Chapter 237: The Exploration Ended Before It Began
The threads of fate often weave their most complex patterns in the fleeting moments of a near miss.
Not long after Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng had departed for the Hall of the Triune Fates, three dust-laden figures materialized near Okhema's Cloudstone Sky Palace. It was Phainon, Castorice, and Mydei, having just returned from their arduous mission to retrieve the Flame Seed in Hanging Edge City.
"Oh? Are Stelle and the others not here?" Phainon asked, a note of surprise in his voice as he surveyed the empty bathhouse. He had hoped to catch Stelle and Dan Heng to discuss some of the finer points and insights gained from the Battle of Nikador.
Castorice extended her senses, a subtle ripple in the air around her. She shook her head gently. "It seems they've only just left."
Mydei, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, looked a shade paler than usual, a proof of the rough journey back. His words, however, were as sharp and concise as ever. "If we missed them, we missed them. We have urgent matters to attend to. We can meet later."
He was right. Their return was not for rest but for duty.
Their first priority was to deliver a complete report to Aglaea, the leader of the Chrysos Heirs. She would need to know every detail of the campaign against Nikador—the specific process, the final outcome, and any subsequent anomalies they had observed. This battle was a foundation of Amphoreus's path to salvation; every piece of information was vital.
The second matter was of extraordinary personal significance to Phainon. He was about to face the trial to inherit the Flame Seed of the Titan of Strife. With Nikador defeated, its Flame Seed desperately required a new successor. As a warrior who had demonstrated exceptional courage and resolve in the preceding battle, Phainon was one of the most anticipated candidates. He needed to center himself, adjust his state of mind, and prepare to confront the perilous and formidable test of strength left behind by the ancient Titan.
Meanwhile, Stelle and her companions had opted for a less conventional route to the Hall of the Triune Fates.
Thanks to Stelle's unique brand of "foresight"—or perhaps, her inherent trailblazing instinct for convenience—she activated a hidden Domain Anchor she had secretly planted during her last visit. The world dissolved into a brief, dizzying blur of spatial distortion, and an instant later, the three of them were standing inside the ancient temple.
The anticipated gauntlet of solving countless puzzles and handling winding corridors was skipped entirely. They had arrived directly in the heart of the Hall.
"So? What do you think? Pretty convenient, right?" Stelle clapped the dust from her hands, a hint of smug pride lacing her voice as she looked around. "Last time I was here, I figured this place was way too big and walking was a pain. I left a little contingency, just in case it came in handy someday."
Their landing point was an immense circular hall, ringed by colossal stone pillars carved with complex, spiraling patterns of spacetime. Most, however, were now broken and shattered. A thick layer of dust carpeted the floor, and the air hung heavy with an ancient, desolate silence. Several massive holes gaped in the dome above, allowing faint celestial light, mingled with Amphoreus's unique glimmering motes, to stream down in pale, ethereal columns.
"It certainly saved a lot of trouble," Dan Heng calmly acknowledged, his gaze already sweeping across their surroundings with swift, careful precision. "According to the plan, we can use this opportunity to thoroughly explore the temple. As the former abode of the Titan who governs the years, it must contain a wealth of records or inscriptions about Amphoreus's ancient history. Perhaps even the essence of time itself."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It might help us understand the root cause of the temporal discrepancy between this world and the outside."
March 7th, her camera already in hand, looked around with wide-eyed curiosity. "Yeah! A mysterious place like this must have tons of stuff worth photographing... Ugh, though it does look a little dilapidated right now."
Their plan was sound: use Stelle's particular brand of "cleverness" to begin a deep dive into history and mystery.
But the script of fate rarely follows the expected narrative.
The very moment the echo of their footsteps and voices disturbed the deathly silent hall, an anomaly erupted. It was as if a single drop of water had fallen into a pan of sizzling oil, or a slumbering behemoth had been abruptly jolted awake.
An invisible ripple of power violently expanded from the trio, washing over everything.
The surrounding stone pillars seemed to mend before their eyes. Cracks sealed themselves, new stone grew from shattered edges, and the dormant carvings flared to life with a brilliant golden light. The dust on the ground was swept up by an unseen force, dissipating as if time itself were reversing, revealing a floor as smooth as a mirror, carefully engraved with a vast and complex star map.
The damaged dome instantly repaired itself, transforming into a flowing, shimmering celestial ceiling that appeared to be woven from liquid time. Soft, radiant light flooded the hall, illuminating every corner in a golden splendor that was at once solemn and sacred, erasing any trace of decay.
This miraculous transformation was completed in the space of a single breath, too fast for any of them to fully process.
Immediately after, a voice connected not in the air, but directly in the depths of their consciousness.
It was ethereal and ancient, carrying the weight of countless eons, yet it was also possessed of an indescribable, almost childlike urgency and longing. It repeatedly chanted a single, short phrase, the final syllable trembling with emotion, penetrating all material barriers to reach directly into their hearts.
"O...ga...sa... O...ga...sa..."
March 7th and Dan Heng both froze. Dan Heng's brow furrowed as he tried to decipher the message. "That syllable... it sounds like the language of the Amphoreus Titans. The meaning is unclear, but the emotion it contains... is incredibly urgent."
March 7th felt a strange shiver run through her. The voice made her heart tremble with an unexplainable sense of familiarity, but she quickly shook her head, chalking it up to the eerie atmosphere. "It... sounds like it's rushing us? Is it telling us to go somewhere?"
But unlike her two companions' cautious analysis, a flicker of bewilderment crossed Stelle's face, which was then immediately replaced by a brilliant spark in her golden eyes. She looked like a raccoon who had just stumbled upon a dumpster full of treasure.
She remembered! That pronunciation! It was right here that Castorice had once, with a puzzled expression, explained the meaning of that very word to her—"Mother."
The initial shock and the utterly absurd feeling of "suddenly becoming a mother" flooded her mind. This was then instantly consumed by an overwhelming, ecstatic glee. A grand "family reunion" was about to unfold, and she had a front-row seat.
"Yes, yes, yes! It means 'come quickly'!" Stelle nodded emphatically, a grin spreading across her face that she couldn't suppress. She grabbed the wrist of a still-hesitant March 7th, her tone brimming with manufactured eagerness as she echoed the call.
"Let's go, let's go! Let's hurry up and see Olonios! Listen, It keeps saying 'come quickly, come quickly'! It must be getting anxious! We shouldn't keep an elder waiting!"
She was acting exceptionally active, practically dragging March 7th deeper into the temple, toward the source of the voice.
Dan Heng found Stelle's over-the-top enthusiasm somewhat unusual—he knew for a fact she had never shown this much interest in learning an alien language. Still, the obvious urgency conveyed in the voice was real.
He set aside his suspicions and followed close behind, maintaining a distance that would allow him to provide support at a moment's notice, while also not interfering with whatever "special circumstances" were about to play out.
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