Eternal Space.
"Targan, is this truly the only way?"
A cool, maternal voice echoed through the timeless space, carrying its final trace of defiance.
The one asking was a white giant insect lying dormant within an enormous crystal.
Scorching heat burst from its throat, carrying glowing motes of dust.
Every single one of them was a star, unimaginably massive and heavy.
It tried to condense its words into a thread, so that while conveying the message, it could also convey its emotions intact.
"Yes." The illusory mass of mist Enma called Targan continuously expanded and contracted like a gently beating heart.
Yet the flashes of blazing orange-red that appeared between the gaps in the haze revealed that it was not as docile as it seemed.
Targan continued, its voice rising and falling like tides within the ribcage of a dead sea beast:
"At the very least, this is the only method I have found."
"Destruction is impractical. We were all born through it, and our ties to it are impossibly tangled. There is simply no way to sever them completely..."
"Besides... the difference in our status is far too great..."
"Even though we are now the strongest beings beneath it, it would still be useless..."
"Enma, your form of growth most closely resembles the Forest of Rules' natural enemy. You should understand the gap better than anyone."
"I understand..." One by one, the giant insect's eyes closed, like brilliant stars winking out one after another. "But I simply can't bear to watch you stake everything on a single gamble..."
"I'm afraid that even after giving up everything, we'll still fail."
"If we still fail after doing all we can, then that is our fate. We need only accept it calmly." The shifting black mist murmured.
The surrounding space began to