"Don't touch those fragments!" Loran suddenly grabbed A Mu's wrist as he reached for a fragment gleaming with golden light. "These fragments contain ' Memory-Devouring Energy,' which will absorb your memories," Lei Lin added, his Golden Crystal Power forming a pale golden shield around him, repelling the approaching memory fragments. "After the Queen's memories were lost, they turned into these fragments, scattered in the seawater. Whoever touches them will be entangled."
Following the guidance of the fluorescent coral forest, the group finally arrived at the Tidal Altar. The altar floated above the Spirit Vein Eye, with a pale golden Contract Stele standing in its center. The contract patterns on the tablet were more complex than those on the Ancient Mother Tree, but thick layers of " Reverse Tide Dust " accumulated within them. Unlike the turbid energy of the Far North Ice Cavern, the Reverse Tide Dust was pale blue, like solidified seawater. The Tidal Lady sat at the edge of the altar. When she saw the group, her eyes showed no wariness, only bewilderment. Her water-patterned robes fluttered gently with the seawater. "Who... are you? I feel like I've seen you before, yet I feel like I haven't."
Loran stepped forward and handed her the Star-Track Token: "We're here to help you renegotiate your contract. Do you remember the agreement you made with the Ice Spirit Clan a thousand years ago?" The Queen's gaze fell on the Star-Track Token, a glimmer of light appearing in her blue eyes. She reached out to touch the token, but suddenly clutched her head, curling up in pain. "My head hurts so much... I remember what I was supposed to protect, but I don't remember how to protect it..."
Just then, a violent tremor suddenly shook the sea—the inverted tide had ended prematurely! The greyish-blue Reverse Tide Energy surged wildly towards the seabed, instantly dimming the glow of the fluorescent coral forest. A Mu quickly planted the Ice-Fire Undercurrent Anchor into the altar's stone pillars. Pale orange ice patterns spread along the pillars, temporarily blocking the first wave of the inverted tide. "It won't last long! The inverted tide will shatter the entire altar!"
Worse still, the Reverse Tide Dust on the Contract Stele suddenly began to writhe, transforming into tiny tentacles that coiled towards the Queen—the Queen's spiritual core fluctuations were growing weaker and weaker, her memory fragments were violently churning in the seawater, even beginning to devour the surrounding spiritual vein energy. Lei Lin immediately stood in front of the Queen, his Golden Crystal Power forming a barrier to block the Reverse Tide Dust's tentacles. " Loran, quickly find a way to awaken her memories! Only she can activate the Contract Stele and stabilize the spiritual vein eye!"
Looking at the suffering Queen, Loran suddenly remembered the bond of Spirit Core Symbiosis. She walked to the Queen's side, placed her palm on her forehead, and grasped Lei Lin's hand tightly. " Lei Lin, transfer your spiritual core power to me. Let's use the power of symbiosis to help her complete the fragments of her memory!" Lei Lin did not hesitate. The Golden Crystal Power flowed continuously into Loran's body through their clasped hands, and then through her palm into the Queen's spiritual core.
A wondrous thing happened: fragments of the Queen's memories began to converge towards her, forming a pale blue cocoon of light around her; countless images suddenly flooded Loran's mind—scenes of the Queen playing at the Tidal Altar as a child, the oath she swore when she first became a Guardian, and the conversation she had with the Ice Spirit Clan's envoy a thousand years ago, promising to "protect the Spirit Vein Eye together." "These are her memories!" Loran exclaimed excitedly, "She remembers that the core of the contract is 'Tides and Spirit Veins are symbiotic, neither can be missing'!"
The Queen slowly opened her eyes, her blue pupils finally regaining their brilliance. She stood up, her water-patterned robe shimmering with a bright blue light, and waved her hand towards the Contract Stele — the Reverse Tide Dust instantly dissipated, the contract patterns re-lit, perfectly aligning with the water patterns of the Star-Track Token. "The reverse tide is because the Spirit Vein Eye has lost its balance," the Queen's voice carried the crispness of the sea, "A thousand years ago, I traded my memories for power, resulting in my inability to control the rhythm of the tides. Now, with your Vitality, I can recalibrate the Spirit Vein."
She walked to the eye of the spiritual vein, raised her hand, and placed her palm on the dark purple crack—pale blue tidal energy intertwined with the Vitality of Loran and Lei Lin, forming a tri-colored light band that extended downwards along the crack. The Reverse Tide Energy in the seawater gradually subsided, the fluorescent coral forest lit up again, and even colorful fish swam over, circling the altar as if cheering.
As the last trace of Reverse Tide Energy was dissipated, the patterns on the Contract Stele suddenly projected a beam of light, reflecting onto the Star-Track Token —the water patterns on the token transformed into a clue to the fourth contract, pointing to the distant " Western Region Volcanoes ": "There lies the third of the last three contracts, guarded by ' Lord Fire Rock,' who controls the volcanic spiritual veins. However... he is more stubborn than I am. A thousand years ago, due to the Ice Spirit Clan's breach of trust, he completely sealed off the volcanic spiritual veins."
When everyone returned to the surface, dawn was breaking. The Tidal Lady stood on the shore, handing Loran a blue-glowing " Tidal Crystal ": "This crystal allows you to freely enter and exit the sea during inverted tides. If the tides malfunction again, it will warn you in advance." Her eyes were filled with gratitude. "Thank you for helping me regain my memories. I no longer have to guard this sea alone."
That night, the group set up camp on the shore. Lei Lin transformed back into his wolf form, curling up in Loran's lap. His spiritual core remained tightly connected to Loran's spiritual energy, as if reliving the moment they had overcome the difficulties together underwater. A Ya wove a new symbiotic net with Sea Spirit Fiber, the threads adorned with fragments of Tidal Crystal to better resist the Reverse Tide Energy. A Shi marked the location of the Western Region Volcanoes in his crystal pattern notebook, the pen tip leaving pale blue trails as it traced the pages. "According to the ancient atlas, Lord Fire Rock's volcanic spiritual veins are 'alive,' erupting according to his emotions. We need to find a way to make him willing to communicate with us."
Loran stroked Lei Lin's fur, looking at the Tidal Crystal and Star-Track Token in his hand, and suddenly understood: the protection of the Tidal Altar is not only to repair the spiritual veins, but also to "help the guardian find himself" -- the Tidal Lady is lost because of the loss of her memory, just like everyone will forget their original intention on the road of protection, and the bond of companions and the power of symbiosis are the light that helps each other find their way back.
Moonlight spilled across the sea, shimmering with tiny silver sparkles. The distant sound of the tides returned to normal, like a gentle melody, telling the story of the renewed contract. For the first time, the path of guardianship in the Youth Camp shifted from "resolving obsessions" to "awakening oneself." They knew that the Lord Fire Rock awaited by the Western Region Volcanoes might not only be a stubborn guardian, but also a "lost soul" who needed to be understood and awakened. But as long as Loran and Lei Lin's spiritual cores remained tightly connected, and the team members supported each other, there was no knot that couldn't be untied, no obstacle that couldn't be overcome.
The Star-Track Token glowed a pale blue in Loran's palm, pointing towards the distant Western Region. There, volcanic ash had begun to drift in the wind, as if calling for a new guardian of the covenant, and also for a new journey of understanding and awakening.