"But the TPC people said this Crystal Palace is off-limits."
The well-dressed man beside the lavishly dressed woman spoke up.
"What a pity."
The woman sighed, her tone full of regret.
"Then let's just build one ourselves!" said a man dressed like a tribal chief, clearly impressed by the palace's grandeur.
"That won't work, Chief—we don't even know where to find this kind of crystal!"
"…."
The crowd's gazes were filled with envy and longing, every one of them wishing they could live inside that glittering palace.
Yu Zhou shook his head. That was the palace of the Ultra-Ancient Giant, Camearra. Not just anyone could live there.
"How's it going, Yu Zhou? Family drama settled?"
It was Masaki, reappearing at Yu Zhou's side.
"Family drama my foot!" Yu Zhou snapped, glaring. "You sure ran fast enough."
Masaki spread his hands with a wry smile. "What could I do? I can't butt into your private affairs."
Then his expression turned more serious. "By the way, I heard from TPC HQ—apparently a new Giant of Light showed up a few days ago."
"Right," Yu Zhou nodded. "That would be the junior I mentioned back when we sent Daigo to Mars."
"Oh? What's his name?" Masaki asked, suddenly intrigued.
"His name is Shin Asuka. The Ultraman he becomes is called Ultraman Dyna."
Yu Zhou briefly explained Asuka's story and Dyna's appearance.
Masaki frowned. "But you once said he wasn't an Ultra-Ancient giant. Then how did he become an Ultraman?"
Yu Zhou thought for a moment. "Most likely, he inherited a light from somewhere in the universe."
He recalled the details: six months before Dyna's story began, Asuka's father, Shinichi Asuka, had vanished while testing a prototype lightspeed spaceship. He disappeared into a beam of light, and was remembered as the astronaut who 'vanished into the light.'
Since then, Asuka often claimed he could hear his father's voice.
Yu Zhou suspected the truth: that Shinichi had encountered a miracle of light in space, and that very light was passed on to his son.
"So, he gained light?" Masaki muttered, mulling it over. "There's still light out there in the universe strong enough to turn someone into a Giant?"
"There is," Yu Zhou affirmed.
Just look at Orb—his power came from the light of Planet O-50. Those who overcame its trials and earned the recognition of Orb's light could become Ultraman Orb.
Of course, the Ultras of the Land of Light were another matter entirely. Most of them transformed thanks to the Plasma Spark Tower. Before that, the people of the Land of Light were not so different from Earth's humans.
"Others struggle so hard just to gain light and become Ultramen. Meanwhile, the Land of Light's people? Just stand under the Plasma Spark and poof, they're Ultras."
Yu Zhou shook his head. "That's the difference between people, I guess."
That night, Yu Zhou returned to the Crystal Palace—but soon realized he had no idea where his room was.
"Lost already? Can't find your room?"
Camearra's voice came from behind, making Yu Zhou nearly jump.
"Uh… yeah. Where exactly is my room?" he asked after exhaling hard.
"Follow me."
She grabbed his hand without hesitation, pulling him along.
The soft warmth of her touch made his heart pound wildly, his breathing unsteady. Camearra, without looking back, walked with a faint smile playing on her lips.
Through corridors of shining crystal, she led him to a door and gestured. "Insert your keycard."
Yu Zhou slid the card into the slot, and the door unlocked with a shimmer.
"Not bad…" he muttered, scanning the room. Everything was there—furniture, a TV, a computer, all the essentials.
"You even know how to use computers now?" Yu Zhou asked curiously.
"Three million years ago, our technology was far ahead of today's," Camearra said calmly. "Modern computers are hardly anything special to me."
"Right… makes sense," Yu Zhou murmured, remembering advanced relics like Yuzare's time capsule.
But Camearra's next words cut his thoughts short.
"I heard, after you returned, the first person you visited was that woman."
"That woman?" Yu Zhou blinked, then realized. "You mean Captain Megumi?"
"Hmph."
Her cold snort carried a wave of jealousy.
"What? Isn't it normal for me to meet with my captain?" Yu Zhou protested helplessly. To make matters worse, Camearra seemed to mistake Captain Megumi for Yuzare, just as she mistook him for the ancient Tiga.
"Then why didn't you come to me first?"
She stepped closer and closer, her words sharp with acid. Her tone was so sour, Yu Zhou felt as if he were standing under a whole lemon tree.
"I—I just happened to run into her! That's all!" Yu Zhou stammered, retreating step by step until he fell back onto the bed.
Realizing how dangerous this was becoming, he bolted off the mattress in a flash, scurrying to the door like a trapped animal ready to flee.
"Fine. Rest well, then."
Camearra huffed, glaring at him one last time before storming out.
"Phew…"
Yu Zhou wiped his brow, finally breathing freely. Living in R'lyeh was like living on the edge of a cliff. Too dangerous.
If he stayed too long, he might really get dragged into trouble.
"Calm down, calm down…"
He clutched his chest, still feeling his heart thundering. To be fair, he admired Camearra's beauty—but only admired. He dared not think beyond that.
She was Tiga's wife, after all… and technically three million years his senior. She could be his ancestor! Even if she hadn't aged a bit, she was still someone else's wife.
And imagine if the real Ultra-Ancient Tiga came back one day—Yu Zhou would be doomed!
Still muttering to himself, he eventually drifted off into uneasy sleep.
The next morning, after freshening up, Yu Zhou went to bid farewell to Camearra.
"You're leaving?!"
Camearra shot to her feet from her crystal throne, visibly shaken.
"This time, I'm not leaving the world itself," Yu Zhou quickly reassured her. "Not like eight years ago."
Her tense shoulders eased, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Good. But listen—if the day comes when you do leave this world, you must take me with you!"
"This…"
Yu Zhou didn't know how to answer. Take Camearra back to his own world?
"Can you?" she pressed, eyes locked on his.
"…I can," Yu Zhou said at last.
After all, a crisis was looming in his world. When the time came, he'd bring Daigo, Masaki, Asuka—and if Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb joined them too, their side would be much stronger.