"Who is she? Where was she?" Eryssa wondered.
Everything was dark. She could not move. Every part of her body felt distant and unresponsive, as though it no longer belonged to her. Only then did fragments of memory surface.
What happened…?Was this a dream?
"I was just trying to find Veer… he seemed to be in that region… then he came…"Her thoughts trembled."So… is Papa also involved…?"
She opened her eyes.
She was still within darkness—but this time it was different.
Spirits drifted silently through the air, translucent and slow, like forgotten thoughts given form. Flowers bloomed and withered in gentle cycles, dancing around a solitary bed as if guided by an unseen breath. Upon the bed lay a figure.
Eryssa stepped closer.
It was herself.
But older. More mature. Her features were sharper, her presence heavier. Golden eyebrows framed eyes that seemed to hold both sorrow and authority, and her hair shone with a soft, eternal radiance. Even Eryssa felt her breath catch.
"How…?" she muttered.
Before she could understand, the space itself twisted. The air folded inward, pressure closing in from every direction—
And suddenly, her eyes snapped open again.
She was in a room.
Four priestesses stood around her, each holding a candle whose flames burned unnaturally still. Suspended above her chest was something—an indistinct presence that radiated a terrifying, oppressive power. Just sensing it made her instincts scream.
She tried to move.
She couldn't.
"I've inherited the Spirit Successor's entire legacy," she thought desperately."I should at least rival a Grey Knight… so why can't I even move?"
She reached outward with her senses.
Drudar's castle.
She was certain of it.
Yet something blocked her perception, veiling the exact location as though reality itself refused to reveal it. The more she tried to pinpoint it, the stronger the resistance became.
Why am I here?
As her thoughts raced, the priestesses began to chant.
Their voices overlapped, low and rhythmic, vibrating through the air like a funeral hymn. Before Eryssa, the indescribable emanation of void began to tremble, responding to the chant. The pressure thickened, crushing her lungs, her thoughts scattering as panic crept in.
So they brought me here…
Possibilities flooded her mind, each worse than the last.
If only I could move my body…If only I could dissolve the power of that fruit…
Then she heard it clearly.
"The ancient soul is bestowed upon thee…""Oh Servants of Void… grant thy wish…"
Eryssa forced her eyes to move.
Only then did she truly see it.
The structural, geometric arrangement carved into the floor. The precise positions of the priestesses. The angles, the distances, the symmetry.
A name surfaced in her mind.
A ritual she had once only read about.
Her heart sank.
...
In a separate space, two lights moved at impossible speeds.
The space was really strange .It was a mixture of strange lights in essence.
The void around them was illuminated by countless stars, shimmering and refracting like broken glass. One light was composed of seven stars arranged in a precise formation, rotating slowly yet with terrifying stability. The other was a massive blue hand formed entirely of radiant light, stretching forward as if to grasp the stars themselves.
Colorful strings—thin, luminous threads—spread wildly in all directions, tearing through space as the two forces clashed.
The star formation trembled, barely containing the hand that clawed toward it, fingers closing as if to pluck the stars one by one.
Countless eyes opened throughout the void.
Countless specks of light—shapes without form—ran madly through the space, screaming in voices that had never belonged to mortals.
From within the starlight, a seductive voice echoed.
"I don't care whether this is a mind space or a consciousness domain," it sneered."Old dog… this time, that lad and you won't escape. I will pluck every star core and sell them to the world."
Another voice answered—ancient, weary, yet unyielding.
"Even if I fall today," it said,"I will hold the world… for the young master… and for the young miss."
.....
Within a small tower, Lythria gently tapped a knight's shoulder.
The man slumped instantly, falling into deep sleep.
Lythria moved forward without hesitation, her figure flickering like a ghost as she slipped past layers of defenses. Her thoughts were sharp, laced with urgency.
I need to find Eryssa…They really are after her. So it was the truth… everything ..everything was a fallacy. Why was she sitting in the chambers sleeping for so long...
She reached the rear of Drudar's castle and looked up at the majestic walls shining .The huge bell tower was there high up.
The bell tolled.
Once.Twice.Eleven times.
Her blood ran cold.
"Oh no… only one remains…" she whispered."Why didn't I realize this sooner? I should have given it more importance…""O Ancestor…"
She pressed on, pouring every ounce of focus into her search. A white lotus manifested in her palm, glowing faintly as she let it fall.
She laughed softly.
"Veer was so scared the first time he saw this."
Shaking her head, she watched the lotus dissolve upon touching the ground, disappearing like a droplet merging into still water. Her eyes suddenly lit up.
She sensed something.
Turning sharply, she followed a narrow path between buildings.
Beside the great bell of Drudar, a woman dressed in blue yawned lazily, looking down at Lythria.
She pulled out two swords from her waist and pressed a helmet to her face.
"The fish has been baited," she murmured.
Then she jumped.
....
In a restaurant within Drudar, two beautiful women sat facing each other.
Their presence was heavily concealed, appearing utterly ordinary—yet an unspoken authority clung to them, like rulers temporarily wearing mortal skins.
One was a mature woman whose face bore a striking resemblance to Lythria's. She wore a long white dress, her hair tied into a bun with an intricate clip.Sharp pointed ears were barely visible between her hair. She sipped her tea quietly, gazing through the window as faint light brushed her figure, making her appear like a forgotten angel who had lingered too long in the mortal world.
Her bearing was ethereal.
The other woman radiated dominance, though her attire was absurd. Her long legs were fully visible beneath her clothing, a strange piece wrapped around her chest, a blue shirt layered loosely over it. A helmet rested atop her head, making her appearance all the more bizarre.
And yet—her lips were dangerously alluring.
Several patrons swallowed nervously, even as they sensed the war nearing its climax. Their gazes lingered, drawn despite themselves by the way her legs shifted casually beneath the table.
The owner finally shouted, exasperated.
"Have you all no shame?! We're in the middle of a damned war! Let everyone enjoy what peace remains!"
Grumbling, the patrons returned to their seats.
The owner bowed deeply.
"Esteemed ladies," he said, nervous but sincere,"It is an honor beyond measure that you would dine here."
The woman in blue laughed and nodded.The woman in white acknowledged him with a subtle dip of her head.
The owner motioned to a small girl and whispered, "Serve them well. Maybe they'll tell you a great story… or answer some of your questions."
The girl beamed and hurried over.
"Finally, for a moment, she's at bay…" the owner muttered, glancing outside."Things are really bad…"
He returned to the kitchen.
The two women sat at the very same table where Eleana and Veer had once sat. The same seat the old man had occupied.
Taking the cup of tea from the girl, the woman in blue asked softly, yet with undeniable authority,
"So tell me… which is worse?Sacrificing everything for a so-called greater good…or sacrificing family for family?"
The woman in white shook her head gently.
"Whatever the answer," she said,"we cannot intervene."
The woman in blue rested her chin on her hand, smiling faintly.
"You say that… yet I'm already itching to move. Something fascinating is unfolding in the abstraction space."
She tilted her head.
"So, Lady… are you enjoying watching your other successor?""She's dying.""She once sat here too, didn't she?""And what about the Moon?"
The woman in white replied gravely,"You know why intervention is impossible."
The woman in blue clicked her tongue, looking upward.
"This damn barrier… I really want to tear it apart.""Just what level of proficiency have they reached…?"
The woman in white stared into the distance.
"I'm amazed," she murmured,"There are so many layers to this."
"Yes," the woman in blue agreed,"But I also want to see that boy again.""He's truly surprising. That projection he summoned…""Even I felt a chill when he looked this way."
The woman in white sighed.
"Let's see."
"We could't completely decipher the meaning of apocalypse but from all the Truths of the Worlds, I dare say its very much connected to what happening here.."
Suddenly, the woman in blue laughed softly, astonished.
"She… she…and.. she…""Wow.""Just how far they've blended.""Poor boy… well, whatever."
The little girl was standing beside the two women.
The small girl tilted her head, staring at the woman's exposed legs.
"Sister," she asked innocently,"aren't you cold?"
The woman in blue laughed."No," she said. "I'm hot."
The girl scratched her head.
"Sister… why is it so noisy?""Sometimes I can see darkness in the sun… and very flashy light in the dark.""Is night becoming day… and day becoming night?"
Silence fell.
Both women stared at the girl, shock written clearly across their faces.