Annan did not realize what the Princess intended to do, but he understood her final words. He looked up and shouted, "We don't have to do this... There's another way! Think of the Sea Siren!"
"We're different... Only I can put an end to all this..."
The Princess's figure and voice gradually faded. She lowered her eyes and gazed at Annan like a god.
"Live on for me..."
Realizing something, Annan turned and saw the other Princess appear quietly beside him. He stared up at her in a daze.
Whoosh—
A blazing light erupted, becoming a dazzling pillar that shot out of the circular square and pierced the clouds.
A fierce wind whipped Annan's black hair and robes, while the light gently brushed his upturned face.
Annan suddenly understood. The Princess had stopped suppressing the Oddities after that day not because he had persuaded her, but because she had been gathering her strength...
Did she mean to cleanse all of Strange Tales City's Oddities?
Powerless to stop her, Annan could only watch as the Princess gradually became a ray of light.
Then something changed.
An ominous chill seeped from the dormant Seal Gate, spreading across the circular square like spilled ink...
The pillar of light the Princess had become was tainted by almost tangible darkness and slowly dimmed.
It wasn't enough... The Princess couldn't suppress both the Seal Gate and the whole of Strange Tales City.
Was she going to fail?
Annan looked down at the flowerpot. If I threw it in now, would it stop the gate?
As he hesitated, a gray shadow suddenly darted out. Annan tried to catch the Princess as she rushed forward, but his hand passed through her insubstantial body. Then he saw that the Princess was still standing beside him... except she had lost