Chapter 246: There Was a Girl Named Solun Who Once Came (10,000 words)
Solun could no longer recall when she had truly fallen for the youth.
Perhaps it was when Shaya celebrated her birthday.
Solun was an orphan and did not remember her birth date. In her past life, she had no concept of the word “birthday.”
However, Shaya said that every girl deserved her own birthday, and that girls without birthdays were too pitiful.
So, he took it upon himself to declare the day he and Solun first met in Lokiia as Solun’s birthday.
On that cold winter night, in a cramped, old rental room in the City of Knowledge, Lokiia, Shaya brought out a birthday cake, lit the candles, and presented her with a plush bear as a birthday gift.
That plush bear was a display item Solun had seen in a doll shop in Lokiia’s Upper City one day. The moment she saw it, it had captured her gaze, making her stop and linger for a long time.
Looking back now, Shaya had quietly noticed all of this. As for the birthday gift, it was perhaps merely a small excuse to fulfill Solun’s wish.
In the dim candlelight of the rental room, Solun hugged the fluffy plush bear, warm tears involuntarily flowing from the corners of her eyes.
At that time, Solun had little knowledge or ambition. She ate the birthday cake she had tasted for the first time in her life, thinking that if Shaya’s studies at the Tower of Absolute Darkness never ended, then he, she, and Little Ai could live in this cheap rental room forever.
But it was also on that very night.
Solun saw the girl with light golden hair, whose appearance brought to mind the pure snowfields of the Far North, silently carrying a basin of hot water into Shaya’s room.
She didn’t mention the birthday cake or the teddy bear. Even though Solun clearly remembered that Little Ai had also looked at the doll for a long time that day, Aerora simply forcefully pulled out the youth’s frostbitten hands, which he had hidden behind his back, and silently washed them with hot water without a word.
Shaya was not wealthy back then. Although he had a very mysterious and powerful teacher, Shaya’s pride would not allow him to borrow money from his mentors to improve his life.
Both the birthday cake and the plush bear were quite luxurious items for Shaya at the time. He had to work for half a month every night at the newspaper office and post office, braving the biting cold of the winter night, just to save up that much money.
Yet, Solun of that time was immersed in the joy of celebrating her first birthday and did not notice.
Compared to Aerora, who was silently washing Shaya’s hands and feet with hot water, the winner was already decided.
Far ahead.
Solun, hiding behind her room door, watched the scene in Shaya’s room. It was extremely simple, yet it seemed eternal, as if the two had long endured a long period of time with their tacit understanding. She was stunned for a long time.
From that day on, she understood one thing…
She was still too far, too far behind Aerora.
Little Ai’s position in Shaya’s heart was unique and irreplaceable.
Solun knew Shaya’s charm well. A person like him was bound to stand in the light and become a figure of admiration in many people’s hearts.
So, when Solun received all sorts of information from various channels, both overt and covert, and saw that the Azure Silver Witch from five hundred years ago, the Empress of the Empire, and the ruler of the Shadow Council had all appeared beside Shaya, Solun was not surprised in the slightest.
Given his excellence, it was only natural for such things to happen.
It’s just that—
No matter how many experiences Shaya went through, or how many confidantes he had around him, Little Ai would always be the most special one.
The one who could not be shaken or moved by anyone.
But it was also on that very day.
Solun saw with utmost clarity what a selfish and possessive, even somewhat dark, woman she was.
She envied, even felt a little jealous of Aerora, her best friend.
She also wanted to be the most special one in Shaya’s heart, the unique one, no less than anyone else.
So, on that day, when Shaya finally graduated from the Golden Elf and left the City of Knowledge, Lokiia, preparing to head to the Imperial Capital to start a new life, Solun chose to bid farewell to Shaya and Aerora.
She left Shaya’s side, this place of tenderness that she was so attached to, so comfortable and content in, the place with her best friend and the person she loved.
Because at that moment, Solun knew with absolute clarity in her heart that if she stayed by Shaya’s side, she would likely never have an opportunity to surpass Aerora in her entire life.
…
“Even so.”
“Ultimately, I still lost, didn’t I?”
“It’s truly enviable, Little Ai.”
“From childhood to adulthood, I’ve never won against you even once.”
A somewhat helpless curve was drawn on Solun’s exquisite and flawless cute face.
When she vaguely learned about Eden from Shaya, Solun knew that she had lost again.
Just like the countless times she had lost in the City of Knowledge, Lokiia.
However, even after losing again, Solun believed that her affection for the youth would not be inferior to anyone’s.
Even Little Ai was no exception.
Her love for Shaya was selfless.
Therefore, no matter what happened, Solun’s actions would not change.
Magnificent magic runes lit up one after another around Solun, following her will.
And Solun’s steps thus penetrated through the sub-dimensions folded within the Great Summer Cathedral, one by one.
Until the silver-white radiance of the magic construct illuminated the entire small sub-dimension.
And Solun’s demeanor also changed.
She was no longer the pure, unblemished, perfect saint admired by all within the Dawn Holy See.
Nor was she the wicked woman with her sly and clever side, which she only showed to Shaya.
In an instant, her body and spirit became completely synchronized and fused with the surrounding sub-dimension filled with magic constructs and rune arrays, and the very air itself—
Calming the ripples of her thoughts.
Solun’s “temperature” dominated the entire solemn sub-dimension.
Just as if she had become the “Mechanical Empress” who dominated the entire magic arrayed ground.
This was her sub-dimension, unknown even to the high-ranking officials of the Dawn Holy See, the Saints, the Bishops, and even the highest echelons of the Golden Dawn.
Just as every eighth-page mage of legendary rank in the Black Tower establishes their own mage tower.
This sub-dimension is the “mage tower” belonging to Solun, the Mechanist.
It is also a “Magitech Workshop” that this absolute genius in the mechanical field spent over a decade of effort constructing without anyone knowing.
Or perhaps, her own “base.”
The most important thing Solun learned from Shaya was concealment and feigning weakness.
If one reveals their full strength, it will invite the wariness and vigilance of their enemies, and everything they do will be met with suspicion.
However, if one can restrain their radiance, then they can usher in that moment of immense light that illuminates the darkness.
Mechanists of the mechanical系 are different from traditional Beast Tamers.
For the vast majority of Beast Tamers, their own bodies and their familiars are their strongest combat power. That vitality and aura of a superior being are not easily concealed. It’s easy to deal with weaker individuals, but when facing peers of equal status, they are easily seen through.
Mechanists, however, are different.
Aside from the mental power and soul strength that every Beast Tamer must cultivate, which is also the most deeply hidden and hardest to discern.
The source of a Mechanist’s power… whether it be Magitech Megastructures, rune arrays, or mechanical constructs, they are all just lifeless objects.
However, by continuously accumulating expertise and pioneering new technologies, a Mechanist’s strength can continuously climb, accumulating and improving without limit.
As the Saintess of Dawn, Solun, who spent her days in the Holy Court within the “Florence,” the City of Sundering Flowers, naturally had no need for her own direct intervention.
To this day, even the highest echelons of the Holy Court within the Dawn Holy See, such as Saints and Cardinals, only know that Solun’s strength recently entered the legendary rank.
After all, she was an outstanding individual who emerged from thousands of beings, from over ten Holy Maiden candidates with extraordinary talent and abundant resources backing them. Reaching the legendary rank before the age of twenty is an unprecedented existence even among all past Saintesses of Dawn.
However, the extent to which Solun has cultivated in the field of Mechanics is unknown.
Even Shaya cannot be certain of this.
He merely has a vague feeling that this young lady, who has stolen much of his “old schemer” persona, must also be hiding many things in secret.
In fact, Solun was indeed hiding something.
She had been hiding for a full ten years since entering the Holy Court.
And if one considers the subjective experience of time as Solun, who utilized Holy Relics within the Holy Court that accelerated thought processes, contemplated at an accelerated pace—
Then, perhaps, it was decades, or even a century.
Day and night of research and improvement, as a Mechanist, as the creator of this mage tower, polishing, strengthening, fortifying, and refining her combat position day after day, year after year.
And this Magitech Workshop, perfected to the utmost degree over ten years, to the point where further advancement is impossible—
Its imagined enemy—
Is the original creator of the “Golden Dawn,” the so-called Eighth God.
Or rather—
The original Sun God of the First Era’s Glorious Era.
…
Initially, Solun chose to enter the Dawn Holy See in Florence and passed through layers of stringent tests to become a Holy Maiden candidate.
Her purpose was actually quite simple.
If she could stand out among the many Holy Maiden candidates and become the Saintess of Dawn, admired by all people.
Then, she could be like the fairy tale of the ugly duckling turning into a swan that Shaya had told—
Appearing before him in a completely new and transformed guise.
Even Shaya, with his deep reserves, would surely feel a stir of emotion, even astonishment, at the contrast between the impoverished orphan maiden of the past and the radiant Saintess of Dawn.
Moreover, as long as she became the Saintess of Dawn and had the authority to mobilize the resources of the Dawn Holy See.
Then, both Aerora and Shaya would no longer have to live in poverty as they had in the past, and could live a wealthy life, with abundant resources like nobles.
The initial purpose of Solun joining the Dawn Holy See was that simple, even somewhat unsavory.
Thinking of using the resources of the Holy Court in secret as the Saintess of Dawn to enrich Shaya and Aerora, to put it crudely, it was embezzlement.
Even, using the superior status and power of the Saintess of Dawn, to engage in an unreasonable unspoken rule—and forcefully pursue that young man.
To get ahead of Little Ai and make the rice fully cooked before she could…
Solun had indeed experienced such sordid and unspeakable fantasies involuntarily.
But—
Perhaps it was because among the many Holy Maiden candidates with strong backgrounds and distinguished origins, only Solun had no background and a clean past.
The envoy from the “Golden Dawn” who had been lurking within the Holy Court began to secretly contact Solun, wanting to support her to become the new Saintess of Dawn.
At first, Solun did not pay much attention to the “Golden Dawn”; she simply took it as an ancient faction within the Holy See that favored her and wanted to invest in her.
As the most powerful, longest-lasting, and most ancient kingdom among the human order’s factions, the Holy See was inherently a place with many competing factions, and such early investment in potential stocks was not uncommon.
At that time, the vast majority of other Holy Maiden candidates competing with Solun also had their own powerful factional support within the Holy See.
However, it was not until Solun became the Saintess of Dawn and gained a certain status within the “Golden Dawn” that she discovered a truth that greatly astonished her.
The secret plan of the “Golden Dawn” seemed to have something to do with Shaya.
The specific details were somewhat vague even to the highest leader, who seemed to not fully grasp the entire picture.
But, just a few fragmented words were enough to make Solun’s heart pound.
“Allow that young man to awaken, and as the resplendent Lord, reign over the world once more.”
And “that young man” referred to Shaya.
Solun didn’t know why Shaya, who had known her since childhood and was a pure-blooded human, had become involved with the mysterious and powerful transcendent organization “Golden Dawn.”
Nor did she understand how Shaya would awaken as the so-called “resplendent Lord” and reign over the world again.
But Solun knew that it was not something Shaya would willingly do.
Shaya is Shaya. He is a hunter boy who came from the far north snowfield, a student of that Golden Elf, and also an awkward guy who likes to pretend to be mature. However, he is by no means a radiant Sun God or Creator, even if such origins and backgrounds sound noble and unparalleled. Solun had also thought about whether to tell Shaya the news directly. If that youth knew all of this, then with his wisdom and composure, he would surely find a solution and a way to deal with it.
But, within the Golden Dawn, there seemed to be some kind of restraint on the secrecy regarding that Creator. Or perhaps, it was the shackles of fate. Every time Solun wanted to describe the secrets related to it in voice or text, the final message would be distorted into another incomprehensible form.
And so, from that day on. He went into hiding. And in secret, he took the being attempting to resurrect within Shaya as his imaginary enemy. Day and night, he built his position in his “Mage Tower.” All of this became Solun’s sole purpose, to which he dedicated his utmost effort.
And at this very moment. The intelligence reported by the mechanical messenger stationed within the Golden Dawn, where Solun was located, clearly showed that the ritual to awaken the Creator had now begun. And this was the opportune moment Solun had been waiting for.
Hum hum hum.
Thread after thread of magic runes emitted dazzling red light, signaling their full-power operation. The air was filled with buzzing sounds. Corresponding to this was the brilliant blue flame emanating from the magic furnace core, which served as the energy source for the constructed magic composite.
“Pseudo-Sun Furnace.” This magic furnace core, whose operating principle and basic concept were proposed by Shaya, and whose design drawings were personally perfected and realized by Solun, was naturally mastered by Solun in terms of technology.
Moreover, compared to Shaya, whose ability system was complex, fighting alongside as a traditional Beast Tamer while also practicing magic… In terms of being a Mechanist, he was a dabbler who needed the super artificial intelligence Yui to assist him in unleashing the full power of magic composites. Solun himself was a pure Mechanist.
In fact, in terms of the ability domain of a Mechanist, even Shaya now, with Yui’s assistance, might not be able to match her. After all, if not for Solun’s efforts, this super mechanical life form Yui might not have been born at all, which is why Yui called Solun “Mom.”
Boom boom boom—
Inside Solun’s magic workshop. One “Pseudo-Sun Furnace” after another, simulating the principles of stellar operation, erupted with incredibly dazzling blue flames that made the entire sub-dimension flicker. Not just one, not just two. But one hundred and fourteen magic flames shot up into the sky.
Even the mech “Black Knight” that Shaya used back then, which was capable of rivaling a Legend, only used a mere two sun furnaces. However, unlike Shaya. As a pure Mechanist, Solun could control multiple sun furnaces simultaneously in an array within his magic workshop.
One hundred and fourteen sun furnaces, stacked through the arrangement of the magic array, achieved the effect of one plus one being greater than two. This was the maximum number that Solun’s mental power, under a completely overloaded state, could control. Then, at 120% of the preset safety threshold, the sun furnaces began to operate with almost frenzied intensity.
Light gathered. Endless radiance of magic power slowly condensed, compressed, and accumulated within Solun’s position. It was a radiance that could rival a supernova explosion. When Shaya piloted the Black Knight mech back then, a single simplified sun furnace, weakened for portability, was enough to destroy a small town.
But at this moment, with a full one hundred and fourteen fully operational, complete versions of the sun furnaces, amplified by the magic array. If this power were to be fully unleashed, even the Holy Court of Freya, suppressed by several Saints and Holy Relics, would be instantly annihilated into nothingness. Besides the few Saints within the Holy Court who, with the aid of Holy Relics, could rival demigods, there would be no survivors.
However, Solun’s target was naturally not so insane as to aim at the Holy Court of Freya, with its nearly a million inhabitants. The focal point of the light slowly moved. Not towards any location within the Prime Material Plane. Instead, under the guidance of Solun’s mental power, it pointed to a coordinate that did not exist in reality.
The coordinate marked not a place in space—but a nodal point in time.
Then—
Launch.
Boom—
At this moment, within the Summer Flower Grand Cathedral of the Holy Court of Freya, an unknown number of Holy Relics suddenly rang out, emitting a warning hum. Saints, who had been cultivating in the depths of the cathedral, unseen by the world for decades, and whose passing was even speculated by the outside world, all awoke at this very moment, vigilantly scanning the entire Holy Court again and again.
This had never happened since the Summer Flower Grand Cathedral was built in Freya as the headquarters of the Dawn Holy See at the beginning of the Holy Calendar. Even if an Evil God from the starry sky descended upon the Summer Flower Grand Cathedral, it would not have caused all the Holy Relics to erupt with such a grand warning sign. Unless, what descended was not an Incarnation of a Divine Descent, but the true body of some Evil God.
Undoubtedly, something terrifying had happened. However—
No matter how the Saints of the Dawn Holy See searched and inspected within the Holy Court, they could never find the source of the alarm that caused the Holy Relics to erupt. This was because, from beginning to end, the source of the alarm did not come from the dimension of space. It came from the axis of time.
Within the folded sub-dimension, Solun’s workshop position. Clear light shot out. Not towards any location in the real world. Instead, it followed the imprint of the flow of time, upwards, towards the distant past that did not belong to this era.
What the “Golden Dawn” was secretly plotting was the revival of the primordial Sun God, the Creator, within Shaya’s body. Solun did not know by what means this was achieved, nor did he know where that so-called Sun God, the Creator, was at this moment.
Unlike other surviving Evil Gods, hidden somewhere in the Deep Astral Realm? Or perhaps that Sun God had already perished, with only some spiritual or conceptual remnant left somewhere in the Spirit World.
However, Solun only knew one thing.
She didn’t want to see the black-haired youth from her memories transform into something dazzling but unrecognizable.
And because of that—
Since the source of the conspiracy could not be found in the current worldline, nor could the old Sun God be found.
Then, she would travel to the era when the old Sun God and the Creator still existed.
As the saying goes, for every cause there is an effect, and vice versa.
No matter how well hidden the other party was, when they were truly preparing to revive within Shaya’s body, that is, the moment the “effect” was born, the “cause” that was the origin of everything would be exposed and become extremely clear.
Crossing the river of time.
Directly crushing the cause of all conspiracies, the true root.
This was undoubtedly an audacious, even arrogant plan.
To travel through time, to strike across space-time, to reverse cause and effect.
This was a feat even true gods could not accomplish, achievable only by a handful of Holy Relics that existed since the dawn of creation.
Even those Holy Relics that interfered with the laws of time had extremely strict limitations and constraints. The more powerful the target, the more important their impact on the course of history, the greater the restrictions.
And undoubtedly.
In terms of importance to the grand trajectory of history, who could be compared to the original Sun God, the Creator.
Yet, despite all this.
Solun still did it.
The light shoots out and flows.
Crossing the vast river, traveling upstream.
From the current time node, to the intersection of the Third and Fourth Eras, when the King of Knights and the Golden King pacified the chaotic world and established the Holy Calendar.
Further up, it crossed the prosperous Third Era of the Angel family, and the Second Era with faint sparks of civilization.
To the First Era, when myths still existed.
Then, even further up.
*Crack.*
A crisp impact sound echoed in Solun’s ears.
The radiant light that shot out had truly struck something.
Then, it shattered.
***
*Boom—*
*Boom—*
*Boom—*
The azure magic flames shattered and then exploded.
The magic that surged out of control from the solar furnace erupted, and an ocean of flames engulfed Solun’s entire magic workshop.
Solar furnaces were inherently dangerous and unstable. Using them under such overload, losing control was almost inevitable.
In fact, it was beyond Solun’s expectations that they could have been maintained until that beam of light hit.
How could such a cross-temporal strike, launched with technological power into several eras past, not come at a cost?
The azure magic flames licked Solun’s cute face.
It was the aftershock of the magic furnace core going out of control, or as Shaya would put it, a “nuclear power plant leak.”
But even amidst such a scorching sea of fire, there was no ripple in Solun’s beautiful eyes.
She simply waited silently for the backlash from fate to descend.
Although she devised such an audacious plan, Solun was not truly arrogant or uninhibited.
She didn’t know her current status, but in terms of mental power alone, Solun might have already crossed the boundary of Legend and reached the limit of the Throne.
And if one considered the Mechanist’s meticulous preparations, mastering countless magical constructs, and stacking their effects… the destructive power that could be unleashed would increase exponentially.
Then the current Solun, within her own meticulously built magic workshop, her fortress accumulated over years and enhanced with accumulated skills, might already be comparable to a True God.
But that was all.
To reverse time and rewrite causality.
This was a domain that even True Gods could hardly touch.
How could a mortal attempt to alter history without paying a price?
The price and backlash she had to face were not the loss of control of the solar furnace reaction array before her.
Although the runaway chain reaction of the shattered spell in this sea of fire could kill a Legend or even a demigod, as a Mechanist who fully understood the operating principles of the solar furnace, Solun had a way to protect herself.
The true price—
Was the erasure by the historical correction force from the river of time.
Even Isolabella, who was protected by the Star Holy Sword, one of the most powerful Holy Relics, could never return if she became too entangled in causality within the Imaginary Zone.
If not for Shaya’s efforts back then, the only outcome for the King of the Imaginary Zone would have been annihilation by the historical correction force, leaving no trace of her existence, forgotten by all the world.
Isolabella, who possessed the Holy Sword, was like this.
Let alone Solun, who did not have the mysterious protection of the Holy Sword.
And compared to Isolabella, who established the Imaginary Zone in the Fourth Era.
What Solun did, this rebellion against the Creator in the First Era, the origin of all human civilization, was even more decisive and deeply entangled.
She felt it in her spiritual perception.
Like a mountain cry and a sea roar, surging from the river of time…
A correction force tide powerful enough to drown any True God, something that even the combined power of all the Holy Relics of the Dawn Holy See could not resist.
Solun gave up on saving herself.
From the control panel of the magic workshop—
She picked up the teddy bear, which was slightly curled and scorched by the high temperature in the sea of fire despite being inscribed with protective runes, and held it in her arms.
By now, this cloth bear given to her by Shaya was a ten-year-old bear.
It had accompanied Solun to many places, from the City of Knowledge, Lokiia, to the Holy Court, Florence, witnessing Solun’s growth from an ugly duckling apprentice to the pure and flawless Saintess of Dawn.
Even though Solun usually took great care of the teddy bear and added various protective rune circuits to it, there was still some minor wear and tear from daily handling.
Even its fur was a bit bald.
But even now, Solun would still hold the little bear doll as she slept, as if it were ten years ago and the person who gave her the toy was still by her side, providing her with an indescribable sense of security.
“Those who are annihilated by the tide of historical correction don’t just die.”
“Even the traces that have ever existed in this world will be erased by the corrective force, together.”
“It’s like pulling a thread from a ball of yarn. The ball of yarn remains the same, but the gap left by the previous thread will be filled by other threads.”
“In other words—”
“By then, the entire Holy Court and the Holy Divine Kingdom will have forgotten the Saintess of Dawn named Solun.”
The black-haired maiden whispered these words softly.
Her clear eyes reflected a sea of blue flames, as if she were a saintess undergoing martyrdom by fire.
Just like the epic of the Saintess of Crimson Lotus, Joan, that Shaya had once told her.
When the lotus blooms of the crimson lotus scatter, the former Saintess of Dawn would disappear from the mortal world.
“Under the influence of corrective force and historical inertia, a new Saintess of Dawn should take my place.”
“Will it be one of the previous failed saintess candidates, or another orphan from Lokiia?”
“This feeling of being replaced, even just thinking about it, is a bit unpleasant.”
“But—”
“If it’s you.”
“Even if the whole world forgets me, even if there isn’t a single trace of me ever having lived in this world.”
“You, however, will still remember my name, won’t you?”
She murmured softly, as if in prayer.
“Remember—”
“That a girl named Solun once came here.”
The tide of corrective force roared in Solun’s ears, sounding like a mountain collapsing.
It was the judgment of fate, now imminent.
And Solun’s small figure was swept away by the tide of corrective force, drifting along.
With her current status, and using all her power, she should be able to hold on for another minute or two in the tide of corrective force, maintaining her existence from extinction.
Would there be any change in those one or two minutes? Solun didn’t know.
The disappearance of the Saintess of Dawn should have already occurred within the Holy Court, but they couldn’t find this magic workshop meticulously hidden by Solun, a Mechanist stronghold folded into a Sub-dimension.
Even if they found it, the few Holy Relics within the Holy Court wouldn’t be able to withstand such a vast corrective force that was determined to annihilate her.
Solun didn’t want anyone from the Holy Court to come either. For years, she had diligently played the role of a flawless Saintess of Dawn. Even the most stringent Elder within the Holy Court could only say that Solun’s performance as the saintess was impeccable.
However, Solun actually felt nothing about the title of “Savior Saintess”… Her relationship with the Holy Court was more akin to exploitation and transaction.
The only reason Solun had meticulously fulfilled the duties of the Saintess of Dawn was for Shaya’s sake. Whether it was at the beginning or after joining the Golden Dawn, she simply wanted to help Shaya.
She struggled to open her eyes amidst the raging sea of flames.
Following the tide of corrective force that swept over her, she looked towards the river of time, towards the past history, towards the upstream of the mythical era known as the First Era.
She wanted to know if she had done well enough this time, whether the strike across the river of time, launched at the cost of her own existence being erased by historical corrective force, had caused any effective damage to its source.
Had she prevented the Golden Dawn’s conspiracy? Had she really helped Shaya?
*Crack.*
Just then.
The sound of something breaking rang out, swallowed by the roaring waves, almost imperceptible.
It was an antique pocket watch, a parting gift from Shaya to Solun when Yui was born, given to her in the City of Knowledge, Lokiia.
Shaya had told Solun to always keep it with her, so she carried it with her at all times, never taking it off even when bathing.
At this moment, the pocket watch shattered.
And then.
At this moment, Solun witnessed a miracle.
A miracle of reversing time.
The flowing time, along with the roaring wave of historical corrective force, was all divided.
Finally, it pierced through.
The phantom image, carrying a flame of light, descended along the river of time, parting the sea of flames. Even the rampaging corrective force was severed in its bright trajectory.
It was like the story in the Bible, where the Red Sea was parted by the prophet Moses.
The Next Moment, a hand, not particularly strong but with distinct knuckles, grabbed Solun’s arm and pulled her into a tight embrace.
The surge of corrective force rose again, hissing like thunder, like the furious roar of supreme law being shaken, rushing forward.
“It’s merely the Heavenly Way…”
With those incredibly familiar words, the corrective force tide, capable of annihilating a True God, crashed against the back of that slender figure.
Then, it vanished like a dreamlike bubble.
Not a trace remained.
Solun was held in a warm embrace. The corrective force surge that had nearly swallowed her now didn’t even touch her in the slightest.
The person before her appeared illusory and somewhat blurred in the flowing time, but Solun still recognized the youth’s face.
It was a visage imprinted on the depths of her soul, one she would never forget, even after ten years, a hundred years, or a thousand years.
It was also the name Solun had been ceaselessly calling in her heart as she drifted with the tide of corrective force.
She had once heard Shaya and Little Ai’s agreement: as long as Little Ai remained useful to him, the boy would never abandon Aerora.
Solun and Shaya had not made such a pinky-promise oath, but even in the torrent of corrective force, Solun had not given up, because she had always dreamed of becoming a part of that covenant.
And now, her dream had come true.
The boy, bathed in flowing time, traversed an unknown number of years in the river of time to reach her side.
“Long time no see, Solun.”
“You’ve been a great help this time. Without you, I might have had to struggle with that guy for much longer.”
The boy looked at her in his arms, gently stroking Solun’s pitch-black long hair, tidying the strands that were slightly disheveled by the hot wind in the sea of flames.
The afterglow of time swirled in his eyes, and in an instant, he comprehended everything Solun had been through.
“Well done. You’re truly the girl I chose.”
He loosened his grip slightly.
“When I get back, I’ll take you home.”
The surrounding flowing time transformed from a violent sea to a tranquil stream.
Carrying Solun’s small body, it slowly returned to the Prime Material Plane at the current node.
