[Vol. 8] Chapter 64: The Sea of Time Stars and the World Tree
The silver-haired girl raised her delicate, jade-like wrist wrapped in white silk gloves. From the palm of her hand, a strange glowing object slowly rose. It was hard to tell exactly what it was, like something pure and shining, glowing with a silver light that sparkled like the “shooting stars” around them.
"The [Anchor of Time] is a larger fragment formed after the Primordial Artifact [Sea of Time Stars] split. It carries one of the main concepts of the [Time] law, representing the [Present] among the three states of space-time. I will cast it into the Time-Space Rift. It will then serve as an anchor point to stabilize your temporal disturbances, allowing you to synchronize with the outside world as much as possible. Make sure to keep it safe, this item is very important."
“To explain it in the game terms you understand best, this is one of the key items for the main quest, as important as those three keys. Its rank is Divine Artifact.”
It seemed Hen had already set this up beforehand, because the floating object, shining like a star and almost transparent, felt Violet’s presence and quickly floated over to her, gently landing in the Priestess’s raised hand.
“A piece of the [Primordial Artifact]… and it even has a [Time] law? Where did you even get something like this…?”
And why would the [Primordial Artifact] break in the first place? If even the broken pieces can be ranked as Divine Artifacts, then this thing is probably almost like a real god in some ways. Everyone knows that the [Time] law is a huge, powerful idea, and if it took form as a god, it would be at the highest level, maybe even like the Wheel of Fate.
Violet muttered this quietly to herself, then looked down carefully at the glowing light floating above her palm, spinning and changing shape with a strange but beautiful pattern, like a star.
“Buzz~”
The moment she touched it, a strange, hard-to-explain energy spread out from the light. It created an invisible field around the girl, like a thin shield, making her feel a sudden sense of stability.
No wonder it’s a piece of the [Primordial Artifact], it works immediately. Though she thought this, what really caught Violet’s attention was something else.
At the same time the shield formed, all the “shooting stars” flying wildly inside the Time-Space Rift suddenly stopped in front of Violet’s eyes. They turned into quiet points of light like real stars, hanging calmly in the endless, vast emptiness. Compared to the chaotic and huge scene before, this was a completely different feeling.
It was almost like being inside the universe itself.
“You should have gotten the [Anchor of Time] now, right?” Before Violet could think too long, Hen continued talking.
“Given your condition, you can use all the power of this piece of the [Primordial Artifact]. When you go back, you can study it slowly and use it freely. Don’t worry about causing trouble for me.”
“The time law has endless uses and is hard to fully understand quickly. But even just the [Anchor of Time]’s energy by itself can keep your time flow steady after the projection disappears. I’ll say it again, this thing is very important. Don’t lose it, and don’t give it to anyone else.”
“Hey, hey, don’t nag like an old mother! Do you really think I’m that dumb!?”
It was like Violet was really talking face-to-face with a Priestess and hearing her loud complaint. Hen’s lips showed a tiny smile, almost unnoticed, then she naturally ignored it and continued with the conversation.
“The [Anchor of Time] is the most basic protection for you to move safely inside the Time-Space Rift. But that doesn’t mean you can easily leave this empty, strange place just by relying on it. Next, I will teach you the only way I know to get out of here.”
“Watch carefully, Violet. The divine power I can put into the Time-Space Rift is limited. This image will probably disappear completely after the demonstration. Everything else will depend on you.”
“......”
Seeing Hen say this, the Priestess quickly stopped joking, nodded, and focused seriously.
Even though this time she played along with the Twilight Council’s plan against her and met Hen, getting further help and guidance, it would all be useless if she couldn’t leave the Time-Space Rift and return to reality.
Soon, under the Priestess’s focused and serious gaze, a shining light quietly gathered in the silver-haired girl’s hand, slowly turning into a small, delicate silver blade, like a surgical knife.
The moment Violet saw it, she recognized what it was.
“The [Blade of Hollow Mark]?”
“That’s right, it’s the [Blade of Hollow Mark].”
As if responding to her, the silver-haired girl gently touched the smooth surface of the small blade. Her calm voice carried a little warmth.
“This weapon and its name, I’m sure you now understand. It is a special [Law Artifact] that I and Kong nurtured with our essence for thousands of years. It holds the divine power to break through all illusions in the world and travel through the space of countless worlds.”
“And after some... further strengthening, it can now even tear and jump through places like the Time-Space Rift, which has no real physical space, under certain special conditions.”
“By the way, I finished this strengthening a thousand years ago.”
“Oh~ I see…”
Violet seemed to understand a little more what her mysterious friend was trying to tell her.
The [Blade of Hollow Mark] is Hen’s personal divine artifact, the only one in the world. The Priestess, of course, does not have it. So the “only known way to leave the Time-Space Rift” could not possibly be with Violet herself.
That would be the normal case.
But in this world, there are exceptions that shouldn’t exist. One of the secret trump cards that the Priestess had hidden all along was about to bring a surprising reversal and a chance for survival.
Putting away the [Eternal Scepter of the World's Heart], the black-haired girl opened her other hand, the one not holding the [Anchor of Time].
Green seed grew slowly from her pale palm, branching and sprouting. At a speed visible to the eye, they turned into a lush, green tree, giving off a deep, mysterious energy like the creation of the world itself.
At that moment, it seemed to become the absolute core of this empty, strange place, even more than the [Anchor of Time] in the girl’s left hand.
“A divine artifact... a [Simulated Kabbalah Tree of Life].”
As if realizing something, Violet whispered the name.
It was no mistake. This was the message Hen wanted to give her. A way, beyond ordinary logic, to help the Priestess leave the Time-Space Rift and return to the real world.