Amphoreus, the Underworld where Antimone Flower bloom.
" The Underworld... truly is as legendary as it's said, a sea of flowers."
Castorice's voice trembled slightly as she looked at the boundless sea of flowers.
"Yes."
The familiar figure pushed the wheelchair slowly to her side.
"Like... the flower field we used to tend."
Castorice confirmed, "Is it you... Polyxena?"
"Do you remember me?" The girl, whose face was exactly the same as Castorice's, looked up.
"... I have no Remembrance of that period; I only witnessed you during an experiment."
"Then, just call me Thanatos," Thanatos said, looking at Castorice from his wheelchair. "It'll be easier that way."
"But now that you know that name, it means you already know everything about ' Thanatos, ' right?"
"I... have come to reshape the Order life and death in Amphoreus."
"Do you know? My sister is an understanding, yet somewhat sensitive person. Whenever she has something on her mind that she can't express, she avoids eye contact and gazes into the distance..."
Thanatos said with a smile, "Just like now."
"Can you tell me? What exactly did Polyxena do during the last ' Re-Creation '?"
"So, where should we begin? Let's start from the very beginning..."
"In the distant past, there lived a pair of twins of one heart. According to prophecy, they were chosen to succeed the god of death."
"But fate is cruel; as the price of becoming a god... we must take the lives of our loved ones with our own hands."
Castorice walked up to Thanatos. "This trial... Ye recorded it in that Remembrance."
"Then you should know that it was my sister who willingly sacrificed her life to elevate me to the throne of the demigod of 'death'."
"But... I can't accept all of this. For a future she can't witness, we have to kill each other... It's just too unfair."
"Therefore, in weaving the rules of a new world, I... broke the boundaries between 'life' and 'death.'"
Thanatos raised her hand, and pale purple energy swirled around her palm.
"I sculpted her soul into form, and in the likeness of the dragon Pollux, carried my sister upstream in the River of Souls, sending her back to the world of the living."
"Unfortunately, fate had already decreed it... Despite my futile attempts, it came true in an unexpected way."
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the irrefutable laws of nature, written with the very beginning of death. When the living depart, their souls go to see Thanatos, who decides where they will go..."
"If Death raises its left hand, the soul is granted death, enters the Underworld, and awaits reincarnation."
"If you raise your right hand, your soul will be rejected by the Underworld and returned to the mortal realm to continue its journey on earth."
After a moment of Castorice said, "Therefore..." the " Hand of Ashen Gloom " can only deliver judgments, not embraces.
"Yes. Just as 'death' is originally two hands that are one, but when we arrive in this world, they are split in two, never to touch each other again..."
"The other half of Thanatos's life, the one who Death Granting... this is the curse I have imposed upon you."
"And... what about you?" Castorice asked.
"Its death is half-death; I bear the fate of ' Death Denial,' and was declared dead the moment I was born into this world."
"From that moment on, the Titan ceased to exist. Life and death were severed, and souls, unable to meet their revered gods, were left stranded in the ever-flowing river of the dead..."
"How ridiculous... My selfish intention was to save lives, yet I've written a fate heavier than death for you and this world."
At this point, Thanatos pushed his wheelchair forward:
"Then, I, Polyxena, with my remaining sanity, remained in the Underworld, tending to the flowers day after day, watching them grow into a sea of blossoms..."
"... chewing on life and death, separation, and the long loneliness."
The Castorice followed behind her, listening quietly.
"... Fate is indeed absurd. Our lives are like reflections of each other's hands... yet even so, we still arrive at the same destination by different paths--"
"We've walked different paths, yet we're tasting the same flavors."
"I thought that at least you could live a good life in this lifetime..."
Thanatos lowered his head, "... I'm sorry."
"My life has not been wasted." Castorice looked at her gently. "To me, you have done nothing wrong."
Even if... I were to impose the power of "death" on you, a complete stranger?
"Throughout this long journey, too many responsibilities have been imposed on my shoulders. I have felt lost, and even angry..."
"But only recently did I realize: without your blessing, I wouldn't have been able to understand where those feelings came from, nor understand my own mission—"
"Not to mention arriving here and reuniting with my destined other half; sharing our past, the scenery before us..."
"And also, the meaning of our existence."
On the other side, against an unfamiliar ceiling, Xing opened her eyes.
"Where have you gotten me now? According to the normal plot, shouldn't I be in the Underworld with Castorice right now? Why did you separate us?"
Xing looked puzzled until she saw Ye Yan standing in front of her.
"The power of the ' Hand of Ashen Gloom ' has been unlocked, why not give it a try?" Ye Yan asked with a smile. "Do you remember the first night we spent the night in Belobog?"
"Oh? Teacher Ye Yan, is this the legendary flashback?"
Ye Yan nodded. "Back then, I taught you Retrieving Objects from Afar,' did you Guild in the end?"
Xing shook her head. Her genius-level brain was ultimately unable to fully comprehend the " Eternity " secret technique. Apart from the geniuses in the " Genius Society," she couldn't think of anyone else who Guild.
Now it seems that with Aeon personally providing guidance, her status Galactic Baseballer is still incredibly high!
"I can only say I've learned something, but not much." Xing said, hands on hips and chest puffed out. "Things are different now. I'm not the same person I used to be!"
"I now bear multiple Path. I possess countless weapons; I lack nothing."
Back then, Jarilo-VI was just a newbie, not fully developed yet. Now it's different; how many " Eternity " artifacts does she have?
Even just taking this hourglass necklace out of the box, it's a heavyweight item, not to mention the bunch of Stellaron inside.
"So... do you still want to learn that Retrieving Objects from Afar?" Ye Yan asked with a smile.
Xing immediately grabbed Ye Yan's hands, her eyes shining, and nodded. "Talk is talk, and jokes are jokes," she said. "We still need to learn the 'Eternity ' mini-lesson!"
"After so long, am I finally going to master that 'legendary move'...?"
Xing felt her heart pounding with excitement.
However...
No, you're overthinking it.
Ye Yan poured a bucket of cold water on him like that.
"Why?"
Xing stood there, blinking.
"You've already Guild that move." Ye Yan sipped his milk tea. "If you don't believe me... try ' Hand of Ashen Gloom '?"