However...
"Sigh... I say, Deliverer-kid."
A woman's voice, tinged with slyness and a touch of exasperation, rang out. Having been discovered, Cipher had no choice but to take a few steps out from the shadows, revealing herself.
"Whose side are you on, really? Why'd you spill all our details the moment you opened your mouth?" She placed her hands on her hips, feigning annoyance as she glared at Phainon.
"Ciphy was just worried there might be Titankin tailing behind you. Our three new friends, we mean no harm. Please, relax and be at ease." Tribbie spread her hands, indicating they bore no ill will.
"We are all human. On this land shrouded in darkness, there's even less need for such a tense, standoffish first meeting."
Welt took a step forward. As the representative of the Astral Express crew, he maintained his composed courtesy:
"You are the Demigod of Passage, revered as the teacher of all Golden Descendants? My apologies. It's just... I didn't expect you to be so... young."
"Don't underestimate us," Tribbie puffed out her cheeks slightly, a hint of adorable indignation in her expression.
"We used to be very tall!" She rose on her tiptoes briefly, seemingly a bit sensitive about the "young" assessment.
"Ahem, my poor choice of words. I apologize," Welt conceded gracefully, clearing his throat.
Tribbie's expression turned serious again. She looked at the three visitors from beyond and made her first request:
"We heard from Snowy that you come from beyond the stars? Before we proceed further, may we request that you temporarily conceal the fact of the 'world beyond' from Amphoreus's ordinary populace?"
"May we know the reason?" Welt inquired cautiously.
"Well..." Tribbie organized her thoughts, her gaze sweeping over the weary, hopeful faces of the evacuees waiting in the distance.
"As you can see, Amphoreus is not safe now. In other words, what we are experiencing is a literal apocalypse."
Her voice grew low and grave. "In an apocalypse, any potential escape route becomes immensely important, enough to drive people to madness."
"If 'escaping Amphoreus for the stars' were proven to be a viable path, we would not hesitate to research and execute related plans."
"But," Tribbie's tone shifted, her eyes sharpening slightly, "this path is still shrouded in thick fog. We do not yet fully understand you, nor the world beyond."
"As leaders of the remaining humanity, we are responsible for the lives of all our people. We cannot rashly give unrealistic hope, nor can we incite unnecessary chaos."
"Therefore, until the situation becomes clearer, please refrain from informing the populace about the existence of the world beyond for now."
"That is a reasonable and responsible request. We understand and will comply," Welt nodded in agreement.
Immediately, he posed a question. "But I have a query, perhaps you can enlighten us—do you know who shot down our transport?"
"We do not know who specifically did it," Tribbie shook her head. "But in terms of capability, the Titan of Strife who governs war, or the Titan of Sky who holds authority over the Sky, both possess the power to accomplish such a feat."
"Titans... what are those?" Dan Heng latched onto the unfamiliar term.
"The Titans are the ancient gods of our Amphoreus, the shapers of the world and its original rulers," Tribbie explained, a complex note in her voice.
"But... at some point, a strange and powerful force corrupted most of them. That force twisted their essence, making them wrathful and mad. The Titan gods who once ruled the world have now become the festering wounds corrupting Amphoreus."
Tribbie looked towards the boundless darkness in the distance, her voice heavy. "Now, the disaster known as the 'Black Tide' sweeps across the world. The land is plunged into eternal night. Only the holy city of Okhema, under the lingering will of the 'World Bearing Titan' and the protection of the Dawn Device, retains the last land of light."
Having explained this, Tribbie seemed to remember something and clapped her hands. "Oh, look at me, getting caught up talking with you all. The refugees from the temple have been waiting for a while. We must first use the authority of 'Passage' to send them to the absolute safety of Okhema."
As she spoke, she raised her hands. Golden light flowed from her fingertips.
A "gate" shimmering with an elusive radiance, wide enough for only one person at a time, slowly unfolded above the clearing. On the other side of the gate, they could vaguely glimpse a corner of a magnificent city and the warm, steady glow of light.
"Everyone, maintain order! Pass through one by one, no crowding!" Tribbie began expertly directing the evacuation.
"This is a miraculous ability," Dan Heng remarked, gazing at the stable spatial gate and the completely different scenery beyond it.
"Indeed," Welt adjusted his glasses, his gaze analytical and approving. "After all, this is a world even the Trailblaze Aeon, Akivili, never set foot in. It's only normal... hm, to encounter wonders beyond our comprehension."
"Moreover, up to this point, our interactions with the locals, despite some minor hiccups, have been relatively smooth and pleasant overall," Welt offered an initially optimistic summary.
...
Okhema.
A private terrace somewhere in the holy city.
Hysilens stood where the sunlight was brightest, her eyes lightly closed as she concentrated on playing an ancient-looking stringed instrument. The bow glided across the strings, producing pleasant notes like clear water washing over stones.
Not far away indoors, Aglaea sat on a sofa with an easel propped up. She was meticulously applying paint to a canvas with a brush laden with pigment.
Aglaea was painting Hysilens playing the instrument in the sunlight. The painting was nearly complete, with excellent handling of light and shadow, perfectly capturing a certain essence of the Siren Princess.
"Empress," Aglaea spoke without turning her head, her eyes still moving between the canvas and her model. Her voice was soft but carried a faint, almost imperceptible note of inquiry.
"What are your thoughts on the news our teacher sent back regarding those 'visitors from beyond'?"
On the other side of the sofa, Cerydra lounged lazily on a soft divan.
Before her was an exquisite chessboard. She was absentmindedly toying with a smooth obsidian chess piece in her hand.
"This Empress no longer rules the holy city, Aglaea," Cerydra's voice held a lazy cadence, her gaze still on the chessboard.
"Now is the era of co-governance by the demigods. So... there's no need to call me Empress anymore. Just Cerydra is fine."
She paused in thought for a moment, then pinched the black piece between her fingers and placed it crisply on a specific square of the board, capturing an ivory white piece.