The curling smoke rose, tinged with a faint blue, and trembled like life in the night breeze, as if dancing some kind of mysterious dance. Ed stared at it, his memories drifting back to the vast wasteland of the far north, to the camp of the Benlu tribe, the night when a huge bonfire was lit, and the shadows of countless animals appeared and disappeared in the firelight in the ethereal song of the old shaman...... This spell that summons the souls of the dead is so similar to the way barbarians summon their ancestors, is it true that no one has ever studied the connection?

Maybe there is. For example, Jay Oylan – but who would listen to him?

He was distracted, but the spell was already complete the moment the crystal lotus was ignited. He waited, expecting more than he was upset—he didn't think he was going to fail.

The moonlight swayed before his eyes, like a shadow reflected in the water, gently crumpled by a gust of wind. It melted into the pale blue smoke and lit it up, and the vague form seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, gradually condensing into shape.

The moment the gray-haired half-elf priest appeared in front of the window, Ed's heart beat uncontrollably.

But the translucent figure was nowhere near as clear as Felicity summoned by Is. He was expressionless, and didn't even seem to be sane, as if he were just a shadow projected on a certain point in time, and his empty eyes passed over Ed in front of him, and he didn't know where to look.

“...... Kyler Brian?"

Ed called out softly, carefully, as if to blow him away. Perhaps because the half-elf had been a ghost when he was alive, he didn't feel a trace of fear.

He didn't get any response. In his frustration he began to wonder if something had gone wrong...... Or if Celebrian's soul was so fragile that it was about to dissipate, the gem on the staff lit up.

It flickered on and off, and that strange rhythm was like breathing...... Or the heartbeat - as he expected, it had some connection to Celebrian's soul.

He clasped his hands nervously, almost jumping for joy as his familiar lines furrowed between the half-elf priest's brows.

“...... It's you again. ”

The summoned half-elf did not hide his impatience.

Ed nodded happily: "It's me!"

- But what do you mean by "again"?

"You'd better hurry. The half-elf said. His voice was ethereal in the coldness of the past, like an echo in the valley.

“...... I see your shadow in hell. Ed's voice also involuntarily lowered low, not daring to make any meaningless pleasantries, and quickly picked out the one he most desperately wanted to know from his countless questions:

"If that's hell...... Is that so?"

"Yes and no. The half-elf replied without hesitation, "It's the hell that Ancrane himself has ever seen." ”

“...... So, that's his memory?"

"No...... He pulls your soul back to the moment He went to Hell. What you see is what he sees. Celebryan was silent for a moment before replying, "Memories are connected to souls, and he will never let anyone peep at them easily...... But that elf is a master of manipulating time and souls. ”

“...... I thought time couldn't be manipulated. ”

Ed had to be surprised. He still remembered the warning of the half-elves to him, and he did not dare to forget it for a moment—time is beyond the gods, and it cannot be distorted or ignored.

The half-elf's lips tugged at a mocking smile: "If you have enough strength...... If you are able to accept the price you pay for it, nothing 'cannot be manipulated'. What's more, he didn't care what terrible consequences it would lead to at some point in the past or in the future...... He doesn't care about anything. ”

Ed struggled to keep his composure in the midst of the shock. He raced to think of what to continue with—he could confirm with Calebrien whether the huge, half-dead creature he saw was a god or a demon...... But he already has the answer.

"Are you familiar with Ankland?" he asked.

"Whoever has been imprisoned for hundreds of years will know something about his jailers. Celebryan replied coldly.

“...... He imprisoned you?!"

Another shock.

"Is there any way to get you out?" Ed immediately gave up on the original question.

The half-elf glanced at him with an indescribable look - like emotion, like contempt.

“...... If I hadn't gotten out yet, you thought your crappy spell would have allowed me to be here?" he asked.

Ed scratched his chin wryly, feeling a little confused: "When the hell is he going to ......"

He swallowed back the question, wisely realizing that trying to find a clear trajectory in the fog of time was not something that could be done in a matter of moments.

He glanced at the crystal lotus that was still burning, and gradually panicked—it was burning much faster than he expected.

The question that I had thought of suddenly got stuck in my throat...... Then it was erased from his mind, and he couldn't even think about it.

"Ankeland...... What the hell does he—what does he want?", he stammered and hurried.

"In fact, he didn't want anything. Celebryan replied calmly, "Or rather, he wants the same as I do...... He wanted to be free. ”

Ed shook his head. He couldn't figure it out, but he didn't have time to delve further - the crystal lotus burst into small sparks, quickly burning to the last one.

This is what Isis brought from the Enshi Valley...... And only this one is left.

"You ......" his mind was almost blank, but a question that he knew would be useless even if he got the answer rushed out: "Have you seen the ending?"

“...... I've seen many endings. The half-elf replied, "Every single one of them is true." I used to ...... too."

His voice seemed to have been blown away by a gust of wind and disappeared into the night—like his suddenly drifting figure.

A faint aroma still permeated the room, and the blue smoke was slowly dispersing, like a waking dream. The air was so cold that it seemed to freeze, and Ed stood there dumbfounded, shivering.

He actually had one more question — he didn't even know why he wanted to ask that question. But at this moment, some kind of huge and inexplicable panic was overwhelming, almost crushing him.

Hidden in the clenched teeth were the two words that didn't have time to ask—

“...... What about me?"

He couldn't convince himself that the helplessness and sympathy in the eyes of Celebrion before he disappeared was just his hallucination.

So, what about him?

Has he seen many endings? Standing here, he is heading towards one of those many endings...... Or is it another struggle that begins because you can't accept either ending?

.