It took him a while– maybe it was a few days, maybe it was just a few hours, he didn't really keep track of time since it never mattered to him since he's clearly not human and not subjected to the same constraints that binded mortals– but Lucine eventually arrived at the port of the Xianzhou Luofu.
The Luofu's location was further than he thought it would be, and… He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the deserted port, the layout of the place, the design… it all screamed Deja Vu to him.
He chalked it up to the Xianzhou ships having similar designs by virtue of their shared roots, because his crew had to be on the Xianzhou Zhuming, didn't they? He drove his starskiff down the empty aerial route and while he couldn't quite remember which commission it was that the Genius Society woman said the foxian girl worked at, there's only one commission whose name starts with the word "sky".
"So… You said that you need to meet… Wukong from our commission? But sir… I've worked here for two centuries and I'm very certain that there's no "Wukong" in the Sky-Faring Commission. Are you sure you didn't get the name wrong?"
Lucine barely withheld the urge to sigh. It would seem that he really placed far too much trust in his memories and his crew was in fact, on the Xianzhou Luofu rather than on the Xianzhou Zhuming. Also, the name of the person the Genius Society woman told him wasn't Wukong? He remembered that wrong too? What kong is he supposed to look for then? Fukong, Zukong, Jukong, Hukong, Mukong– what other kongs are there? King Kong? Like the giant ape from the movie he and March watched the other day?
The person at the entrance cannot grant him entry into a semi-confidential place without the right reasons or connections and thus Lucine continued to be barred entry at the entrance. He didn't want to be stalled here forever. The gears in his mind started to turn.
"Uh, are there many foxians in the commission? The something-kong I needed to look for, I believe he or she should be a foxian, and probably someone of a high leadership position too."
"... Ah, so you are looking for Madam Yukong?" The guard finally understood just who this stranger might be looking for because while they had many foxian colleagues, only one fit the bill of having a high leadership position within the commission and had the character "kong" in their name. "Unfortunately, the Luofu is currently under lockdown by martial law just very recently. I'm afraid Madam Yukong is also currently assisting the Cloud Knights so…"
"I will have to wait?"
"Yes."
"Understood," Lucine reluctantly agreed, having no other choice left. "I will be waiting nearby. If she's back, please inform her that Lucine of the Astral Express wishes to see her."
"I will pass on your message– wait, you are from the Astral Express?" The guard exclaimed. "You should have said so! Madam Yukong left explicit instructions that if a white and blue-haired Nameless were to visit– My goodness, how could I not have noticed until now? I'm terribly sorry, sir, please follow after me!"
To say Lucine was confused by the sudden change in treatment was an understatement, but he followed after the guard anyway and withheld his questions. He was soon led to a green-haired foxian lady who he presumed to be Yukong. Hopefully he didn't get the name wrong this time.
"Lucine Fontinas, I presume? On behalf of the Sky-Faring Commission, welcome to the Xianzhou Luofu," Yukong extended her hand, her gaze briefly wandered to the badge pinned on his robe to ascertain his identity. The appearance of the man did match the description that Welt had told her before they left with the Master Diviner to solve the Stellaron problem and left for the Alchemy Commission.
"You know me? Have we met before?"
"You were uncontactable and your comrades were worried about you. Still, they held the belief that you will still be able to find your way here and your timely arrival proved that their belief in you had not been misplaced. You are just in time. If things are going according to schedule, they are heading to the Scalegorge Waterscape as we speak to take down the Lord Ravager Phantylia. If you wish to assist them, you will need to hurry."
"Lord Ravager…?" Lucine tried to recall that vaguely familiar title but nothing came to mind.
"An Emanator of Destruction," Yukong helpfully informed. Welt had told her that Lucine's a very forgetful person so she had been expecting this. She had Lucine's immediate attention the moment he received her answer.
"Emanator?! Why are they suddenly… No, that's not important now. Where are they? How do I go to that… Water-something gorge?"
"It's Scalegorge Waterscape. I am currently unable to leave my station, but I can get someone to lead you there. Xikui," another foxian lady stood up after being called by the Helm Master. "Please guide our esteemed guest to the Scalegorge Waterscape. I will inform the General and Master Diviner of his arrival as well to ensure that your journey is unobstructed."
"Understood, Madam Yukong. Esteemed guest, please follow me."
Xikui professionally led the Nameless towards the Scalegorge Waterscape. They were stopped a few times by the Cloud Knights who were stationed at certain areas that were cordoned off from the public, but were promptly let through once they had verified their identities. Soon, Xikui and Lucine arrived at the pier where a few skiffs were docked on the stormy… Lucine hesitated to call the water body a sea since everything on the Xianzhou technically could be referred to as "artificial", but it did look like a huge sea, at least visually.
"See the land over there? That is the Scalegorge Waterscape and our destination. We will have to take the skiffs–"
"I see," Lucine nodded. "Thank you for guiding me here, but I can make the rest of the trip alone. It will be faster that way."
"But–" Whatever Xikui wanted to say was left unheard for the duelist from the Express had already sprinted across the choppy sea, vanishing in a swift blur. Xikui had lived a long life but this was the first time she ever saw anyone running on water. Guess her grandfather was right, you would get to see the most bizarre of things once you lived long enough.
Lucine knew he was heading to the right place when he spotted the huge contingent of Cloud Knights gathering ahead. Naturally, they had also spotted him. He gathered power to his right foot and made one final leap, landing right in the front of the Cloud Knights with both precision and finesse.
They don't look very welcoming though, very different from those whom he had saved back at the port.
"Halt! This is the Cloud Knights! The area is under lockdown by martial law! If you take one step further we will attack!"
"I am Lucine Fontinas from the Astral Express. I am here to search for my friends," Lucine said aloud. The entire place was filled with water and it was a place where he could make full use of his power. He could sense that everyone else was on this island somewhere. "Please let me through, I know they are here."
"Captain, this…"
"Call Master Diviner Fu here," someone who obviously held some sort of leadership position spoke.
"No need, I'm already here," a petite woman pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She took one single look at the man in front of her and knew that this must be the person that the Express had told her about.
"They are inside, and they should already be doing battle against an Emanator of the Destruction alongside our General. Please… help them return victorious, and safe."
"I don't know how they end up needing to fight an Emanator, but I have a score to settle with the Destruction regardless. Thank you for granting me passage, girl, I will return victorious."
"Girl– I am not a child! I'm older than you!" Fu Xuan huffed angrily at the rapidly departing back of the Nameless who had disappeared into a small speck within the depths of the Scalegorge Waterscape and swiftly vanished from view. Lucine could feel the presence of both the Destruction and of another power– one brimming with overwhelming vitality that he couldn't quite put a finger on as he headed deeper. He's certain that the hostile power was getting stronger as he ventured further into the depths of a sea that had been parted and his worries started to grow.
This is no ordinary power. This power– it's even more vast and fearsome than some of the strongest individuals that he had met in his seafaring journey through the cosmos. It would really be disastrous if such power was wielded by individuals who truly knew how to use it to its full potential. Is this the power of an Emanator?
Not the best odds, he would admit, but he had a feeling that he had faced worse before he lost his memories.
"Temporal," he called and his sword appeared in his hand. He soon found the people he had been searching for so long, fighting alongside a white-haired Xianzhou native who he assumed to be the general that everyone was talking about. Their opponent was a giant woman who reeked the scent of Destruction.
And… is that Dan Heng?
He knew it. He was right. Dan Heng was a dragon all along. Maybe they had really once met before he had lost his memories?
"Watch out!" March cried out when Phantylia unleashed another destructive attack. The girl quickly conjured her icy shield to mitigate the worst of the blow. She still wasn't fast enough to help block the next attack, however, but Stelle was able to parry it with her flaming lance.
But that left nobody else to block the third wave of attack that came after that. Mr Yang and Dan Heng had their hands full trying to destroy the flowers and oh Aeon– she couldn't believe Lucine was actually right in his blind guess, Dan Heng really is a dragon. General Jing Yuan was trying to get to the main body while everyone else held those flowers back but Phantylia's too huge!
"General Jing Yuan! Dan Heng! Quick, get back!" March shouted but that sounded easier than it really was for the two former members of the High Cloud Quintet. Phantylia had been angered for how these ants had foiled her schemes and how they had proved to be much more annoying than she initially assumed they would be.
The world suddenly felt muted of its voice just as Phantylia's attack was about to harm Jing Yuan and Dan Heng. The world had turned silent but the voice of the person who the crew least expected to be here at this moment could be clearly heard.
"I will block the attack! Dan Heng, push on!"
The sea roared at the summon of Dan Heng's cloudhymm magic and the slash of the abyssal depths consumed Phantylia's attack. Dan Heng's water construct slammed into Phantylia's body at full power, causing her to grunt in pain.
"Pests–!"
"LUCINE! IT'S LUCINE! YOU MADE IT! AHAHAHA! Take this, Phantylia! You are definitely going to lose now that Lucine's here! You are going down!" March exclaimed in delight and relieved smiles could be spotted on every crew of the Express that were present. Their strongest combatant was a little late to the party, but better late than never.
"You guys are never going to believe what I have been through. Speaking of which, how did we get into this mess?" Lucine asked as he landed and stood at the forefront with his fellow crew, his sword already brandished. The Temporal Sword was trembling excitedly in his hand, singing in joy for finally having the opportunity to fight a powerful foe.
"Umm, cos Kafka directed us here, remember?"
"Right, I shouldn't have asked," Lucine replied as he parried another powerful blow from Phantylia. The way he did it so effortlessly was affirmation for Jing Yuan, that this enigmatic Nameless that the crew had mentioned several times during their conversations was indeed as powerful as they had claimed. Lucine took another stance and vanished in a swift blur. One of Phantylia's flowers was sliced into two in the blink of an eye.
"SHOW HER WHAT YOU GOT, LUCINE!" March yelled in support as she fired her arrows to try and provide some cover fire for their duelist. Welt had also summoned black holes to consume some of these flowers and even if these flowers were proving to be more durable than he thought, he could at least slow them down long enough for Lucine to judge them by his blade.
"Don't get conceited!" Phantylia flicked her finger and Lucine had no other choice but to block the blow. The force of the attack hurled him backwards but he quickly righted himself in the air. He spoke to the waters and they answered his call, surging forth in a rising towering wave that threatened to drown Phantylia.
The image of another water dragon briefly flashed across his mind. Who is that dragon? He could not recall. He also did not have the luxury of time to take a trip down memory lane as it was.
He had to deal with the Emanator of Destruction and win this duel as soon as possible.
"Be sanctified," Lucine spoke in a cold tone as he directed the full force of the vortex right at Phantylia's body, assisted by Dan Heng who supported him with his cloudhymm magic. Lucine had no idea how horns had suddenly grown on Dan Heng's head but he would question him about his growth spurt later.
"Are we still ants to you, Phantylia?" Jing Yuan taunted as he summoned his Lightning Lord, finally matching Phantylia size for size. "So much effort to crush us, and met with so little success… I wonder what the other Ravagers would think."
"Something's not right with her!" Lucine warned when he sensed a tremendous power building up inside of Phantylia. True enough, the woman suddenly grew even impossibly larger, more flowers bloomed around them and even her colour had changed to the fiery mixture of colours consisting of red and black and orange that signified Destruction. She's serious now.
"It's almost as if you can't wait to be acquainted with them… I'm afraid you won't have the chance," Phantylia raised her right hand in answer and then smacked it down as if trying to crush measly ants. Given how small they were compared to her size it probably wasn't that far off from the truth, Phantylia was really huge.
"Dodge it!"
"No need! I will handle it!" Jing Yuan shouted as his Lightning Lord not only blocked the attack, but also weaved in his own counterattack that hurt Phantylia at the same time. Lucine could tell that this Xianzhou general definitely was a powerful combatant just from that display of skill alone. Wonder if he would be agreeable to duel him once this is all over?
"Out of ideas, Phantylia?"
"Forgive my indulgence. Your struggle in the face of certain death is… touching," Phantylia returned Jing Yuan's taunt with her own, coalescing the combination of the power of both Destruction and Abundance into a devastating energy orb before hurling down at them.
"I…I can't block that!" March's anxious shout could be heard just as swarms of Destruction's voidrangers started to appear per Phantylia's summon. Jing Yuan commanded the Lightning Lord to slash at the orb but a bloom of the power of Abundance at Phantylia's command stopped him prematurely.
"Watch out!"
Dan Heng's cry of warning was a little late, Phantylia had detonated her attack. All March was able to see in the last moments before everything turned scorchingly bright was how a familiar figure who she frequently bickered with put himself in harm's way for the crew of the Express.
The surge of raging tides dispersed the hostile power surrounding them. The duelist who the Express had never seen knew the meaning of defeat was down on a single knee for the very first time, his sword stabbed into the ground to support his own weight. His robes were torn, he was missing an arm, and literal holes were riddled in his body that had even the fearless host of the Stelleron feel a shred of fear and worry.
Phantylia was not merciful enough to give them any room to breathe. She pointed a finger in their direction and voidrangers immediately pounced at them. Welt instantly stepped up and with a determined shout, conjured a blackhole that disintegrated the enemies into dust. A flaming lance pierced through the remaining enemies that Welt did not manage to get as Stelle valiantly impaled another voidranger that tried to end Lucine's life.
Arrows of ice struck the dangerous flowers that were about to bloom around Stelle who had ventured far too ahead in her rage-induced attack. March desperately tried to provide cover fire for Stelle as Dan Heng moved to assist the general who was forcing Phantylia to focus her attention on him with his relentless attacks. Lucine winced, not in pain at the injuries that he just suffered, but at the sudden flash of memories that came at the worst timing.
They were in a huge desert. He remembered leading a large troop alongside a beautiful woman whose visage appeared as a blank in his memories. Yet, he knew that she's important to him.
"What's wrong, my Grand Duelist?" The woman who wielded a sword similar to his asked just as a horrendous black tide spilled forth from the depths of the desert. He didn't know how he knew, but he understood that they had to hold the line here by hook or by crook or their home would be at the mercy of the darkness.
"The… is no laughing matter. Allow me to be the vanguard," the Temporal Sword was drawn. The gleam of the light that reflected off its blade spoke of a promise to uphold justice for the world.
"How can I possibly hide behind my Grand Duelist when stakes are so high?" The woman laughed as if they weren't about to throw themselves into the worst war to ever be waged. "I am the God of Justice, Lucine, and it was me who taught you your bladework."
The Sword of Spiritual Justice was drawn and the twin swords slashed in the direction of the darkness by their wielder's hands. The brave soldiers behind them yelled a determined warcry as they charged forth under their leadership. Water flowed in continuity, endless in volume and neverending depth.
Powerful monsters spilled forth, spitting out destructive attacks and leaving immense destruction in their wake. The Grand Duelist had to put himself at the forefront numerous times to bodily block the attacks and defend the people behind his back but his inability to truly die was the army's greatest source of courage. His overwhelming vitality allowed the grievous wounds that littered his body to heal in the blink of an eye. The robes he wore shone in a bright blue as the vast power he wielded gave them an oath that he too, will fight down to his last breath alongside them.
"The… Cataclysm– urgh!" Another acute spike of discomfort slammed into Lucine's mind like a nail that had been hammered into the depths of his soul. All that filled his mind now were images of the horrendous darkness that tainted everything pure, his hatred for them, and the sudden surge of rage that's rapidly filling his entire body and coursing through his veins.
He saw how Phantylia's giant body moved at a speed that's too fast and unbefitting for someone her size. His mangled body was already moving as Phantylia did when he understood what she's trying to do. Phantylia's hand was grabbing at Stelle but the reckless girl was too far ahead. Welt and March were being held up by the voidrangers, Dan Heng and the general were being blocked by the sea of dangerous flowers. There's only him left to save Stelle.
For what reason does he wield his sword– Lucine had never needed to ask himself this question despite being an amnesiac. The answer that came to him was as natural as breathing. He fights for those who cannot, to uphold justice where it's needed but now…
"I swear to be your sword to enact justice upon the world."
A furious abyssal slash managed to reach Stelle before Phantylia's hand did, forcing the Lord Ravager to back off or risk having her hand sliced in halves. Stelle's worried shout was drowned out by the chaotic din because no matter how the logic of the world could usually be defied when the power of Paths came into play Lucine definitely didn't look like he should be moving around in his current state, much less jumping back into the fray.
"You… are annoying," Phantylia seethed. Lucine merely narrowed his eyes at her in answer. He couldn't remember everything, but he believed that his sword used to serve that woman in his memories and the people which she governed, the woman who called herself a God of Justice. Together, they once upheld justice in their land and promised their people a magnificent nation that they loved for its purity.
If only he remembered her name.
Wilted plant-like organisms started to revitalise and bloom. Various abominations of the Abundance started to emerge from these plants and tried to end the lives of Lucine and Stelle. Stelle charged ahead with a shout but was instantly overtaken by the duelist. The Galactic Baseballer watched in awe at how Lucine's robes were quickly mending themselves back into its pristine state, shining a pure bright blue. She watched as the wounds on his body closed up in the blink of an eye and how his missing arm grew back like it was never torn off. Come to think about it, she had never seen Lucine spill a drop of blood despite how grievously injured he was earlier. All that leaked from his battered body…
Was water.
"You are beyond redemption," the duelist's cold and furious voice was accompanied by an unnatural surge of power that came from him. That surge of power came so rapidly and built up too suddenly that it was impossible for everyone to not notice. Even Phantylia no longer looked as confident because the situation clearly had spiralled out of her control. She is an Emanator. Only an Emanator could possibly fight another on an equal playing field and even that wasn't necessarily a given– the Luofu General was an example– so how…
The power of both Destruction and Abundance furiously slammed against Lucine's sword, neither party yielding to the other.
"Who are you?!"
"I wish I knew," Lucine scoffed as power he didn't even know he had started to fill him. Was he ever this powerful? Even he didn't have an answer, but he's just glad that such a power was at his disposal. Thick roots tore through the earth and strangled Lucine at Phantylia's command. Phantylia was trying to restrict his limbs such that he could not even swing his sword.
"Hah! An amnesiac trying to play hero? How utterly hilarious!"
"Descender from another world? Cooooool! Hah, now I finally have …! Hey, how about you become my sword?"
A Descender, was that what he was? What does the term Descender mean? From where had he descended from?
Who is he?
"I… really wish I knew!"
A vortex of water enveloped Lucine and Stelle watched in confusion at how Lucine dissolved into water, allowing him to easily slip through Phantylia's grasp and swiftly leapt in Phantylia's direction within seconds. Lucine transformed back into his human form and the tides suddenly rose around them.
The darkness that Phantylia beckoned, it reminded him of terrible memories that he had forgotten but would never forget his hatred for. He couldn't remember how he knew but he understood that it was darkness that stole away his life and time.
If only you are here to hear my voice, my archon.
What is my purpose now that you are gone?
An anguished shout fuelled Lucine's swing as broken pieces of painful memories started to randomly appear and vanish uncontrollably. He remembered the dark clouds and rain, the gaping feeling of loss he felt when he stood alone in a city within the storm that he recognised yet also could not recognise after he finally managed to return to the place he called home. It was like a hole that opened in his heart that could not be filled when the realisation really hit him, that he no longer had a purpose to wield a sword.
Because his sword was not needed anymore
"You are not natural," Phantylia stated. She no longer exuded unquestionable confidence and even her irritation and frustration had been temporarily layered by a thin sheet of caution. The man who was obviously born from water had power that was so unnatural that it made her feel as if she was facing off a fellow Emanator. Yet, he didn't feel like an Emanator. She also couldn't identify the Path he strode on and that was a strange thing in itself. All Pathstriders exuded a certain trait from the powers they wield, almost like some sort of brand or mark, that allow people to identify the Paths that they were aligned to.
Yet, this sword-wielding man, his power was so vast yet undefined.
He couldn't remember where he truly originated from. All he remembered was that he was born from a drop of pure dew that fell into the world from beyond the heavens. She said that he was a Descender and extended him an invitation.
"Enact justice upon the world for me, Lucine. Be my sword that smites all evil, be my will that uphold our beliefs and hopes for this land."
Those were her words that she told him when they first met and she extended an invitation to him. He had the power and ability to naturally perceive truth from lies. He knew from the start that her words were insincere. He could see the unadulterated hate and anger that secretly swelled in her heart, directed at beings that were dwelling in the skies.
He remembered that the pure dew that he was born from was just a drop of the sea that he believed he could no longer return to. He was forsaken, he had no place to go and thus remained in her nation despite knowing that her initial intentions for him were not pure.
His ability to purify all corruption and be reborn again and again in a perpetual cycle was an alien ability not of the world he ended up in. However, he would lose a little bit of his memories with every rebirth but it was of little consequence since he now had friends to remember them for him. What he didn't tell them was that he would lose bits of memories of his origins with every death and that these memories were ones that nobody could remember for him.
He chose to let his past go. As the long passage of time passed, as he gradually integrated himself into this new world and its inhabitants, he eventually chose to cast his past behind and truly accepted himself as an inhabitant of this new world too.
The God of Justice which he followed eventually managed to put down the hatred in her heart. He became her Grand Duelist as they both swore an oath that life will always be present in the nation which they presided over. The lost memories of his origins never returned and eventually disappeared completely but his power slowly grew over the thousands of years that he lived in a nation that upheld justice.
"Enact justice upon the world for me, Lucine. Be my sword that smites all evil, be my will that uphold our beliefs and hopes for this land. Will you swear by that?"
Her words this time were sincere. The fountain that she built in his name and the sword which she bestowed him remained a testament to her sincerity to make amends. He remembered getting down to a single knee in front of the god he served as he accepted her gift with both hands.
"I swear, my archon."
Corrosive flames of Destruction wreathed Lucine's body, the cursed power fuelling the fire unknowingly burning through the karmic chains that bound him to the whims of fate of a world that he once protected. Images of things and people that he couldn't remember nor recognise started to fill his head and the duelist screamed from the mental anguish.
"Lucine!" March's horrified scream drove the anxiety of the crew to heights never before felt. Stelle was the closest to Lucine's location. She tried charging in with her lance but abominations of the Abundance bloomed rapidly to surround and overwhelm her with their numbers.
"Hah! You talk big for a fool that believed in the naive ideals of justice, but you will bow down to the Destruction of the same! You don't even know who you are! And that's why you will never defeat me!"
"I swear to be your sword to enact justice upon the world."
He was taught the techniques of the divine. He honed his skills against a dragon that called himself the Fell Dragon Prince who dwelled in a sea in an era long bygone.
"I never thought I would have this much fun when Egeria asked me for a favour to train you. You are pretty good. What's your name?"
"My name? Lucine Fontinas. I am…"
He saw a giant whale. He remembered the raging tides that threatened to devour a nation whole. He remembered dragging his dying body to the duelling ring for the last time. He…
He… remembered the magnificent beauty of the land he swore to protect that took his breath away every single time he laid his eyes on it. He remembered the wish of a young girl who looked up and aspired to be like him.
"I wish… to gaze upon his full strength with my own eyes."
He is…
The desperate roar of a dragon tried to extinguish the corrosive flames of Destruction that consumed Lucine. Phantylia's confidence returned with a smirk now that the biggest unpredictable threat to her was being bathed by her flames and she tore the water construct with her bare hands. The Luofu General wielded the power of the Lightning Lord to cleave her but the power of the Abundance allowed her to easily shrug off his attacks. Not even the all-consuming black hole could hurt her faster than she could recover from her wounds.
"So this is the power of Abundance! I'm starting to take a real liking to it!" Phantylia proclaimed with a pleased shout as she summoned yet another army of voidrangers and abominations of Abundance. Her flames of Destruction would fully consume that annoying swordsman soon and she looked forward to turning him into one of her voidrangers.
"What's wrong, my Grand Duelist? Feeling sentimental today?"
The woman's visage was starting to become clearer. It's the same beautiful face that he saw on the various statues that were erected across their nation. The God of Justice which he served was a truly gentle god once she had triumphed over her inner demons and it was why he willingly became her sword.
His sword exists to serve their nation and her. Her name… Her name is…!
"It's raining again."
"Do you need me to get you a parasol?"
"Can't you just stop the rain?"
"Why would I? Rain is my way of blessing my people," the woman with a slight flair for the dramatics did a playful twirl as she stepped outside into the rain. The water swirled around her as he watched his deity dance in the rain. He was about to call her, her name was just on the tip of his tongue, but it was like an unseen block was preventing him from calling out to her.
Phantylia reached out to grab the Luofu General and the thick roots of the Ambroisal Arbor lashed out to restrain the Lightning Lord.
"Jing Yuan!"
"Not good–!" Jing Yuan said through gritted teeth as beads of sweat dripped down his brow. The power of Abundance which she stole from the Arbor had been steadily harmonising with her own power as an Emanator of Destruction and it was why they came here as soon as they could. It was to prevent her from fully absorbing the power of Abundance. It's imperative for them to end things here because Phantylia's power was steadily growing to unimaginable heights as the seconds ticked by.
"Witness the power of Destruction!" Phantylia's proclamation made the Scalegorge Waterscape tremble and quake. Chaotic orbs that harboured both the combination of power of both Abundance and Destruction surrounded the crew of the Astral Express and the Luofu General, already on the verge of erupting into a cataclysmic explosion to spell the end of the Xianzhou Luofu.
"For the Aeon Nanook!"
"Lady Egeria."
Her dance ended and so did the rain. The dark clouds parted and allowed the warm rays of the sun to shine through once more. A violin magically appeared in her hands and the beautiful yet melancholic sound of the violin filled the air as his god performed a melody that he never heard before until that day.
"Pluie sur la ville… Rain on the City. Why did raindrops fall upon the city like tearful cries? Nobody can answer but… it's alright to cry. That's why rain falls upon the city."
"I don't cry."
"It's okay to feel sad. You came from outside Teyvat… I would feel homesick too if I could no longer return to the place which used to be my home. You might be a Descender but you will always find a home here in our nation."
"Lady Egeria–"
"You are a strong man, Lucine, one with conviction that never falters. I like that about you. If there comes a day where you really can return back to where you came from I will give you my blessings."
Her index finger playfully tapped on the center of his forehead.
"May the torrent of your life never run dry, your conviction everlasting into the end time nigh. Lucine, it's time for you to wake up. The new friends that you made, they need your sword now."
The shards of memories around them slowly shattered. All that remained around them were the cursed flames that promised annihilation.
"Lady Egeria…?"
The former God of Justice smiled, still as divinely beautiful as he remembered when he lost her. He shakily raised his hand and she took his hand in hers, allowing her to touch her face to verify her existence.
"It's been a long time, Lucine, I never thought we would get to meet again like this."
"I… How…" Lucine held his head in pain and confusion, still not understanding what was going on. All he finally knew was that this was the god he served and followed till his life ended and that he finally recalled her name. Yet…
There's still so much that he couldn't recall.
"Our time here is brief, you also probably will not remember me again after you wake up but it will be fine, it might be better for you if you forget all about me. You need to start looking forward into the future, Lucine," Egeria slowly took a step forward and gently pressed her index finger on his forehead again like how she once did many many many years ago. "This is the last thing I can do for you. This last layer of protection that I left you with during the Cataclysm wasn't meant to be used like this, but I'm glad to have the chance to meet you again one last time nevertheless. Thank you, Lucine, for all that you had done for me and Fontaine. Thank you for being my Grand Duelist."
"No, wait–!"
Lucine tried to grab hold of the woman who he knew was important to him but his hands simply passed through her as if she wasn't there. He had not a single shred of idea what was happening right now but he just understood that he didn't want to lose her again. He just knew that he had lost her once, failed her when she needed him the most.
He didn't want to fail her a second time.
He didn't want to forget her a second time.
He will do anything to make her stay, to make amends, to recreate a future for their nation free from the horrors of war, where the guilty would be judged for their sins and the innocents protected by the enactment of law and justice. That was the oath they swore when they became Fontaine's protectors, even if they knew that justice would never be perfect, even if they knew that true justice only exists in an ideal world.
It was a fool's dream, but it was a dream they shared. Justice was the means they used to build their ideal world. To protect the innocents from evil, to bring order to chaos through law– just like how the scales of justice would always seek to reach a state of perfect balance and equilibrium they had worked tirelessly to ensure that their ideal of "Justice" would build a nation where people would feel safe, protected and happy from the injustice that permeated their world.
Egeria's form started to fade and dissolve as the last of her divine power that she left him with started to deplete. She's but a remnant of power left behind by the original Egeria. The corruption of the Abyss was too powerful even for Lucine and so the Hydro Archon tried to protect Lucine with her power before he perished in the war against the Abyss during the Cataclysm. It was how Lucine was able to finally resurrect even if it happened five hundred years too late, and it was this same power that helped him keep the abyssal corruption trapped in his body at bay after he revived in the far future when it should have killed him.
The corrosion of the Abyss had been purged from his body when he executed himself with the Sword of Mercy to save Fontaine. However, the scar that was left by the Sword of Mercy in Lucine's soul was not something that she can repair and it was why Lucine had forgotten almost everything that made him, him. She had tried to restore these missing memories for him but ultimately failed to do so.
She failed to help him remember who he is, but she had succeeded in protecting him one more time. She's glad that she was able to protect him one last time.
"May the torrent of your life never run dry, your conviction everlasting into the end time nigh," Egeria whispered her last words and blessings to him before she faded into nothing, her forehead pressed against his in one final farewell. He would no longer remember her but it's a price she's willing to pay for her one and only person that she saw as her own family.
"Goodbye, Lucine."
Thank you for enacting justice upon the world for me.
A gigantic black hole manifested as the man who inherited the name of the world called forth his full power to protect the people and things that he cherished, his determined shout fuelling the strength of his power. The Lightning Lord attempted to cleave and detonate the numerous orbs prematurely before they came into the blast radius but it wasn't enough.
They wouldn't be fast enough.
"Everyone, stand back!" Dan Heng put himself at the forefront and with a desperate shout, called forth the full power of his cloudhymm magic to send them away from Phantylia, fully intending to sacrifice himself for his friends if it meant they could survive this battle.
His past had caught up to him, but this battle had nothing to do with them. This karma, this cursed fate–
It shall end here with him.
Several things happened at once. A violent swirl of water erupted just as the remaining orbs thrown by Phantylia exploded, the flames of Destruction were blocked by a curtain of water just as an ancient gaze fell upon the figure in the center of the violent vortex.
"That's–!" Jing Yuan's eyes went wide when he felt the unmistakable power of an Aeon. Someone here had caught the gaze of an Aeon and of all Aeons to have made an appearance it was one of the most ancient Aeons. The flames of Destruction that previously consumed Lucine were now extinguished and the duelist was now back up on his feet, his wounds healed and robes pristine.
"Lady Egeria…" The soft whisper of a name escaped Lucine's lips. No matter how hard he tried to recall the owner of that name and face, all that appeared was a very distorted image that briefly appeared before vanishing just as quickly, and then failed to return to him at all.
He just couldn't remember what he just recalled in that brief moment of clarity shortly before the flames were extinguished. He couldn't remember what that name meant to him any longer, so why…
Why were tears streaming down his face at the mention of that name?
Humongous roots emerged to snare him again. A silent rage fuelled Lucine's body as he screamed in rage, in anguish, in grief at things he knew he lost but would never remember. He didn't even care about the gaze of the powerful existence that was staring right at him and just greedily took in all the power that came pouring in from the ancient existence.
"Phantylia!"
Lucine's sword trembled at the tremendous power imbued into it. The power of Equilibrium that was now truly his to wield allowed him to tip all scales into his favour till it reached a balance. The summit of Egeria Bladework tore through the Ambroisal Arbor and the Grand Duelist found himself suddenly surrounded by flowers that self-destructed and the resulting explosion engulfed Lucine whole.
Worried shouts could be heard from the Express crew but that soon turned to cheers when Lucine not only emerged unscathed, but also managed to close the distance to sever one of Phantylia's fingers.
"Why would HooH grant you power?!" Phantylia shrieked in a mixture of rage, confusion and now, fear. The ancient Aeon adhered to a strict set of logic and rules so why… why–!
Why had HooH granted that man power and made him THEIR Emanator?!
"How the hell would I know?! Go ask THEM yourself!" Lucine screamed back at Phantylia in return. All he understood was that a huge gaping hole had been ripped open in his heart at the understanding that he had forever lost something and someone very important to him, but now destined to never recall just what he had lost. He's grieving, he's anguished, and he's very angry.
If Phantylia didn't appear, maybe he would have lived long enough to naturally remember the person whom he had forgotten without needing to sacrifice the last memory he had of her. He was so close– He was so close to remembering who she was and keeping that memory for good.
The power of Equilibrium wilted the surrounding thick roots with every slash Lucine made with his sword. The flames of Destruction extinguished with the passing rain that manifested from Lucine's power. Phantylia slammed her hand down but failed to squash the duelist. He's simply too fast to be caught. The robes the duelist wore began to shine a bright blue. The waters around them started to rage.
"Getting desperate?" Lucine taunted, his tears still not yet dry from the sorrow of knowing that he had lost someone that would remain forgotten and his hands still trembling with fury. "You must be. All this power… and you still are unable to kill me. How infuriating would that feeling be, I wonder? Are all the Ravagers like you? If so, culling all of them to enact justice will be easier than I thought."
"Hmph, you want to see my full strength? If you really want to court death so badly, fine, I shall grant you that wish!"
"Stole the words out of my mouth, Fontala!"
"The name's Phantylia!"
The rage of the sea crashed against the fury of the Destruction. At this juncture Phantylia had ignored everyone else in her attempt to put down the duelist who had risen to become an Emanator like she did. She's enraged, rightfully so, and nothing would appease her until the arrogant sword waving pest had been exterminated and she turned him into one of her voidrangers.
The water moved at Lucine's command, swallowing the flames of Destruction with every swing of his sword. A huge towering sword of water manifested above Phantylia at his beckoning and Lucine directed the construct to fall with another slash of his sword, sending it crashing down like a guillotine. Phantylia screamed in anger, tearing the sword apart with her bare hands, but that left her open to Jing Yuan's Lightning Lord who swung its blade at her that left her screeching in pain.
"W-Wow… I know Lucine's powerful but this… Isn't this a little too much?" Stelle watched the battle unfolding ahead in awe.
"He just became an Emanator, didn't he? Or was I imagining it?" Even Dan Heng cannot help but question as he supported the battle from afar with his cloudhymm magic. Where it took one Arbiter-General, one high elder of the vidyadhara and three nameless to even try and fight on equal footing with the Emanator of Destruction earlier, Lucine was now duelling her like it was just another normal day for him even if it's still a mystery why he's now so angry and looked so sad.
"Who cares?! He's Lucine!" March yelled over the din as she fired her arrows and also tried to provide some protection with her shields. Stelle was trying to take down as many of those pesky flowers as she could with Welt sticking close to their youngest member, disintegrating them with the power of gravity.
Rain fell, healing the fatigue and injuries of allies but stabbing into the skin of its wielder's enemies like countless sharp blades. The power of everlasting rain that once protected a nation of justice made its appearance with the stormy clouds, bellowing in fury at the injustice that the Emanator of Destruction had brought along with her schemes.
"The power of water is its ability to take any shape. Let this be your first lesson to you: size isn't everything, Fontala," Lucine mercilessly intoned as he swung his blade and cut off Phantylia's right arm. The scream of the Emanator could be heard resonating throughout the entire Scalegorge Waterscape loud and clear.
The tides swelled and rose, consuming the sea of deadly flowers into its unending depth.
"Your second lesson: all crimes will have to pay their due someday. The deaths I can see lingering around you, the innocent lives I had sensed that you had taken; I will enact justice upon you on their behalf for the sins you had committed," another slash imbued with the abyssal power of the sea came crashing at Phantylia, who had regrew her severed limb with the power of Abundance, but that newly regrown limb was lost as soon as she had regrew it.
"Does it hurt, Fontala? This is but a fraction of what your victims must have felt in your senseless search for destruction. Your third lesson–"
The Sword of Temporal Justice shone a deep blue hue, resonating with the power granted to it by its rightful wielder. The sword had experienced countless battles which it had fought alongside its wielder for thousands of years before they found themselves among the sea of stars. This little scuffle is but one of many, like a droplet in an ocean, nothing of note to worry about.
They had faced worse odds before.
Enact justice upon the world for me
Be my sword that smites all evil
Be my will that uphold our beliefs and hopes for this land
Lucine pushed through with a determined shout. His sword roared with the power of the sea that seeked to uphold justice, speaking of the oath its wielder once swore to his deity, demonstrating the reason why it was forged. Not everyone has the power to protect themselves from the neverending injustice that permeates the world and thus why both the sword and its wielder exist.
They swore to uphold justice like the everlasting rain, to judge the sea of sins, to enact justice upon the world.
" – Justice always prevails."
"If so, it might be selfish of me to say this, but while I don't wish to see… another calamity, I do wish to see the return of our Grand Duelist, even if just for a short moment. I wish…
Another memory he's sure was precious to him briefly flashed across his mind again. The words of a young girl echoed in his memories. The face of the child became a little clearer, even if it's still not yet clear enough for him to fully remember how she looked, but he heard her request loud and clear.
"... to gaze upon his full strength with my own eyes."
"Judgement"
The duelist's most powerful technique sliced the Emanator's body into two, consuming all of her abominable creations in its wake. The earth trembled in pain, the skies weeped in agony as the might of the raging sea sought justice for those who were wrongly hurt by the schemes of Destruction. The summit of a duelist's full strength was displayed right in the Xianzhou Luofu where dragons once dwelled, telling of a promise that even if justice may be late to judge the sinned, it will never be absent.
All crimes will have to pay their due, for justice will always prevail.
The immense power unleashed grew without restraint and finally imploded, reducing all to nothing and the voice of the world went silent until water fell upon them as rain. The body of the Lord Ravager had been vanquished, but the soul inhabiting it– if Lucine could call it that, had made her cowardly escape through some mysterious technique that prevented even Lucine from giving chase. The ancient gaze of a powerful existence that granted him power had also vanished, leaving him with no answers to the many questions he had.
What's THEIR deal? Coming from out of nowhere to suddenly grant him power like that without an explanation nor reason?
"... Coward, just like that goat-head," Lucine could not help but scoff at Phantylia's cowardly and underhanded tactics and he could feel his Temporal Sword echoing his sentiments, violently protesting at the cowardly behaviour of Phantylia. These devotees of Destruction were definitely good at saving their own skin, Lucine would admit. He had already allowed them to escape his verdict twice. Shame on him.
He should look into inventing a technique that would prevent any and all forms of escape when he had the time. The followers of Destruction are as pesky as the bugs of the Swarm, it wouldn't be long before the Express runs into them again. Having such a technique in his arsenal would be necessary.
Lucine's robes started to dim in colour as he slowly reined his power back in now that the fight's over. He used the back of his hand to wipe the tears away from his eyes for he could no longer even remember for whom or what he was feeling so anguished and sorrowful for. He heard footsteps running towards him and turned around, spotting the rest of the crew and of course, the Xianzhou general.
"Lucine, Lucine! Oh gosh, you were so cool back there! Ahh! I really should have taken some pictures–"
"In the heat of the battle? Really?" Stelle loudly questioned March's priorities.
"So, nobody is talking about how Dan Heng now has dragon horns?" Lucine asked instead when he decided to momentarily put all the doom and gloom behind him. He will try to figure out later in private what really happened to his memories when he was being consumed by the flames of Destruction.
For now, he didn't want his crew to worry about him.
"I knew I was right, you had to be a dragon all along– wait, do you happen to have a dragon brother or family member who controls the power of rocks and stone? No, even before that, I thought you said you will remain on the Express? Not that I'm not happy to see you but what are you doing here? Where's Himeko?"
"I'm afraid I do not know of such a vidyadhara," Dan Heng shook his head and slowly reverted back to his original human form that the Express was more familiar with rather than those of his vidyadhara's, "and my presence here is a long story. Himeko is keeping Pom-Pom company on the train."
"Huh, I was so sure I had a dragon friend who looked really similar to you and had the power to rain gigantic lances of stones and move the earth…" Lucine frowned and tried to recall those fleeting memories but failed, as usual. Was he imagining things again? That feeling felt so real though.
"Welcome back, Lucine. Judging from your description, I think it's likely you once befriended a vidyadhara from one of the other Xianzhou ships?" Welt helpfully suggested and turned to the Divine Foresight. "Maybe General Jing Yuan can help you."
"Ahaha, I personally am not aware of any vidyadhara who had the power to move the earth as our friend here claimed, but I can certainly help to ask around," Jing Yuan said goodnaturedly. "And thank you, Lucine, your timely arrival and presence was really a great help in driving the Ravager out of the Luofu. I offer you and the Express my sincere gratitude on behalf of the Luofu."
"No need to thank me, I'm just doing what I believe to be right. You are pretty good yourself, General. Want to duel someday?"
"Lucine!" March hissed at him in horror and quickly dragged him aside. "You don't just go around challenging people to duels like that! Propriety, propriety!"
"Why not? That Mer… Mermaid Tooth? Or whatever, she's pretty accommodating and fun. Urgh, what ship was she from again? She promised me a rematch, I need to pay a visit someday…"
"Are you referring to the Xianzhou Yaoqing Merlin's Claw, General Feixiao?" Jing Yuan asked. "It certainly would be within her character to want to challenge you to a duel."
"Ah, yes! That's her name!"
"I see, I see. I can contact her on your behalf if you like."
"Really? Thanks."
"Mr Yang! Do something! Please don't let him En Garde the generals!"
"I'm afraid even I… have my limits, March," Welt admitted with a tired sigh. He's starting to realise that he had been doing this a lot as of late. Is his age finally starting to catch up to him?
"Nobody can stop Lucine from trailblazing on the path of En Garde," Stelle nodded solemnly and she raised her lance to give a perfect imitation of Lucine's signature En Garde stance. "En Garde!"
"He's more destructive than that Destruction Emanator," March groaned before giggling to herself, "but it was kind of funny how he got her name wrong! Fontala? Seriously?"
"Humiliation of the highest level," Dan Heng agreed with a smile at that particular memory. Phantylia was more than just peeved when Lucine repeatedly failed to get her name right.
"At least everything turned out well," Welt smiled. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm sure Himeko and Pom-Pom must be worried, so let us text them that we are safe the moment we step out of this place."
"I can do that! With pictures too! This place is too pretty to not snap some pictures!" March volunteered and turned to call for the remaining two members of the group. "Hey Lucine! General Jing Yuan! Take a break from all the En Garde-ing! Let's take some pictures! To, you know, commemorate our victory?"
"I certainly wouldn't object to that," Jing Yuan agreed with a hearty laugh.
And the click of the shutter marked the happy end of a crisis.
"Boss, one songlotus cake!"
"Two berrypheasant skewers!"
"Coming right up!"
The teahouse of the Luofu brought back a faint sense of nostalgia for the duelist, almost as if he had been to a similar place with very similar culture to the Luofu before. He took his time to sip on his tea, enjoying the busy hustle and bustle that he's now within.
He had ordered brews from each and every Xianzhou ship while at the teahouse and had even ascertained with the boss of the teahouse that they were home-brewed on their respective Xianzhou's ships. He had tasted every single one of them and verified that none of the Xianzhou ships were his homeworld even if the sights of the Xianzhou do feel familiar to him in one way or another he just cannot explain. His best guess was that he had indeed arrived at and stayed at one of the Xianzhou ships for some time before he lost his memories.
Welt had brought the children to visit the general at… wherever his office was supposed to be at. Lucine was not interested in all the political talk, he had always been more of the brawn than brains kind of person so he will leave it to Welt to deal with Jing Yuan. He found his time better spent in the teahouse like this, watching people come and go and enjoying the tea he sips on. He had a feeling he once enjoyed a similar kind of tea to the one he's currently drinking, with companions.
But who?
"Boss, six bowls of almond tofu!"
"Coming right up!"
Five individuals, a huge man with four arms, a lady of fire, one woman of water and large claw-like appendages for hands, a tall lanky man with an eye for art, and a shorter one that hunted demons as per his duty.
"If it isn't our Grand Duelist! Here to accompany your… for the gathering again? Hey, you are just in time to join us! It's Alatus' birthday today! Boss, six bowls of almond tofu!"
"Coming right up!"
"Urgh…!" Lucine clutched onto his head in discomfort when another random spike of memory hit him again. That inn which sits upon the tree, the foreign friends he had made in a neighbouring nation, the bowls of almond tofu they shared with their laughters…
Who are these people? Were they friends?
"Come, Lucine. You and me, right here and now! The great Bosacius is not going to lose this time!"
"Big words."
"Urgh…! Darn it…!" Lucine couldn't help but mutter a curse as the splitting headache got increasingly painful when those memories started to hit him like an uncontrollable flood and nothing he did could stop the pain.
"Big brother, you pushed yourself too hard again," the lady who wields the power of water like he did released a fond sigh as she healed the wounds of the large four-armed man.
"AHAHAHA! But it was a great duel! Wouldn't you say so, Lucine?"
"It was."
That headache rapidly faded away just as those memories ended there. Lucine took deep breaths to calm himself down. What was that? Who are they? These people he saw in that memory… no, they clearly weren't human, just like he definitely isn't one. Were they his friends?
Alatus, Bosacius… who are they?
" –cine! Lucine? Lucine!"
"Huh?" Lucine's focus was finally brought back to reality when he finally heard March calling out to him. He raised his head, spotting the concerned looks of his crew.
"You okay? Did you have another flash again?"
"Yeah. Alatus, Bosacius… I believed these are the names of people… no, they are not human, but I believe I was friends with them and their siblings."
And there was one more person, one more name, a very important name that he recalled during the battle with Phantylia, but could no longer remember.
"I see. We shall remember their names for you," Welt pledged. "Do you feel better? If not, I can stay behind to keep you company. Stelle and the rest can finish the last part of our task."
"Are you guys in a hurry to go somewhere?"
"We are helping Madam Yukong with the soul-soothing ceremony for… ah, you wouldn't know who that Amicassador is since you weren't there at all. It's a long story, I don't even know where to start," March replied.
"Soul-soothing ceremony?"
"It's a funeral ceremony held by foxians. The Amicassador we are holding the ceremony for was a foxian, you see. She's a victim of Phantylia's schemes and her body was never found."
"Yukong…" Lucine closed his eyes and tried his best to recall who the owner of that name was. He's sure he had heard it somewhere from someone very recently. Problem is, from who and where?
"Eh, don't think too hard about it if it's too much," March patted her fellow amnesiac on the back. "You really don't look like you are alright. Did the battle with Phantylia take too much out of you? Why don't you and Mr Yang just take a break here, Dan Heng and Stelle and I will complete the task."
"It's fine, I had rested long enough," Lucine shook his head and stood up. "Let's go. If the foxian you said was a victim of injustice, then her soul indeed needs soothing to be able to properly rest and pass on. Lead the way, March."
"Okie-dokie!" March skipped ahead and soon arrived at the Stargazer Navalia where they eventually found a familiar looking foxian. Ah, so she's Yukong, he remembers now.
The sadness and grief was evident on Yukong's face. Lucine still wasn't very clear about the full picture of the whole event which he had largely missed out on so he silently watched as the children, Yukong and one of the deceased foxian's colleagues placed their offerings on the starskiff and said their final farewells to… what's her name again? He's sure that the children mentioned it just a minute ago.
"The Sky-Faring Commission shall never forget you, Tingyun. I will seek out the truth, and if it is discovered that you were taken from us, I swear to avenge your unjust end," Yukong said with visible repressed grief as she placed a torn but very familiar looking handheld fan that had Lucine narrowing his eyes to get a better look.
Where had he seen that fan before? It looked so infuriatingly familiar but like an itch that needed to be scratched yet cannot be reached, that memory eluded out of his grasp no matter how hard he tried to think about it.
That name too. Tingyun… Tingyun… Urgh, was it his hallucination or did he really know of someone who really went by that name after he became a Nameless? Not one of those faceless figures from his flashes of memories?
"Lucine? Lucine, Lucine! Mr Yang, I think you need to come take a look at Lucine. I don't think he's alright."
"I'm fine," Lucine reassured Stelle as the youngest of the crew shot him a doubtful look, but slowly herded him back to Earthrise Agora in Starskiff Haven anyway. He eventually followed his crew back to where Wu… no, Yukong had told them to meet up. Everyone silently observed the funeral ceremony of the foxians as a small fleet of starskiffs sailed their way out of the Luofu and into the sea of stars.
That name of that deceased foxian still bothered him though. Tingyun, Tingyun… Arrgh just where had he heard of that name before?!
"I don't think you really are fine. Your face is a little pale. Look, Lucine, I know you are strong and you have appearances to keep but if even the General needs to recuperate I think you should too. Mr Yang?"
"I think March made a valid point," Welt concurred and turned to Dan Heng since the boy was equally eager to disappear from the Luofu. "Dan Heng, do you mind bringing him back with you?"
"Sure."
"No, wait. Something's been bugging me really badly. That name, Tingyun… that's the name of the deceased foxian that we were holding that funeral ceremony for, among other victims, right? What's… How… March, do you have photos of her?"
"H-Huh? I mean, yeah, sure, but at this point I don't even know if the woman in the pictures I've taken are Tingyun or Phantylia but if it really bugs you that much…" March quickly fished out the photos which she had taken and finally found one of Tingyun, which the group had taken at the entrance of the Palace of Astrum shortly after they had arrived at Starskiff Haven. Lucine took the photo from March and stared very hard at the very familiar looking face with a very deep frown.
Where had he seen this foxian woman before?
"What's wrong?" Even Stelle, arguably the dullest among the group, could sense that something's not quite right with Lucine.
"I… I'm almost certain I had seen her before, but where?"
"Huh? How's it possible? You weren't even there with us the entire time until we fought Phantylia– Wait a sec, I don't think we even had the chance to ask you: just where on earth had you been since we parted at the port?! I can't believe you went missing for so long like that! There's literally only one way to Starskiff Haven from that location since the entire place was on lockdown! How could you even get lost in such a place!"
"Where'd I go? I– I… Oh. Oh," the duelist opened his mouth to reply and suddenly came to a dawning realisation.
He suddenly remembered how he even managed to make his way back to the Luofu. It was a series of very coincidental mistakes, but a happy coincidence. He suddenly remembered about the jade bracelet in his pocket, its presence now oddly and painfully obvious like it could burn a hole in his pocket.
"I, uh… *sigh* It's a long story, I don't even know where to start," the duelist sheepishly took out the jade bracelet, which naturally did not go amiss by the Helm Master who had been standing nearby all along. She recognised the bracelet at a single glance.
"That's–!" The Helm Master took the jade bracelet from Lucine's hands and he did not do anything to raise any objections to what normally would be considered a rude and inappropriate behaviour. The Helm Master continued to observe the jade bracelet in bewilderment, as if trying to ascertain again and again that this was indeed Tingyun's personal accessory.
Lucine remembered now, he remembered now. He was originally looking for Madam Wukong of the Sky-Sailing Commission to tell her about how Tingyun was now under the care of the woman from the Genius Society. However, all of that was forgotten the moment Wukong told him about the Emanator of Destruction and how his crew was about to face her in battle. He had forgotten that one important news that he was entrusted to deliver… until now.
"T-This is… Tingyun's!" Yukong was very certain that this jade bracelet belonged to Tingyun but if that was so, certain things just wouldn't add up. "But… W-Where did you…"
"Uh… Long story short, after I temporarily parted with my crew at the port to help those Sky Knights–"
"Cloud Knights," Stelle helpfully corrected Lucine.
"Yes, Cloud Knights, I got lost and ended up in space instead. I found a burning merchant ship drifting somewhere. The only survivor I found was… the woman in the picture. She was in a very bad shape when I found her and even with my power, all I could do was to stop the affliction she was given from worsening, not heal her back to full health. Then a lady from the… Genius Society? Yes, Genius Society, her name's Yuan Wei or something, I just know she's good friends with Herta that the Express are also allies with. She said she's probably the only one in the whole cosmos who might have the skills to save her and I could see that she's telling the truth, so I entrusted Tingyun to that genius. That Yuan Wei told me I should go to the Luofu's Sky-Sailing Commission–"
"Sky-Faring Commission," March hissed into his ear. "Seriously, Lucine, you are embarrassing us in front of the Xianzhou people! The name of the commission is literally hanging on the building just right in front of us!"
" – to look for someone called Wukong and inform her about this, which is you–"
A collective groan could be heard from March and Stelle. Dan Heng silently facepalmed and Welt released a sigh that conveyed all of his hopelessness, exhaustion, and resignation.
" – but when we first met, the first thing we talked about was that Fontala and then… I totally forgot about why I was even there at the commission in the first place. I… apologise, Madam Wukong. Something that important shouldn't have slipped my mind."
"Wait, so that means…" March's eyes started to widen in disbelief when she started to piece everything together.
"Huh? Means what?" Stelle asked in bafflement.
"Tingyun… could still be alive?" Yukong's facial expression quickly went through a myriad of understanding, joy, confusion, and then relief in the span of a single second. "She's alive?"
"Huh? Tingyun's alive? The real Tingyun?"
"Yes, Stelle," Dan Heng nodded. "The Genius Society member that Lucine talked about, he probably was referring to Miss Ruan Mei. Only she would have fit Lucine's description and considering the area of her expertise, she does indeed have the skills and knowledge to save Tingyun."
"Mr Yang?" Stelle turned to the wisest among the crew and the learned man nodded his head with a smile. Stelle, however, had a different concern.
"But… But… if the real Tingyun's not dead…" The host of the Cancer of All Worlds shakily raised a finger that pointed to the sky, or more specifically, at the gate behind them that the starskiffs which were used for the soul-soothing ceremony had just exited to enter the sea of stars.
"We… We just… sent all her possessions to space. The real Tingyun… She… How mad do you think she will be after she comes back to the Luofu?"
A deafening silence was the only reply Stelle received in answer.