Warping myself down into the waterless well, a wave of familiarity washed over me. Once a fragile child I was, clinging to her waist, now only relied upon the blessed arms, pulling me to push and strike. From a naive weakling to an anointed hallow. Truly, Gidden had brought forth the kindest boon behind me, who would walk me in front—forward towards hope.

Yet, a new darkness loomed. Swester War, as Polo’s voice whispered across my mind. Lost in an unforeseen future, I knew nothing, but heard of it as his mere hearsay. Though, the word ‘war’ whispered from his lips spoke such a heavy burden and weight upon me. Should I learn about it deeper, their sufferings whilst I was gone could be little to no more. With utmost knowledge of truth, would I be able to craft more fitting resolve?

Would I return and redeem the empire I once knew?

I must redeem and bring back the glory.

First, my favours towards Ayako and her fellow company shall be paid, then a proven hint from her lips would be my only gift I could pray for.

And by doing so, I descended down into the escape hall and solved through a looming mystery, together with three… or two?

“Would Polo come?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” said Ayako, shrugging. “Would he?”

“Pardon me, my good fellows, but I mustn’t partake in a deep discovery,” Polo’s voice echoed from above. “I shall continue forth my duty here first, then pay a visit to the forum for my… Biotech things.”

“Well, looks like it’s only up to us now.”

Green, grassy walls, aglow with glass bulbs replacing torches, gave the hall an unsettling air. Faded pictures littered the halls, their edges ragged and colours dulled by time. However, a deeper glance revealed an unusual shift in clothing, from slick black suits to dashing coats and even familiar leather vests. The painting style itself differed, shifting from a lifelike future to a surreal past. These portraits, once flaunted with pride, now served as an archive of a bygone era. Such dire times of keeping our sake on the throne for the motherland, indeed, now fell into a mere deft commoner.

“This place seems quite haunting,” said Ayako. “Are you sure this is safe?”

“Quite safe… if you are a brave fighter or mage.”

“So a little danger, then. Truly, the killer was a brave fighter."

“Indeed, and fret not, monsters here can be killed by even a single fireball.”

“Right…,” Ayako then tugged at me from behind, “I almost forgot, wonder where that bloody purple hobo could be?”

Looking around, Evige was nowhere to be found, but as one could assume, a shame would come to him.

Boom!

Indeed, he did, a sound of blazing burst pierced into our ears, albeit louder than before.

“What was that?” she asked.

“A minor trouble.”

“Yeah… ‘minor’,” she scoffed and rolled her eyes, then prompted towards the spring of a burst. And so I did follow

With each stride forward, the hall seemed to morph, stretching into a vast and brilliantly lit chamber. Before me was a sight of a purple-haired figure standing proudly before a churning burrow. Its searing heat clawed at the very air. Yet, not even a single damp befouled his charm and dress. Shame, it seemed, was untouched to him.

“That seemed quite bothersome,” said Evige, his calm voice speaking of poise. “A bloody glob stood in our way.”

“Glob?”

“Huge flood of glob,” he clarified, “As if it congested like a mouldy gelatin trapped in that tight hallway.”

Ayako faced me with her tilted head and asked, “Do you know what he’s talking about?”

“Oh, you mean slime?” I stepped closer in front, seemingly ignoring her attention.

“Ah, yes. Slime, the world’s oldest pest to face their fear,” replied Evige. “I thought it’d gone extinct for centuries.”

“I see.”

“Except in the place untouched by common folk from the surface,” said Ayako. “Of course, they won’t budge looking into it… until it’d be necessary.”

“Yet, you said… a huge flood of glob, right?” I asked Evige. “Are you sure it’s true?”

“Si, one-hundred percent true,” he nodded. “There’s no doubt it was entirely clogged.”

“Then that is odd,” I said. “Back in my time, it was not like that when I ran across the hall. But that was when I was once a naive, little princess whose hand was held by…”

“By who?”

I did not know.

I could not know.

The name died on my lips, unspoken. A flicker of warmth bloomed in my chest at the thought of her, yet a tide of resurfacing memories blighted. The world blurred, memories mirrored my present sorrow. My breath hitched, a single tear tracing a slow path down my cheek. Resistance warred within me. I yearned to indulge in grief, but a stronger resolve took hold – I would not be devoured. The fog surrounding Liu Sheng's death demanded my focus.

“Nothing,” I said, wiping off some tears, “let us proceed.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Evige shrugged and began wandering.

“Wait,” Ayako interrupted, halting him from walking forth, “where does this lead to?”

“Should my memory serve, this leads to the throne room.”

He then turned behind and walked the opposite, “Then that would be beyond our reach.”

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s based on their policy that any unauthorised personnel, regardless of Solheim’s allowance to guests, must not be in the Throne floor,” added Ayako. “Only the heads have a right to proceed.”

“But the killer could be there, right?”

“I doubt it,” said Evige. “Who dares to pass through a block of gelatin slime? Even if it’s harmless, it’ll take only an inch per hour to pass through. ”

“Right, besides… a touch of it would burn your skin,” I added. “Purple, perhaps?”

“Purple, it was.”

“Right,” I faced Ayako, “everything he said was right.”

“I see,” she replied, “So there’s no point of venturing further deep into that way. Maybe it happened on the other side of the hall.”

“But…,” said Evige.

“What is it?”

“Something doesn't feel right.”

“Can you tell?”

“I can’t,” he shook his head, unsure of his own thoughts. “Just that… if it happened there, then what on earth was Liu Sheng doing at that place? Why was he branded as… traitor?”

“I don’t know, but the only way to find out is to see what’s in there.”

“Right.”

“So,” I turned behind, shifting our lead, “let us head to the way towards the cathed—”

As soon as my eyes reached behind, a lone familiar figure with golden-white shock of hair appeared, silently waiting. Her hands were placed back, standing up right. Her face reminded me of the wicked elder sister of mine, but more adroit. Her presence alone spoke of a great poise and affrighted air.

“Miss… Adel,” I muttered.

“I’m afraid you’d need no service,” said Adel, smirking.

“Oh great, now we’re screwed.”

“What do we do now?”

“First of all,” Adel walked past us, her gaze glued to the scorching hall. “I applaud you for casting a great hellfire beneath the sacred place of Solheim. Quite spectacular… and majestic.”

“Well, may I take that as a… reprimand?” asked Evige, scratching the back of his neck.

“Nay,” she replied, her head turned behind. “In sooth, t’was astounding… that perils are meant to be lessened to its own worth. Of course, there’s a reason why such a policy you had said exists, and I understand there’s a deadend to that. When no path greets you with utter despair, why not carve one for your utter hope?”

Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. But even without her words spoken out of her lips, a sense of danger prickled at my skin. Her unwavering gaze held a steely glint. Not a tremor of fear betrayed before our eyes, thus holding our ground. Formidable, her spirit could tell.

“But what if… a path that you’re carving for,” continued Adel, her head only turned behind with her right arm raised, “only leads to nothing, but worse than despair?”

Then she snapped a finger, and a sudden figure jumped from the shadows above. Clad in a whole black robe, they landed silently behind us. A chilling steel skull mask obscured their face, the only feature visible a pair of eyes glowing an ominous crimson-black. My mind raced. Was this another Kusengan, like the one wielded by Ayako? Yet, the swirling energy within this one seemed different, somehow darker.

Locking eyes with the crimson glow, a crushing weight settled in my mind. False void of slumber tightened its grip, dragging the edges of my vision into a swirling haze. My body, heavy with exhaustion, began to succumb.

"O Sorrowed One, may your cease—"

The words stumbled from my lips, replaced by a ragged gasp for solace. It was futile.

Darkness. The world dissolved into an inky abyss.