Cantarella stood waiting quietly outside the door.
Though only a wall separated them from him, every space within the Sonora realm was an independent fragment, she had no way of sensing the battle within.
After all, it was the accumulated resentment of the Fisalia family over centuries. The mere aura emanating from it was enough to envelop all of Porto-Veno, allowing the corruption to continuously erode sanity.
The battle... must have been extraordinarily difficult, she imagined.
Just as her thoughts were churning, the sealed door was gently pushed open.
Creak—
The sound startled Cantarella.
She looked up and saw Ray emerging together with Anby.
The little creature sat contentedly on his shoulder, happily rubbing its round belly.
"So fast... it's over?"
Her eyes widened slightly as she gazed at Ray's face. She seemed to catch a complex, hard-to-read emotion in his eyes, but it was fleeting, quickly replaced by his usual gentle smile.
"Yeah, it's over. This is all thanks to Anby having a special advantage against that thing. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to deal with an enemy without form or substance."
Hearing Ray's words, Anby immediately floated up from his shoulder and proudly planted its little paws on its hips. "Hmph, I'm the most powerful Echo in all of Solaris! Dark Tide, resentment, none of them are worth mentioning in front of me! Though the taste is far inferior to real food... Speaking of which, after eating so many frequencies, I'm a bit stuffed."
Cantarella observed Anby with keen interest.
Even for someone as well-traveled as she was, this was the first time she had personally seen a special Echo capable of devouring Leviathan creations.
Any Echo, any living thing, upon contacting the Dark Tide, would be corrupted by its chaotic frequencies and become a puppet of Leviathan.
But they were different.
"Is that so? Well, the Fisalia family just happens to have secret medicine for aiding digestion. I'm not sure if it will work on Anby, but it's worth a try. But are you two truly feeling no abnormalities?" Cantarella said. "Although that was a mass of resentment-created frequencies, after centuries of pollution, it had already become a blade of the Resonance. In fact, to some extent, it was part of Leviathan itself."
Ray looked down at Anby. The little guy shook its head nonchalantly. "I don't really understand what you're saying, but that Levi-duck-egg... ah, I mean Leviathan! Aside from not tasting great, my body feels fine. There was that time after returning from the sanguis plateaus when my head felt fuzzy, but that's long gone now."
Ray also spread his hands. "I don't feel anything special either. Anby and I are in a symbiotic state now. The frequencies it devours ultimately become my power."
"The frequencies Anby devours... become your power?" Cantarella murmured thoughtfully. "That means, through Anby's devouring ability, you could even turn the power of the Leviathan to your own use?"
Ray paused at this, rubbing his chin as he considered it seriously. "I hadn't thought of it from that angle. But from what I've seen so far, the amount of Resonance frequencies devoured is still too small. I can only indirectly use it to enhance my own strength. But if I devoured enough... maybe I really could directly harness the power and make it serve me."
"...Such a thing exists." Cantarella covered her mouth in amazement. Then she shook her head lightly, a faint smile curving her lips. "I'm truly curious just how many unknown secrets are still hidden within you. But for now, it's my turn to express my gratitude."
...
...
Porto-Veno Castle
The night was as black as ink, with no moon or stars.
In that familiar room, Ray picked up a warm cup of tea and took a small sip. The mellow liquid slid down his throat like a warm current, finally allowing his tense nerves to relax slightly.
Leviathan was a spiritual plague. Wrestling so closely with a part of its power inevitably led to erosion.
But for Ray, this level of erosion was nothing.
"This is a fine tea from Jinzhou in Huanglong." Cantarella sat gracefully beside him, the smile at the corner of her lips as captivating as the night stars. "I specially added some odorless, tasteless calming herbs. They preserve the tea's original flavor while soothing the mind. Feeling better now?"
Ray set down his teacup and nodded. "So, regarding the Saintess trial... will it continue in the future?"
The smile at the corner of Cantarella's lips faded slightly.
She lifted her eyes and gazed into the void, her focus gradually dissipating.
"The Fisalia family's generations-old belief has been to resist the Leviathan's erosion and guard the pure faith in the Sentinel, Imperator."
"The trial is so cruel precisely to select a Saintess with unwavering will only such a soul, upon sinking into the deep sea, can glimpse that glimmer of light at the end of the darkness."
"If even the Fisalia were to betray their original vow, the truth would be swallowed by lies, and Leviathan's erosion would be unstoppable."
"Everything generations of heads of the family have done was for this greater cause. Too many necessary sacrifices have already been made for this faint hope."
"But I..."
Cantarella's voice gradually faded, as light as a dream about to dissipate.
"I cannot accept such sacrifices... yet I cannot blame the ancestors. After all, at that time, they had no other path."
"The dying embers burning in the darkness, who pays attention to their ashes once they're spent?"
"Humans are not kindling, and their sacrifices should not be forgotten."
"So, to prevent the Saintess trial from ever beginning again, I succeeded to the position of head of the family. While feigning cooperation with the Order of the Deep, I traveled everywhere searching for a way to thoroughly eliminate the Leviathan and rescue the Sentinel."
"Unfortunately, whether in Huanglong or the New Federation, I've visited almost every nation in Solaris, yet I've never heard of anyone truly killing a Threnodian ."
"It seems that since the dawn of civilization, humanity has never truly defeated the Threnodian."
"If I cannot find a solution within my lifetime, the Saintess trial will likely have to restart."
Cantarella turned her head and quietly looked at him.
There was no emotional fluctuation in her violet eyes. They were like a clear, still lake, yet they contained a thousand unspoken words.
"Until you appeared, I finally saw... that glimmer of hope."
"You dissolved the Fisalia family's centuries of resentment and saved the entire city of Ragunna."
"Though no one knows of your deeds, I remember you are this city's hero."
A subtle ripple passed through her eyes as she moved closer to him, close enough to almost feel each other's breath.
"So, could I ask you... to also find time to save me?"
"For this, I am willing to give everything I have."
Cantarella leaned close to his ear and whispered softly.
Ray's lips parted slightly. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
But she wasn't urgent. She simply gently pressed her slender finger to his lips.
"Shh, you don't need to answer right away."
"After all you've been through, what you need most now is a good sleep."
Before her words faded, a wisp of fragrance quietly lingered.
A heavy wave of drowsiness washed over him like a tide, making it impossible to keep his heavy eyelids open any longer.
"This is the Fisalia family's calming secret medicine. Its fragrance is soft and lingering, capable of reaching from reality into dreams."
"Rest peacefully in my arms now. Forget your worries for a while and sleep well."
His consciousness slowly sank into warm darkness, finally resting on her lap as he fell into a deep sleep.
Cantarella's fingertips gently traced his cheek. She gazed at his peaceful sleeping face, letting that unspoken emotion quietly flow in the night breeze.
Just then, the terminal Ray had placed beside him suddenly lit up and vibrated softly.
Cantarella paused briefly, her gaze falling on the flashing name. Then she pressed her lips together, a faint smile curving them.
"Carlotta?"
"Such a shame... he can't respond to you right now."