Caine caressed his chin, remaining still in deep thought. He stood motionless for a mont before he began to walk in circles, his state of focus unprecedented.
This revelation answered many questions but left countless more inquiries.
'The event was a war. A war between us and invaders. A war we nearly lost.'
His gaze narrowed. 'So, my suspicions that the world has been invaded were indeed correct.'
The fact that Elura and the Elentals were so blatantly installed in their world had been an obvious indicator to Caine, but he had always remained on the fence.
'Zao, Theobald, and Tania all ca out of this war injured and are most likely the only individuals I can trust.'
'Since they were separate from the other great forces, I must assu that none of the others are worthy of trust, not even the Tiless Alliance.'
His gaze widened slightly as another thought struck him. 'But if that's the case, why are we staying there willingly?'
The answer struck him like lightning. 'Are Zao and I being kept… captive?'
His steps faltered for a mont as the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place. 'He's trying to give the tools necessary to free myself from these binds, but he's doing it at the expense of his own freedom and life.'
Caine's thoughts split into two streams, sothing that had beco endlessly easy after his previous trial.
'Last Gaia sacrificed herself for sothing. She was aware of her coming death generations before it occurred, but what could the reason be…?'
His thoughts split further.
'They nearly lost the war but invoked sothing that turned the tides, though not enough to end it completely. We are essentially in a state of cold war at the mont.'
'We are most likely at a standstill, but with a disadvantage.'
His qi flowed into his brain, the Immorial Lightning fused within its structure pushing his thinking speed to its limits.
'Those sisters were sent down to attack and eradicate our world, but they knew they would die. So, I must assu they are a third party.'
'But they also noted that they were once sent to shackle our world, which is most likely the reason why we are sealed off from contact with any outside forces.'
'There's also the ntion of an alliance with the "Spirits" and the "Ones from the Void," most likely referring to us Velios and… the Void Trading Alliance?'
'Are they to be trusted, or did they betray us in so way?'
Caine's thoughts jumped from mont to mont, suddenly returning to a conversation he had overheard while traveling with Lilith, just before he t Theobald and gained the crafts he had once promised him.
'The Void Trading Alliance was recalling all its forces, as if preparing for a catastrophe, and at the sa ti, the cult's actions beca more rowdy and bold, as if they were preparing for their return.'
'The two happened in tandem, as if an unspoken agreent had been reached between them.'
'But the Void Trading Alliance… their Auction House was so loaded with formations…'
His eyes narrowed as he recalled a specific mont. 'They knew the cult would attack during the auction. They also knew the fractured reality would open on their grounds. If anything, I'm sure they must have triggered it.'
Caine suddenly froze, rembering the mont he reached Jamie's camp and spoke with his people. He recalled the countless echoes of conversations he had heard back then and slowly began to piece everything together.
[…The Pope…The Villages were…Our Gods…The Fallen Gods…A Great Danger…Death Swirls…Jamie…The rchant Association…]
His gaze widened. 'Is… this the fractured reality from my coming-of-age ceremony…?'
Caine's mind split into so many diverging streams of thought that his qi nearly ran dry, unable to keep up with the consumption of his brain.
A brilliant light burned in his gaze as the pieces of the puzzle beca opaque and arranged themselves into a complex tapestry that bridged the past, present, and future.
But Caine didn't stop there. This was a Trial from Fate itself; there had to be more. He had to contextualize everything according to the workings of Fate and his current circumstances.
'Invaders. A war. Deaths. A cult. Betrayals.'
Caine's face scrunched into a demonic scowl, fury rising within him. Just like the last ti, when he had felt a hand obscuring his thoughts and stopping him from reaching the peaks of his enlightennt, he felt a force blurring his thoughts, stopping him from reaching the final conclusion.
It was at the tip of his tongue, ready to be uttered, but shackled by a force beyond his comprehension.
It felt like his mind was trapped in a box, desperately trying to wiggle free but failing again and again.
The deeper he sank into these thoughts, the more he analyzed his own life, and the more he felt the effect of this restraining force.
He felt like he had never even had control.
Suddenly, the words Pope Francis had spoken to him rang like a bell in his mind.
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