Ronova seemed somewhat inclined to slack off. While it didn't feel entirely normal, Istaroth could understand it.
Back then, when the Heavenly Principles ordered Ronova to go to Natlan to deal with the Abyss, she obeyed. Yet because of the trait of "loving humanity," a portion of her power was "accidentally" stolen—and she was punished for it.
Of course, that "accidentally" likely deserved quotation marks.
Yes, the Heavenly Principles wanted humanity to grow through their own efforts.
But that stolen power was only ever meant to be used by the Pyro Archon—to fight the Abyss, no less. And using it required paying the price of death.
Did that really warrant punishment?
Shouldn't merits and faults cancel each other out?
Fine—merits are merits, faults are faults. One should view such things rationally…
Yeah, right.
The Heavenly Principles created all four of them with "love for humanity" as their core logic, yet demanded they act with absolute rationality?
Take that angel from the past, who also bore dual duties and the same foundational trait. To protect her people, she directly resisted a Celestial Nail. It was Istaroth who intervened, freezing time to preserve her life.
And now you expect beings like them to act purely rationally?
They understood the reasoning.
But—to hell with that.
It was easy to imagine how the others felt about that incident.
Originally, Istaroth had simply taken things one step at a time. After all, she was just a shadow created by the Heavenly Principles. Fulfilling her duty was all there was.
But now, with the Heavenly Principles still dormant—and such a massive anomaly occurring…
'It's not like I've been working especially hard all these years anyway. I only look diligent compared to the others.'
She had thought similar thoughts before, but they had never taken root.
This time was different.
It was like a spark landing on dry tinder—complete with kindling laid out in advance.
'Maybe… I should just slack off too?'
Once the fire of thought ignited, it naturally spread.
And then she recalled something:
'In that newly formed timeline, the future version of that "New Moon" intervened, trying to align it with the "present" and turn it into a true future…'
She fell into contemplation.
When she first noticed it, she had been shocked by that entity's madness.
That being had already completed a time loop—yet still dared to tamper with it.
After all, while the entity possessed some authority over time, the majority of Teyvat's time authority belonged to Istaroth herself.
Without true temporal authority to anchor it, meddling with one's own time loop was extremely dangerous.
A single mistake could erase one's very existence at the root.
And yet…
She did it anyway.
What had influenced her?
More importantly—
Why had the "herself" in that timeline done nothing?
Istaroth could clearly sense her own future self's presence there.
Healthy.
Yet completely uninterested in intervening.
For a being who governed time, that in itself was a kind of answer.
'Perhaps… my future self thinks that outcome is acceptable.'
'If that's the case, why bother struggling? Just lie down—it's much more comfortable.'
The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
Suddenly, even the air felt sweeter.
She abandoned her earlier intention to act, her body relaxing as her eyes slowly closed.
Perhaps this was what they called—
The moment you choose to slack off, the world feels vast and free.
——————
What Istaroth didn't know was that Ronova, on the other side, hadn't actually gone to sleep after cutting the connection.
In fact, she seemed far less lethargic than before.
After so many years together, how could they not understand each other?
Even though Istaroth hadn't said a word, Ronova could piece together the situation from subtle details:
Time was likely facing a serious problem—one even Istaroth couldn't easily resolve.
Her original purpose in coming to Celestia had probably been to consult her colleagues.
Yet instead of going to the past—where the Four Shades regularly gathered—she had come to the present, when no one else was around.
'So time… really is in trouble.'
Despite the thought, Ronova didn't seem particularly worried.
Her gaze shifted toward Natlan's largest volcano.
Hidden within it was the ancient dragon city—Turan.
The volcano itself was named after it: the Great Volcano of Turan.
She and her colleagues all knew what lay within.
They simply hadn't cared.
Remnants of ancient dragons.
Without a complete dragon, what could they really do—even if they held a ticking time bomb?
She had absolute confidence she could snuff it out before it detonated.
And if necessary, she could rely on Istaroth's power to enter the situation precisely.
But now…
If Istaroth couldn't hold things together, and that so-called "Sage Dragon" truly lost control…
'Better keep an eye on it.'
Still, there was no need to be overly tense.
That ancient dragon had endured countless years of erosion. Its obsessions ran deep.
Until the variable in that plan appeared, it wouldn't act rashly.
This was merely a precaution.
So…
'Alright, one more short nap.'