Moon... Mercy

Phanes stood at the center of this web of Stelle.

At first, her attire was simple in color: a nearly pure white robe without excessive ornamentation. Its hem drifted slowly in the nonexistent breeze within the Sky Tower. The fabric did not appear heavy, yet it seemed incapable of being stained by any dust, with faint Stelle-light occasionally gliding across its surface.

Her figure was slender, her shoulders straight, and her skin held an almost bloodless pallor. Yet she did not appear frail; instead, she carried the detachment of one who had transcended mortal life.

Her silvery-white hair fell to her waist. The strands were not entirely still, and a few loose ends occasionally floated upward on their own, as though drawn by some invisible force, intertwining behind her with the threads of fate.

Her features were serene, with no obvious emotion in her brows or eyes. Yet her gaze seemed to reflect the entire Stelle sky. Looking closely, her eyes were not merely one color; countless tiny points of Stelle-light seemed hidden deep within her irises.

Then her voice echoed through the space:

"The Abyss turns impossibility into possibility and brings that which is void into the world. It twists established laws, grants form to that which does not exist, and turns the impossible into reality."

"However, there have never been miracles without a price in this world."

"Everything born from the Abyss takes living beings as fuel and all things as its cost. It ceaselessly devours all it sees, turning existence into chaos and making chaos into an endless road ahead."

"Wherever it reaches, life, Remembrance, laws, and even the world itself will eventually become nourishment for its continuation." Phanes paused. "But even so, the Abyss is not impossible to restrain."

"Within the first desires of all things, there remains a force capable of opposing it."

"Only the Primordial can halt the Abyss and return that ever-expanding chaos to silence, if only temporarily."

Silver Wolf slightly raised her gaze and simply looked at Phanes.

The Primordial? A force that can actually restrain the Abyss...

This answer only gave her more questions.

She already knew that the Abyss was also the great power of a Path. So what Path was this Primordial that could restrain it?

Silver Wolf continued studying Phanes's figure.

"Rest assured." Her voice remained calm. "At least within the scope of my knowledge, there is neither deception nor concealment in what I have said."

Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes. "You really know how to leave yourself some room."

"Necessary caution."

Silver Wolf could not be bothered to press the matter further. She raised a hand and clapped. "All right, your turn."

Phanes slightly lifted her eyes. "What exactly is the power on you, and what exactly is the existence watching you?"

Silver Wolf thought for a moment and did not answer everything directly.

"It is the power of a Path called [Elation]."

"[Elation] is the underlying nature of humanity. It represents people's joys and sorrows, as well as the path through which they pursue their own worth. Everything that can make people laugh or weep is [Elation]."

"And the only one watching me is [Aha]. He is the Stelle Aeon of [Elation]."

Phanes did not immediately ask what Aha was. She merely lowered her head to look at Silver Wolf before her, seemingly processing the information represented by that name.

After a moment.

Silver Wolf spoke again. "Now it's my turn."

She raised her eyes. "What is the Primordial?"

This time, Phanes fell silent.

At last, her voice came from the dome overhead.

"The Primordial is the original source of all living things."

"It was born from the unspoken desires of all beings. It is the first thread of will engraved deep within the soul from the moment life descends into the world."

"It drives all beings onward, making the weak yearn to survive, the lost pursue hope, and all sentient creatures struggle, grow, and long to reach a more distant future through the long years."

"All beings are born because of the Primordial, and they move forward because of the Primordial."

"Even if hope is extinguished and every path is severed, as long as life still breathes, that first desire will not perish."

"This is the most primal driving force of living beings, and the voice born within their hearts when all things take their first step."

"It is also the meaning of my birth."

Silver Wolf did not speak immediately. She seemed to finally understand part of why Phanes could comprehend the Abyss, and why she could study it.

Even why she could find some way to restrain the Abyss.

Because what Phanes represented was itself connected to why living beings moved forward.

Her connection to [Elation] was immensely intricate, yet she was absolutely not a follower of the [Elation] Path.

After finishing, Phanes asked, "Does Aha have anything to do with games?"

"Of course. One of his titles is: God of Games."

"Ah..." A trace of change finally appeared in Phanes's expression. The final piece had been added to the answer in her heart.

Silver Wolf did not ask a question. Instead, she reached a conclusion and voiced it, watching the other's reaction. "It seems your game was inspired by him."

Phanes nodded without denying it, but she did not speak of past events. She merely waited for Silver Wolf's next question.

Silver Wolf raised her hand and lightly snapped her fingers. "The Q&A game is over. Next, I'll share some intelligence with you."

"The moon is connected to [Elation], but the Forest Moon God has already fallen silent. I need the coordinates of the real moon."

Silver Wolf voluntarily shared part of the information.

This time, Phanes did not beat around the bush. She lowered her head to look at Silver Wolf, who was half a head shorter than her. "They are both real moons. They were once corrupted by the Abyss, and I split them into two. There is no distinction between real and false."

"Huh?" Silver Wolf was stunned at first, then continued, "Give me the coordinates first. I'm in a hurry. I still need to meet that Grif-something guy this afternoon."

"When dealing with Griffin, I will completely isolate him from the world. At that time, you will only need to destroy him."

"Fine. Make sure you handle the after-sales service."

After the two reached an agreement, Silver Wolf obtained the coordinates of two moons: one in the False Sky, and one buried deep underground.

In the end, Silver Wolf vanished before Phanes's eyes. Phanes, meanwhile, stared blankly at the Stelle sky of the dome and murmured, "So they are the same existence?"

"[Elation]..."