"You won't have to wait long. When you turn five, you'll know the answer."
Cthulhu closed his eyes and searched through his memories of when he was five.
"...The black tide covered the land. It was unbearable to witness."
Anaxa looked toward the mural of the great tree.
"Even as a child, I could not accept that outcome."
"Georia, Aegle, Kephale... and of course, you."
"I begged every Titan I could beg, but unfortunately, none of it helped."
Cthulhu froze for a moment. "Could this... have been the beginning of your research into [Alchemy]?"
"Exactly." Anaxa continued:
"It all began in your verdant courtyard."
"While I studied there, I naturally came into contact with Celsus's theories."
"Oh." Cthulhu came to a realization.
"I remember him."
"He was the first to propose the concept of the [Soul], wasn't he?"
"Not only that," Anaxa added.
"He also believed that the composition, movement, and transformation of all life and matter originated from the [Soul] itself."
"So I thought..."
"Since all life came from the same source—why couldn't I pay the price myself and bring my dearest family back to life?"
At that time, Anaxa had still been a child.
"I succeeded, Teacher."
The boy was covered in wounds, yet his one remaining eye brimmed with hope.
"Th-this is blasphemy!" The old man's eyes widened as he cried out in panic.
"Even in the free Tree Court, this would be enough to send you to the pyre...!"
"Your loved one... where is she now?"
"Get her out of the Tree Court at once. Take her somewhere no one can find her, or both of us will face judgment from the Seven Sages!"
Faced with his teacher's questioning, the boy answered weakly:
"Don't worry, Teacher. My sister, she..."
"Even now... she is still no