Ethan’s expression fell slightly.

"Then what was the point of all this?"

Irene looked at him with the calm of someone who had already thought through every version of this question.

"The point is you, Ethan." She said simply. "Your memories do not reset. Neither does Leon’s. And neither does Cyan’s."

She turned back toward the city.

"You three are the only ones who carry everything forward. Every loop, every piece of progress. Every mistake we made, and every step closer to the truth." She paused. "So do not rush it. Do not force it. Move slowly, move carefully. Even if it takes time, even if it takes decades. Just keep moving."

She glanced at him one more time before the timer hit zero.

"Remember our goal. We are up against one of the Five Calamities. We need to beat the bastard who put us through this hell." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Ethan gripped the prism.

Irene added, "next time, convince us to check the Akashic Record’s logs."

"Iren—"

Before Ethan could ask how...

The loop reset.

[Loop: 696]

The scene dissolved from Leon and Rumi’s vision and a new one appeared.

Shaaaaa~

Rain was pouring outside, and it was noticeably heavy.

Rumi looked around first.

Huge pillars made of white and bluish crystal. And an insanely advanced technology circuitry running through the walls. It was ppulcing through every inch of this moument.

They were in the long stretched audience hall of the Sapphire Castle of Evana.

"Are we beyond a year loop now?" Rumi said out loud.

"Might be more."

Leon was standing beside her, looking toward the high seat at the other end where Dr. Anise, the current queen of Evana, was seated. She was operating a device in her hand, swiping the screen with one finger and typing with the other, wearing round rimmed glasses and her lab coat.

Just beside her was Irene. And in the audience hall stood two more people. One was a female in knight uniform and the other was a male in a long white coat.

"Anise. You can do this later." Irene said, poking her and taking the tablet from her hand. "We have guests here. Do not be rude."

Anise grabbed at Irene’s hand like a small girl refusing to give up her candy.

"Irene... I was doing something. Leon wants it done quickly you know."

"Haah... just listen to me." Irene did not give it back. She pointed toward the two people watching them. "These two wanted an audience with you."

The man and woman standing there looked at her and bowed.

Anise narrowed her eyes and scanned the girl first. She looked young, dressed in knight armour with her face hidden behind a metallic mask. On her chest there was a sigil printed.

"Hm?" Anise had seen that sigil before. More specifically, it was not something she could ignore.

"That sigil on your chest." Anise finally said. "Are you a pupil of Lancaster?"

Instead of the girl, the man standing beside her answered.

"We came from Karnak City, from the south east of the Sea of Mist. The kingdom falls under the domain of Lord Lancaster. We came in search of Evana to develop relations with you."

He paused then said.

"I am Noel, and she is Amantha, the high priests of Frost Tower. Working under Lady Aisha, the current head of Frost Tower of this era."

Anise looked at Irene. Irene glanced back at her with a knowing expression.

In this loop they had their memories of previous loops, thanks to Ethan and the others explaining everything and convincing them to read the Akashic Record logs.

Anise now knew about their situation. And she knew these two were the same as Leon and the others.

Outsiders who had found their way here.

She kept her posture straight.

"I am afraid we are not in a position to do business with outsiders at this time. That being said, I would like you both to leave the city before midnight."

She was direct. Because she did not want new problems.

Leon and the other two were enough. They were making progress and adding more variables would make everything unpredictable.

"Queen Anise." Priest Noel said. "We came because Lady Aisha received instruction from Lord Lancaster himself to help your city."

"Hooo~." Irene raised her eyebrows and cut in before he could continue. "Do you even know what problem we are dealing with here? If your Lady Aisha received direct instruction from him, she should have come herself. Why send only two?"

Noel considered this.

"She is occupied with other important matters."

"Heh." Irene sneered. "How ironic."

"Irene." Anise coughed and muttered just low enough for her to hear. "Let me handle this. Go and call Leon. He is on the third floor of my lab. I want his opinion on this."

Irene nodded. Irene understood.

If these two had arrived in this loop then they would be looping regularly with Leon and the others starting from the next one.

As Irene stepped down beside her, Anise asked.

"Priest Noel and Priestess Amantha. How much do you know about Evana, if I may ask? How mush did your Tower head told you?"

Noel said.

"That it vanished from its actual geographic location two hundred years ago and has been in hiding somewhere ever since. There were also rumours that the city had perished entirely, but we always knew it was false."

Anise smiled to herself.

She was thinking right. These two had no idea about the loop.

Which made her wonder how they had found their way here. Had they used the same method as Leon and tracked the Akashic Record using a Time Device? Or had Lancaster sent them directly?

Dreamweaver had mentioned at once point that he and Lancaster were on odd terms among the other five.

Perhaps Lancaster saw this as an opportunity and was onto something.

"Hm." Anise looked at them steadily. As the monarch of this city she made sure they felt the weight of her attention.

"So you know nothing."

"What?" Amantha voiced out.

"In any case," Anise continued, "I will let a trusted friend of mine decide whether to accept your offer or not."

Noel glanced at her. She looked like she was about to drop something significant. He wondered who she could possibly mean.

"Just so you know," Anise added. "You may already know him quite well."

"..."

Crack.

The door behind them opened.

"You called, Dr. Anise?" A young voice resonated through the audience hall.

Noel and Samantha turned at the same time.

From the doorway, a young boy in decent attire, black hair and golden eyes, stepped inside.

"...?"

"...?"

At first neither of them recognised him. Then Noel saw the black hair and golden eyes and the specific facial features that matched someone he knew very well. Features that bore a clear resemblance to one of the five current tower heads. The strongest among them all.

His eyes widened as he connected the dots.

He stood up immediately after realization and called out to the young boy by name.

"The Light Messiah. Leon Valentine?! What are you doing here?!"

"Who the heck?"

Leon blinked at the man who had just addressed him by that absurd title he had almost forgotten he still had.