A day later.
"Scritch, scritch."
Silas held the silver ritual dagger and carved into his own arm, tracing out an intricate pattern.
The pattern coiled back and forth, its ends joined together, continuously welling with blood, looking eerie and mysterious.
Looking closely, the pattern seemed somewhat similar to the strange ring that Ouroboros had created when releasing its power.
Of course, Silas was not foolish enough to summon the "Angel of Fate" again.
This pattern belonged to another Snake of Mercury, the sacred emblem of the chairman of the "Life School of Thought."
He arranged candles on the altar, placed his wounded arm between the two candles so the candlelight illuminated the bloodied emblem, then lowered his head and began murmuring.
Indeed, he was about to hold the "Mystic Contract Ritual" again, to establish contact with the chairman of the Life School of Thought.
"There are two matters I would like to discuss with you."
Silas added his questions directly into the prayer. "First, that foolish snake you mentioned has come looking for me. Second, I would like to know whether you're aware of the potion formula for Sequence 3 of my pathway..."
So far, he had obtained leads on the "Trinity Templar" through two channels: one was a deal with Medici, the other was recruitment by the Evernight Church.
But both channels came with additional demands: either granting Medici a chance at resurrection, or returning to the Evernight Church.
Setting the matter of Medici aside for now, returning to the Evernight Church had both advantages and drawbacks.
The advantage was gaining an official identity, more resources to draw on, and a powerful backer, so he wouldn't have to worry about the Aurora Order's angels showing up again out of nowhere.
The drawback was being subject to oversight, no longer as free as before, and the fact that the Goddess's true intentions remained unclear.
Just as Silas was struggling over the decision, it suddenly occurred to him that he still had this avenue to try. If the chairman of the "Life School of Thought" could also provide the corresponding resources, he would have one more option.
"I hope there's good news..."
With that thought, Silas gradually closed his eyes and sank into a dream.
The wilderness was barren, a tower rising abruptly from it, the scene identical to what he had seen last time.
But when Silas, familiar with the way, walked into the tower, he found it completely empty. The white giant serpent that had once coiled inside was nowhere to be seen.
Where was it?
He thought with some worry, then suddenly noticed a scattering of glimmering points of light on the ground.
Moving closer for a look, he saw they were many scattered tarot cards, arranged in broken, intermittent lines that spelled out rows of runic text on the ground:
[Thank you for the reminder. I will tell them to pay closer attention to that foolish snake.]
[As for the potion formula you asked about, unfortunately I do not know it. Perhaps you could try your luck with organizations that believe in the true Creator. The Aurora Order, for instance, or the Iron Cross Order.]
[Also, Ouroboros may still be watching you. Do not contact me again unless it is truly necessary.]
This...
Silas gave a wry twist of his mouth.
It seemed to be somewhat afraid of Ouroboros. Not only had it failed to show itself this time, it had even asked him to contact it less.
Calling Ouroboros a foolish snake with its mouth while being this wary in practice... Then again, it was in a crucial stage of development, and probably feared Ouroboros appearing out of nowhere even more than he did.
He shook his head regretfully and woke from the dream.
After putting away the remains of the ritual items, Silas once again took out the flower Arianna had left behind.
The afternoon sunlight fell just right upon the deep slumber flower. It showed no sign of wilting, still giving off a faint, lingering fragrance that brought a sense of peace and calm.
It seemed he had no choice but to accept the Church's conditions.
After all, compared to Medici, the Evernight Church seemed somewhat more reliable.
But before that... there was one more thing he had to do.
---
The Kingdom of Loen, the city of Tingen, the train station platform.
"Whoooooo..."
Steam rose and billowed, filling the platform with a white haze that obscured the view. Hurried travelers bathed within it, a crowd of bobbing heads, their figures blurred, as if in some strange dream.
A man stepped out from within the steam. He was handsome, his hair slightly tousled and unruly, his green eyes carrying a poet's romantic air.
Leonard looked around at this familiar station, a nostalgic expression rising to his face.
Tingen, I'm back...
Memories of the past came rushing in, and amid the surging crowd on the platform, he was suddenly struck by a lonely wave of dizziness, unable to move for a moment.
Travelers wove past him, and every so often someone's gaze would land on him, not only because of his somewhat strange behavior, but even more because of the overly conspicuous item on him: a pair of red gloves, which stood out remarkably against his black formal attire.
Leonard raised a hand to smooth his hair, and finally started walking again, leaving the station before more people could notice him.
The city of Tingen, Daffodil Street.
A foot took shape out of the void, stepping firmly onto the street, followed by more parts of a body being "squeezed" out from the void, materializing in midair.
Someone was emerging.
Yet everyone on the street unconsciously ignored this abnormal occurrence.
They went on with their own business, and no one spared a second glance at the man in the red robe who had suddenly appeared.
Silas lifted his hand away from the anchor symbol on his arm, ending the outflow of Spirituality. He had used "Spirit World Shuttle" to come directly to Tingen, wanting to take another look at the place he had first lived in before heading to Backlund.
At this point, Antia had already entered dormancy.
She no longer manifested in human form as frequently as before, nor did she use her abilities as freely, instead attaching herself to the anchor mark on Silas's arm.
But the ship spirit had not fallen completely asleep.
Although the angelic power of the Black Emperor pathway could not be used for the time being, the functions built into her as a "Ghost Ship" at the time of her creation remained unaffected.
Put simply, Silas could still rely on her for Spirit World Shuttle.
By the same logic, Antia could also serve as Silas's messenger, resolving his inability to contract spirit world creatures... though of course, that would have to wait until she awoke.
"Tap, tap."
Silas walked along the paved road of Daffodil Street.
With every step, the familiar streetscape came into view, and memories surfaced along with it. His expression was strangely calm, but beneath it his eyes churned like a volcano, brimming with heavy emotion.
He stopped in front of the three row houses.
Number 2 Daffodil Street, the house the Klein family had once rented, now stood empty, a "for rent" sign hanging by the door. One house over, number 6, which he had once rented with Cecilia, now had new tenants.
As dusk fell, that house had already lit up with a warm glow, and from within came the laughter of children and the conversation of adults.
Knives and forks clinked crisply against dishware. This harbor sheltered people worn out from the day, shielding them from the cold and holding back the wind and rain.
Silas stood in the darkness, quietly gazing.
This place was still just as wonderful, only it no longer belonged to him.