Natlan, Stadium of the Sacred Flame.
Two hours after Ishkab entered the Unrelenting Will, the group gathered in the Speaker's Chamber.
Mavuika, Citlali, the six current Heroes of Natlan, Lumine and Paimon, Kachina, The Captain, Angie, and others were all present.
Lumine's Unrelenting Will was temporarily in Kinich's possession. Kinich stood at the back, not participating in the discussion.
Mavuika: "Now that all six Heroes are assembled, the Abyss has undergone an unexpected transformation. At its current strength, we can no longer confidently defeat it with just the six Heroes and my own power."
Everyone vividly remembered the previous war, when the gods themselves had gathered and nearly suffered total annihilation!
The true Abyss would only be stronger!
Lumine stepped forward, clenching her fist. "We can't wait for the Abyss to attack us. We're only one Pure Soul short of the seven. Gathering everyone's strength, let us sound the charge for a counterattack!"
Angie: "The Traveler is right. It's better to strike first than wait for our doom!"
Mavuika waited a moment for dissent, but none came. She nodded, her own thoughts aligning with this course of action.
The battlefield could no longer remain in Natlan. The previous war served as a bloody lesson. Had it not been for Ishkab's sacrifice, Natlan would have had no chance against the Abyss.
Weakened and lacking her full power, the Pyro Archon Mavuika couldn't even participate in the war.
Captain: "Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, the gods of other nations will not stand idly by during such a crisis. This is no child's play. We must prepare thoroughly for every eventuality."
The group began discussing the details. Kinich returned the Unrelenting Will to Lumine and listened attentively to the arrangements.
Ultimately, they decided on a dual-pronged approach. The primary plan was for the Traveler to gather the seven Pure Souls and seek the legendary power of the Goddess. Meanwhile, the six Heroes of Natlan would remain on standby, ready to act at a moment's notice.
During this window of respite from Abyss attacks, Mavuika would contact the gods of other nations to request aid.
They would also search for traces left by the Abyss. Ideally, they would lure the battlefield elsewhere, but if that proved impossible, they would have to evacuate the Natlanians and make Natlan the final battleground.
The meeting adjourned, and each participant received their assigned tasks.
Before carrying out their missions, however, one crucial question needed answering: how had Ishkab managed to revive the ancient Ode of Resurrection in Natlan?
Citlali already knew who to ask—Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night!
The Stone Tablet beside the Flower-Feather Clan had witnessed the entire process of Natlan's life force resurgence and Ishkab's final dissipation. Through this experience, Citlali finally understood.
Yohualtecuhtin's presence there, and her previous silence, must have been due to Ishkab!
Reviving the Ode of Resurrection in Natlan undoubtedly required Yohualtecuhtin's assistance. It was precisely because the Lord of the Night was aiding Ishkab that she had remained unresponsive until now.
To uncover the truth, Citlali resolved to seek out Yohualtecuhtin!
-
Beside the Flower-Feather Clan, stood the Stone Tablet of Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night.
Since Natlan's Land had been revitalized, the Stone Tablet was entirely different from before. If the tablet Citlali and Lumine had previously seen was deathly still, the current one radiated a faint, ethereal glow and even spoke proactively as the group approached:
"You've come."
Yohualtecuhtin's voice was gentle, as if she had been expecting them.
The group consisted of Mavuika, Lumine, Paimon, Citlali, Kinich, Mualani, Kachina, and Xilonen.
"You are... Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night?" Citlali asked, despite already knowing the answer, wanting confirmation.
"I was once Natlan's Ley Line, the Constructor of the Night Kingdom, and the one you call Yohualtecuhtin."
Mavuika explained: "In the ancient war between dragons and Descenders, the world's edges were shattered, allowing the Abyss to intrude. Natlan's Ley Line suffered the most severe damage."
"To aid the Natlanians who dwell here, Yohualtecuhtin gathered the fragments of the old Ley Line, reconstructed its network, and thus the Night Kingdom was born."
"Later, the First Pyro Archon, Xbalanque, strengthened it and established the Order for combating the Abyss: the Ode of Resurrection and the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame, which remain in use to this day."
After Mavuika finished speaking, Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night, shared her own origins and revealed her past identity as an Angel.
With the introductions concluded, Citlali finally steered the conversation to the matter at hand.
"Now that the Abyss is invading, Natlan's Ley Lines have been utterly ravaged, and even the Night Kingdom has been corrupted by the Abyss, Lord of the Night, is your Awakening and appearance here due to Ishkab?"
Yohualtecuhtin replied, "Yes. The Abyss's destruction of Natlan and its Ley Lines plunged me into a deep slumber. It was that child who found me and roused me from my slumber."
"I know the purpose of your journey and have long prepared the answers you seek. Ask whatever you wish."
Kinich stepped forward, and the others instinctively parted to make way for him.
"I want to know when my sister, Ishkab, found you," Kinich asked. "And what exactly did she do to restart Natlan's ancient Ode of Resurrection?"
This was no longer merely the ancient Ode of Resurrection; it was an Ode of Resurrection amplified many times over—perhaps even tenfold or more!
Yohualtecuhtin sighed, feeling sorrow at Ishkab's departure.
"That child... Two days ago, at dawn, she ventured alone into the Night Kingdom and awakened me. Her soul is extraordinary, possessing immense power. Under its influence, the Abyss cannot draw near."
"Natlan's Ode of Resurrection operates under my Order. As the power of Xbalanque, the First Pyro Archon, gradually waned, the Ode shrank, transforming into the form you see today."
"Foreseeing the impending catastrophe that would claim countless lives in Natlan, she sacrificed the entirety of her soul's energy, imploring me to help her restart the Ode of Resurrection!"
"This was no simple task. Even with her energy, it still consumed a great deal of our strength. Fortunately, we completed the Ode of Resurrection before the war arrived."
Hearing Yohualtecuhtin's words, the assembled group fell silent.
The truth aligned with their earlier suspicions: Ishkab had used her soul as fuel to restart the Ode of Resurrection.
Kinich asked, "Then... what was the price? Sister... is there still a chance she might return?"
Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night: "The price was her complete annihilation. However, she told me she would leave behind a fragment of her soul to carry out the Traveler's unfinished plan."
That was roughly all the information they had about Ishkab. After Kinich withdrew, Mavuika and Citlali asked further questions.
Finally, before Lumine left, Yohualtecuhtin stopped her and handed her an object that resembled a flag.
Yohualtecuhtin: "Rather than saying this is a gift from me, it's more accurate to say it was left for you by that child. It is a fragment of my will, capable of recording the Traveler's experiences on this land, past and future.
"From this moment on, everything you have done on Natlan's Land has been recorded within it. For you, forging the 'Ancient Name' is now sufficient."