"Are you okay?"
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Do you need to go to the hospital?"
The moment the domain dissipated, Carlotta had already rushed down from the stands and was now in front of Ray, rapid-firing questions that caught him completely off guard.
He simply gave her a gentle smile. "I'm fine, Second Young Miss. You... when did you get here?"
"Me? I just finished handling some family business and was about to find you when I heard the Ephor was sparring with someone from Ragunna. I thought it might be you, so I came to check."
The young lady placed a hand on her still-heaving chest and let out a long sigh. "I never expected to arrive just as you two were pulled into a domain... You really scared me. By the way, the domain, what happened in there?"
Ray told Carlotta everything that had happened inside the Sonora domain. When he mentioned the name "Fractsidus," Carlotta stiffened noticeably. She lowered her her head and murmured softly, "...So it was them."
One of the nearby guards seemed ready to step forward and ask Carlotta to leave, but Augusta raised a hand to stop him.
She walked toward Carlotta, a composed smile curving her lips. "You must be the daughter of the Montelli family, yes?"
Startled for a moment by Augusta's direct address, Carlotta quickly recovered, displaying impeccable poise as she smiled in return. "Yes, My lady."
"Just call me Ephor, or Augusta. No need for honorifics." Augusta let out a hearty laugh, then turned serious. "Now that the situation is clear, I need to return and discuss this matter of the Fractsidus with the Senate."
She turned to Ray, a gleam of appreciation in her eyes. "Let's call our sparring match here for today. But your performance inside the domain was truly impressive."
Ray inclined his head slightly with a modest smile. "You flatter me."
Augusta gave a slight nod, a trace of gravity flashing in her eyes. "Then, I should head to the Senate now. After that commotion earlier, those old foxes are probably already restless, waiting for me to give them a satisfactory explanation."
She paused briefly, her slender fingers lightly stroking the great sword, her tone gradually growing more serious. "You remember the abnormal situation in the Sanguis Plateaus, right? Though there's no solid evidence yet pointing to the Fractsidus, I'd like you to accompany us. Your unique ability might be the key to resolving this."
Ray hesitated for a moment, then made his decision immediately. "Alright, I'll go. If Anby and I can truly be of help."
"Then I'll be counting on you." A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corner of Augusta's lips. Her gaze shifted to Luno, waiting quietly in the stands. "As for Luno, I'll have to ask you to look after her again today. As things stand, I can't spare the time for her. Besides, the Temple is also in the Sanguis Plateaus. It's better if you two stay together."
"Understood."
Carlotta stood to the side, her clear eyes full of confusion. She couldn't understand a word of their conversation, yet she could sense its gravity.
And...
Luno?
Stay together?
What did that mean?
The words spun in her head but refused to form a coherent picture.
She couldn't help but ask softly, "Did something happen... in the Sanguis Plateaus?"
Of course, she knew something about that land.
Ragunna's first Dark Tide outbreak had contaminated Septimont, leaving behind an endless, lingering Echo energy there.
The people of Septimont called it the "Blightclouds." Every year during the tidal period, countless Tacet Discords born from the darkness spawned there, forcing Septimont to pour in vast amounts of manpower and resources to confront this unending crisis.
But...
Why was Cat's Eye getting involved in this mess?
And he had to go with Luno?
When had they become so close?
Augusta turned to leave, her cloak fluttering lightly in the wind. "Let Ray explain the specifics to you. I still have to deal with those old foxes in the Senate. Farewell for now, Miss Carlotta."
Carlotta watched her figure recede, tilting her head as her silhouette disappeared at the far end of the arena. Slowly, she turned back to Ray, her brow slightly furrowed, her tone carrying a hint of probing. "It seems quite a few things happened while I was away?"
"It's not all that complicated, actually." Ray explained. "I just told the Ephor about Anby and its connection to the Dark Tide. So she invited me to the Sanguis Plateaus to see if I could help resolve the anomaly."
"And you just agreed?" Carlotta crossed her arms, sighing with evident exasperation. "Don't you know how dangerous that place is?"
"No, I don't." Ray shook his head frankly, his gaze remarkably clear. "But if I really have the ability to solve this problem, how could I just stand by and do nothing?"
Carlotta pressed a hand to her forehead, her voice soaked in helplessness. "Did you even think about the consequences? What if you fail?"
"I honestly didn't think about that."
"You…"
Carlotta opened her mouth as if to say more, but in the end, no words came out. It all melted into a soft sigh, vanishing into the air.
It seemed he had always been this way.
Never dwelling on how perilous the road ahead might be, just forging steadily toward the direction he believed in.
Just like when they first met, and he had accepted her abrupt request without a moment's hesitation.
This almost stubborn purity, it had stirred her heart from the very beginning, and it still did now.
Ray looked at the young lady before him, completely unaware of what was running through her mind.
When his gaze swept across her slightly knitted brows, he suddenly remembered the sword that Scar had shattered inside the Sonora domain.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
"Second Young Miss."
His voice was low, and the Tacet Mark glowed faintly.
The longsword, covered in cracks, slowly materialized, cradled carefully in his palm. There was a trace of hesitation in his tone. "The blade you gave me... was damaged in that fight just now. I don't know... can it be fixed?"
Carlotta was momentarily stunned. Her gaze fell on the crystalline Swiftblade forged from her own Resonance ability.
Crisscrossing cracks ran across the blade, catching the arena's firelight in fragmented glimmers.
"Isn't this completely broken?" Her fingertips traced a deep fissure gently. "How about I have the finest blacksmith in Rinascita forge you a new weapon?"
But Ray shook his head firmly. "That's different. I want this one."
Carlotta didn't understand. "Why?"
Ray tilted his head slightly, a soft smile on his lips. "Because this is the first gift you ever gave me, Second Young Miss."
His words were spoken softly, yet they made the young lady's heart tremble gently. Within her brilliant gem-like pupils flickered a beam of light like the iridescent glow of sunlight refracting through scattered cellophane.
In that moment, it felt like what people called eternity.