"You are actually a friend of the Phoenix! Oh my gosh! You are the legendary Trainer!" Odin exclaimed, revealing his understanding of Female Titan Claire's identity.
"Oh, so this tall sister is also our Patronus, right?"
Xiao Ya hurriedly pulled her younger brother to kneel, their foreheads touching the ground, showing the same reverence as when they worshiped the Phoenix—after all, in their inherent perception, Trainers and their partners are of equal status.
Now.
Seeing the relationship between the Phoenix and Female Titan Claire, even though the two children didn't understand what gods or Creators are, it didn't affect them placing Female Titan Claire on the same level as the Phoenix—clearly, the two children believed that Female Titan Claire was the Phoenix's Trainer partner.
This is the habitual thinking of the island's people.
Perhaps even other adults coming here would think this way. Claire was amused by their reaction and reached out to tousle their hair.
"Good."
Female Titan Claire, naturally, adored the humans she created.
Any awkward emotions dissipated completely at this moment. She straightened her back, a satisfied expression on her face, as if she finally found her own glory.
And Dumbledore, he had been silently watching all of this. After a long pause, he spoke again, voicing his inner speculation in a deep and cautious tone.
"Can you penetrate time and speak to people of the future?"
Dumbledore's speculation was quite logical, after all, Titans are seen as an ancient Divine Race in the eyes of wizards, and perhaps prophets among this race have skills that human prophets do not possess.
To this.
Albus Dumbledore found it to be the most probable guess.
However.
Claire gazed at him.
A glimmer of light passed through her eyes.
"At least in my understanding, no one can penetrate time and converse with future people," she dismissed Dumbledore's statement and gave him a lesson.
"Time is not a straight line, but an ocean. The past, present, and future flow within it. I can see where they converge and hear the whispers of their voices."
"But most prophets cannot reach areas not near them. Of course, I am not most, I am the ancestor of the prophets and the first bearer of this power."
"I can dive into any depth and realm."
"However, not all waves respond to my call, nor can I see all the scenery of this ocean, and I cannot pinpoint my own location in it."
Female Titan Claire's air of mystique grew increasingly adept.
Still.
The knowledge she conveyed was rich and profound.
Dumbledore's gaze deepened.
He finally understood that the Female Titan before him was far more than just a powerful ancient deity. She is a source of some older, more mysterious force.
Could she even be a key link in connecting the fate of the universe? As the night deepened, sea breezes gently blew, and the Phoenix began to circle in the air, its golden tail feathers shimmering with a soft glow under the moonlight.
Dumbledore glanced at Fox, his companion in pursuing the ancient Phoenix.
"So, why do you know this name?"
He still hadn't received the answer he desired, the answer he cared so deeply about. Female Titan Claire sensed this, and a hint of a smile appeared on her face.
"Because of the Phoenix, I glimpsed the birth of the Dumbledore family. Naturally, I saw Ariana, she will be the last of the Dumbledore family."
"At the same time."
After a brief pause.
"She will also be the ancestor, the origin of the Dumbledore family," Claire's words were stunning, her gaze turning peculiar, even with a hint of amusement.
"Albus Dumbledore, she is not just your sister."
Claire spoke softly.
"She is your ancestor."
Shocking as thunder.
Dumbledore's breath suddenly hitched.
...
In a world of black and white.
Silent as death.
No colors, only intertwining shades of gray, as if the entire space was frozen in time, making even breathing seem superfluous. A scent not belonging to reality permeated the air.
Like some ancient will whispering.
"God of Death."
Ian stood on ashen land, looking at the black volcano ahead. The God of Death busily plied near the magma, swinging a hammer into the pale flames.
Yes.
The god of death was bowing his head, forging something, holding a hammer made of bones and flame in his hand. With each strike, there was a crisp sound like metal clashing.
Each swing splashed a solidified dark red chain. Those chains twisted and entwined in the air, eventually transforming into some ancient runes, sinking into the depths of the volcano.
"Ding—"
The sound was particularly clear in the silence.
Just as Ian tried to approach, the god of death suddenly lifted his head. His gaze pierced through space and time, landing directly on him.
"Raven." The god of death spoke, his voice cold and hollow, as if it came from the abyss. The cold voice was immensely chilling, akin to a wind seeping from the cracks of the world. Ian stiffened, his heart nearly stopping—the eyes of the god of death were piercing through the gray air, straight at him.
The little wizard instinctively took a step back.
However.
The little wizard quickly realized the issue—not, not looking at him, nor calling him. Ian's perception was keen, and he could analyze that those scarlet eyes of the god of death were not fixed on him.
But... behind him.
"Raven..." The god of death repeated the name in a low voice, with a hint of complex emotion, seemingly anger, but also some hidden expectation.
Ian hurriedly turned his head.
In the stark sky, a pitch-black raven was flapping its wings and flying. Its feathers were like night, its red eyes like blood. The wings carved through the silence, causing an invisible ripple.
Raven.
The true raven.
Ian's breath halted. He had certainly seen this bird; he could even transform into this bird. Now, seeing the raven alive, the little wizard felt an inexplicable familiarity.
As if it had appeared in his dreams countless times.
"You should not exist in this world; you are not a life of this world." The voice of the god of death rang out again, deep and hoarse, as if blending with the wails of thousands of lost souls.
"Do not disturb me."
The god of death was expelling.
Yet the raven did not respond, merely circling above the volcano, its red eyes gazing at the chains in the god of death's hands. Its stance was proud and indifferent, resembling a judge.
Ian stared blankly at this scene.
Some indescribable resonance trembled deep within his soul.
He involuntarily took a step forward, the ashes beneath his feet emitting a subtle cracking sound.
The gaze of the god of death still did not see him, as if they were in separate non-intersecting timelines—the black and white hues once again emphasized that Ian dwelled in the past.
The raven flew fast.
Without waiting for him to clear his thoughts.
The raven suddenly let out a sharp screech.
Its wings abruptly vibrated, diving downward!
Its target was not Ian, but the god of death!
Ian stood in place, watching the scene unfold, a strong sense of discord rising in his heart.
Was this a long-awaited reunion, or... a destined showdown? The raven flew closer, its wings stirring a gale, its eyes deep as abyss, glimmering with a wisdom beyond mortal birds.
The god of death slowly stood, gently lifting the bone hammer in his hand, seeming to have anticipated this moment's arrival.
"Finally here..." he murmured, his tone no longer cold, but rather carried a subtle slyness.
In the next second, the battle erupted.
The raven dove down like a streak of black lightning, charging directly at the god of death!
The god of death did not evade, but advanced head-on, the newly forged scythe in his hand slicing through the air with a sharp, wailing sound.
The two forces collided mid-air, erupting into a silent shockwave. The god of death sneered, sweeping the freshly made scythe horizontally, its chains twisting like venomous snakes towards the raven. The moment they collided, the black and white space vibrated violently, and countless fine cracks appeared in the ashen ground, revealing the void darkness behind.
Ian struggled to stand, kneeling on the ground. His vision blurred for a moment, and when he looked up again, the raven had already broken through the chain's blockade, its sharp beak targeting the throat of the god of death!
"Do you think you can win?"
The mocking tone from the god of death.
The raven did not answer.
Only at the last moment.
Suddenly veering, it flew towards Ian!
Ian had no time to react.
The raven's red eyes were already so close.
"Awaken."
Its voice.
Exactly like Ian's own voice.