The world slowly brightened from dimness into full light.
They said a major volcanic eruption could alter part of the world itself. And when everyone opened their eyes again, they found they were back inside the Cradle of Generations.
High above, the Angel—once whole, now broken again—drifted down toward the ground. Its three pillars had all turned an ashen gray, like charcoal scoured by unbearable heat, stripped of any remaining vitality.
It seemed unable to understand how things had ended like this, but it had clearly reached its limit.
Even its core had dulled, as if it might go out—or shatter—at any moment.
And directly before it—
Eyjafjalla stood quietly, just as she had the first time Bai Ling saw her at Towerguard Two.
A red-and-white coat, its hem singed as though licked by flame; a deep-violet protective suit beneath; two familiar red ribbons edging the garment; a wooden staff in her hand, new buds sprouting from it. Her youthful face carried the same gentle warmth as always.
Then the stillness broke.
A soft crack.
Fine fissures spread across the giant Angel's core like tempered glass fracturing, and its three pillars crumbled into gray dust along with it.
Bai Ling didn't spare the Angel's end a second glance. His eyes never left the small figure in front of him.
The horned girl tilted her head, smiled at him—and then—
Firelight rose.
She smiled within the glow, saying nothing. As the flame dimmed, her silhouette faded with it, dissolving quietly into the darkening ember-light.
At the same time, brightness spilled down from the sky. The corruption that had been coiling around the Cradle of Generations was already gone.
Color returned to the earth. Where the girl and the Angel had vanished together, a dark-gold sapling slowly rose from the ground.
No one quite understood what had happened. But after watching Eyjafjalla disappear with their own eyes, Chen Qianyu couldn't help taking a cautious step forward.
"…Teacher Bai Ling?"
"Hm?"
His body felt heavy—exhausted to the bone—but Bai Ling's mind was still, somehow, holding together.
"…Miss Eyjafjalla, she…?"
Chen Qianyu asked in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper. The atmosphere felt wrong—strangely quiet, strangely sharp.
That scene just now… wasn't it mutual destruction?!
That volcanic eruption had been terrifying enough to haunt someone's dreams.
"She went back for now," Bai Ling said.
He steadied his emotions and brushed his left hand over the back of his palm.
The ram-horn symbol there had completely dimmed—and was slowly blurring, as if it were being erased.
[Command Seals Used: 0/3]
[Recovery Time: ---/---]
He hadn't expected the farewell to come so suddenly.
But then—a small surprise surfaced.
[Race Unlocked: Caprini]
Good.
He forced himself upright, trying to look composed. The moment he did, Chen Qianyu's brow twitched hard—
Her mind immediately launched into frantic overthinking.
Bai Ling stopped it with a single sentence.
"Now that the path is open, we move. The crisis isn't over yet."
"But Teacher Bai Ling… are you sure your body is okay?"
"…It's just some trivial fatigue. Like pulling an all-nighter."
A lie.
After Eyjafjalla deployed that Barrier Noble Phantasm, even with the Command Seal replenishing her energy completely, Bai Ling had still been drained dry.
He couldn't even see the energy traces he'd normally notice without trying. His body's strength had withered down to nothing.
"Let me take care of Senior Bai Ling," a gentle voice said. "You three—the situation at the Power Highlands is dangerous. Prepare yourselves before moving forward."
Eyldera, arriving at last, slipped in behind him and supported his weight. Her tone was soft, steady.
Seeing Eyldera, Chen Qianyu finally let out the breath she'd been holding.
She truly was afraid something would happen to Bai Ling.
From the hub zone all the way here, everything had felt like hitting a one-button sweep—easy mode.
Without Bai Ling, she couldn't even imagine how dangerous this "rescue mission" was supposed to be. And yet it had been almost absurdly smooth.
But no one could live forever under someone else's protection. Besides, they weren't greenhouse flowers.
All that conserving strength along the way—wasn't it for this final showdown, to finally unleash everything they had?
The Power Highlands were right ahead. Bai Ling was already exhausted.
What came next should be theirs to handle.
Facing their unwavering resolve, Bai Ling finally nodded in agreement.
Then, as she passed behind him, Chen Qianyu noticed something. She hurried to where the Originium sapling had surfaced, scooped something up from the ground, and turned back at once.
"…Teacher Bai Ling!"
She held out a small stone—so out of place among the surrounding rubble that it was impossible to miss. Bai Ling recognized it instantly.
[Eyjafjalla's Keepsake]
[A small, light piece of volcanic stone. Drop it into water and it will bob and tumble, hissing with endless bubbles. This is the song of life.]
Bai Ling accepted it carefully, slid it into a pocket close to him, and—supported by Eyldera—slowly made his way back toward camp.
He really did need to rest.
Outside the Cradle of Generations, a purple-haired woman watched in disappointment as the column-shaped crystal in her hand crumbled into powder. Without hesitation or regret, she turned and walked away.
To counter that strange man, she'd prepared another move—only to find it had been completely useless.
Endfield's strength had been preserved to an abnormal degree.
But she would not yield the Power Highlands so easily.
On Terra, at the return station—
Eyjafjalla slowly opened her eyes and carefully surveyed her surroundings.
"Beep—beep—beeeep—!"
The long-distance bus's arrival horn drew her attention. She instinctively lifted her luggage, stepped up, and boarded.
Only after she sat down, listening to the soft rustle of the crowd's voices around her, did she realize something—
She could hear them more clearly.
It was still a little muffled, but it was undeniably better than before.
After a brief moment of thought, she took out a brand-new notebook from her bag, flipped it open, and quietly wrote a name on the first page.
Bai Ling.
Her pen paused, then she added a form of address after it.
Senpai.
Only after that did she seem satisfied enough to continue.
Eyldera. The Administrator. Perlica. Chen Qianyu…
Names that belonged to the future.
Especially Eyldera.
Eyldera herself thought she was immature—but Eyjafjalla didn't agree.
Because… if she didn't yet believe she was "Eyjafjalla," and still chose to offer her strength to the world anyway—
Then she had already earned the acknowledgment of "herself."
Because if it were her—
She would do the same.
"When will we meet again next time…?"
She was already looking forward to it.
....
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