Anaxa's fingertips lightly tapped the desk. The message slate before him displayed the information Castorice had sent from the depths of the River of Souls, along with several fairly clear pictures—the water altar guarded by layers of Phagousa's secret arts, and the swirling starry sky within it.
He murmured to himself, as if organizing the logical chain in his mind:
"So it's true... If the so-called 'Re-Creation' ritual is genuine, how could something as crucial as Titan Coreflames be submitted before a device as 'conspicuous' as the Dawn Device?"
"There must be a more hidden, more secure place to store these Coreflames."
"Oh?" The hovering light-form of Cerces let out a playful, light laugh. "Child of humanity, are you so certain that the place your student stumbled upon by chance is the legendary heart of Amphoreus—the 'Vortex of Genesis'? Such an assertion, lacking solid evidence, doesn't quite align with the spirit of Reason you so often champion."
"Of course, I cannot be one hundred percent certain," Anaxa said without looking up, his fingers quickly calling up several images of tattered pages from ancient texts that Castorice had simultaneously sent back.
They explicitly mentioned vague concepts like "vortex heart" and "world's navel."
"Although these fragments Castorice found align with some ancient legends about the 'Vortex of Genesis,' it's far from enough to determine the truth of Kephale's prophecy or verify the true path of 'Re-Creation.'"
His voice was calm and cautious. "After all, what is the true purpose of that place, protected by the Phagousa priestesses with their highest-level secret arts, layered and at great cost?"
"Is it the world's engine, their archive, or a... massive seal? Without seeing inside for oneself, any speculation based on external observation is just a castle in the air."
"So your plan is..." Cerces's light-form leaned forward slightly, showing interest.
"Phagousa's secret arts are especially adept at sealing and isolating. Forcibly breaking through is hardly the best strategy." Anaxa looked up from the slate, his eyes shining with the light of a settled plan.
"To safely and effectively undo these ancient shackles, we may need to seek the help of professionals.—I need to visit Lady Hysilens immediately. She might be able to provide us a path to the truth."
With that, he wasted no more time, swiftly putting away the slate and strode out with determination, his figure soon disappearing among the library's tall pillars.
...
Meanwhile, in the mysterious cavern deep within the River of Souls.
"Big Sister, you... are you leaving?" Polyxia watched as Castorice, who had just finished recording the altar's details on the message slate and was now carefully putting it away, her voice tinged with unconcealable loss.
This silent sea of flowers and the tower had briefly filled with vitality upon her sister's arrival. She greedily savored this hard-won warmth, yet dreaded the loneliness that would return after the parting.
Castorice looked at her sister's expression, feigning composure yet unable to hide its fragility, hearing the cautious hope in her words.
A thought, a resolution that had quietly taken root after witnessing her sister's long self-imprisonment, became crystal clear and firm at this moment.
She turned to face Polyxia squarely, gently placing her hands on her sister's shoulders, her gaze calm yet resolute. "Polyxia, give me the Death Coreflame."
"Huh?" Polyxia was clearly stunned, her purple eyes filled with confusion and a trace of alarm. "Big Sister? You... you don't need to take up the Death Coreflame now! The Nether Realm today is nothing like the old days. There are no souls needing ferrying. This authority would just be a heavy burden for you..."
"No, you're wrong." Castorice interrupted her, her voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable force. "There is one 'soul' in the Nether Realm that still needs ferrying. That's you, Polyxia."
She gazed into her sister's eyes, speaking word by word. "Since the authority of Death no longer needs to fulfill the duty of ferrying souls in this age, then why must its previous wielder, my sister, you, remain forever bound to this place by the River of Souls, symbolizing end and oblivion?"
Castorice tightly held Polyxia's cool hand. "Give the Death Coreflame to me. When I bear the authority of Death, I will make a wish before the Dawn Device—a wish that can free you from this place's bonds, granting you true freedom."
"This way... you should be able to leave this lonely place with me, to see the sun-filled Okhema you've yearned for countless times in your letters."
...
Dawncloud Cliff, Worldbearing Altar.
Seven blue-purple Coreflames rotated quietly at the altar's center.
At this moment, Cerydra, Aglaea, and others were welcoming Hysilens, who had just returned from Castrum Kremnos.
Then, Anaxa's figure appeared at the edge of the altar.
"Lady Hysilens," he broke the quiet of the altar area, his voice carrying a rare hint of urgency. "My apologies for disturbing you so soon after your rotation break from the front lines at the Castrum Kremnos Frontline, but I need to consult you on some... knowledge regarding the Ocean."
Hysilens noticed Aglaea's gaze already focusing intently on Anaxa. She quickly stepped forward, placing herself between Aglaea and Anaxa. This task fell to her, as the other person present...
"Anaxagoras, what would you like to ask me?" she asked Anaxa calmly.
After Anaxa detailed his discoveries in the River of Souls' depths, the Phagousa secret arts seal, and the mysterious water altar, everyone present furrowed their brows.
A ripple stirred within Hysilens's tranquil eyes. She sighed softly, her voice carrying a note of weariness, yet remaining gentle.
"To think that not long after returning to the Holy City, I would hear such... unsettling news. If everything is as you suspect, then what hangs over Amphoreus may be a lie that spans nearly a thousand years..."
Then, she shook her head slightly, her hair flowing like waves. "But, Anaxagoras, I am sorry. Although I am the Ocean Demigod, my essence is that of a Siren."
"Our clan's power stems from affinity with the sea and mastery over rhythms. I am not an expert in the sealing arts of human priestesses."
She looked at Anaxa frankly, her tone serious. "If you hope I can immediately wield my authority to let you pass directly through a seal that even Titans would treat with caution, I cannot do it."
"However," her tone shifted, carrying a Demigod's confidence. "Give me a few days. I should be able to find a way to safely pass through or temporarily 'bypass' that seal."
"A few days..." Anaxa's gaze flicked toward the light-form of Cerces beside him.
A few days wasn't long, even efficient for academic research, but... a certain Titan might not have a few days to wait.