The newly-formed gryphon halo—Solabis's soul—fluctuated, emitting a somewhat hoarse yet equally clear voice: "The Black Tide's prison... is finally broken. My consciousness... has finally returned..."
"Hyacinthia..." Solabis's soul murmured the name, then after a moment, its words carried a trace of cold scrutiny. "From your being... I do not sense the fierce Daythunder aura of Seliose."
Hyacine was not discouraged by these words. She responded candidly: "A millennium has passed. The bloodline of the heroic ancestor Seliose has likely grown thin and faint within me. But the Skyfolk's resolve to return to the heavens and reclaim the Coreflame has never been eroded by the long passage of time! This journey of mine is precisely to fulfill her unfinished legacy."
"Oh?" Solabis's tone was unreadable. "Her legacy? How much... do you know?"
Drawing from the epic tales passed down through her clan, Hyacine answered: "Legend says... at the end of that God-Slaying War, to support the shattered sky and prevent the Titan Aquila's falling wreckage from crashing to the earth, she merged her very being with the collapsing body of the Titan. And at the final moment, she left behind a final counsel, that future generations must one day return to the summit, take Aquila's Coreflame, and bring a final end to it all."
"...Sigh." Solabis let out a deep sigh, as if he had expected this. "Since the Skyfolk fell to the earth, the legends... have already become so vague, have they?"
Then, its soul halo seemed to coalesce slightly, its tone shifting to carry the unique pride and skepticism of an ancient creature: "Girl, you say you are a physician? Only versed in healing and mending wounds, such a gentle nature. What do you intend to use to challenge Aquila, who hangs high atop the summit?"
Hyacine did not flinch at all. Her gaze swept over the mountain-like reliable figures of Phainon and Phaethon beside her, and a smile full of trust appeared on her face: "You are right, I may not excel at direct combat. But fortunately, many true heroes stand before me! They will hold up this collapsing sky for me, for this world! And my power will become the rainbow that heals their wounds."
It was at this moment that Phaethon stepped forward. His demeanor remained polite, but his tone held a trace of unconcealable urgency: "Forgive me, Lords Solabis and Lunabis. Pardon the interruption. My dear friend—Mydeimos—is currently on the earth below, leading the survivors in a bloody battle against the endless Black Tide. Every single minute and second here is bought with their lives for our sake."
His sharp gaze turned to the two ancient winged beasts. "You two are familiar with this sky fortress and know Aquila's location. May I ask, can you guide us, show us the path to where we may confront Aquila? We must race against time."
Phaethon's voice was calm and firm as he added, "Moreover, the great era of god-slaying and flame-chase journey was initiated by your partner—the hero Seliose—with her own hands. Though she herself likely cannot see the conclusion of this age. But, as her closest comrades-in-arms, you should be able to witness this final outcome in her stead."
Solabis's soul halo rippled slightly, its voice softening a little as it turned to Hyacine: "Confidence, sharpness, tenacity, striking at the heart of the matter... Little girl, I do see faint glimpses of Seliose's shadow from long ago in your resilience and your companions."
Under the gaze of the two ancient beasts' spirits, Phaethon did not hesitate. Energy flowed at his fingertips, and a stable, precise Infinity Gate rapidly took shape once more before the group.
"This is... the authority of the 「Passage」?" Lunabis examined the strange portal composed purely of spatial laws with surprise.
"But this authority, to our knowledge, should belong to that one... Hah... You mortals grow more and more interesting," its tone was full of astonishment.
"Whatever needs to be said, we can say it on the way. Our time is short." Phaethon was the first to step through the Infinity Gate, his figure disappearing within. The others followed closely.
The other side of the gate seemed to be another hall within the sky fortress. The moment Phaethon's figure appeared, his gaze once again locked onto Aquila's Eye, which was trying to hide within the distant Celestial Mural!
His hands moved almost without pause. The Judgment of Shamash was hurled forth again like an arrow released from its string!
A streak of dark-red light cut across the cloudy sky, piercing accurately towards the target!
However, the eye seemed prepared. A moment before the sword's edge arrived, it rapidly dissipated and concealed itself like ink dissolving in water, causing the strike to miss once more, only uselessly scorching a patch of the cloud wall.
"It still refuses to face us directly," Phaethon retrieved the Judgment of Shamash through the Infinity Gate, his tone calm, not showing much disappointment. "Is it cowardice? Or is there another scheme?"
"The Aquila of today has likely lost most of its reason during the millennium of silence and the whispers of the Black Tide..." Solabis's soul drifted nearby, explaining in a low voice. "What drives its actions now is more of a primal instinct... for self-preservation."
Taking advantage of the break in their journey', Hyacine asked the question that had been lingering in her heart for a long time: "Lord Solabis, Lord Lunabis. Ancient legends record that in its later period, the Sky Titan Aquila began to favor the Sun-dwellers and despise the Rain-dwellers. Is this true?"
Solabis let out a heavy sigh: "I'm afraid... the truth is not so superficial. The 'favor' and 'despise' Aquila exhibited in its later period were not rooted in the clouds or rain themselves. What it truly feared was the terrifying existence lurking within the shadows of the sky—the Black Tide. Its instinct drove it to distance itself from any phenomena possibly associated with the Black Tide."
"I see... I understand," Hyacine said thoughtfully. Then, she raised her head, her gaze burning as she looked at Solabis. "By the way, Lord Solabis. In accordance with the pact with the hero Seliose, her descendants—we Skyfolk—have never lost our desire to return to the skies for a full thousand years."
Her voice was filled with respect and earnestness. "I believe those ancestors who fought for the same lofty ideal have the right to know the complete truth of the legend. Can you tell me? Lord Solabis. What truly happened a thousand years ago?"
"Girl, you..." Solabis's soul halo fluctuated violently, seemingly somewhat taken aback by her persistence. "Are you certain you wish to know? The weight of that story may be far beyond what you imagine... It is not a perfect ending."