Lina was about to draw her sword to help when she saw Athena and Artemis's attitudes undergo such a drastic change. Confused, she looked toward Lin Qiye.
"It's fine." Seeing that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Lin Qiye sheathed Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and looked around as if searching for something.
"Where is Mother?"
Athena and Artemis exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking.
Sensing that something was wrong, Lin Qiye frowned slightly. "She isn't here? Where is she?"
After a moment, Artemis finally raised a hand and pointed toward the very tip of the Light Cone, at the shattered Gate of Truth standing in the void.
Lin Qiye followed her fingertip and froze slightly. "The Gate of Truth? What do you mean?"
"Lady Nyx is behind that gate."
The goddess of the hunt, Artemis, walked toward Lin Qiye. Her gaze rested upon the remains of the Gate of Truth, and a wistful look surfaced in her eyes.
"Back then, Lady Nyx was ambushed by Zeus and forced to come to Antarctica to recover. Later, we accidentally entered this Time Maze. At first, we had no idea what this maze was and became separated within it.
"Later, Lady Nyx discovered the secret of the maze. Following the direction of the 'future,' she found this place and recovered Athena and me from the countless Time Shards. Just as we were preparing to leave and return to Olympus to kill our way back, Lady Nyx saw that gate."
Artemis stepped across the black-and-white world, passing through countless Time Shards as she headed for the Gate of Truth rising in the void. Lin Qiye and Lina followed close behind.
Only upon approaching did Lin Qiye realize that the remains of the Gate of Truth they had seen in the Time Shards were merely one half