born Again
Aleph looked at both of them, confused.
"What the hell just happened there?"
March 7th and Fu Xuan began explaining things to him in the simplest way possible, carefully avoiding overly personal details to protect March's social life.
After a moment of thought, Fu Xuan said.
"It seems that Messenger really does work for the Lord of Light."
March 7th frowned.
"You mean Fuli, the Remembrance? You think this is connected to my past?"
Neither she nor Fu Xuan noticed how Aleph's expression darkened.
"Them again." He thought, his face shadowing.
His mind flashed through several events—Zero on Jarilo-VI, the encounter with Aha in the Simulated Universe, the actions of Sanctus Medicus, the Abundance Abominations, Panthylia, the Devastator.
Ahhhh.
Fu Xuan, unaware of his reaction, continued:
"It's too soon to draw conclusions. But if it really was an Aeon who sealed your memories, it might not have been to harm you—but to protect you. Fuli may have done it to shield you from something you weren't ready to face. That would explain the Messenger's warnings."
Now a bit calmer, Aleph let out a long sigh.
"Looks like… we still don't know much more than before." He said with a weary breath.
March 7th chuckled softly and shrugged.
"But now I know I'm connected to the Garden of Recollection somehow! That's progress, right?"
Fu Xuan sighed, resigned.
"The task of restoring your memories is beyond the operational capabilities of the Divination Matrix, I'm afraid."
"That's okay." March replied with a smile. "You've helped me more than you realize. Now I owe you a big one!"
Fu Xuan gave a faint smile.
"Well, you'd better get ready, Aleph. It's your turn now. Let's hope your situation turns out better than March's."
...
Once the preparations were complete,
Aleph placed the items.
His gauntlet, an ice bat, a small vial of his blood, and one of the fingerless gloves Stelle had given him.
"Aleph… Are you sure about this?" March asked.
Aleph sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
He knew there was a good chance this would end badly, but…
What harm could trying do?
"Hmph. Of course I'm sure!" He said with confidence. "…I think."
March sighed, looking at him with understanding.
"Sometimes memories don't come back in the order you expect. But in the end, they're yours. And maybe, by seeing them, you'll understand something about yourself you didn't even know was there." Fu Xuan added. "The Divination Matrix is a delicate process. We don't know exactly how your mind will react, Aleph. But one thing's certain—it won't be an easy path."
"So… is this going to feel like a fantasy?" Aleph asked curiously.
"Maybe in some parts." Fu Xuan replied calmly.
"If you don't do this now, you might regret it later," March said. "And maybe it won't be so bad. Even if you don't find what you're looking for, at least you'll know you tried."
Aleph looked at March, then at Fu Xuan.
Finally, he nodded. Second-guessing himself didn't suit him.
"All right. Let's do it."
**********
At first, darkness engulfed everything around her—but in the blink of an eye, the void shattered, as if her mind were being forced open to a memory that didn't belong to her.
Suddenly, the space surrounding her began to take form, though not in any expected way.
Everything around her was a vast black void, speckled with flickering lights floating at various distances, like distant stars in a moonless night. There was no ground beneath her feet, no sky above. The air—if it could even be called that—was thick, charged with a palpable tension that weighed down on her. It was as though the very laws governing space were on the verge of collapse.
Fu Xuan looked around with growing unease, knowing something was… wrong.
The way the simulation had manifested wasn't like any she had ever controlled before.
It was even worse than what had happened during March's session.
Space began to warp, and suddenly an image appeared before her: an airplane. It was full of people.
But soon, the true horror began.
The scene filled with the sight of fallen bodies—some dismembered or burned, others pale in a way that left no doubt about their fate.
Fu Xuan stepped back.
She couldn't understand how she was seeing this. And where was Aleph?
As her eyes scanned the scene, a strange glow appeared in the air, right in front of her. White orbs floated all around, some colliding before disintegrating in flashes of light, others drifting toward an uncertain destination. A chill ran down Fu Xuan's spine when she realized what those orbs represented.
A noise drew her attention elsewhere.
She turned, searching for the source, until she saw a young man.
He was sitting in one of the seats, breathing unevenly, his face obscured by messy hair that fell over his brow. When he rose from the seat, Fu Xuan noticed his left arm was clearly injured—the sleeve of his white shirt soaked in blood.
Fu Xuan moved closer, watching the young man.
"Avesta?" She asked tentatively, but he didn't respond.
She studied him for a long moment, unsure how to intervene.
Something about his presence felt off, like he was further removed from reality than she expected.
The boy's appearance had changed, though subtly.
His hair fell more wildly, partially covering his face. His eyes were no longer that brilliant gold she remembered. Now they were a dark amber, closer to a scorched orange.
Was this young man truly Aleph Avesta?
Was the Matrix of Prophecy malfunctioning so badly that it was creating these inconsistencies?
Fu Xuan stepped closer, and in that moment, the airplane walls began to shake—a deep roar echoed in the distance. It was a vibration that made the very air feel heavier, charged with something far more sinister.
Aleph looked up, his face twisting into an expression of dread.
"It's him…" He murmured, barely breathing.
Fu Xuan turned her head, and in the shadow now swallowing the plane, she saw a figure. A silhouette moving from place to place, collecting the white orbs like vegetables at a market.
It was a thin, ghostly figure with a macabre grin lighting up its face. Its body seemed to be made of writhing shadows, its arms stretching out to reach fallen bodies and trapped souls, harvesting what was left of them.
A laugh escaped the creature's mouth.
The image distorted even further as Fu Xuan felt a far more ominous presence approaching.
A massive, sickly green tongue appeared on the horizon, slithering through the chaos.
"Avesta, we have to get out of here!" Fu Xuan shouted, but just then, a deafening crash shook the simulation, as though everything were on the verge of breaking apart.
Fu Xuan had no idea how deep the distortion ran—or whether this was part of the memory itself. Doubt began to cloud her mind.
The creature's roar echoed once more.
....
The environment began to fall apart.
The plane was no longer whole. First the seats vanished, then the walls. All that remained was a swirl of darkness and distant sounds.
Fu Xuan tried to focus, but the scene was dissolving faster than her mind could process. Everything she knew, everything she understood, was becoming useless.
She didn't know if this was a real memory or a simulation that had overflowed beyond what the Matrix of Foresight was supposed to show.
She placed a hand on her chest. She was sweating. Her clothes were sticking to her back.
Breathing was difficult.
A roar froze her in place.
Her body reacted before her mind did. She curled up against Aleph, who trembled slightly but remained standing. She didn't care how.
She just needed something to hold onto.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Fu Xuan looked up—and she saw it.
The floating figure beyond the vortex didn't move, but its presence was unmistakable.
It was observing. Calculating. Comparing.
A moment later, everything cut out.
The image shut off like a failed broadcast and was replaced by another.
Fu Xuan covered her mouth at the sight.
She was seeing the jester again.
He was carrying an unconscious Aleph, and beside him, another boy.
Aha was laughing as he dragged them along. His laughter filled the space. There was nothing else. Just that cackle.
And then the shadows fell over both bodies.
The second boy screamed. It only lasted a few seconds.
Then there were no more screams.
When the shadows withdrew, only one remained.
It was the Aleph Avesta she was familiar with.
...
Fu Xuan terminated the simulation immediately.
They returned.
The room was silent.
Aleph was breathing heavily.
His hands were on his knees, eyes open but unfocused.
He said nothing.
Fu Xuan said nothing either.
She no longer felt as curious about his past.
And suddenly, a lot of things made sense. Not just his attitude.
Also his lack of fear. The way he moved, as if death were a distant idea.
It wasn't that he was brave or strong. It was because, compared to what he'd seen, what he faced now was... almost trivial.
Fu Xuan crossed her arms, her expression softening.
"We're done." She said without looking at him directly. "You can go, if you want."
Aleph simply nodded, stood up, and left in silence.
The door closed behind him.
A few minutes later, March rushed in, looking around as if she expected something to have gone wrong.
"Where's Aleph?! Is he okay? I went to get some snacks while you two were busy!"
Fu Xuan lazily pointed toward the door.
"He's outside." She said. "Make him laugh a little, if you can."
"Huh? Why?"
"Just do it."