As Bronya pushed open the door, Cocolia greeted her with the same caring tone:
"Bronya, my child, did you rest well?"
"I'm fine, really fine. I ran around the lower district, went through a few battles, but I managed overall," Bronya replied.
"The lower district?"
Cocolia fell silent, her tone suddenly turning cold.
[Look, Cocolia… aren't you going to act? Your daughter has already betrayed you… Without her, [Eternity] would not have cast THEIR gaze upon you…]
A seductive voice echoed, laced with a strange chuckle.
[Seek it… pursue the new world we'll build together… The plan is already halfway complete… No more mistakes…]
"I understand," Cocolia said, her expression stiffening.
"Then report your findings, Commander Bronya."
"Mother… you've always known the truth about the [Stellaron Core], haven't you?"
"I would have learned those secrets eventually. One of the prices of becoming the [Great Guardian] is bearing those secrets forever."
"So… forgive my boldness, but I believe ordering the extermination of outsiders was a mistake. Slandering them as heretics of [Eternity]… the [Great Guardian] shouldn't make such foolish choices."
"To solve the problems caused by the [Stellaron Core], the Architects have waited centuries, and those outsiders might just be…"
"Enough!" Cocolia interrupted, her voice laced with anger.
"Arrogant, ignorant… you disappoint me, Bronya. You've glimpsed a corner of the snow-capped mountain and think you've seen the truth."
"You got a bit of mud on you in the lower district, and now you dare question my orders? Your defiance is baseless!"
"The outsiders only showed you illusions, and you believed them so easily!"
[Cocolia… Cocolia… abandon the decayed old days… embrace the arms of [Destruction]…]
A faint voice whispered.
Cocolia froze, sensing this voice was the true [Stellaron Core]. She clutched her forehead. These past few days, the voices in her mind had been chaotic, impossible to distinguish—one moment mentioning [Eternity], the next [Destruction].
What a mess! They worshipped [Preservation] Qlipoth, so why were other Aeons being brought up?!
"They're not mud!" Bronya retorted.
"My origins, the things you never told me… I remember them now. I won't run away anymore, Guardian! Stop dodging me with vague excuses!"
"Tell me what you've seen. What are you hiding? Why send the Iron Guards to die in the Fragmentum? Why abandon the people of the lower district? Why change your mind at that moment?"
[Foolish Commander… show her the new world built by [Eternity]… she'll understand…]
"I understand," Cocolia said, calming herself and shaking her head.
"This moment was bound to come… I just didn't expect it so soon." She slowly approached Bronya.
"You want to know what drove me to issue those orders, don't you? You think you're ready to touch the truth?"
"Yes. I'm ready… Mother." After a moment's hesitation, Bronya reverted to calling her "Mother." The memories of her childhood were distant, but Cocolia was still the mother who raised her.
"Then come with me, Bronya. This dying world… it's time you heard its voice."
As soon as she spoke, two voices echoed in Bronya's mind:
[Come… come… follow her, and you'll know everything… Then… you'll make your choice…]
The first time she heard the [Stellaron Core]'s voice, Bronya's thoughts spiraled into chaos. She could hardly imagine how the Guardians, including her mother, endured it.
Dong!
A resounding bell tolled, drowning out the [Stellaron Core]'s noise. Bronya snapped back to reality, hearing only the sound of flowing sand transformed by a bone flute, echoing endlessly.
[Eternal millennia… everlasting through the ages.]
"Hm?" Bronya froze. This was a voice she'd never heard before, even more wondrous than the [Stellaron Core]'s.
"What are you hesitating for, Bronya? Didn't you say you were ready?"
…
Passing through the [Gate of Myriad Paths], Adrian's four-person squad safely arrived in the Administrative District.
"Ah, we're finally back! I forgot what fresh air even smells like…" March 7th basked in the light, stretching lazily, completely forgetting their current predicament.
"The taste of freedom… the upper district's scent… the chill… ugh, it's getting cold. Let's move," Stelle said, rubbing her hands.
"Where to next? We should find a place to settle, but I'm not going back to the Goethe Hotel," March 7th declared, bad memories flooding back. Thanks to Adrian's buffs, they'd avoided unnecessary trouble.
"The most dangerous place is the safest. I suggest the hotel," Stelle said, ever reliable, missing the hotel's fluffy pillows and comfy beds.
Seele didn't get their banter. March 7th turned to Adrian. "Teacher Adrian, what do you think?"
"I'd like to lie down and think."
"Ugh, Teacher Adrian's getting all abstract. I'm starting to miss Dan Heng," March 7th sighed, feeling overwhelmed.
"Achoo! Seriously, something's off with this weather, right?" March 7th shivered. What was going on? Had the power of [Trailblaze] and [Eternity]'s buffs failed?
"Don't say it out loud; now I'm cold too…" Stelle rubbed her hands to warm up.
"Is the temperature difference between districts this big?" Seele regretted not wearing more layers.
"Man, times like this, I'm so jealous of Teacher Adrian. Never too cold, never too hot—totally OP," March 7th said, casting an envious glance at Adrian. Stelle chimed in, "How about sharing that buff sometime so we can feel comfy too?"
"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Seele was lost, finding their words rough yet oddly refined.
"Aren't we getting off track? I say we investigate the source of this chill," Adrian suggested, pointing to Neverwinter Workshop nearby.
"Good idea! Let's head to the shop and find Serval!" March 7th agreed.
With Adrian's stealth buff, they were invisible, free from worry about patrolling Iron Guards. They strolled confidently to the shop's entrance.
The moment they pushed the door open, Adrian's buff dissipated. He locked eyes with an all-too-familiar yet strangely distant face.
"Welcome, hm?"
At that moment, he and Freesna stared at each other, big eyes meeting small.
"Uh…"
The renowned Aeon of [Eternity], now struck with an unremovable silence debuff.
"Hey, Teacher Adrian, why'd you stop talking? Where's Serval?" March 7th, entering behind, looked around and noticed the new face.
"Whoa! When did she show up?!" March 7th exclaimed. Stelle, ever polite, greeted her:
"Hi, I'm the Galactic Baseballer."
Meanwhile, at the Iron Guard Restricted Zone…
Dan Heng's gaze landed on Blake. "It's really you."