After listening to her account, Daniel finally began to piece together the broader context of events.
It was ironic—something the human race had always regarded as a looming threat, the abyss, had in fact been created to protect them. What's more, its very existence was part of the gods' grand design.
For a long while, Daniel remained silent. Then, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked in a measured tone:
"In this grand plan… did you also have a hand in laying down its foundations?"
At the question, the blurred woman before him curved her lips into a faint, ambiguous smile. Her features were indistinct now, but through that smile Daniel could still feel a trace of hidden meaning.
"And who can say such things with certainty?" she replied softly.
"Besides, even if I laid out some pieces on the board, how could they compare to your arrangements, Crossbridge?
Among all of us, whose layout has ever been broader, or more enduring, than yours?
