Mom… Dad…
Guang murmured softly in her sleep.
Fragments of old memories drifted through her mind. Her father laughing while playing with her beneath the afternoon sun during childhood.
Followed by her mother standing quietly by the doorway after Guang failed to return home for lunch.
Smiling.
Yet not truly smiling.
Tears slowly slid from Guang's closed eyes, dampening the pillow beneath her head as the memories continued surfacing one after another—
Only for Yukihime's slash to suddenly tear through them.
?!
Guang jolted upright instantly.
Sweat trailed down her temple while tears continued falling from her eyes uncontrollably.
It wasn't until one landed against the back of her hand that she finally noticed.
…?
Eh?
Why am I crying…?
She hurriedly wiped at her tears with the back of her sleeve. Yet more continued falling no matter how desperately she tried stopping them.
Why… won't they stop…?
Warmth resurfaced inside her mind.
The memory of the woman dressed in red-and-black robes gently holding her close. The soft sensation of fingers stroking the back of her hair.
And that quiet voice.
"No one is going to hurt you."
"You'll be okay."
"It's alright to cry after forcing yourself to face something terrifying."
Guang slowly pressed one hand against her chest.
The crushing weight lingering over her shoulders gradually began fading.
Even the painful tightness in her throat slowly disappeared.
After a moment, she closed her eyes.
Trying to recall the woman's face.
Yet all she could truly remember were those crimson eyes that seemed capable of gazing directly into her soul itself.
And strangely, rather than fear—
She only felt soothed.
A quiet moment passed.
Then the door slowly opened.
Guang lifted her gaze slightly as Zhou Shuxuan stepped into the room carrying a tray of warm porridge alongside tea.
The same tea they often drank together.
"Master…"
Zhou paused briefly before meeting her eyes.
His expression softened almost immediately.
"You're finally awake," he said quietly while setting the tray beside her bed.
"How are you feeling?"
Guang did not answer right away.
She simply stared quietly at her own hands while Zhou sat beside her, the mattress dipping slightly beneath his weight.
His gaze lingered on the faint tear marks she had unsuccessfully wiped away earlier.
A small sigh escaped him.
Just as silence began settling peacefully throughout the room, a pair of familiar voices echoed loudly from outside the hallway.
"Test, Yukihime. Test. Not… whatever that was."
"There were thousands of souls inside my pocket reality, you know? How does that even happen?!"
"My apologies, Milady. However, you previously stated that self-defense was permissible."
"You terraformed an entire landscape!"
"How is that self-defense?!"
Both Zhou and Guang slowly turned toward the doorway.
The voices continued growing closer while Anathasia lectured the very same being they had barely survived against.
"I apologize…"
"Hmph."
The door finally slid open.
Anathasia stepped inside first.
Her long white hair cascaded behind her crimson-and-black robes while Yukihime quietly stood behind her once more, now appearing in celestial white robes adorned with golden accents and long blue hair flowing behind her.
Anathasia stopped briefly near the doorway.
Somewhat reluctant to step further inside beneath Zhou and Guang's gazes.
Then she quietly inhaled before forcing a small smile onto her face.
"How is Chi Rong Guang doing?"
Meanwhile, Yukihime remained standing silently outside the doorway like an unmoving porcelain statue.
Guang lowered her gaze slightly. Faint multicolored lights drifted softly across her fingertips before disappearing once more.
Colors she couldn't properly identify.
Zhou instinctively began standing from his seat—
Only to pause after Anathasia subtly raised one hand toward him.
Not forcefully.
Almost like she was silently asking:
*Please. Just stay beside her for now.*
After a brief pause, Zhou quietly sat back down.
Meanwhile, Guang slowly lifted her gaze toward Anathasia once more.
Remaining silent for several moments.
"…Miss Anathasia Veridielle Augthoria… right?"
Anathasia gently nodded.
"That's right."
Her expression softened further.
"How are you feeling?"
Guang fell silent again.
Her eyes drifted absently toward herself.
Toward her hands.
Toward the strange sensation flowing throughout her body. Almost an entire minute passed before she finally answered.
"I feel… alright."
A brief pause followed.
"But my body feels light."
"…Too light."
Her gaze slowly drifted back toward her fingertips.
"And…"
"…I can see many things now."
Anathasia's eyes widened slightly.
She immediately leaned forward, listening carefully to every word Guang spoke.
"Such as…?"
Guang's gaze wandered absently toward the window.
Toward the distant skies where Yukihime's frozen catastrophe had once pierced through the dimensional barriers before Anathasia restored everything.
"Spheres," Guang murmured softly.
"Too many to count."
"And inside each one…"
"…there are even more spheres."
Her voice gradually lowered.
"It just keeps going."
"They feel…"
Guang hesitated briefly.
"…fragile."
"Almost like touching them too hard would cause them to burst."
Anathasia quietly nodded.
A small chair suddenly materialized behind her.
Guang and Zhou both immediately froze before staring at her wide-eyed as she casually sat down.
Anathasia tilted her head slightly.
A look of genuine confusion crossed her face.
"…Is something wrong?"
Her question seemed to snap both cultivators back to reality. Zhou lightly cleared his throat before speaking carefully.
"My apologies…"
"…we are simply not accustomed to seeing chairs created from nothing."
A strained smile briefly appeared on his face before fading once more.
Anathasia paused.
Then slowly nodded in understanding before returning her attention toward Guang.
"That aside…"
"These small spheres you're seeing…"
"…Chi Rong Guang, can you see people inside them as well?"
"Almost like stories unfolding within spherical worlds?"
Guang's eyes widened slightly.
Then she slowly nodded.
"Yes."
"But some of them have cracks…"
Her voice softened further while she stared absentmindedly toward the distance.
"And whenever I try reaching toward them…"
Anathasia instantly froze.
Her attention sharpened completely as Guang slowly raised one hand outward.
"…the cracks begin repairing themselves whenever I get too close."
Guang slowly lowered her hand again.
Meanwhile, Anathasia remained completely still.
…What?
She can already interact with Collective Spheres from here?
Even Rania and Roselia required stepping outside their frameworks before achieving that…
Her thoughts rapidly spiraled.
Or has the Fragment of Continuity already fully embedded itself into her existence?
Is Continuity itself allowing her to become partially omnipresent already…?
Nearby, Zhou silently stared toward Guang.
Then slowly—
His eyes shifted upward toward the indescribable entity lingering behind her existence.
The thing constantly shifted forms.
Remaining formless.
Yet briefly resembling countless different shapes for only fractions of a second at a time.
Far too fast.
Far too unnatural.
The sheer strain on his perception forced him to avert his gaze instinctively.
…It's changing.
Faster than before.
Slowly, Zhou turned toward Anathasia instead.
Only to pause.
Because the white-haired woman was quietly watching the entity behind Guang with an expression that resembled something dangerously close to pride.
Or perhaps something even gentler.
And at that moment, Zhou finally understood.
She's looking at it like it's her child.
A brief pause followed.
No…
Not child.
She owns—
His thoughts abruptly stopped.
The shifting entity behind Guang had begun moving.
Stretching.
Slowly reaching outward toward Anathasia while she remained seated completely still.
Zhou's pupils constricted slightly.
…What?
The shifting entity slowly stretched itself toward Anathasia. But just before reaching her, Anathasia casually lifted one hand and gently gestured back toward Guang.
"Go on," she said softly.
The entity paused.
Its constantly shifting form subtly changed.
Almost resembling a nod.
And moments later, it slowly withdrew once more before settling behind Guang's existence again.
Zhou silently stared at Anathasia afterward.
His gaze narrowed slightly as he observed her.
Meanwhile, Anathasia simply continued listening attentively while Guang spoke absentmindedly.
"And also…"
Guang slowly opened her palm.
Her black dagger-like sword immediately manifested within it.
"Continuance is… pulsing."
The moment the weapon appeared, Zhou's attention immediately locked onto it.
Golden accents began flowing across the blade like living threads of light.
Slowly engraving themselves into the dark metal.
At the same time, flames quietly ignited around Guang's body. Yet strangely, nothing burned.
The fire simply wrapped gently around her existence itself. Zhou instinctively stepped backward as the flames engulfed Guang completely.
Then slowly began reshaping.
Her robes shifted first.
Dark fabric intertwined with luminous golden patterns flowing naturally across the material.
Meanwhile, Guang's salmon-pink hair gradually lengthened before gathering itself neatly into a high ponytail behind her.
The entire room fell silent.
Only the soft crackling of golden fire remained.
"She's really here after all…" Anathasia murmured softly.
Zhou slowly turned toward her.
The white-haired woman quietly stared at Guang with an unreadable expression.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Something deeper.
Almost reverence.
Then Anathasia finally spoke.
"The First Outer God of Continuity."
A brief pause followed.
She softly spoke Guang's name.
"Chi Rong Guang."
—
Far beyond countless realities.
Within the Ruins.
The Leviathan of the Ruins slowly turned.
Its countless heads shifted alongside the movement while its vast formless body rippled faintly throughout the endless dark surrounding it.
It focused upon a single sphere drifting within the infinite expanse.
A faint sensation passed through its existence.
Almost like a ripple.
"I see…" the Leviathan murmured quietly.
"So the First Outer God has finally emerged."
A brief pause followed.
"And the Recreator…"
Its voice slowly trailed off.
"Or rather…"
"…The Source herself is now fully awake."
The Leviathan's gaze drifted outward once more.
Toward the endless sea of realities stretching infinitely before it.
—
Meanwhile.
Within the Nutriscu Duchy of Kazar.
Aegea.
Roselia Nutriscu and Rania Eon Augthorth sat across from one another inside an opulent living chamber illuminated by soft evening light.
A polished coffee table rested between them while documents regarding railway expansion and industrial modernization remained neatly spread across its surface.
"Regarding the modernization of the steam locomotive system—" Rania began calmly.
But midway through her sentence, both women suddenly paused.
Silence filled the room.
"…That was…"
"The emergence of the First Outer God," Roselia quietly finished.
She gently lowered her teacup onto its saucer before lightly stirring the tea absentmindedly.
"Miss Veridielle mentioned she would personally oversee the emergence."
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"Perhaps her direct involvement accelerated the process as well."
Roselia's gaze slowly lowered toward the rippling surface of her tea.
Her hand gradually stilled.
"After what must have felt like an eternity to her…"
"…everything is finally approaching the conclusion she has long awaited."
Rania quietly watched her for a moment.
Then slowly nodded before turning her gaze toward the massive arched windows overlooking the distant city beyond the estate.
Lost in thought.
—
And back on Earth.
Kyle sat quietly on the living room couch while a television series continued playing in front of him.
Nearby, Lena and Egrathiel sat across from one another playing chess at the coffee table.
Meanwhile, Francesca quietly read a book beside him in comfortable silence.
Something suddenly brushed against Kyle's mind.
Sharp.
Brief.
His expression narrowed slightly.
…?
What was that?
For a brief moment, his eyes lost focus.
Then—
His expression softened once more.
And without another thought, Kyle simply returned his attention to the television.
Completely ignoring whatever had just brushed against his existence.