Cyrene gazed into the distance, a gentle curve on her lips as she chuckled softly:
"Come on, don't make the mood so heavy."
"When the First Ripples set out, they cheered on their companions like this too."
"It's a blessing filled with good wishes, so I wanted to give it to you as well..."
"Will you smile for me?"
As her words fell, the discs beneath Yan Huan and Dan Heng's feet slowly activated, radiating a soft white glow as they steadily carried the two toward the grand structure growing ever clearer on the horizon.
Throughout the journey, Cyrene stood to one side, her figure somewhat hazy amid the flowing light and shadow as she softly recited an ancient, beautiful poem.
"I bid this beautiful world farewell, only to meet you again in your memories, in the way I long for."
"In Ripples of Yesteryear, you will see the footprints I left behind."
"Beyond this memory, I never possessed any other fate."
"Remember me with 'love,' like the sole unchanging postscript in every poem that has passed away."
"Now, open this book—"
"I will wait for you in the past."
A soft dawn light illuminated the dim sky.
That warm radiance dispelled the Great Tomb's long-standing darkness and chill, as though sincerely welcoming the Nameless.
">>> Welcome to: the Demiurge Matrix—" The Scepter's familiar voice rang out once more, though it seemed slightly less cold than before.
"Huh? The Demiurge Matrix?" Yan Huan had already arrived before the massive structure. He looked up at that unprecedented construction, utterly bewildered.
"Where the hell did this bring me? And who the hell is Demiurge?"
"Perhaps the Listener," Dan Heng analyzed, his gaze sweeping across the intricate patterns on the gate.
"Beyond this door should be that Listener's residence."
With a low hum,