Above the gloomy skies of the Holy Justice Citadel, the space suddenly twisted, and two figures emerged from the folds of space.
One of them was a tall, slender man with elvish features and long, white hair, clad in white, while an ancient bronze sword with a slightly rusty blade rested on his back.
The other has the appearance of a young, cute girl, around 12 years old, with long scarlet hair that reaches all the way to her feet, and peculiar runic markings etched on her forehead, seemingly pulsating with mystical light. She wore ancient-style black robes, and her eyes were covered in a black blindfold.
The elvish male was holding an ancient compass as it seemed to have a mysterious cosmic pattern engraved on its surface, and those cosmic patterns seemed alive and vivid.
His brows wrinkled as he looked at the unfamiliar scenery of the Holy Justice Citadel, and he gravely stated, "The new Myth was here!"
"Isn’t this Myth of Justice’s territory? Where is she?" The young, blindfolded girl spoke in a solemn tone, but her voice was that of a cute child, and no one would take her seriously.
The elvish male shook his head as he replied with uncertainty, "Currently, there are no fellow myth seekers present in this place, at least not within the range of the True Myth Compass. Furthermore, the new fellow myth seeker’s spiritual mark instilled within the True Myth Compass isn’t showing any reaction, and it’s been like this since we were halfway to this place. This is the last location of that new myth."
"That’s aside..." The young girl, despite her blindfold, seemed to preserve everything as she solemnly said, "What has happened here? This place was filled with radiance and hope the last time I was here, but all I can see is darkness and despair.
"Furthermore, the Faery Humans’ minds are chaotic as if they have lost their will to live. Then the ’Myth of Oracle’ suddenly discovered the new myth, unregistered in the Coalition.
"We were sent here to ’invite’ the new myth for a chat, but then suddenly the True Myth Compass suddenly stopped reacting, which could only mean the new myth is either dead or is capable of changing their soul, which is impossible.
"Now, looking at this place’s current state and the missing Myth of Justice, it could only mean something unexpected involving two myths has taken place here."
The elvish man, who was none other than the Myth of White Swordsman, couldn’t help but nod as if agreeing with the blindfolded girl’s evaluation.
Suddenly, a talisman appeared in the White Swordsman’s hand, and runes on this talisman were like flickering stars; without hesitation, he imbued his soul force into it.
However, the talisman didn’t react, making the White Swordsman furrow his brows with a hint of bewilderment in his eyes as he muttered, "The Space Transferal Talisman of The Myth of Justice isn’t working. Unless it has been destroyed, no matter where she is, it should at least elicit a reaction. But if the Space Transferal Talisman has been destroyed, this linked talisman should’ve been destroyed as well. Strange, too strange..."
The more the White Swordsman thought about this matter, the more uneasy he felt. After all, this matter involving two myths couldn’t be taken lightly, especially if one or both of them perished, and one of the myths even belonged to their Mythical Coalition.
He then looked at the blindfolded girl, and a hint of helplessness surfaced in his eyes as he said, "Lady Myth of Secrets, I have to trouble you to use your divine skills to find the truth. This matter involved not only a new myth but also a fellow myth of the Coalition."
The young, blindfolded girl called the Myth of Secrets sighed before she nodded, "I will use my skills, but I need appropriate compensation. You’ll be my witness, fellow Myth of White Swordsman."
"Certainty." The Myth of White Swordsman agreed without hesitation, as he knew the Myth of Secrets’ skills came with a price, but they were efficient and effective.
That was also the reason the Myth of Secrets was one of the strongest and respected members of the Mythical Coalition.
At this moment, the blindfold trembled as the Myth of Secrets raised her small, pale hands toward it. Slowly, she loosened the black cloth, and the instant it slipped away, the truth beneath was revealed.
Instead of twin eyes, a single eye socket had fused itself in the center of her face, where both eyes should’ve been. When her delicate eyelid opened, an unearthly eye gazed out.
It was strange, profound, and unbearably mystical. The iris glimmered like liquid starlight, etched with shifting runes that seemed ancient and cryptic. Each faint movement of its glow gave the illusion of laws being born and destroyed in an endless cycle.
The Myth of White Swordsman drew in a sharp breath. Even he, a Myth in his own right, felt dread and apprehension despite witnessing the same scene a few times.
The Myth of Secrets pressed her fingers together, her childish voice now layered with a deeper resonance, "By the root of secrecy, I open the unseen paths..."
The surrounding air quivered. The ground of the Holy Justice Citadel rumbled faintly. From her singular eye, a ripple of unseen law spread out, peeling away the illusions of the world itself.
But all of a sudden, her eye froze!
Her tiny frame stiffened as if pierced by an unseen spear. She was not looking at the Citadel anymore. She was staring directly into the void above them, into a space that should’ve been empty.
Her mystical eye trembled, focusing sharply, and there, concealed beyond perception, a pair of ghostly, eerie purple flames lit up in the void. They were not eyes... yet they were. Cold, profound, and terrifying, and at that moment, those flames gazed back.
The instant her gaze collided with them, the purple flames flickered faintly—as if surprised.
"Impossible..." The Myth of Secrets’ childish voice cracked, for the first time laced with raw terror as she had seen a glimpse of something.
A heartbeat later...
BANG!
Her singular eye exploded in a rain of starlit ichor, as if crushed under an unfathomable weight.
The Myth of Secrets let out a blood-curdling scream, her small body writhing once before collapsing limply into unconsciousness. Her blindfold slipped from her hands and fell from the sky.
The White Swordsman’s pupils shrank violently, his elvish features paling; he was even able to react or comprehend what had just transpired, "Lady Secrets!"
He instinctively glanced at the spot where the Myth of Secrets had just looked, and nothing was there, only silence, only emptiness, making him feel eerie.
Without hesitation, the White Swordsman swept the small unconscious girl into his arms, his grip tight with urgency.
"We’re leaving!"
His ancient bronze sword quivered faintly on his back as he slashed his hand through space, tearing open a path of retreat.
The once composed and noble Myth of White Swordsman was now pale and shaken, fleeing with no regard for dignity, mission, or pride.
Within the depths of space, the pair of purple eyes flickered with a hint of amusement before an eerie voice, laced with indifference, rang out, "Heh, annoying pests!"