Dan Heng's figure began to blur, swaying like a reflection in water:
"The road ahead is long, but we'll be waiting for you at the end."
As his words faded, the two phantoms gradually vanished as though dissolving into the air, their last traces dispersing amid the rustle of maple leaves.
Beneath the thick maple tree, only Yan Huan and Cyrene remained, standing face-to-face as mottled light filtered through the branches onto them.
Aedes Elysiae was quiet. There was only the faint sound of wind passing through the wheat fields and maple leaves, like whispers. Simply being here was enough to make one's heart relax and settle.
"Can you sense Phainon?" Yan Huan asked Cyrene.
"At a time like this, don't you have some hidden power you can pull out?"
Cyrene shook her head gently.
"I can't hear his voice."
"As for power... this isn't a fairy tale."
She turned to look beyond the horizon, her gaze seeming to pierce through the endless distance and mist.
"There are no flowers blooming for him there, nor are there any stars that belong to him."
"Phainon... is the only one who failed to reach the new world."
"Then it doesn't really count as a new world yet." Yan Huan shoved his hands into his pockets and looked toward the tranquil sea.
"Iron Tomb is still there."
"Only after it falls will there be a true new world."
In this life, all the familiar Demigods would become Titans and serve as pillars of the world.
This prison sentence would have to go on for a long, long time...
Cyrene chuckled, her smile carrying understanding and resolve.
"You're right, partner."
She raised her head and looked toward the distant heavens, where a golden radiance seemed to flow slowly like molten gold.
"Look. That golden