The moment they stepped through the portal.
The sensation in his hand vanished abruptly, and a flash of alternating black-and-white light flickered before his eyes, as if traversing through time.
The process didn't last long—mere seconds later, Lucian opened his eyes again.
An endless horizon stretched before him, the night sky above crystal clear, with constellation-like shapes vividly visible across the cosmos.
In this vast, boundless space, Lucian felt infinitesimally small.
Just as he wondered where Camellya had gone, several star gates suddenly appeared around him, and Camellya's figure flickered into view ahead.
"…I see… something… in the depths…"
Lucian cautiously watched Camellya's figure. She seemed to exist in a different time, as if she had entered this space long before him.
"I'll go… catch it… you… come find me…"
Her words were laced with static, making it hard to discern their full meaning.
Still, Lucian understood her intent.
The next second, Camellya stepped through one of the star gates.
Lucian paused briefly before following.
A white light flashed before his eyes again, with vague, fleeting images passing by, only to disappear quickly.
The surroundings shifted instantly—no longer the starry expanse but a ruined space.
A phantom of Camellya appeared ahead, and Lucian's Pangu Terminal suddenly chimed.
"Honored Guest! Are you okay? I can't believe we got through…"
Lucian quickly asked, "What happened?"
"There was an issue with the dive. I'm pulling you out of the star chart now!"
Beatrice's voice carried a hint of self-blame, but Lucian interrupted, "Wait—"
"I've entered a space, and there's a phantom of Camellya ahead. Let me check out the situation here first."
Beatrice hesitated, "Is that so…"
"Alright. For some reason, your terminal's connection is unusually clear. Stay safe, and we'll keep in touch."
Lucian acknowledged her and followed Camellya's phantom.
"I sealed my memories, letting the past return to a blank void."
"…Was that right or wrong?"
"That guy left without a word, and she made her choice too. Why…"
Lucian watched the phantom, lost in thought.
This wasn't the Camellya who entered the star chart with him but the Camellya of the past—Lady Flora—since this star chart contained her information.
Left without a word… perhaps referring to me.
From Shorekeeper's crystal memories, it seemed he had only told Shorekeeper and Rover about his departure from the Black Shores.
Lady Flora's phantom continued, "After all these years, I've come back here."
"I won't stay at the Black Shores, gazing at memories."
"Ugh!" The phantom clutched her chest, visibly in pain, "My body… can't hold on much longer… Heh, I need to find a place to sleep."
With that, Camellya's phantom vanished.
Lucian guessed this was likely the cave from twenty years ago, when Camellya sealed her memories and left the Black Shores.
Seeing the path ahead blocked, he contacted Beatrice, "Alright, pull me out of the star chart."
Beatrice acted swiftly, and Lucian's vision went dark as he was instantly pulled from the starry sea back to the Black Shores.
Beatrice apologized, "Lucian, I'm so sorry. That escaped star chart is trickier than we thought… It was my misjudgment."
Lucian shook his head, "No need to blame yourself. Do you know where Camellya is now?"
"After I entered the portal, she immediately lost contact with me."
Beatrice: "Camellya is still inside the simulated space of that star chart."
"It lured and trapped her while sinking deeper into the starry sea—that's why you couldn't move forward."
"Also… Camellya found the star chart's core. Without her, it might have slipped away in the chaos."
"By the way… what did you see just now?"
Lucian recounted the vision of Lady Flora's phantom.
"I see…"
"There's still a way. We'll create a symmetrical copy of the star chart for you, which should let you reach the place you couldn't before."
"But since the template has mutated, you might experience multiple jumps through star chart worlds, and you may not reach the correct destination in one go."
"You'll need to find the right historical node."
Lucian asked, puzzled, "The right historical node?"
"You mean, after entering, I might see different possibilities from different timelines?"
Beatrice nodded slightly, "It's a bit complicated, but yes."
In other words, in this copied star chart, he might see versions of Lady Flora that differ from her true memories.
For example, while the real Lady Flora was one of the few survivors of Petalfall Village, this star chart might depict a scenario where Petalfall Village was unharmed, and Lady Flora never joined the Black Shores.
"I understand. Let's begin."
Beatrice opened the portal again, "Stay safe. I'll assist you."
…
Before him was an impenetrable metal wall, covered in tangled, intricate tree roots that even blocked the central gate.
In front stood a familiar little robot wearing a straw hat.
Lucian approached and recognized it as the robot from before, which had left the recording about Petalfall Village. Its name was KU-Plant.
It was moving back and forth anxiously.
"!!"
"It's Mr. Lucian…"
Lucian asked, "What's going on?"
"Mr. Lucian, the super-frequency Resonator Lady Flora has broken her restraints and left the medical pod."
"She's currently in the room ahead. We need you to intervene, stabilize her condition, and return her to the medical pod."
"Lady Flora is still in a critical state, with impaired cognition, language barriers, weak behavioral control, and poses a high threat to Black Shores' internal facilities."
"Additionally, regarding your inquiry about the other residents of Petalfall Village: it's been confirmed that all have perished."
Lucian's brow furrowed. Only Camellya survived?
This didn't seem to be the correct historical node. The real history had a few survivors from Petalfall Village, not just Camellya.
"When did I bring Camellya back to the Black Shores?"
KU-Plant answered, "Half a month ago, Mr. Lucian."
Lucian nodded slightly. This must be the Black Shores from five hundred years ago.
"Please stabilize Lady Flora quickly. Remaining in a severe overclocking state will cause further strain and harm to her body."
KU-Plant turned toward the gate ahead, sealed by thick branches.