Leaving the Observer's Tower, the two of them and the dog strolled along the winding path before it.
The floating island overhead still hovered quietly amid the clouds.
In the distance, those mage towers gleaming with magical radiance still proclaimed the prosperity and power of this City of Magic.
Unlike when they had arrived, when they had stopped to gaze at it with longing.
Now, no matter how dazzling the magical light was, it could not dispel the gloom in He Xi's heart.
"Zoya," He Xi broke the silence, his voice somewhat low. "Can you tell me more about the Hiloan Family?"
It was a name Zoya had mentioned before—one of the high elf families that had invaded the Moon Pupil Elf tribe.
Before this, Zoya had made it clear that she did not want revenge. She only wanted a peaceful life.
He Xi respected her choice and had not pressed further.
Even after learning of the seal, they had tacitly placed their hopes on finding a way to lift it, rather than touching that bloody past.
But now, all conventional methods seemed to have reached a dead end.
If the person who tied the bell had to be the one to untie it, then the one who had placed the seal—or rather, the source of it all, the Hiloan Family—might be their last hope.
Zoya's steps paused slightly.
"He Xi..." Her voice was soft, carrying a trace of resistance that was hard to detect. "Didn't we agree? We'd try other ways."
"But Veron is already a master of the Protection School, and even he was helpless." He Xi stopped and turned to face her. "Zoya, I know you don't want revenge. You don't want to be dragged into conflict. But if... if it were the only way to save