Lucilia turned to look.
It was Sofia, tear-stained, unable to stop his sorrow amidst this sea of sorrow.
"Let's go together."
"Yes!"
The two of them tightly grasped Alka's arm, which yearned for life, and together they pulled upward with all their might.
With Sofia's help, Alka finally halted her downward spiral.
Their combined strength and Alka's downward force created a stalemate.
But this state of affairs could not last long.
Sofia and Lucilia's resistance was limited; the tide of sorrow was too overwhelming.
"Ah!"
Clinging to Alka's illusion, Sofia leaned against her on the other side, one hand also grasping Alka's antlers.
Through a deeper connection, using Hirvi as a gateway, he entered Alka's soul world.
A high-pitched deer cry echoed, and nearly all the gold and silver in the soul crystal gushed out.
The deer raised its head, observing the scene.
Hirvi had no such authority.
This came from Alka's most fundamental survival instinct.
The two dragged him, temporarily regaining a shred of sanity.
Like pillars of light, golden and silver energies intertwined and slammed down fiercely.
Enveloping Alka's surroundings, enveloping them.
Like a golden and silver beam rising into the sky.
Alka, completely engulfed by the tide of sorrow, had one hand grasped.
His body swayed within the tide of sorrow.
Golden and silver energies surged in.
Illuminating the tide of sorrow surrounding everyone, the tide's essence remained unchanged. The energy of gold and silver was unlikely to have much effect in such a spiritual world.
But it seemed to awaken something, the vast energy gathering and finally causing some movement.
"Pain... pain... death... death... it hurts..."
The heavy wail of pain and death echoed throughout the tide of sorrow.
It was the most essential sound of the soul, needing no words to express it; the mere sound of the voice allowed everyone to clearly and accurately understand what it was trying to convey.
But at the same time, the deep sorrow and grief that had filled the ocean suddenly vanished.
Everything had happened too suddenly, but there was no time for further reflection.
Seizing this opportunity, Lucilia and Sofia grasped Alka's hands and forcefully dragged him from the water.
Alka woke up instantly after being pulled out, opened his eyes, and gasped for air.
It was like a drowning man suddenly regaining his breath.
He instantly understood the scene around him.
Upon seeing the two, he embraced them in each hand and rushed out.
He was out of the reach of the tide.
He looked back at the spot illuminated by a beam of light formed by the convergence of golden and silver energy in the sorrowful tide.
On the dark and silent sea, only that spot shone with a faint glow, as if it connected to a deeper place.
The wailing soul's voice still murmured in agony, its voice so enchanting.
Though she had no connection to them, she felt a deep empathy, as if they were her closest relatives.
Lucilia could no longer bear it and turned away.
If she saw or heard any more, she would be tempted to go.
"I will... I will bring you death... or save you, I promise."
After he finished speaking, Alka controlled himself and severed the connection.
In the dream bubble, the deer-head mask on Alka's face, buried in the snow, fell off.
The moment the mask fell,
The tide of sorrow in Alka's soul quickly dissipated and vanished.
Alka's soul world once again returned to its original state.
The moment it returned to its original state, the connection was severed.
Lucelia and Sofia, who were in Alka's soul, disappeared into space and returned to the outside world.
Alka, in the dream world, opened his eyes.
He suddenly stood up, emerging from the snowdrift.
Lucelia emerged from his body.
Sofia, who was leaning against the deer nearby, also woke up.
Lucilia emerged and looked at Alka.
Sofia also stood up.
Alka smiled at the two of them and said, "Thank you... um..."
Before he could finish his words, Sofia stepped forward and punched Alka in the stomach.
The sudden blow made Alka groan and arch his back.
Sofia took a step forward and held Alka in his arms.
"Ugh..." Lucilia, watching from the side, twisted her face. From Alka's expression, she could tell how much the punch had hurt.
It was a heavy blow, but Lucilia felt she deserved another one.
"Do you know how worried we were about you? What on earth did you do in your dream?" Sofia demanded sharply, holding Alka.
"Um... I'm sorry. I didn't expect this, I'm sorry." Alka clutched her stomach, eyes narrowed slightly, and she spoke, trying to hold back the pain.
"So, what exactly is going on? What's going on with that ocean of sorrow in your soul?"
Lucelia asked from the side. Her biggest puzzlement was that she hadn't figured out what had caused Alka's transformation.
The culprit was the ocean of sorrow and grief within his soul.
But even after they finally pulled Alka out of the water, she still couldn't figure out the cause.
Without a clue, she could only ask Alka herself.
Throughout this entire process, all she felt was sorrow, all pain. Uncomfortable emotions flooded her mind like crazy.
Most importantly, she felt empathy. The pain felt as if they were experiencing it themselves, so real.
The Primarch who bore this pain seemed inextricably linked to them.
He hadn't intended to cry, but tears flowed uncontrollably.
Sofia stood beside him, watching him.
The falling snow had long since vanished, and the snow on the ground melted rapidly the moment Alka awoke.
The dream creatures that had lingered in various places came back to life, moving about in Alka's dream world.
Alka listened to Lucilia's question and looked at Sofia.
"Let's go outside and talk to them, too. I..."
Seeing Alka unsure how to begin,Sofia gave up and nodded.
He and Lucilia quickly returned to their own dreams and awoke.
...
"What's wrong with you? Don't scare me! How can I help you if you don't say anything?"
Jason, standing on the deck, asked the crystal dragon in front of him.
The crystal dragon was now the size of a normal human, not even counting its long, thin tail and the wings folded over its body.
Her torso alone was as big as Jason.
But the crystal dragon didn't seem well. She looked unusually lethargic, curled up on the deck, quietly gazing at the ocean, lost in thought.
Even when Jason questioned her, she remained silent.
She hadn't spoken a single word since she woke up and walked off the deck.
"Jason, leave her alone. She seems upset. Maybe she needs to calm down."
Julia, standing nearby, seemed to have noticed something.
Hearing this, Jason nodded, glanced worriedly at the crystal dragon beside him, sighed, and sat down by the flower bed.
He looked at Sofia lying on the carpet next to him, along with the doll beside him.
He sighed.
"Oh, what's going on?"
"Hmm..."
A voice came from the carpet.
The others looked over quickly, watching Sofia open his eyes and climb to his feet. Lucilia beside him also woke up.
"How's it going? Did it work? I don't feel sad anymore," Jason asked.
Sofia nodded.
At that moment, the sound of a door opening could be heard from the stern deck, and everyone looked over.
They saw Alka approaching, shaking his head.
Seeing that Alka seemed alright, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
To ensure nothing was amiss, Matlisa swam over, her tail wagging.
She placed a hand on Alka's shoulder, checking his condition.
"Aside from a low spirit, I haven't noticed anything else."
"Thank you," Alka nodded.
"So what did you do in your dream to cause such a commotion?" Jason asked curiously.
This time, Alka's commotion was truly extraordinary, affecting nearly everyone on board.
They could clearly feel the sudden onset of grief, their attempts to control their emotions completely failing them.
They could only let the tears flow, the sorrow overwhelming them, leaving them feeling incredibly powerless and unbearable.
The grief was unforgettable, heartbreaking.
Looking at the inquiring eyes of the others, Alka sat down on the wooden stairs.
"Huh..." He exhaled slowly.
A mirror appeared beside him, and Hirvi emerged from it.
As Hirvi walked, a crisp bell rang out.
After emerging, this fantastical creature, seemingly unreal, came and lay down beside Alka.
Alka stroked its head and spoke.
"At first, I was just planning my future path, and everything was normal.
Until I simulated Mirmi, the blood-red mist deer that had dragged us into the dream before."
"You dare to simulate that thing so casually?" Simon said in surprise.
Looking at the looks in everyone's eyes, Alka knew they had misunderstood.
He explained, "I'm not simulating him as a monster. I told you before that the blood-red state was already problematic. I'm simulating him as he was before, in perfect condition.
It's what Hirvi will look like when he grows up. You know, I used a treasure to transform it into a trophy, and I also obtained relevant memory fragments from it.
So I can simulate it almost perfectly."
After hearing this explanation, everyone nodded, then looked at the giant Dream Fog Deer lying next to Alka.
Under normal circumstances, it was indeed a very dreamy, positive creature.
"And then what?"
"When I simulated it, everything went smoothly, and I simulated it smoothly."
"The problem lies in a problem I've never considered. Even if I were to do it again, carefully and consider every aspect, I wouldn't be able to think of it."
Hearing this, everyone found a seat nearby and listened quietly.
They were very curious.
After all, they had all experienced the commotion just now; it was truly too exaggerated. The feeling of grief, in particular, weighed heavily on their minds. For some reason, it was as if that grief prevented them from dwelling on it.
It felt... like a loved one was suffering.
Even when they thought about it, they couldn't help but feel an unbearable pity, a desire to help and comfort them.
This puzzled them.
"You know that this world was shattered and then pieced back together, right?"
Everyone nodded. Alka and the others had learned this from the Church before they left their home sea.
Simon, a mechanic, had known about it long before, even in such an enlightened sea.
As for Matresa, their race had recorded it for generations.
Such a major event would be recorded almost everywhere; it was impossible to conceal.
On the other hand, events before this were rarely recorded.
Seeing everyone nod, Alka continued.
"Do you know if she's still alive after putting them together?" At this, Alka's expression shifted to sadness again.
At this, the others didn't react. Instead, the crystal dragon, which had been gazing at the sea, suddenly turned and slowly approached.
She came over to Jason and lay down beside him.
"Hmm? You want to hear it too?" Jason said, looking at her.
Urulius nodded.
"Still alive... what does that mean?" Julia asked gravely, a thought dawning on her.
As a protector of the environment, she was extremely sensitive to this, and her recent sadness had already made her deeply concerned.
At this point, she had a very ominous thought.
Alka looked at everyone with a solemn expression.
He spoke slowly, "Literally... the world has always been alive, nurturing all that exists within it.
However, the advent of the War of Gods shattered the world, and it was then pieced back together by certain gods."
It was obvious who these gods were, but revealing them at this moment seemed unethical.
"A world that should have perished instantly has managed to cling on.
But it managed to survive... in a state of being shattered and forcibly held together."
"Oh my God!" Julia wailed at this.
As a protector of the environment, she empathized with them, and with Alka's explanation, she recalled the sorrow she had just felt.
"It's like a normal life, shattered into pieces, only to be pieced back together again by an inexplicable force and manipulation.
And I have to endure this pain, pain that will last forever.
The scars of this shattering are so exaggerated, so unbearable. The rules of the world have long been thrown into chaos by the shattering. Even if the gods try their best to maintain it, it will be useless."
These words made everyone present frown. This information, coupled with the grief they had just experienced, made them feel suffocated.
For a moment, they didn't know how to breathe.
For it was the islands beneath their feet, the ocean beneath their feet, the world they lived in, that were suffering so much.
Now, to think about the four worlds carved out by the gods...
They stopped thinking.
"But...but the Daughter of Life said, she said there's nothing they can do, they can only let the world heal itself. Over time, the world will heal itself."
Julia said with a look of sorrow, clearly knowing more.
With Alka's explanation, and recalling her past, some things made sense.
Alka looked at her and took a deep breath.
"But the World Spirit already exists, it's just not fully awakened yet. This pain makes her wish she were dead."
Then Alka
Ka continued, not delving any further. "And the Mirmi I simulated is himself a natural spirit from the spiritual world, whose duty is to repair the world.
As natural spirits, they are born with a connection to the world. They feel the world's pain, and they possess a natural resistance, for they are born from the world."
"But when I simulated it, I naturally gained equal power... and the moment that power became mine, I naturally connected to the world... sorrow and pain overwhelmed me, that sorrow and pain like an ocean."
At this point, Alka stopped talking.
Everyone naturally understood why this had happened.
At this moment, Julia's lower body transformed back into her fishtail, and the water wrapped around it, lifting her up.
Alka looked at Julia as she approached him, a questioning look in her eyes.
Julia held out her hand and said, "Can I personally bear... the world's sorrow?"
Arka looked at her, taking in Julia's resolute gaze.
She seemed determined to experience it.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Since it had come to this, Arka naturally said nothing more. He silently raised his hand and grasped hers.
A mirror appeared on Arka's face, revealing Mirmi's figure. Then the mirror began to change.
It quickly transformed into the deer-head mask from before.
But this time, Arka had already gained experience; he wouldn't rush into establishing a connection with the world.
He dug out some power-control techniques from his memory fragments.
Connecting perceptions to others.
A plant thorn composed of white mist spread from Arka's hand.
It wrapped around his arm and reached Julia's hand.
As the thorns wrapped around his hand, the sharp thorns pierced their skin.
"It's coming," Alka said, closing his eyes.
A wave of pain and sorrow passed through the thorns.
Instantly, it rushed into Julia's heart.
"Ahhh..." Julia's eyes widened in an instant, and she wailed in agony. Veins throbbed on her face, and blood vessels ran down her face and neck.
The skin on her body immediately turned slightly red.
Fine scales appeared behind her ears, along her cheeks, around her eye sockets, and along her collarbone.
The coin that had been imprinted on her hand floated out, flipped over, and the skull appeared on the front.
A blood-red aura began to surge, regaining the upper hand.
After the pain, Julia's tears flowed from her eyes.
The tears gradually transformed from blue streams into blood-red drops.
"Let go, Alka! She can't bear it anymore!" Matlisa shouted from the side.
Alka shook her head. "No, it's not that I won't let go, but she still wants to bear it."
"..." Everyone fell silent.
After all, they had been together for so many years, and they already knew Julia well.
Although Julia sometimes didn't say much, she would often repair the environment when she could.
This was especially true after they left the Home Sea, crossed the Forward Passage, and arrived at the Infinite Ocean.
Julia often felt depressed because she felt powerless to repair the environment around her.
This had been her responsibility for centuries, and now she no longer had the strength to fulfill it.
Therefore, her power increased rapidly. She was the most dedicated and hardworking among them.
Her upbringing, her education, her faith.
All of this was a sacrifice for the world.
After the Infinite Sea, she spent more time trying to understand her surroundings, what went wrong, and how to change it.
Now, Alka told her that the world would rather die, would rather be destroyed than endure such pain again.
This shattered her entire worldview, shattering her faith.
Although others didn't quite understand the Seed of Life's teachings, protecting the environment was primarily about protecting life.
Certain doctrines contradicted what she now understood.
While she was told to protect the world, she had indeed done so for hundreds of years.
However, the truth she discovered was that the world would rather die, and that such pain came from them.
"Life's favor is slipping away from her. She's abandoning the teachings, she's spitting on life. She's... abandoning the faith."
Simon stood beside Julia.
He spoke quietly.