Later that day, Cipher, Elara, and Elaine were walking through the night market.
There were loads of people here after the strongest human event.
"Hey, stop running around!" Elaine shouted, rushing toward Elara, who was running toward one of the display items.
Cipher watched the scene with a smile.
After the event, they had set up some anti-magic equipment in this market near the association for safety purposes. Now there were just a few select security individuals who could use magic here to enforce the law. He had done this mostly because he wanted Elara to go out - maybe this would help jog her memory or something.
The others didn’t see any problems with it, as it was good PR for the association. The people would surely appreciate a safe market. It also functioned as advertisement to other guilds as well as governments, and showed just how advanced the association was.
As for the event itself, well, it had gone just as anyone would’ve expected. Well, not really, but it was a major success. There were thousands of articles about the association spreading, and their influence was surely going to be solidified.
As for the strongest human, there were actually two of them. First and officially recognized was Cipher, who was crowned after winning the battle against the world. The association had even decorated him Hero of Humanity and gave him the role of Chief Enforcer, offering the same level of authority as the association chairman.
Although there was some pushback from the public, it was mostly supported.
As for the second strongest person, it was Maya. Simps... netizens online mostly believed that Maya was the true strongest and that Cipher was just a fraud. #MommyMayaPleaseMarryMe. Cipher looked at the article on his phone, then shook his head and put it back into his pocket. I suppose it’s also good PR, he thought with a sigh.
He then quickened his pace, catching up with Elaine and Elara.
"I told you to stop. Why aren’t you listening?" Elaine said as she caught up with Elara.
Elara simply placed a hand on Elaine’s head, patting her gently. It seemed to de-aggro her instantly.
The three of them walked through the night market together, viewing the various stalls and displays. Street vendors called out, selling grilled meat, jewelry, magical trinkets, and colorful fabrics. Lanterns hung overhead, casting a warm glow across the bustling crowd.
"Are you having fun?" Cipher asked, glancing at Elara.
Elara nodded slowly. "Fun... yes," she said.
"That’s good. Do you want to try some food? There’s a lot here," he continued, gesturing toward a food stall.
"Food... good," Elara replied with a faint smile.
Elaine walked beside them, occasionally pointing out interesting items. "Look, that one has a weird hat," she said, giggling at a vendor wearing an oversized, feathered cap.
"Weird... hat," Elara echoed, tilting her head.
They continued like this, walking leisurely through the market, the atmosphere light and peaceful. Then suddenly, they heard a loud sound.
"Fireworks?" Elaine wondered aloud as she looked up.
Colorful explosions lit up the night sky, bursting in brilliant reds, blues, and golds.
"Fire..." Elara froze, her eyes locked on the fireworks above.
Cipher instantly noticed her condition. "Elara, did you remember something?" he asked.
Her eyes remained glued to the sky. "Fire... fire..." she muttered.
"Did you remember something? Is it related to fire?" Cipher pressed, stepping beside her and looking up to see if he noticed anything unusual.
She finally lowered her gaze and nodded.
"Really? What is it?" he asked, his tone hopeful.
Elara opened her mouth, struggling to find the words. "Fire... loooooong," she said, stretching her hands out horizontally.
"Long fire?" Elaine asked, confused.
Elara shook her head. She tried again. "Fire... no stop. Fire... always."
"Always burning? A fire that doesn’t go out?" Cipher guessed.
She nodded vigorously, then shook her head again. Close, but not quite.
"Immortal fire?" Cipher asked.
Elara paused, then shook her head slowly. She gestured again, this time making a circular motion with her hands, then pointing upward as if indicating something grand or divine.
"A sacred fire?" Elaine tried.
Another shake of the head.
"Fire... no die. Fire... forever. Fire... make," Elara said, her hands moving as though shaping something in the air.
"Fire that creates? A fire that lasts forever?" Cipher said, piecing it together.
Elara nodded eagerly. "Forever... fire."
"Eternal fire? No, wait... eternal flame?" Elaine asked.
Elara’s eyes lit up. She nodded quickly. "Yes! Eternal... flame."
"Eternal flame?" Elaine repeated, looking at Cipher. "What’s that?"
"What is it?" Cipher asked Elara, leaning in. "What does the eternal flame do?"
Elara gestured widely with her hands, then brought them together as if forming a ball. "Eternal flame... make... everything."
...
They were now back inside the association building.
Cipher and Elaine sat with Elara in a quiet room, trying to understand what she meant.
"Elara, what do you mean by ’made everything’?" Cipher asked gently.
Elara looked at him, her expression thoughtful. "Eternal flame... light," she said slowly.
"Light? The eternal flame makes light?" Elaine guessed.
Elara shook her head. She repeated, "Eternal flame... light," then paused and gestured at Elaine, as if indicating a person.
"A person of light? Someone made of light?" Cipher tried.
Elara nodded slightly, then shook her head again. She pointed upward, as if indicating something divine.
"A god? A light god?" Elaine asked.
Elara’s face brightened. She nodded eagerly. "Light... goddess."
"The eternal flame made a light goddess?" Cipher said, piecing it together.
The Light Goddess was the same god the Church of Eternal Brilliance worshiped before. Was it related to this so-called Eternal Flame? Was this why the Immortal King never died, because the Eternal Flame supported him? After all, it was eternal.
But this didn’t make sense, after all, Elara had confirmed before that the Light and Love goddess are the same person. And what exactly did she mean by make. Was it making from scratch or just making stuff up?
Elara nodded again, then opened her arms wide, gesturing at everything around them - the walls, the furniture, the very air itself.
"And the light goddess made... everything?" Elaine said slowly.
"Yes!" Elara nodded vigorously, relief washing over her face.
Cipher turned to Elaine. "The love goddess still isn’t responding?"
"She is responding," Elaine said. "Let me try." She closed her eyes for a moment, her expression concentrating. After a few seconds, she opened them and shook her head. "She refused to respond."
Cipher nodded thoughtfully. She was refusing to respond to this specific question. He turned back to Elara.
"Is it just the love goddess?" he asked carefully. "What about the other gods? Like the god of time, for example?"
Elara looked at him, her eyes widening slightly. "Brother Cipher..." she said, then paused.
She seemed completely lost for words. She didn’t even gesture anymore, just stared at him with an expression that was difficult to read.
"Ahem," Elaine cleared her throat pointedly.
Cipher caught himself and smiled, realizing he might be pushing too hard. He backed away slightly, raising his hands in a placating gesture.
"Why don’t you rest?" he said gently. "We can talk about it later when you remember more. You’ve already told us a lot today."
Elara nodded slowly, looking relieved.
"Thank you both for hanging out with me today," Cipher said, glancing between them. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Brother Cipher," Elara said softly.
"Goodnight," Elaine added.
Cipher gave them a small wave, then left the room.