182."You will die, Leoz."
Diaran's hair was too long, and she would choke on it while breathing.
"Ah... you're something else, aren't you?"
Li Aozi scratched his head and ended up cutting her hair with his sword, leaving her with a short bob. In her child form, Diaran was so small he could hold her with one hand.
"…Thank you."
Diaran's voice was soft and tender, completely unlike her usual icy demeanor that kept others at a distance. She tried her best to open her large eyes and look at Li Aozi, saying:
"I might... turn into a baby soon. To make it easier for you to move, find a spot with water and just leave me there."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Li Aozi frowned, immediately pulling down a curtain to fashion a swaddle. He wrapped Diaran up and carried her on his back:
"If you do turn into a baby, make sure to cry so I'll know. Babies shouldn't be carried on the back; they're safer in the front."
Diaran's eyelids grew heavy, and she exhaled hot breaths as she weakly said:
"But Leoz, won't it be... inconvenient for you to move? The crying might even attract enemies."
"Don't worry. No matter how many come, it won't matter."
As long as the Higgs Field wasn't triggered, regular Colonized Soldiers weren't worth exposing his identity over, and Remaining Moon wouldn't notice him.
Instinctively, he patted Diaran's head to comfort her:
"No one can take anything from my arms again."
Diaran lowered her head drowsily, her hair brushing against Li Aozi's touch. The warmth of his hand made her feverish, disoriented mind unsure if this was real or a dream.
"Doctor..."
Diaran spoke softly:
"I want to hear a lullaby... just this once, okay?"
Her small hand tugged gently at Li Aozi's collar. Li Aozi shrugged helplessly: "I can't sing."
"I want to... hear." Diaran's voice was indistinct, her form seemingly shrinking further.
"I... I really can't."
Faced with the childlike request, Li Aozi was momentarily at a loss.
'Let me handle this, you clueless Leoz. How can you be so dense?'
At that moment, the void rippled open, and Jania emerged gracefully beside him. She gestured for Li Aozi to take up his sword and move with Diaran, while she clasped her hands behind her back and began to sing softly in a language he had never heard before:
...
(Lyrics Meaning)
Gentle mountains, moonlight as steel.
Hear the wind's evening song, see the stream's silk spin.
Pharlessia, land of heroes.
Children fallen, home rebuilt on alien stars.
Haines, we meet only in dreams.
Gentle mountains, now blood-streaked.
Evening winds silent, laments abound.
Pharlessia, land of souls.
Newborn civilizations poisoned in infancy by wolves.
I long to return home, my home, my Pharlessia.
Mauled by Gaia's fangs.
Drowned in aether's venom.
Crushed in secret treads.
Pharlessia, my homeland,
When will I see my home again?
...
Jania was rarely so obedient.
Her clear voice and mournful melody inexplicably stirred something in Li Aozi's chest, even though he didn't understand the lyrics.
Diaran fell into a deep sleep, her tears dampening Li Aozi's shoulder.
When the song ended, Jania turned to Li Aozi and calmly said:
"In ancient times, the Star Abyss deity 'Will of Domination' Morphederia used the 'Dreaming Planet' Haines as a base to resist the Destroyers and the [Society] in the final battle of the Abyssal War."
"Its proxy was named after you—'God of Reality' Leozi."
Li Aozi was surprised and unsure why Jania brought this up.
She glanced at Diaran with a tender expression, looking at her like a fellow kindred spirit. That alone was enough to explain her intent.
Then she solemnly added:
"Leoz, the god who shares your name didn't flee. They faced the invaders with fearlessness and cold resolve."
"Beyond Haines lay the Star Abyss."
"The Pharlessian civilization I inhabit consists of refugees. Its predecessor was the Pharlessia Republic on Haines. When Leozi fell in battle, we etched the visage of our invaders into memory."
"To this day, every Haines refugee remembers the terrifying monster that killed Leoz, devoured our civilization, and still hunts us: the [Society]."
She locked eyes with Li Aozi, mustering all her hatred and strength to say the name:
"The [Secret Society]—Gaia."
"It and its three chairpersons shattered the Pantheon and trampled our homeland."
"Be cautious, Leoz. I sense the same familiar aura in that child. It's the Pharlessian bloodline… The Secret Society hasn't gone far; they still aim to eradicate us completely."
Li Aozi paused for a moment and asked:
"Why bring this up now? Yavanna is also a member of the Secret Society, yet you didn't react before."
"I don't know, Leoz," Jania shook her head, worry etched across her face. "I suddenly felt a strong premonition… Back when my master left me at Fang Ridge, I experienced the same feeling."
"What does it mean, Jania?"
Li Aozi straightened up, his expression serious.
Artifacts have a more refined sense of perception than mortals; through the divine power within their bodies, they can sense signals imperceptible to others.
"You will die."
Jania spoke bluntly:
"This planet will be devoured by the Secret Society."
Thud!
"Lucite, do you believe me?"
Hobbs finished his water, slamming the cup onto the table. His gaze was vacant, his tone heavy:
"This planet will be devoured by the Secret Society."
"…Hobbs."
Lucite struggled to process everything he had just heard. He stood, sat back down, and after a long period of contemplation, still found his thoughts tangled.
In the end, he could only say:
"When Leoz arrives, I'll tell him about this. Nobody else can know, Hobbs, you must keep this secret—absolutely. Hobbs, you're my brother; this could ruin you."
Hobbs shook his head and said nothing.
The two sat facing each other. On the table lay a disemboweled Bioware Soldier; the Dimensional Bomb sat next to Lucite's hand.
Lucite looked at his good friend, his brother.
Now, with just a single strike on that heart, Hobbs would be buried in two-dimensional space, beyond anyone's reach.
"Logic and law dictate that I should put you down immediately," Lucite said.
"But I can't do it, Hobbs… You haven't harmed anyone yet. There's still hope."
"Lucite, thank you," Hobbs said sincerely. "I will kill Remaining Moon. After that, I'll leave myself to your judgment."
"Sigh…" Lucite stowed the Dimensional Bomb, his expression conflicted. "I feel like I've boarded a pirate ship. Should I even tell Leoz?"
"What would you tell him?"
"Everything. We're friends; there should be no secrets between us," Lucite said. "Even if it's about the Secret Society… Leoz will understand and forgive you."
"I don't know," Hobbs sighed deeply, but his gaze was resolute. "But I must do this. I have no choice. Let's wait… Lucite, I'll confess everything to Leoz."
"Then let's focus on surviving first—"
Bang!
Lucite was about to say more when the library doors suddenly burst open. The two quickly dove into cover, and then they heard a mature, dependable male voice:
"Are there any survivors inside? We're the Student Council Patrol Unit from the Academy of Applied Magic!"
The two exchanged glances, then cautiously peeked from their hiding spot and approached the railing. Below, a group of senior students in heavy armor, armed with riot control rifles, stood blood-soaked. The leader, tall and muscular, was covered in the remains of Bioware Soldiers—flesh, viscera, and organ fragments hung from him.
He looked up toward the second floor, then removed his helmet to reveal a warm smile:
"So it's you—Hobbs, the 'Know-it-all,' and you, the rising star of the Alchemy Workshop, Lucite."
The two exchanged a glance, and the man introduced himself:
"I'm Mordot, third-year student and captain of the Patrol Unit. Bioware Soldiers are closing in; this place is no longer safe. Come with me."