When Bibi Dong opened her eyes—
She found herself adrift. There was no ground beneath her feet.
No sky above her head.
Only an endless, silent cosmos, vast beyond comprehension. Stars burned faintly at impossible distances, yet none of their light warmed her. She floated alone, weightless, insignificant, as if reduced to a speck of dust within eternity.
Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears.
,Where… is this place?,
Before she could gather her thoughts, her sense screamed a warning.
Something was approaching.
No—It was already there.
A colossal shadow unfolded within the darkness.
It did not move closer; instead, it revealed itself, as if the universe itself was merely a backdrop for its existence. Compared to it, the stars were no larger than grains of sand.
Bibi Dong's breath caught in her throat.
Twelve wings.
They were vast, layered, and solemn—each feather seemingly carved from light and shadow alike. The wings spread behind the figure, forming a silhouette that dwarfed the cosmos itself.
An angel.
Its face was obscured, visible only from the forehead to the eyes. Below that, everything dissolved into indistinct radiance, as if the universe itself refused to define it further.
And those purple eyes—
Bibi Dong trembled, They were impossibly familiar.
She knew them and was certain she had seen them before.
But the moment she tried to recall where, a sharp emptiness tore through her thoughts, as if something had been forcibly removed from her memories. The harder she grasped, the more her mind slipped, leaving behind only a dull ache.
'Why… can't I remember?'
Without words, something flowed into her consciousness.
Information. Of a date,a location and about a certain academy.
It embedded itself into her mind as naturally as a memory, as if it had always been there.
Before she could react—
A cold, sharp voice tore through the cosmos.
"Who is here?"
The universe shattered.
Bibi Dong gasped and snapped her eyes open as she was back in the prayer hall.
Yet her back was drenched in cold sweat. Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
"Bibi Dong," a familiar voice echoed within her mind, laced with suspicion and malice."Which god was that?"
Bibi Dong stiffened. She could never mistake that voice.
"Wh—what?" she replied instinctively, her tone guarded.
The Rakshasa Goddess spoke again, this time slower, deliberate—almost patient.
"I sensed a divine consciousness within your mind. That was no ordinary illusion. Only a god can leave behind such a trace."
Bibi Dong hesitated.
Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the cross-shaped monument.
After a brief silence, she replied evenly, "Perhaps it was the Angel Goddess. I was praying in her hall, after all."
For a heartbeat—
Then the Rakshasa Goddess burst into laughter.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The mocking laughter echoed harshly inside Bibi Dong's mind.
"The Angel Goddess?" Rakshasa sneered."That is impossible. Absolutely impossible."
'How could someone who is already dead give response to a prayer' thought Rakshasha
A vast, sinister consciousness spread outward as Rakshasa conducted a sweeping divine scan of the surrounding area. Her intent brushed across Spirit City, across the prayer hall, across the very monument before Bibi Dong.
She sensed no divine presence.
Rakshasa's gaze briefly lingered on the cross-shaped monument, on the half-open eye at its center. But she dismissed it almost instantly.
"A strange architectural choice," she muttered with disdain. "Mortals are fond of inventing symbols in the name of gods."
Her consciousness withdrew.
"Fine," Rakshasa said coldly. "I found no other god's intent nearby."
In truth, she had been searching for remnants—of the fallen Angel Goddess. But there was nothing she could recognize.
Before retreating fully, she laughed once more, her voice dripping with malice.
"Bibi Dong… perhaps you truly do not wish to complete my inheritance."
Her tone sharpened.
"Why don't you go and kill that little angel… he… he…"
Bibi Dong's teeth clenched.
"We have already discussed this," she replied coldly, cutting her off.
Rakshasa snorted and fell silent.
The prayer hall returned to stillness, yet Bibi Dong did not relax.
Her thoughts were no longer with Rakshasa.
They lingered on the vision, on those familiar purple eyes.
On the date and location now carved into her mind.
Her fingers slowly tightened into a fist.
"…Who are you?" she whispered to the silent monument.
The half-open eye did not answer.
----
Not long after Bibi Dong left the prayer hall—
In an inconspicuous corner of Spirit City, Julia sat quietly beneath a tree. A thin beam of sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the stone path beneath her feet.
At her side, a small dog lay curled into a ball, breathing softly in its sleep.
Julia's movements were gentle as she stroked its fur, her fingers slow and rhythmic, as if grounding herself in something undeniably real.
Suddenly—
The air before her rippled.
Dreamlike bubbles surfaced from nothingness, translucent and faintly iridescent, drifting upward as if released from an unseen subconscious. The world seemed to lose a fraction of its weight.
From within those bubbles, a figure condensed.
She wore the same dress as Julia.
She had the same blonde hair, the same purple eyes and the same face.
The only difference was the presence—an indescribable pressure that warped perception just enough to remind one that this was not merely a reflection.
She turned toward Julia and spoke calmly, as if commenting on the weather.
"It was a close call," she said. "Don't you think?"
Julia did not look up.
Her hand continued to caress the sleeping dog, her tone indifferent as she replied,"But it was still within your calculations, Renxue."