“Why does this sound so bitter to me...”

She looked down at the red-haired little girl in her arms. The moment she thought, This is Lilo, yet who knows when her memory returns, her heart tangled like brambles, words stuck in her throat.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, fate had stacked coincidences like stones, and a quiet bond had sprouted without needing speech.

“Can I help her recover...”

“I’m sorry, you can’t. At least, not right now.”

Raz cut off Aphelia’s hope without hesitation, then explained, voice steady as a still pond.

“Even if your affinity with Lilo is perfect, Aether stays sovereign to each self, its own closed system. Unless...”

“Unless what?”

At his brief pause, Aphelia’s gaze sharpened like a drawn blade and swept to Raz.

“Unless you climb another step beyond a True God. But whether a True God is the limit of power—no one has ever proved it. You don’t need to consider that path.”

Beyond a True God?

Everything Aphelia had heard said True Gods stood at the summit. Raz’s words blew past her known sky, yet after all she’d weathered, surprise didn’t bite. Her calm sat like stone under rain.

“Don’t worry. There’s still a chance.”

Seeing her silent, Raz thought his answer had cut deep. He wilted a little, then rushed to mend it.

“Honestly... to fight Eldritch Gods, a True God still isn’t enough. I’d love to see the scenery above that ridge.”

Aphelia laughed at his comfort, shook her head, and glanced at the sleeping little girl. Patience wasn’t her craft. Beyond True God? Maybe tomorrow, a spark would turn into a door.

Raz realized he’d overthought it. He breathed out and cupped his hands in a traditional bow.

“Since you’re so confident, we wish you triumph in war.”

Lilo becoming a little girl forced everyone to linger one more day. After a brief rest, escorted by white-robed figures and Raz, they boarded a vehicle refit from magitech apparatus, engines humming like honeybees, and prepared to depart.

“Then, Lady Aphelia, Koko will handle your schedule. You can ask her how to drive this magitech car. She’ll also prepare the documents for the Abyss garrison checkpoints.”

Raz hadn’t finished when Koko was already on the other side of the car, opening the door with a graceful invite.

“This... fine. But I’m not responsible for Koko’s safety.”

“Of course, Lady Aphelia. I’ll handle my own safety.”

She thumped her chest as if it were a drum. To Aphelia, she felt like Raz: no Arcane Power, no ripple of Aether. A sigh rose like mist.

Violet, who’d seen Koko fight in Rune-black armor, thought differently. She kept her peace and watched Raz and the white robes, wondering what strings they’d pull next.

“If so, we won’t keep you. The magitech car runs far faster than a horse. You’ll reach the Abyss before time runs out. Let’s part here.”

Raz’s style carried an Eastern hue. He cupped his hands to Aphelia in a formal bow. If Aphelia hadn’t seen a Valkyrie use that greeting, she might not have known how to answer it.

“Then I’ll take your good omen. We part here.”

Aphelia mirrored the gesture. Beside her, the red-haired little girl’s eyes sparkled like dew, taking it all in, tugging softly at Aphelia’s sleeve.

A soft hum rose. They settled into the magitech car and glided away from the city. Raz and the white-robed figures stood at the gate, bidding them farewell like statues under wind.

When the car’s shadow thinned into the horizon, Raz finally stopped. His smile fell like a mask. He took a small device from a white robe’s hands, held it to his ear, and spoke.

“Master Merlin, we did everything as you said. Extra branches have been clipped. Lady Aphelia’s route shouldn’t be disturbed, no more shadows at her back.”

Minutes later, a raspy, ancient voice crawled out of the device.

“...You did well on this. Was that person placed at her side?”

“Placed. The plan proceeds as you envisioned. At the Abyss garrison, that person should already be covering them. It shouldn’t go wrong...”

Raz grew more excited, striding back into the city, words spilling like a stream. A cold snort cracked from the other end, icing his spine. He shut his mouth at once.

A long moment, then the voice again.

“Remember your station. Don’t think a little work earns great merit.”

“Yes! I understand...”

“Good. Keep at it. Don’t let the plan sprout flaws.”

The voice snapped off. Raz pressed a button, stowed the device with both hands, face dark as cloud, and led the white robes back into the city.

Inside the magitech car, Aphelia rested with closed eyes, guiding Aether through her body like moonlight through water, trying to touch that ink-black portion. Before she managed more than a few attempts, warmth pooled beside her.

She snapped her eyes open. The red-haired little girl hugged her arm, small finger pointing at the window, lips babbling like a brook.

“Li... Loli, what is it?”

To tell the red-haired little girl from Lilo, Aphelia flipped the name. The little one agreed with bright certainty, the nickname fitting like a ribbon.

Aphelia followed Loli’s pointing. Only a lush forest sprawled outside, a green sea under the wind, nothing odd on its surface.

Snow-white Aether stretched out like a thread, but before it reached the trees, Koko yanked it back and stomped the brake. No one jerked, but every eye swung to Koko like arrows drawn.

“Lady Aphelia, that’s a domain shaped by the Eldritch Gods’ power. Don’t probe with Aether. Your Aether could wake them.”

“How do you know that...”

“Raz gave me a map before we left. You’ll see. It’s all marked.”

Koko pulled a map from her storage ring and handed it to Aphelia.

“Mm... so it is. Then we leave it be. Our time’s tight. We can investigate later.”

Aphelia skimmed the map with careful eyes, then nodded and passed it back. She turned to soothe Loli, voice soft as rain on leaves.

Seeing Aphelia let it go, Koko exhaled a long breath and tucked the map into her storage ring. The car rolled onward, wheels whispering like silk on stone.

They didn’t see a gorgeous crystalline flower root itself by the roadside, folding its radiance like a secret under the dust.

“Aphelia, since we’ve got time to kill, tell me what happened after you came to this world. Why did you climb to a True God?”

When Loli stopped fussing, Violet finally spoke. Watching Aphelia cradle the little girl, a flush warmed her cheeks, as if a memory had brushed past.

The long ride weighed on Aphelia like gentle rain. The others looked at her, hope bright as lanterns. Up front, Koko was so eager she might as well have carved it on her face.

Aphelia sighed with a helpless smile.

“It’s mostly dull stuff. You really want to hear it?”

“Of course.”

Violet didn’t hesitate, voice quick as a heartbeat. Aphelia felt refusing would sour the air.

“Alright. Since you all want it, I’ll talk. But Violet, later you owe me your story in full. Fair trade.”

Aphelia set Loli on her thigh. She ruffled the girl’s red hair, and Loli’s laughter bubbled up like spring water.

Watching Loli’s goofy joy, the knots in Aphelia’s chest loosened, and her voice carried clear.

“After my duel with the Phoenix, I blacked out. Somehow, I fell straight into the Demon World. Thinking back, I must be stubbornly lucky.”

“Then I met one of the Demon King’s children, a prince. He and his advisors were tangled in a fight for the throne. They saved me, and even helped me climb to the level of a Titleholder. So I stayed, planning to lend them a hand, then find a way to bring reinforcements back to the human world.”

She sighed, eyes dropping to the black snake ring on her finger, a shadow coiled like memory. She thought of the Ouroboros that once took her body.

“They sent me to rescue a partner of theirs, but the truth under it wasn’t simple. I was played hard. If my master hadn’t arrived, I wouldn’t be here to see you, nor... her.”

Sitting on Aphelia’s thigh, the red-haired little girl blinked, puzzled why her “mother” looked at her mid-sentence. She reached out with a small hand, smile bright as noon.

Violet saw the storm in Aphelia’s eyes. That unwillingness, that helplessness—feelings tangled like vines—turned into a charm that ached to witness.

“Still, a blessing in disguise. By a string of reasons, I received insights at my master’s True God level. They shoved me straight to near-Demigod.”