Chapter 449
When Xavier's shadow finally became clearly visible at the edge of the Land of the Gods, when his perfectly evolved figure began to appear faintly through the invisible RWIA screen, Theo gave a response that no one had ever expected.
He reacted to that sight, he responded to the reality displayed before him, he spoke even though there was no clear interlocutor.
With a deep voice filled with meaning, Theo said that he was immensely grateful for having witnessed all the wonders within the scenario of the first arc, episode eleven—its middle phase.
"So… are we just going to stand here? Or do you intend to step further, Theo?"
Hearing Theo's strange and enigmatic remark, Aldraya spontaneously shifted her gaze away from the RWIA screen that still displayed Xavier's shadow at the edge of the Land of the Gods.
Her head turned slowly, a measured and calculated movement as usual, until her expressionless face was directed precisely toward Theo Vkytor, who was still standing with his messy hair blown by the winds between dimensions.
There was no change in the expression of the sixteen-year-old girl's face, no sign of confusion or surprise at the bizarre words that had just been spoken by her companion.
What remained was only perfect emptiness—a sea without ripples, a sky without clouds, a face without emotion.
Yet behind that emptiness, behind the flat demeanor that had become her trademark since her first appearance at the Star Academy, lay a question that demanded an answer, a confusion that needed clarification, an uncertainty that had to be resolved.
Aldraya immediately asked Theo what step they should take next, a question born from her long observation of the dynamics currently unfolding.
She asked whether the two of them should also go to the Land of the Gods and directly witness the battle between Xavier XVII and the great-grandson, a battle that somehow Aldraya already knew would end with the absolute victory of that great-grandson from the lineage of Xavier and Myra Astrielle.
It was a strange knowledge, a certainty without reason, a conviction that simply emerged within the girl's mind without passing through any lengthy process of thought.
Perhaps the knowledge came from RWIA, perhaps from her mysterious connection with Theo, or perhaps from something far deeper and far older than herself.
What was certain was that Aldraya did not doubt the truth of what she knew. She simply accepted it as fact, as a reality that no longer needed to be questioned, as a part of the grand scenario currently unfolding.
Aldraya's question hung in the air between them, an invitation to determine direction, a request for guidance from a student to her teacher, an acknowledgment that Theo was the only one who possessed a clear vision of what should be done next.
Would they follow Xavier to the Land of the Gods, witnessing from up close how descendants of the same bloodline destroyed one another, how the anger-filled great-grandson would finally complete his vengeance against the great-grandfather who had abandoned him?
Or did Theo have another plan, an alternative scenario that might be more interesting, more important, more aligned with the ultimate purpose of their existence in this world?
Both options were wide open, both possibilities equally capable of happening, both paths waiting to be chosen by a single decision from the figure who had long been the center of all the mysteries surrounding this reality.
"We return to the Star Academy."
Theo shook his head once, a movement so quick it was almost invisible to the ordinary eye, yet perfectly clear to Aldraya, who had grown accustomed to reading even the slightest signal from the mysterious figure beside her.
That shake was not a rejection, nor a disagreement. Instead, it was a quiet affirmation that Aldraya's question had been heard and understood, though the answer would lead somewhere entirely different from what they might have imagined.
After that brief gesture, Theo spoke words that would determine the direction of their next steps, a statement that simultaneously marked the closing of the long observation they had conducted over Xavier XVII.
He said that their task of monitoring Xavier during the first arc, episode eleven—its middle phase—had been completed.
It was an acknowledgment that further strengthened the suspicion that everything occurring within this universe—the fierce battles, the evolutions that shook reality, the suffering and happiness experienced by all beings—was nothing more than part of a grand performance arranged with meticulous precision.
The duty to monitor, the duty to observe, the duty to serve as witnesses to a sequence of events written within a scenario, had now concluded for this act.
There was no need for them to follow Xavier to the Land of the Gods, no need to witness the battle between the enraged great-grandson and his distant ancestor, no need to worry about what would unfold in that higher dimension.
All of that had become the concern of players on a different stage, while the two of them had a stage of their own that they now had to approach.
To welcome the scenario of the first arc, episode eleven—its final phase—Theo invited Aldraya to descend to the Multiverse Pathway, a universe far lower than all the cosmic boxes that had long served as the main stage for beings of extraordinary power.
Lower than the Golden of Box with its five magnificent layers, lower than the Silver Box that stored countless silver mysteries, lower than the Bronze Box where ancient heroes were once born, lower even than the Box of Multiverse that contained all existing realities.
The Multiverse Pathway was the most fundamental foundation, the lowest space, the simplest level of existence where ordinary beings lived their lives without ever knowing that above them lay layers of reality far more complex and far more dangerous.
And it was there that the Star Academy existed, the place where Ilux Rediona lived his days as a student, the place where the seeds of the next scenario would be planted and nurtured until they grew into an unforeseen chain of events.
"You rarely invite me to descend without a precise reason. So tell me, Theo… what exactly is waiting for us there?"
Even though Aldraya clearly understood that there must be something connected to the heavy journey that would soon be faced by the main protagonist of the game Flo Viva Mythology, Ilux Rediona, that understanding alone did not immediately make her comprehend Theo's intention in bringing her back to the Star Academy.
She knew that Ilux was the center of everything that was happening. She knew that the boy was the axis around which all reality revolved. She knew that Ilux's presence in this world had changed many things, including herself.
Especially considering that Ilux was the man who had nearly caused her purity to be lost had Theo not decided to intervene at the final moment, an event that still lingered within her memory even though she tried never to recall it.
Yet knowledge of all that—of how important Ilux was within this grand scenario—did not grant her clarity about what was currently within Theo's mind.
That confusion finally drove Aldraya to ask, to seek an explanation, to try to understand what had so far been understood only by Theo alone.
To be continued…