After leaving the Garden of Life, Star and Castorice arrived at the Chrysos Heirs' Baths.
Not far away, Aglaea and Phainon seemed to be discussing something.
Xing repeated his previous actions, briefly informing the two of this 'unexpected situation'.
After listening, Aglaea first looked at Castorice and shared her insights:
"Butterfly, someone has already tried your idea. If it had worked, Thanatos wouldn't have disappeared without a trace."
"But it's not time to give up yet. At least for now, I still have a glimmer of hope," Aglaea said.
" Cipher... if there is anyone in this world who might have control over the direction of 'death,' it is her."
"I will try to get her back to Okhema, but please be prepared for disappointment. Please understand, in the history of Amphoreus, no one has escaped the clutches of death."
At the end of time, Thanatos awaits everyone.
Xing's eyes lit up—this was exactly what she wanted! But... it seemed she couldn't die now; " Eternity " was a hindrance!
Until then, please take good care of yourself...
Before she could finish speaking, Aglaea's expression suddenly turned serious.
"What's wrong, Aglaea?"
"Ominous signs always come in pairs; tiny gusts of air will eventually weave into a storm that tears the sky apart."
" Anaxagoras, he has begun contact with the Senate."
"As expected, it turned out like this..." Phainon sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
"I sincerely hope your judgment of him is correct, Phainon. Otherwise, all the efforts my teacher and I have made over the past thousand years... may be reduced to ashes because of that ' Grand Performer.'"
Not long ago, the space known as the ' Underworld '
At that Anaxa heard it, deep within the tides, behind the gate to the realm of nothingness...
A voice was about to speak to him—
"Son of man... are you so eager to join the ranks of the dead?"
Cerces's voice was like a clear stream, pulling his consciousness back to reality.
"Ah, you're awake. Welcome back to the mortal realm. Your consciousness dissipated a little faster than I expected... It seems the Titan's Core Flame ultimately cannot be compatible with a mortal body."
At that Anaxa turned around, "How much longer can my consciousness remain in the human world?"
"In my opinion, we'll at most see the fifteenth door from today onwards, right?"
"Ah, fifteen days and nights..."
"What, now that things have come to this, you've finally become attached to the mortal world?"
"On the contrary." Anaxa spread her hands, "Fifteen days and nights is a bit too long to solve a single problem."
"Heh..." Cerces chuckled softly.
"Stop grinning like an idiot, let's go. The Senate's messenger should be arriving soon."
"May I ask one more question: Do you truly intend to betray Aglaea's will?"
At that Anaxa sneered, uttering a fact known to all:
"I was never loyal to her, so how could I betray her?"
"And your white-haired disciple? Such reckless behavior... aren't you afraid of leading him into injustice?"
Blind faith always comes at a price; this is a lesson for Phainon.
Cerces couldn't help but exclaim, "... You really are a strict teacher."
"Of course, I've always been like that."
A few minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and the envoy sent by the Senate chose the Garden of Life as the location.
"It's been a long time, Anaxagoras."
An elegant ' Intellitron ' looked at Anaxa, who had just arrived, and bowed slightly to him.
"On behalf of all the citizens of Okhema, I extend my greetings to you and express my deepest regret for the fate of the ' Grove of Epiphany '."
"It's you? I didn't expect you to personally come to meet me." Anaxa looked at the ' Intellitron ' in front of her.
" Kephale and Talanton, I have come to uphold the justice of the Senate."
Cerces, standing nearby, also became interested in the Intellitron. " Antikythera are here? It's been a rare sight since the Golden War."
"And I extend my sincerest greetings to you, Your Excellency Titan."
The ' Intellitron ' also bowed towards Cerces's location and introduced itself:
"My name is Lycurgus, you may call me ' Lygus.' I am currently an honorary senator of the Okhema Senate, and in the name of ' the Audience of Divine Ordeals,' I defend the right of every upright citizen to self-expression."
"Ha... you can see it too?"
At that Anaxa pointed to Cerces beside him, which didn't surprise him.
"You know me: the Antikythera perceive the world through the amplitude and frequency of their souls—just as I understand that Ms. Aglaea is listening to this private conversation from afar."
"If you need, Your Excellency, I can cut the gold thread to defend your fundamental rights."
Anaxa shook his head. "That woman is a demigod; she should have some self-respect. Let her keep these pitiful loose threads and hear my voice properly, so she can humiliate herself."
"It seems you already have a plan?"
"I don't need any countermeasures. She can't do anything except monitor her."
"The Citizens' Assembly is about to convene, and Oronyx has already fallen. Forcibly seizing this Core Flame within me will only bring chaos; she must know this."
"And I, Anaxagoras, as the Grove's special envoy to the Assembly of the Citizens of Okhema, have long been aware of your capabilities..."
"There's no need to dismount and act arrogantly anymore, Lygus. Lead the way."
Anaxa ended their conversation.
"Excellent. I believe Lady Canis will certainly look favorably upon such a powerful ally."
After saying that, ' Lygus ' handed two cups of milk tea to Anaxa and Cerces.
"She has been waiting for you for a long time. Come with me."
Anaxa stared at the milk tea in her hand. "It looks so familiar... Have you seen it before?"
Cerces shook its head; it would be strange if a Titan consciousness could drink milk tea.
"What is it, Anaxagoras?"
Seeing that Anaxa suddenly stopped, ' Lygus ' thoughtfully turned around and asked with concern.
"It's nothing. It's just that every time I climb Dawncloud Cliff, I think: for Titan, is 'fallen' the same as 'death'?"
"Deep thoughts. We still have plenty of time; would you mind sharing your insights with me?"
"All that is born must perish. But Kephale has not yet reached its end; it is slowly advancing along this long road."
"Are you saying that Kephale didn't really die?"
"Exactly." "Death" is an action, a process; "death" is a state, an end.
"Compared to mortals, Titan are far larger in scale in terms of space and time, and therefore their 'death' process is much longer."
The so-called "fall" is nothing more than a misinterpretation by mortals out of ignorance.
"An interesting insight, but unfortunately difficult to prove or disprove." ' Lygus ' gave him a thumbs up. "After all, Kephale has been silent since the end of time."
" Anaxagoras, frankly, your insights into 'death' have exceeded my expectations."
' Lygus ' couldn't help but ask:
"So... how do you understand ' Eternity '?"