My talks with Vita ended in a strange tone. I could feel she has something to say, but she keeps bottling it up inside her. As someone who hasn't talked properly with her until now, I can't say much. Still, it's better to have something started than to have none at all.
After seeing her off, I began thinking of the others. By others, I meant my partners whom I never met nor talked to. I need to settle this along with the rest… with their pent-up emotions. As I thought more about these matters, the foreboding feeling I intercepted with my divination arts increased exponentially.
I stayed on the summit's spot for quite some time, enjoying its fresh breeze and the sight it offered. I took out my phone and checked others' statuses.
…
What the hell.
I swear I viewed it about two days ago. The number of the 'active' ones is less than a quarter of my total friend list. How come all of them are active now?
Who should I meet up with first…
*****
Shi Tian's twenty-one partners have dealings to a certain extent. For once, Kiana is their common acquaintance. Everyone spoke with Kiana at least once, mainly due to her status as the main wife. Another reason was due to her authority over the Cocoon of Finality. From there, they formed new connections with others. That was how Vita got to know about Senti.
However, there is an outcast amongst them all.
The Goddess of Mars, Leylah.
She preoccupied herself with fixing the mess that was the Mars Supercomputer. Unable to find a good way to defeat the Honkai, she pulled the plug on their Project STIGMA equivalent, turning all of Mars' humanity into digital lifeforms. Although they succeeded, it was far from perfect. That wasn't Leylah's main focus, either.
What she sought was to bring back the original goddess that brought her up, Senadina. Hailing from beyond the solar system, they laid their sights on Mars and helped their civilization withstand the tides of honkai. She was a Pathstrider of Permanence who chose to leave her planet, forfeiting the Aeon's blessings in exchange of being able to find another meaning to the Path she once treaded. Ultimately, she perished and passed onto the position to Leylah who maintained the Mars Supercomputer.
It did not stop Leylah from her previous endeavors, continuing to find ways to revive Senadina. She did not achieve any substantial results until she overheard one thing:
The revival of the Previous Era.
It entailed Shi Tian's skillful use of an Aeon's power along with his high cultivation. This grand plan was in the making since the moment they defeated Kevin and Kiana achieved the embrace with the Cocoon of Finality. Leylah had approached Kiana once in this regard, asking for her support. The latter complied and readily helped her, but to no avail.
While Kiana's "coma" in-game was connected to the Mars situation, they could not find that connection this time. All Kiana found was that a small part of Senadina remains, much like the "remnant souls" found on cultivation manuals. It is connected to the Cocoon of Finality, making it easier to preserve her via the Cocoon and immortal cultivation.
Kiana's assistance took a long time for Leylah to figure things out and to wait for the 'resurrection' that Shi Tian was about to pull off. With that in mind, she began collecting intel regarding the highly-respected Dao Ancestor of the Federation. Leylah engaged in behavior most would call "stalking"... not that she minded.
Centuries passed like this. She did not stop immersing herself in cultivation as it might become the key to saving Senadina. Leylah chose the divination route to be able to grasp these opportunities more. Like Wendy, she utilized the Sea of Quanta to simulate past events, including Earth's and Mars'. Everything was going as usual until that day came.
Her high-grade wood spirit roots sent waves coursing throughout her very soul. The desolate red soil in her feet turned bright brown. Grass grew in an instant before vines crawled out of them, turning into towering trees.
A few steps was all it took Leylah to find someone resembling herself. Her future projection sat plopped to the ground—in a manner her younger self would do. The words that came in her mouth were intermittent, which was something Leylah managed to make out of.
'I… save… this time..!'
And then her future projection disappeared alongside the vision of tall trees.
"Was that me? What did I experience in the future?"
Curiosity gnawed on her mind, hence she looked up things through her seventh-grade divination skills. While she was the last in line to start immortal cultivation, the Tao Gifts allowed her to catch up at a rapid pace. She entered the Void Refinement Realm, and so did her capabilities as a divination master. Hence she intercepted several clues tied to her possible futures.
Surprisingly, it all led to one man.
Shi Tian.
"The First Cultivator… and the revered Dao Ancestor of all eras."
Having exited her seclusion, Leylah's eyes remained on Shi Tian's name. She was vaguely aware of the commotion his return would stir up. Unfortunately for her…
She still underestimated it by a notch.
*****
Clang-!
Buzz-!
…
The familiar sounds of metals being welded and engraved resounded in my ears. It brought back my memories of the Artifact Forging Peak. Its scale today far outmatches its appearance in the past. Aside from the Artifact Forging Peak's position at the main sect headquarters—Mount Tai—it opened countless branches throughout the solar system.
It is the busiest peak as always, producing all sorts of artifacts to provide to the sect disciples and the Federation's cultivators. Nevertheless, the Mount Tai branch is special as it is where Quanta is stored.
I navigated through dozens of metallic corridors and steel bridges before arriving at a secret room. I swiped my fingertips upwards, causing the 'zipper' that hid the room to open. The insides of the tear showed complete darkness.
Beep-!
The mechanical sound came out of nowhere as the darkness was replaced with the real entrance to another space. I stepped inside the portal before it closed on its own.
The slightly metallic scent filled my nose, though I paid it no heed. Exiting the rectangular corridor, I saw the full glory of the hangar and the thirty-meter-tall mecha it housed. The mix of white and blue metals made up for the majority of its body. Red linings could be seen on its feet. The translucent green crystals on the edge of its colossal shield let out a brief glimmer.
Seeing the perfect, one-to-one replication, of a Gundam model I once discussed with Welt Yang filled me with awe.
Just then, I spotted a young girl sitting atop its shoulder. Her waist-length crimson-red hair and the pair of golden pupils immediately gave me an answer as to who she was. She spotted me and waved enthusiastically.
"Oh! Hello, uncle!"
"..."
I am already this old, huh…