"Oh, they heard it too! So that's what it is?"
"I think... that might be a sign that the dragon Pollux's last wish has been fulfilled."
"In exercising its divine authority and resurrecting the dead, it must have been aware of just how heavy the price would be."
"Therefore, it used its last remaining strength to send me to Styxia, a city-state where no one was hostile to 'death'—a city that called for 'death'."
"It was meant to give me a new life, but it couldn't have it and died young... How much Pollux must have wanted to see how the sister it had tried so hard to save was doing now."
"It was with this wish that, even in death, Pollux ' soul lingered among mortals, quietly observing and recording everything concerning his beloved..."
Mimi suddenly realized, "Ah! So we didn't find something along the way..."
"... but rather, it reveals something to a wisp of longing drifting here," Castorice continued.
"And we will weave these thoughts together one by one, restoring them to the complete soul of Pollux."
"But these... are all just speculations, right? What if we complete the ritual, but the result is completely different?"
"That's alright. Teacher Anaxa alchemy is always like this: we can only know what we will get at the moment of completion."
Therefore, this field of study can be called a "miracle of creation."
"Now, the puzzle of Pollux is almost complete, only the final piece is missing—"
"I will reveal within the alchemical circle everything it desperately wants to know: my entire life since leaving Styxia..."
Xing nodded solemnly and, together with Castorice, set up the alchemy array.
Hmm... In this serious setting, Xing thinks it's necessary to add a cup of sweet milk tea to ease the oppressive and tense atmosphere.
The thought of battling a dragon made her incredibly excited, and she already had her mimicry baseball bat in her hand.
"... Let the ceremony begin."
"Now, the project is complete, and that's all I have to say." Castorice slowly read aloud, " At that Teacher Anaxa always liked to say something like that after finishing the preparations for alchemy. And now—"
" Pollux, I will pull you from the River of Souls and reshape you. Perhaps you will be disturbed as a result, your form mutilated and horribly disfigured..."
"But if even a trace of your consciousness remains from when you guided me—look at me."
I want to express my gratitude to you in person: I have already tasted everything you have given me in exchange for your divinity.
As they spoke, the spirits of the past appeared before Castorice. From Mimi and Xing's perspective, the spirits remained silent, but from Castorice's perspective, the spirits were constantly talking to her.
"She... recognized you? This should be the first time we've encountered a... spirit we can communicate with, right?"
"I'm afraid... she's just like the other wandering souls, merely trapped here. It's just that I was there for a brief moment during her time."
"Lord Amonet... please continue, I'm listening. Are you perhaps about to tell the story of Styxia?"
The undead named Amonet nodded. "Indeed, you are as intelligent as I imagined, but... never mind, it's too early."
"Don't worry, Elder. Look around... this is where the souls of the dead rest."
"A world of the dead? How could this be..." Amonet was stunned.
"I understand that you chose to remain silent about this story to protect the girl, Castorice, who faced death..."
"But now, you no longer need to keep it to yourself. I can tell you, you have done your best to protect that girl's life."
"... Very well, then I shall begin here."
Amonet began to tell the story of Styxia, the " Ancient City of Dragonbone "—
A faint white light flashed by, and Xing saw Amonet's phantom gradually solidify, standing in the center of the halo, his silhouette stretched into a resolute line by the scene behind him.
The wind no longer carries the salty sea mist, but only the smell of blood and decaying bones, shrouded in inky mist, drifting over the crumbling city walls.
The city-state, once hailed by sailors as the "Pearl of the Ocean," is now bathed in deep purple and dark red, its shattered dome resembling a gnawed seashell, revealing the desolate streets below.
There was no smoke from cooking fires, no singing, and even the waves dared not approach this shore gnawed by death.
A colossal dragon stretched between the city-state and her, its skeletal form filling her entire field of vision. Blood dripped from its jaw, and its jagged ribs resembled an open cage.
Encircling the ruins of the dying city-state on one side, it stretched towards Amonet, the soft sound of joints grinding together particularly clear in the deathly silence.
The shadow of death loomed over the world, and even the wind carried a chilling cold, dragging half the world into eternal night.
" Styxia, the pearl of the Ocean that suffered unjust calamity in fairy tales, ravaged by death—before Aidelia, it was the first city-state to turn to the belief in 'death.'"
"To you now... this might seem a little unbelievable, right?"
Xing was slightly taken aback. Why did Amonet's description seem different from what she had seen? Did the actual object not match the picture?
"That's right... I can hardly imagine how people living in the Golden Age, enjoying endless lifespans... could be so obsessed with death?" Castorice deeply agreed.
"Ah... I've been thinking about the same question, child. But I'm afraid there's no definitive answer."
"The journey is great, the epic is magnificent, because all things eventually pass away"—this is how someone once explained to me why death is a necessity of life.
Upon hearing this, Xing blurted out instinctively:
"... and the end of passing away is ' Eternity '."
Star:(ʘᗝʘ)!!
Good heavens, she's truly been steeped in the essence of " Eternity "! No wonder she saw a different scene; she must have grasped the true meaning of " Eternity "!
In any case, please refer to the actual situation for any story in " Ancient City of Dragonbone " Styxia. If there are any problems... " Eternity " will pay the bill.
"But I can't see it as the final answer... Is a world without conquest and epic tales no longer beautiful?"
"Heh..." Amonet chuckled again, guessing, "The person who said that to you, I think he might be a general? A warrior?"
"I did gain some insight from his words. Would you like to hear my thoughts, Castorice?"
"Please tell me, Lord Amonet. Although I have already made up my mind about how to deal with the divine right of 'death' and the Core Flame..."
"But perhaps your words... can truly point me in the right direction."
"Neither you nor I are warriors or commanders; neither 'conquest' nor 'epic' can resonate with my soul."
"But what if we modify this context slightly... what if..." love is not a gift from Moneta to mortals... but rather a blessing bestowed upon us by death?"