The star hovered less than half a meter above the charred crater, and the amber-colored protective pillar of light slowly dissipated.
She lightly touched the ground with her toes, landing on the relatively intact metal edge that was shielded from the high temperature by the beam of light.
The iridescent wings remained drooping, and the core "∞" symbol shone dimly, carrying a heavy sense of weariness.
She slowly rose from the ruins, her boots making a soft crunching sound as they stepped on the cooled molten slag.
Dust and iridescent fragments swirled around her. From the moment she lost control and fell, an indescribable sense of unease, like cold vines, began to entwine her consciousness.
That wasn't a malfunction of the wings themselves, but rather... an undeniable pull from a higher dimension.
It was as if an invisible thread was tied to the rotating "∞" symbol at the core of the wings, and the other end of the thread was firmly attached to the depths of the land below, known as the "Holy City" of Okhema, which had been ravaged by war and the Black Tide.
These wings were urging her, beckoning her, to go there.
"Star!"
How are you?!
"What just happened?!"
Anxious shouts accompanied by hurried footsteps— Dan Heng, Phainon, Hyacine, March 7th, and Mimi had rushed to the edge of the pit and anxiously surrounded them.
Phainon's greatsword was still held horizontally in front of him, Dan Heng gripped his spear tightly, and the Core Flame in Hyacine's hand once again glowed with a soft, healing rainbow.
On March 7th, he rushed over to check if Xing was injured, but was gently pushed away by the rainbow energy on Xing's body that had not yet completely subsided.
Xing raised her head, her eyes still holding a trace of the shock of falling, but deeper still, there was a kind of enlightenment and a gradually solidifying determination.
Looking at her companions' faces, filled with worry and confusion, she took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to carry a faint iridescent glow.
"I'm fine."
Xing's voice was somewhat deep, yet exceptionally clear. She raised her hand and gently stroked the pair of wings behind her that flowed with dim iridescent light, feeling a warm yet heavy touch on her fingertips.
"It's... these wings."
She paused, meeting the increasingly confused gazes of the crowd, and pointed beyond the shattered floating platform beneath her feet, towards the outline of the enormous holy city shrouded in the faint morning light and the lingering smoke of battle.
It's 'urging' me... or rather, 'guiding' me...
Xing's gaze sharpened, seemingly piercing through the barriers of space to reach the heart of the Holy City. "Go there. Go to the core of the 'Holy City,' Okhema."
" Okhema?" Hyacine frowned, looking at the slightly trembling Core Flame in her hand, which was also pointing towards the Holy City.
"Could it be... related to the last Core Flame of Kephale? Or...?"
"Whatever it is," Phainon sheathed his greatsword, his eyes resolute, "We'll go together!"
"Of course!" March 7th immediately replied, his ice spear reforming. "We can't let you go on this adventure alone!"
Dan Heng remained silent, simply pointing the tip of his Cloud-Piercer Spear steadily toward the Holy City; his actions spoke volumes.
Mimi also tried her best to puff out her little chest, "Mimi!"
Hyacine looked at the stars, then at the Core Flame in her hand, and finally nodded firmly. "The guidance of the sky, the resonance of the Core Flame..."
"Star, we believe in you, and we believe in these wings."
Xing's gaze slowly swept over each resolute face, completely dispelling the last trace of hesitation in her heart. She nodded firmly and said no more.
The next moment, she closed her eyes.
Consciousness sank into those heavy wings of light, into the core of the rotating amber "∞" symbol.
This time, she no longer tried to 'control' or 'resist' that pull, but instead tried to 'understand' and to integrate the will to ' Preservation ' with that grand and ancient call from the depths of the holy city.
Buzz--!!!
As if sensing her resolute will, the pair of lowered iridescent wings suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented, pure, and sacred radiance!
It is no longer the heaviness of being out of control, nor the condensation of defense, but a vast divinity that returns to its origin and connects with heaven and earth!
Countless streaks of rainbow light seemed to come alive, flowing and leaping joyfully on the wings of light, with golden stardust at the edges glittering like a cascading galaxy!
The core "∞" symbol shines brilliantly, radiating a stable space and an Eternity rhythm that connects the real and the virtual as it rotates!
An aura of holiness, majesty, and inviolability spread out like a tangible tide, instantly dispelling the last trace of gloom and dust on the platform, making even the air clear and full of life.
This divine scene caused all the witnesses to instinctively hold their breath, their eyes filled with pure shock and awe.
This is no longer a mortal power, but Miracle walking among humans!
Xing slowly opened her eyes, and deep within her pupils, the spinning ∞ symbol and flowing rainbow seemed to be reflected.
She glanced at her companion one last time, and in that exchange of glances, there was a trust and agreement that needed no words.
Immediately afterwards, the pair of divine wings that carried the blessing of " Eternity " and the will of " Preservation "—suddenly flapped!
There were no violent shockwaves, no tearing wind pressure. This time, the flapping of wings carried an indescribable harmony and penetrating power.
The star's figure did not disappear instantly, but transformed into an incomparably condensed and pure beam of iridescent light.
Like a sacred spear piercing the heavens and the earth, it shot straight and relentlessly toward the "holy city" of Okhema, bathed in the first light of dawn.
Her speed was still faster than the limits of vision, but her trajectory was clear and stable, leaving a rainbow-colored bridge of light that stretched across the sky and lingered for a long time behind her.
Like a staircase cast down by the gods, it connects the shattered cloud fortress with the holy city of the mortal world.
A rainbow streaked across the sky and vanished in an instant, leaving only the crowd gazing up from the platform and the sacred aftertaste lingering in the air, seemingly from the depths of the heavens.
Meanwhile, somewhere within the " Dome Stronghold " at the Eye of Dawn and Dusk, Ye Yan Hyacine at the rainbow trail that disappeared in the direction of the Holy City and murmured:
" Preservation bearing the wings of the sky and ' Eternity '... The dawn of Okhema will ultimately be lit by your own hands..."