We had finally made it back to Earth, finally dealt with the Great Will.
Only to be told that none of it was over yet. The Evil Archdemon had merely gone into hiding, waiting for a chance to make her comeback...
The lattice model Aldebaran had brought out was a real blow to our morale.
But we had no choice but to take it seriously, lest all our efforts go to waste.
Night deepened over the beach, with only the prison halfway up the hill still brightly lit.
SpiCa had gathered the other magical girls to discuss what to do next, while I brought Terra here to watch the sea. She rarely stayed manifested for this long.
Although we were "inseparable," opportunities to be "face-to-face" like this were rare.
"What exactly happened to the Earth Crystal back then?"
I asked, but Terra lay back and gazed up at the moonless night sky.
"Does that stretch when you suddenly crashed have anything to do with what's happening now?"
"...I don't know the truth either. I'm just a terminal interface, a program without even a true self. The Earth Crystal only gives me the information I need."
Yet the self-proclaimed "program" gave a wry smile.
"Then let me talk to it directly."
"I already told you, the Earth Crystal hasn't accepted my request. It hasn't even sent a rejection notice. We've completely lost contact. Maybe it really has run into trouble."
Lost contact?
That didn't sound good...
Before, there had been a barrier, so losing contact was understandable. But now we were back on Earth, and we still couldn't get any response from the Earth Crystal?
Something must have happened to our native god...
"If it's in trouble, are we just going to sit here and watch?"
"Just as there's nothing you