"Wait, say that again…" Soren was not expecting that revelation in the slightest. He glanced at Myrin, who held a similar expression.

Seeing this, Cassia chuckled. "Strange, I thought you would have already known about this. After all, the hollowed star fragments seemed to come from Mount Tolarian—your destination, is it not?"

Wait, seriously? He was about to doubt her words when he quickly recalled the dream sequences that have been plaguing him since this journey began. All of them were strangely related to that damned mountain. And from what he recalls of the most recent one…

Stars…

Endless stars…

As he was surrounded by the howling winds, all Soren could see around him were endless stars. All of them twinkling in between the frigid snow. It was strange to say the least. At the time, he even had the desire to touch them—to reach for them. But before he could, the dream ended.

Could those stars have been a form of divination symbolism? Soren wondered. A representation of the Hollowed Star fragments?

Myrin confirmed this with a nod. "I can see this being the truth… After all, there are mentions of an 'Astral River' beginning at Mount Tolarion. Though, there isn't much info about this myth. Some even claim that the Beyond's representation of the Pillars of Heaven is related to that mountain also…"

"I see…"

As he pondered over this, Myrin rubbed his chin. "However, it's still very strange. How do you know all this? I don't mean this to offend you, but how could a heretic and a prisoner be aware of such things that not even I—a member of the royal family—know of?" After all, Princess Myrella was someone that was heavily involved in politics but there were still no memories from her that hold knowledge of this…

Cassia glanced at him for a moment, then frowned. "That's very simple. After viewing the mission that the Blossom Sword Flower has assigned for me based on that strange floating window, I was able to deduce this fairly easily."

"That strange window appeared for you as well? What did it ask of you?"

As she looked directly into his eyes, she answered:

"To taint the Hallowed Star fragment inside of you."

"Wait, what?.."

She looked up at the spectral banners up in the sky and sighed. "From the very moment I read the information on that strange window, I immediately became aware of why the Blossom Sword Flower had sent me to this place. It was to finally obtain the one answer that has eluded me ever since I obtained Figments of the Serpent."

Myrin frowned. "Is it in regards to why the Old Gods are shunned?"

"Indeed," she nodded. "As the both of you are aware, [Eyes of the Serpent], my ability, allows me to twist the representation of objects in the beyond. Taking this logic further, what if we, for example, were to twist the representation of the Hollowed Star fragments themselves?"

"Using [Eyes of the Serpent] on the Hollowed Star fragments?" Soren furrowed his brows. "What purpose would that serve?

She glanced at him and smiled. "As I said earlier, the Hallowed Star fragments are objects that are able to influence how the next era is shaped. The gods clearly covet them for that reason—by influencing the Hallowed Star fragments, They could theoretically tie their Divine Authorities to the fate of the next Age itself."

Soren's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."

"Yes, exactly," She sighed. "By tainting them with my ability, I will be able to cement the Serpent of Untruths authority into the future. That is ultimately the goal of every Holy Shrine Maiden before me."

The both of them couldn't help but stay silent. After all, hadn't the Serpent of Untruths already perished? What use would tainting the Hollowed Star fragments with His Divine Authority's influence even do? Perhaps it could influence fate to bring prosperity to their tribe?

After all, they did suffer from a lot of unfortunate events... Only fifty years prior, the Nagashi tribe almost went extinct. If fate was on their side, would such an event have even happened?

Unaware of his thoughts, Cassia continued. "I've always wondered why I was granted my soul weapon—What purpose does it serve... And now the Blossom Sword Flower has finally shown me the truth. With this ability, I can finally fulfill my role in ushering a new beginning for my people."

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She glanced at the two of them and smiled. "Can't you see just how realistic this whole scenario is? Perhaps it's all an illusion. Perhaps it's all just a meaningless dream… But what if my actions here can really change how the future is perceived? I do not want this chance to be wasted…"

Soren wanted to refute her claim—to call her delusional… But he found no way to do so. After all, she was somewhat right—this so-called 'Mirror Game' was extremely realistic. There was no clear way of differentiating it from a dream or an illusion. From the scent of blood and sweat to the ash clinging to his skin after a battle—all of it was beyond normal fabrication.

Could it be true then? That we truly travelled back in time? Although it sounded unbelievable, the more he thought about it, the more it became harder to refute. But there was also something else to consider.

His role in this world...

By now, it became clear to him that the Blossom Sword Flower had selected their roles to be precisely connected to their real identities. Both Myrin and Cassia took over bodies that once belonged to their ancestors. As for him, he became a slave. Unlike his companions, he was not a person from this world, meaning that his connection to this identity was much different from the others.

Could She be trying to insult me? Soren thought, but instantly dismissed the notion. The Blossom Sword Flower wasn't one to pull such tasteless pranks.

Myrin, on the other hand, was thinking of something else. "Hold on, does this not pose another question," he rubbed his chin as he glanced at the two of them, "If your theory about the Hollowed Star fragments is true, then that would mean that the Gods are competing against one another to influence the next era, just as how the current War of Swords is being conducted. However, what we know of history is slightly different from this, is it not? The Age of Stasis could only have happened if the Six Orthodox Gods put aside their differences and came together to form the Union of Six Divines.

"What exactly could have caused such a drastic change?"

Hearing this, Cassia paused for a minute, staring at the faint stars twinkling above the mysterious spectral banners. She smiled faintly, then turned to Myrin, who was still thinking of an answer:

"Do you two remember the story of Yadra the Eternal Wolf and Yasini the Elf Queen?"

The two looked at each other in puzzlement, then nodded. "It's the story that Mistress Sienna used to always tell us about," Myrin answered.

Soren also recalled such a tale. The mistress had told him the story after his 'mild disagreement' with Myrin and Tina. It was a story that seemed connected to the events of Yasini's Demise. And while many viewed the events of this myth with pure sadness, the Mistress once made the claim that it was due to this conclusion of the War of Swords that humanity once again gained their freedom. If the other races had not been weakened due to the war, humanity would have likely remained as slaves under the rule of the elves.

"You see," Cassia smiled as she crossed her arms. "That story always had numerous endings, with many still debating over which one is the truth. Scholars to this day still have no clue as to what could have happened during that dreaded day. But there is one ending to the tale that I've always found to be my favorite—one that is rightly named The Lamb and the Wolf."

The Lamb and the Wolf? Soren immediately recalled a book he had [Record]ed prior to going on his journey with Myrin. After seeing the book countless times inside the Mistress' underground eden, he had become curious and decided to chronicle it in secret. He was not expecting Cassia to mention it here.

"Indeed," Cassia chuckled. "In that variation of the myth, there was another character besides the Wolf and the Elf Queen. An innocent Lamb that was caught in between two sides. After the war between the Spirit Wolves and the Elves began, Both Yasini and Yadra coveted her. They wanted the Lamb for themselves. But by the end of the story, it was due to the Lamb's sacrifices that both sides finally put aside their differences and came together to form a new, lasting peace.

"I've always been fascinated by this story," She leaned against the railing of the balcony. "In the end, nothing was truly revealed about the Lamb's identity."

Soren leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, glancing at Cassia slowly. "So you believe in this version of the myth? That the War of Swords ended due to the presence of this Lamb?"

Cassia simply shrugged. "We may never know. After all, our role in this world will end in about a day and a half... Bastian Thirel is just one story out of a thousand during this era of strife. Perhaps somewhere out there, the Lamb truly exists… At least, I'd like to believe so."

"Indeed, it could be possible," Myrin concluded with a sigh. "After all, it is the only variation of this myth that somewhat fits the conclusion we are aware of. At the end of the War of Swords, the Six Gods must come together to forge the next era… The Age of Peace."

Soren, on the other hand, was thinking of something else entirely. I wonder where Hurion is at the moment? The battles involving him must truly be terrifying to witness…

As he stared out of the balcony, he couldn't help but think of the millions fighting for their lives across this colossal continent. How many of them were huddling in their homes, hoping to survive another day? How many were starving, awaiting the next shipment of supplies that will never arrive?

In a way, their situation was likely easier to deal with than what most faced across countless other bastions under siege…

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, another brighter flash of light illuminated the brilliant night sky. Shocked, the trio looked into the distance and froze in fear. They could have never foreseen this happening at all.

The Bastion's wall... had crumbled...

A vibrant explosion colored the skies, throwing debris everywhere. Flames stretched and slithered everywhere as the roars of men filled the air.

"N-no way…" Myrin stepped back as he stared frantically at the sky. Soren traced his gaze and immediately noticed what he was looking at. A chill ran down his spine…

The vibrant emblems coloring the spectral banners have shifted once more.

"The Garden of Blades... has been defeated?"

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