Backlund, Rose Street—the Harvest Church.
Compared to the future, this small chapel of the Church of Earth Mother had changed little. Even the staffing was nearly identical: a single bishop with three or four priests under him, and scarcely any believers in sight.
Unlike Father Utravsky of later years, this bishop was merely a Sequence 8 "Doctor." He appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, gentle and kind-hearted, exuding a soft, benevolent aura.
Edward greeted him politely, then walked to the frontmost pew. He clasped his hands, gazed up at the sacred emblem of life depicted on the wall, and murmured, "Respected Earth Mother, may I ask if You can hear my prayer at this moment? If I travel to the astral world, might I be fortunate enough to set foot in Your divine kingdom?"
Since he had already decided to head into the astral world, he naturally needed to choose the safest destination. Based on the information he had gathered so far, the only relatively safe choice available to him was the domain of the Earth Mother—Lilith.
He pressed his joined hands to his forehead, repeated the prayer once more, and entered a long silence.
Unfortunately, his words vanished like a stone sinking into the sea—no response came.
After quite some time, Edward rose to leave. But just as he stepped through the chapel doors, the old bishop hurried after him, eyes wide with disbelief, struggling to steady his excitement as he said in a trembling voice, "The Mother says…yes. You may."
Edward froze for a moment, then drew the sacred sign of the Earth Mother's symbol over his chest.
"Praise the Mother."
"May the Mother be with you," the bishop replied with reverent calm.
Leaving the Harvest Church behind, Edward returned to No. 28 Emerald Street. After sitting quietly for a while, he invoked his peculiar method of praying to himself, responding to himself, using the Sefirah Castle as an intermediary. Once the transition was complete, he returned to reality again—without even giving Amon the chance to open his mouth.
He took a deep breath, flipped a gold coin. "Will this journey be beneficial to me?"
The coin spun rapidly on the floor, refusing to fall for several seconds.
Edward stared at it fixedly.
"Then let's go."
In the very instant he activated [Wandering], his surroundings changed—he had already arrived in a world filled with endless starlight.
At first glance, it resembled the night sky—dark, deep, and boundless—but upon closer inspection, it was filled with peculiar distortions. The "sky" was like a vast black curtain, upon which a sun had been painted in strokes of oily colour, surrounded by clumps of concepts and symbols, as though reality itself had been rendered in abstraction.
Across this "land," mountains, rivers, and even cities stretched endlessly. They were reflections—warped and eerie—of the real world's geography, appearing as strange, dreamlike counterparts.
(This mirrored nature of the astral world had been vaguely shown in the original work's divine wars.)
Compared to the barren real-world planets, this realm, though twisted and unsettling, held a peculiar charm—almost as if it invited exploration.
"Well then," Edward murmured, "let's begin here—and make our way toward the Earth Mother's divine kingdom."
———
Year 1360, Future.
Waypoint Island
Emlyn White stared blankly at the 'Sanguine Ancestor'—Lilith herself—and pointed to his own chest, dumbfounded.
"Me? Go to the Southern Continent…and lead the people there…to overthrow colonial and decaying rule?"
Wait—what? Ancestor, are you serious right now?
Sure, he had confidence when it came to taking up the burden of resisting the apocalypse—but leading a revolution? That was another matter entirely!
"Don't worry," Lilith said casually, taking a bite of an apple. "You'll have help when the time comes."
"But…"
Emlyn's face twisted in anguish. "Why would you think I'm suitable for something like that? Ah—don't get me wrong, it's not that I doubt your judgment, it's just that…" I don't believe in myself!
Lilith thought for a moment, then said with perfect seriousness, "Because you are the chosen one destined to save the world."
"…"
Emlyn was silent. Okay, yes, I'm lazy sometimes, and I don't like overthinking things—but even I can tell when someone's giving a perfunctory excuse like that.
"That's enough."
Lilith frowned slightly. "Entrusting such an important mission to you is a sign of my faith in you. If you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else. What about Arlde?"
"I'll do it!" Emlyn immediately straightened up like a soldier.
"Excellent. I knew I wasn't mistaken about you."
Lilith nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze toward Danitz. "And you?"
"…"
Danitz's expression was a mixture of panic and despair.
"I—I'm willing, of course. But…the highest position I've ever held was first mate! And now you want me to become the High Priest of the Church of the Sea God, leading the faith and the natives of the Rorsted Archipelago to drive out the colonisers? I'm afraid…I might fail your expectations."
Lilith blinked and said with a trace of amusement, "Didn't you just serve as a bishop of the Church of the Sea God not long ago?"
"Huh?!" Danitz froze. She knows about that?!
Danitz immediately lowered his head and said meekly, "I was completely forced into it back then—I was just a puppet."
"It's alright."
Lilith smiled. "I'm only letting you be a puppet this time too."
"…"
Lies didn't hurt people; truths did. And right now, Danitz felt like he'd been stabbed through the heart.
"But I…I…"
"Danny…"
"My name's Danitz."
"Alright, Danny," Lilith said sweetly. "Take a look at your left hand. That's the gift the original Sea God left for you. Tell me—who could possibly be more qualified than you to inherit His will and lead the Church of the Sea God?"
Danitz instinctively glanced down at his scaly arm, then silently tugged his sleeve back down. He wanted to say: That's not a gift. That's corruption.
"Becoming the High Priest is only the first step," Lilith continued, smiling. "You must earn the trust of every faction within the Church of the Sea God, and ultimately become the new Pope. Only then can you lead everyone to rise up against colonisation and exploitation."
"Such a magnificent, world-shaking achievement—don't you want to accomplish it?"
No. Not at all, Danitz thought.
Lilith smiled faintly. "When that time comes, tell me—among everyone aboard the Golden Dream, who could possibly compare to you? Who do you think your captain would choose: a hero who leads countless oppressed souls to freedom, or a crewman who only knows how to drink, brag, and grovel?"
"!!!"
Danitz's heart trembled violently, but he still subconsciously retorted, "I…I don't grovel."
"Of course not. I meant the others."
Lilith bit into her apple again and said with a bright grin, "Well then, everything from here on is up to you two. This is a matter concerning the apocalypse, after all! Good luck!"
As she spoke, she snapped her fingers lightly. Two mirrors materialised out of thin air.
"Farewell."
The next moment, the two men were swallowed by the mirrors. Their startled shouts and screams echoed for an instant before they vanished—each sent to their destined place.
Finishing the apple, Lilith tossed the remaining core casually into Emlyn's mirror, then dusted off her hands.
"Alright," she said cheerfully. "The Lord of Storms and Lilith's matters are temporarily settled. Now, onto the Northern Continent."
Her gaze drifted past the azure sea, as though she could already see the distant lands beyond the horizon.
War was coming.
———
Rashya, Emerald City.
Cattleya walked through the palace of shimmering jade, once again entering the chamber where Queen Mystic, Bernadette, stood gazing into the distance.
"Your Majesty."
Cattleya bowed slightly, then drew out a slender box. "This is from Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina. She asked me to deliver it to you. She said she found it in her home in Lenburg—it's something that should have belonged to you."
Bernadette turned her head, her gaze lingering on the box for half a second before she reached out to take it. With care, she opened it.
Inside was a rolled-up photograph.
She pinched the edges and let it unfurl naturally, revealing a group portrait.
Father and Mother, Edwards, Grimm, William, Poli, Mr. Sparrow, Mr. Dubois—and herself, standing in the centre, smiling the brightest of them all.
Her Father and Mr. Dubois were glaring at each other; Mother was holding her with a radiant smile. Mr. Sparrow looked terribly uncomfortable, while her four uncles appeared variously nervous, amused, stiff, or tipsy.
It was the photo taken after her seventh birthday party—something that should have been carefully stored in her room.
But after her father's sudden transformation, she'd left Trier in anger and solitude. Later, he was assassinated in White Maple Palace, and many possessions had been lost amid the chaos—including this picture.
She hadn't expected it to end up in the hands of Edwards's descendants.
Her fingertips brushed lightly over the face of her younger self. The Queen's ever-calm eyes softened; that child had been so carefree, so happy.
But a century had passed in the blink of an eye, and now, she was the only one left from that photo.
After a long silence, Bernadette closed the picture and placed it back into the box.
"Please thank Vice Admiral Edwina for me when you next see her," she said softly. "And…ask how this photograph came to be in the Edwards family's possession."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"How is Gehrman Sparrow?"
"He has completed his advancement and is currently adapting to the abilities of Sequence 5."
At that moment, footsteps approached, and Klein walked in.
"Congratulations," Bernadette said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Klein pressed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly.
"You're welcome."
Her tone was even. "What do you plan to do next?"
"My plan?" Klein smiled faintly. "Naturally, to digest the potion as soon as possible and advance to Sequence 4."
"By the way, Your Majesty…do you happen to know where I could obtain the formula for Sequence 4 of the Seer pathway?"
Bernadette thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I know that my father once created the Seer's Blasphemy Card, but I've never seen the corresponding formula, nor do I know where it ended up."
"I see. Then I'll have to figure it out myself."
After a pause, Klein asked hesitantly, "Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty…but you've always believed that Emperor Roselle is still alive, haven't you?"
A faint light flickered in Bernadette's eyes as she inclined her head slightly. "Yes."
"May I ask…why?"
"It's merely an intuition," she replied quietly. "Or, if you prefer, you may call it a refusal to accept reality."
"…"
Klein fell silent. Well, how am I supposed to respond to that?
Fortunately, Bernadette soon asked, "When do you plan to return to Backlund?"
"Anytime—it depends on Your Majesty's schedule."
"Then let's go now."
She turned to Cattleya. "Be careful in the coming days. The world is about to descend into chaos."
Cattleya immediately nodded. "I understand, Your Majesty. Thank you for the warning, I—"
"Mm. We're leaving."
Before she could finish, Bernadette vanished with Klein.
Cattleya opened her mouth, murmuring the rest of her words into the empty air:
"I…can I still follow you?"
The only reply was the faintly damp sea breeze brushing her cheek.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.