"Banquet?"
The golden elf girl's cool voice echoed through the Starrealm.
She lifted her gaze slightly, looking at Xia Ya standing before her.
In the next mont, her previously closed left eye quietly opened.
A wisp of deep blue fla flickered within her crimson-gold irises, leaping slowly.
That deep blue fire was dazzling and magnificent, its glow shifting unpredictably.
It was what the people of the Black Tower called the "Secret Fla of the Goddess of Magic"—the very thing that gave Hathaway her title, the "Golden Catastrophe."
Unlike the gods worshiped by the various religious orders, which had clear identities and nas, the Goddess of Magic had no physical form. She was rely the embodint of the laws governing magic, elental forces, and arcane life across the multiverse—an incarnation of a concept rather than a true deity.
At the instant that wisp of deep blue fire appeared, Xia Ya could feel it distinctly.
The temporal imprint carved into his Star-Spirit Body—like the rings of a tree, so subtle that even he hadn't noticed it before—began to tremble.
Then, within the flowing currents of ti and space, a fragnt of the severed river of ti silently reflected in the golden elf’s eyes, illuminated by the glow of the Secret Fla.
The next second, the deep blue light flickered and vanished.
The golden elf's left eye closed once more.
She crossed her arms, the corner of her lips curving into a faint, knowing smile as she looked at Xia Ya.
"It didn’t feel real in the Dinsional Abyss, but seeing you now, I realize—it’s really been that long, hasn’t it?"
She took a step closer to Xia Ya, reaching out her hand.
Then, with those slender, pale fingers, she lightly traced his cheek.
"Looking at you closely, you've grown."
"You’re not the sa little boy who pretended to be deep and mysterious when we first t in Arcane City Lokiah five years ago."
Her cold fingertips brushed against Xia Ya's cheek, sending a ticklish sensation across his skin.
"You’ve gotten taller—even taller than now."
"And you've gotten thinner too. Your face isn’t as round and chubby as it used to be..."
The golden elf examined the tall, sharp-featured young man before her.
In her pale gold eyes, there was a trace of contentnt—and a hint of nostalgia.
"You really have beco quite the handso young man."
"I suppose it’s no wonder Guderian Borgia would marry off his only daughter to you..."
"Although, most of the reason is for political gain, if you weren’t outstanding yourself, this marriage wouldn’t have been arranged."
"In your words, little Xia Ya has beco quite the sought-after prize now, hasn’t he?"
Xia Ya was montarily taken aback, too caught up in thought to even respond to Hathaway’s teasing tone.
"Teacher, you know the head of the Borgia family?"
As far as he knew, his golden elf ntor from the Black Tower had existed for an unfathomably long ti. She was one of the most enigmatic legends of the entire Western Continent.
Even the ancient Holy Theocracy, which had endured for a thousand years, had no clear records of when Hathaway first ascended to legendary status as one of the Black Tower’s Eight Pages.
Perhaps because of the imnse passage of ti after reaching that legendary tier, Hathaway had developed a rather carefree personality—she acted on whims and chance.
She could break her own millennium-old rule and take Xia Ya—who at the ti hadn’t even reached the First-Ring and was no different from an ant in the eyes of a legend—as her last disciple simply because she found him interesting...
And she could just as easily skip a gathering of the Eight Pages over sothing completely trivial.
To Hathaway, if she didn’t think soone was worth her ti, she wouldn’t even spare them a glance—even if they were also a legend.
"It was about ten years ago, I think. Guderian attempted to break through the limits of the Throne Tier back then, so I rember him."
"He didn’t succeed at the ti, but after all these years..."
"Between him and the Imperial Family’s strongest mber, it’s honestly hard to say who is stronger now."
That old bastard Borgia is really that powerful?
Xia Ya was surprised.
But in hindsight, it made sense. No wonder the man dared to openly challenge the Imperial Family—he had the strength to back it up.
"Still... since you called for ."
"It ans you’ve already made your decision regarding this matter."
The golden elf withdrew her pale hand from Xia Ya’s face.
She stepped back two paces. Behind her, against the backdrop of the illusory starry sky, a silent throne woven from jet-black thorns slowly erged.
Hathaway seated herself on the throne of thorns, tilting her head to the side as she looked at Xia Ya. A glimr of amusent flickered in her eyes.
"This is an opportunity to rise overnight, you know. Accepting the olive branch they’ve offered you ans you’ll have at least three legendary backers."
"And among them, two are even on par with demi-gods..."
"You’ve made this choice..."
The golden elf crossed her long legs, leaning back lazily on the throne.
"Because of your little girlfriend?"
"Mm."
"Are you really going to do this?"
Her cool voice carried a subtle undertone of temptation.
"You could just pretend to accept their goodwill, infiltrate their faction without drawing any suspicion..."
"Then, absorb their resources, gather intelligence, and when the ti is right—strike at the decisive mont. That would serve your interests far better, just like you’ve always done."
"Revealing your intentions out of sheer emotion and exposing yourself to enormous risk... That’s not like you. You’ve always believed in thinking carefully before acting."
Xia Ya nodded.
"If it were just alone, I might have done exactly as you said, Teacher. After all, I never thought my own pride was worth much. The one who laughs last is the true victor."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"But this is a promise I made to Ai."
Hathaway’s voice was indifferent.
"She stopped caring about that a long ti ago."
"But I care."
Xia Ya shook his head.
"In the fire at Ceylan..."
"Ai entrusted with everything that belonged to her—her past, her present, even her future."
"She is the girl I raised since childhood, the girl who belongs only to ."
"Every part of Ai Rora—her joy, her sorrow, her laughter, her tears—should exist solely for . I want her to smile only because of and cry only because of ."
"But—"
Xia Ya's voice turned cold.
"That night, I saw her cry... and it wasn’t for ."
"Soone has to pay the price for that."
The golden elf stared at Xia Ya for a long ti.
The relaxed amusent in her gaze vanished.
In its place, her crimson-gold eyes held the weight of a sovereign’s authority—stern, scrutinizing, judging.
Xia Ya t her gaze without flinching.
After a long silence, the golden elf seated upon the Throne of Thorns gave a slow nod.
"I’ll have Little Death take a trip to the Imperial Capital."
"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher."
Light particles began to spill from Xia Ya's Star-Spirit Body as he gradually returned from the Starrealm to the Material Plane.
Just as his form grew hazy and indistinct, Xia Ya spoke again.
"Teacher, I’ve always wanted to ask you sothing."
"Back in Arcane City Lokiah, why did you pick out of the crowd at first glance?"
A flicker of nostalgia passed through the golden elf's eyes.
"Because I sensed sothing familiar in you."
"A traveler, far from ho, drifting in foreign lands."
"A wanderer, having lost a place to belong, with nowhere to return to."
"Just like I once was… exactly the sa."
"Is that so?"
Xia Ya nodded, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"And here I thought... Teacher, you were just lonely from being single for too long."
"So you wanted to raise a perfect little husband from childhood, all for yourself."
Xia Ya’s Star-Spirit Body quickly faded away.
Only his final words lingered, echoing through the illusory starry sea of the Starrealm.
"After all these years, I’ve been striving to beco a male lead that could make you fall for . What a pity."
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