Ragunna.
This tower suspended upside-down in the sky was unmistakably that Sonora realm.
But why...
had he come here this time without any warning?
And why had Phoebe been pulled in as well?
Could it be that he had unconsciously resonated with the tablet?
Ray was puzzled, with no clue as to what was going on.
Still, since he was already here, he couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.
"Phoebe, wake up. Come on, wake up..." Ray gently shook Phoebe, who was still sleeping soundly.
Phoebe's brow furrowed slightly, but she showed no sign of waking, still deep in her dreams.
"Sleeping pretty soundly..."
Ray sighed softly in resignation and reached out to gently pinch the young woman's soft, squishy cheek.
After a long moment, Phoebe slowly opened her eyes and sat up on the bench, her gaze still somewhat dazed.
Rubbing her eyes, she murmured, "Mr. Ray, what's wrong? I don't know what happened... I suddenly got so sleepy, and I had a dream."
"A dream?" Ray raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Mm." Phoebe nodded gently, seemingly unaware yet of the strangeness of their surroundings.
Deep in her violet eyes, a flicker of complex emotion flashed by like a shooting star.
"I think I dreamed of the Sentinel, Imperator, but it looked very different from what I usually see. It no longer had any fish-like features."
Phoebe's voice was soft as she recalled the scene from her dream, mumbling quietly.
But just after waking, the once vivid dream was like the receding tide, gradually blurring until only a single image remained in her mind: a steed galloping freely across the heavens.
Why was that?
The young woman didn't know.
But she felt...
a vague unease in her heart.
"Am I not devout enough?" The young woman frowned, a confused expression on her face. "Why would the Sentinel appear like that in my dream?"
Hearing this, Ray was momentarily speechless.
Phoebe had dreamed of the Sentinel's true form?
Could it be...
that the reason they had entered the Sonora realm this time was because Phoebe's pure and unwavering faith in Imperator had resonated with the tablet, suppressing Leviathan's frequency and allowing them to come here again?
Ray's lips parted as he considered whether to tell Phoebe the truth about the Leviathan and the Sentinel.
"Phoebe, I—"
But the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Perhaps now was not the time.
Phoebe had a devout and gentle heart. As a priest of the Order, she had always spared no effort in helping others.
She had a tragic past, and her faith had been like a guiding light in the darkness, a pillar that had supported her until now.
If he told her now that the faith she had held so dear had been defiled, would her carefully constructed spiritual world come crashing down?
People needed faith for many reasons and once that faith collapsed, the consequences for a person could be devastating.
Phoebe looked at him in confusion. "What is it, Mr. Ray?"
"Take a look around you."
Ray swallowed the words that had nearly escaped.
Phoebe needed time to accept all this.
And this Sonora realm was the perfect catalyst.
Rather than telling her outright, it might be better...
to let her discover it for herself.
That way, the emotional impact wouldn't be as overwhelming.
"Around me?"
Following his instruction, Phoebe looked around. Her violet eyes suddenly trembled violently.
"Where are we?"
The familiar church courtyard had vanished.
Before them, a tower hung upside-down in the sky, defying every law of gravity, floating steadily in the heavens.
"It's a Sonora realm." Ray looked up, his gaze following the completely inverted corridor. His tone was calm but carried a hint of gravity.
A canal flowed quietly through the middle of the corridor, the water following its predetermined path, showing no sign of spilling over.
"Sonora realm?" Phoebe's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. Her gaze instinctively turned toward the distant structures. "Why do these buildings feel like they have the Order of the Deep's style?"
The familiar color schemes, the unique motifs, they were almost identical to those of Cathedral.
Having spent so much time at the Order of the Deep, Phoebe was more than familiar with these details; she couldn't possibly be mistaken.
"Now that you mention it, they really do."
Hearing this, Ray examined the structures more closely. The more he looked, the more he felt their style closely resembled that of the Order of the Deep.
Could this be the site of the original Order of the Deep?
"Those three towers..." The young woman's brow furrowed slightly, her gaze fixed intently on the central tower as she murmured to herself, "I feel like I've seen them somewhere before... Am I remembering wrong?"
The moment her words faded, Phoebe suddenly felt her feet lift from the stone path. She was floating.
Before she could process what was happening, she realized she was falling uncontrollably toward the sky!
Phoebe blinked, looking at Ray. "Huh? What's happening?"
She could see that Ray, like her, was also falling upward.
"I don't know either." Without a moment's hesitation, Ray grabbed the young woman's hand and pulled her tightly into his arms. "But Phoebe, hold on to me!"
"Mm!"
This sudden closeness made Phoebe's body stiffen. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
But in the end, the young woman chose to obey Ray. She clutched his clothes tightly, buried her face in his chest, gently closed her eyes, and nervously awaited the impending impact.
Sniff, sniff...
'This scent... it's so comforting. I wish I could just keep holding onto Mr. Ray like this.
Wait, what am I even thinking?
Phoebe, you are a acolyte of the Order of the Deep! Don't forget your place! How can you have such improper thoughts about Mr. Ray?
Sentinel above, please forgive my transgression...'
Ray held Phoebe tightly, adjusting their position midair with agility, and finally landed steadily on solid ground.
"Phew..."
He let out a soft breath and looked down at the young woman still nervously burying her face in his chest. He paused briefly, then the corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile.
"Phoebe, we've landed."
"Huh? Oh, I... I see."
Phoebe gently opened her eyes, a blush rising to her face. She quickly broke free from his embrace and set her feet firmly on the ground.
'It's over already?
I thought... I could stay like that a little longer.
Mm, there I go again, thinking nonsense.'
Just then, an unfamiliar young woman's voice came from behind them.
"It's you."
"You've broken through the seal and come to this place again."
"Hm? And you've brought someone else along? She seems to be from the Order of the Deep?"
Phoebe quickly turned her head at the sound and saw a young woman with golden hair standing behind them. She appeared to be around the same age as Phoebe, yet there was something indescribably strange about her.
And her face...
The more Phoebe looked, the more familiar it seemed, yet she couldn't quite recall where she had seen it before.
Until the name Ray uttered beside her made her breath catch.
"Cartethyia. Long time no see."
That all-too-familiar name instantly made Phoebe's pupils contract sharply.
"Ca...Cartethyia?"
Her eyes widened, staring at the young woman before her in disbelief.
"Y-You... You are the Saintess?!"