Alnea stood still, staring at the Assistant Panel in silence. Not because he was lost in his thoughts. But simply because his mind stopped working. It was not until the symbols on the Assistant Panel changed, forming a new sentence, that he finally came back to his senses.

  “Can we talk?”

  “…Talk?” Alnea mumbled to himself, forcing himself to calm down, and not act irrationally. “Why does everyone like to talk so much?”

  The Assistant Panel responded by forming a new sentence.

  “Because talking can help us communicate our ideas.”

  “…You… Are you really alive?”

  “…Depends, on what you define being alive as… Though I have a hunch that you are not talking about me.”

  “…What are you?”

  “I am… It does not make sense talking about me. You are not strong enough to listen to my name.”

  “…What does my strength have to do with listening to your name?”

  “It is hard to explain… When you talked with the Fire Spirit, did you understand everything he said?”

  “…How did you know that I talked with the Fire Spirit?”

  “I made a guess.”

  “…You are quite a good guesser.”

  “It was not that hard to guess. For the Fire Spirit to use your Roots, he must have made a deal with you.”

  “…You even know about our deal?”

  “Like I said, it was not that hard to guess. Of all the Wanderers who went to the Prison World—

  The symbols on the Assistant Panel paused, and scattered, before quickly rearranging themselves into a new sentence.

  “Pardon me. That world is no longer qualified to be called a Prison World.”

  “…Because the prisoner escaped?”

  “And destroyed the prison. But that is not important anymore.”

  After staying still for a few moments, ensuring that Alnea had read the sentence, the symbols rearranged themselves once again.

  “As I was saying, of all the Wanderers who went to the Final World, only your Roots could have helped him escape his prison.”

  There it was again. Talking so casually about his Roots…

  “…How do you know about my Roots?”

  “Because you have been using it so frequently, you are practically covered in traces of its Mysteries from your body to your Spirit. I can even see the chains binding your Spirit. And so should have the Fire Spirit. That is how he should have seen through your essence.”

  “…But he did not know my name.”

  “Because he only knowns about Spirits, not Roots.”

  “And you do?”

  “When you exist for millions of years, you tend to learn how to see the pattern of things. Your Roots are very special, Alnea Oathkeeper. But they are not the only Special Roots I have seen.”

  “…Why am I not surprised by your answer?” Alnea mumbled. “Go ahead. Say it. What do you want from me?”

  “I just want to talk, Alnea Oathkeeper.”

  “…You threaten me every other sentence, and you say that you just want to talk?”

  “It seems there has been a misunderstanding.”

  “No, there are no misunderstandings,” Alnea said. “Since you are talking to me, then you must have something to ask of me. Maybe you also want to make a deal with me. Perhaps, you want me to help you gain a body. Existing as an Assistant Panel for millions of years must have been boring…”

  The more that Alnea talked, the more sure he became of his guess, until he saw the new sentence that the Assistant Panel formed.

  “I am not the Assistant Panel.”

  “…You are not the Assistant Panel?”

  “Assistant Panels are just a manifestation of the Mysteries of the Origin Sea. A means for the city to convey its instructions to the people who live in the city. And right now, a medium for me to talk to you.”

  “…But…”

  “You should never underestimate the Mysteries of the Origin Sea, Alnea Oathkeeper.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “…Are you reading my mind?”

  “No, but I can predict your thoughts.”

  “…Can you guess what I am thinking now?”

  “I told you; it is hard to explain what I am without breaking certain taboos. And no, I am not like your ring. My current state is indeed a little different from how you would normally define a living being as, but once, I used to have a body, just like you.”

  “…It looks like I am still not proficient enough in controlling my Heart,” Alnea mumbled to himself. “Are you the creator of the Lost City?”

  “One of the creators.”

  “What about the rest?”

  “They are dead.”

  “…I am sorry.”

  “There is nothing to be sorry about. They sacrificed themselves for a great cause.”

  “…What cause?”

  “You will know about it later. When the time is right.”

  “…Let me guess. Am I still not strong enough?”

  “That is part of the reason, yes. The other part is that you are not qualified to know that secret yet.”

  “…Forget it. I am not that curious anyway,” Alnea said, trying to hide his dissatisfaction, remembering the futility of his efforts in the very next moment. So, he quickly changed the topic. “Did you also help me hide my details?”

  “It was necessary.”

  “…Well, it was indeed necessary,” Alnea said, nodding to himself. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

  “Many things. But first, let us change this scenery.”

  “Scenery?” Alnea mumbled, and got his answer in the next moment, when he saw a blindingly bright light erupt from within the darkness, drowning out all his senses. No, not all senses. Only his sight. And in return, it showered him with the most pleasant smell, that felt like a mix of summer orchids with winter blooms, and all other kinds of fragrance that he could not even recognise.

  And along with those smell, came the sounds of birds chirping, of insects buzzing around him, and the giggles of children running in the distance. Then there was the warm, but refreshing air blowing against his face, the firm ground under his feet, and the soft flowers brushing against his hands…

  Long before Alnea recovered his sight, he could already imagine the picture of a warm, cozy meadow in his head. One that was a hundred times more beautiful and soothing than the Lotus clan’s gardens he had seen in Anneve. Yet even that picture was nothing in comparison to what he saw when he opened his eyes. A breathtakingly beautiful field of vibrant flowers, stretching endlessly in all directions, with all kinds of life rushing about around him, making him feel home…

  “This was my most prized garden. The place I used to go whenever I needed to rest. And the place where my family used to live.”

  “…Your family?”

  “Is it surprising that I had a family?”

  “…A little,” Alnea said, glancing at the garden. He knew that everything around him was just an illusion, but he still could not help being mesmerised. The only thing that he felt a little jarring about, were the giggles of the children. He could hear their voices. Yet, for some reasons, no matter how hard he tried to look, he just could not see their figures. It was as if the being behind the Assistant Panel did not want him to see those children. Or maybe, he had already forgotten how they looked…

  “Though it is more surprising that you had such a beautiful garden.”

  “I am glad that you like it.”

  “Can we talk now?”

  “You seem impatient.”

  “…There are people waiting for me outside.”

  “But you already sent your message to the girl with your ring.”

  “You can see that too?”

  “All Mysteries of the Origin Sea have traces that can be followed. But you do not have to worry. The one who made your ring did a good job. Few people below the Supreme Rank will be able to find its traces. And only those, who have broken the limits of the Origin Sea, will be able to find its secret.”

  “…There it is again,” Alnea said. “The Fire Spirit also said something about breaking the Origin Sea’s limit. What does that mean?”

  “You will understand when the time comes.”

  “…Now, it just feels like you are using my weakness as an excuse.”

  “But it is the truth.”

  “…You sure do know how to kill someone’s curiosity,” Alnea said in a grumble, before returning to his usual voice. “Anyways, let us get back to the point. Even if I have already informed Yuri that I am safe, she will still be worried if I stay here for too long. Not to mention that the other Grand Wanderers should also be curious about the Judgement Hall’s failure.”

  “You do not have to worry about those Wanderers. I will let the city inform them to stop harassing you.”

  “You can order even Grand Wanderers?”

  “Not exactly. If it was before my fall, then yes. Yet, in my current state, I cannot even order a False Wanderer, let alone a Grand Wanderer.”

  “Then…”

  “But that does not stop me from having the city restrain their actions. Though, only within the city. Once you leave, you will have to rely on your master to fend them off.”

  “…That is more than enough. If we can leave the city peacefully, then it would give my master enough time to send us to a safe place. And without us dragging her down, she should not have any problems facing a few Wanderers. It would be even better if we can reach Rian. That way, Lia can also ask her clan to help out…”

  “You are underestimating your master.”

  Alnea paused, staring at the Assistant Panel in silence for a few moments, until the words rearranged themselves.

  “Then again, you are not alone in underestimating her. Even she does not understand just how special she is. Perhaps, no one in the current world can understand her true potential.”

  “…I do,” Alnea said, as a sense of pride welled up in his chest. “I always knew that my master was omnipotent.”

  “Maybe she really has a chance of becoming omnipotent. At the very least, in the millions of years I have known you humans, I have never seen anyone with as much potential as her. If only her path had not been set, even if you had already taken the first step, she would have been a much better choice than you.”

  “…Choice? For what? And what step are you talking about?”

  “The step that you took with the Fire Spirit’s help.”

  “…Are you talking about the subspace in my body?”

  “Subspace? What a crude name. You need to think of something better. Something befitting its importance. And yes. Though it is not the way I imagined someone would complete the test, you did open up a new path.”

  “…Test? Path? What are you trying to say?”

  “You should already have a guess.”

  “…I do, and that is why this is even more confusing.”

  “Everything will be clear in a while.”

  “…That just gave me more questions.”

  “Congratulations, Alnea Oathkeeper.”

  “Congratulations? For what?”

  “You have unlocked the first key to the legacy of the Lost City.”