Chapter 296: The Fading Shadow of Yesterday

Enya held Zeta’s small hand and led her down the same path they had come from.

The descent was vastly different from the perilous climb. It was as if all the gloom had dissipated along with the black cloud that had shrouded the mountaintop.

Though still under the cover of night, it was no longer pitch black. Stars had appeared in the sky, and the City of the Other Shore seemed less dark than before.

Zeta gazed from afar at the ancient city at the foot of the mountain, leaning against Enya’s leg as she murmured softly.

“From here, the city looks like a pretty nice place.”

“…?”

Enya looked toward where Zeta’s gaze was fixed. What she saw was a city engulfed in flames.

With her extraordinary vision, she could already observe subtle changes occurring within the city.

Many people had begun to take advantage of the chaos to commit crimes.

The three local overlords had been slain, along with a group of high-ranking powerhouses.

Now, with a mix of fish and dragons, and the reappearance of the Starry Night, too many changes had taken place in the City of the Other Shore.

It made an already chaotic city even more disorderly.

What Enya saw at a glance were arson, murder, looting, and vengeance.

She withdrew her gaze, did not stop walking, and continued leading Zeta down the mountain while responding to her earlier words.

“Perhaps it was indeed a good place once.”

“Once?”

“I mean a long time ago.”

“How long ago?”

Zeta giggled, tilting her head back, her big eyes blinking at Enya like an adorable curious child.

Enya’s other hand was free, so she pinched Zeta’s little nose.

Zeta shook her head to break free, pouted, and met Enya’s gaze as she spoke.

“You promised. You’re coming back with me.”

“Mm.”

“Say it and mean it.”

“Mm.”

Enya nodded, but seeing that Zeta wasn’t satisfied with that response, she added another sentence.

“Say it and mean it.”

“Hmph, hmph~”

Zeta’s previously sulky face brightened instantly. She grinned triumphantly and chatted with Enya about how she had dealt with Yifu.

Her story was vivid, but it didn’t sound very real.

According to her, she had won a complete victory, and Yifu had been beaten from start to finish.

But the truth didn’t seem to be that simple.

It had been a tough battle, but Zeta had a reason she couldn’t lose!

So in the end, she won.

“Sister and the others really want to see you. After all, you caused such a big commotion—going off to fight a Dragon one-on-one was way too reckless.”

“Is that so?”

Enya smiled faintly.

The two chatted idly, as if taking a leisurely stroll after a meal in what was considered the most dangerous region of the Northwest.

When they reached a bridge over a stream that had dried up who knows how many years ago, halfway down the mountain, Enya stopped.

Her Golden Red Dragon Eyes fixed on the figure standing on the bridge.

After a moment, she narrowed her eyes.

“Zeta, wait for me at the foot of the mountain first.”

“Ugh…”

Zeta glanced at Enya, then at the figure standing on the bridge staring at the dry creek.

In the end, she said nothing, let go of Enya’s hand, leaped directly to the other side, and waved at Enya.

“Sister Enya, I’ll wait for you at the bottom. If you dare leave me alone, the sisters will come find you!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not that kind of person.”

Enya forced a smile.

Even she felt a bit guilty saying that.

After all, she had a history of making promises and then flaking out—she was practically a repeat offender.

Watching Zeta leave, Enya turned her gaze back to the bridge. The figure had shifted its attention from the dry stream bed to Enya, meeting her eyes.

It was an old man in a grey robe, with an ancient, archaic air.

He was neither particularly tall nor especially short—the kind of ordinary person you could pass by on the street without noticing.

But he had no face!

His face was blurred, as if covered by frosted glass.

Even with the Dragon Eyes capable of Breaking Illusion, she couldn’t see through this disguise… Perhaps that was exactly what his face was?

The old man with the blurred face spoke to Enya.

“Long time no see.”

Enya frowned deeply.

After a moment of thought, she fixed her gaze on him and asked.

“Who are you?”

“Me?”

The old man chuckled.

“I am no one. I am merely a remnant of time, the past of a nameless person, a blurred piece of history.”

“What do you want?”

Enya already had a guess about this person’s identity. She asked only to confirm.

The old man looked up at the night sky, then smiled at Enya.

“This is merely a chance encounter.”

“You’re the Historical Scholar!”

Enya’s eyes widened, and she clenched her fists.

She had seen this kind of figure before in The Book of Rose Priestesses. It was created using the memories of a previous Lilith, who had encountered him in a past age.

The Historical Scholar of the Scholars of Dawn—a Hidden Existence of unknown strength and purpose, a manipulator scheming behind the scenes.

And this was merely a trace he had left in the past.

Enya’s brow suddenly lifted, and she asked curiously.

“You can manipulate time?”

“No, no one can manipulate time. All I do is make use of the past. Historical Scholar? That’s quite an apt description.”

As he spoke, the old man walked toward Enya, then passed by her, heading up the mountain.

“A Yesterday’s Afterimage, huh?”

Enya turned around, watching the old man unhurriedly ascend the stairs step by step until he disappeared from her sight.

She let out a soft sigh and murmured to herself.

‘An afterimage from yesterday, yet it can speak with me today. This Historical Scholar really does have impressive abilities.’

She had already encountered two scholars.

The other was called the Linguistic Scholar, who used an extremely rare Word Spirit Magic.

Some thought struck Enya.

She turned her gaze toward the city at the foot of the mountain, and then she understood.

Perhaps this so-called City of the Other Shore was itself a page torn from past history—a single night’s city made eternal.

She looked at the city below, then at the summit of Mount Blacksky.

“Quite the grand scheme…”

To build a temple on a mountaintop, he had excised an entire night of history from an entire region. This Historical Scholar had both skill and audacity.

She wondered what his relationship was with the Goddess of Night.

Enya speculated.

Could the Historical Scholar be the Goddess of Night’s chief follower?

No, that didn’t seem right.

This guy had too much style. Being merely the goddess’s chief follower was beneath his caliber. Maybe he was a rival?

She couldn’t guess. Enya shook off the flurry of thoughts, turned, and walked onto the bridge.

At the center, she gazed into the dry stream and stood there for a while.

Nothing…

No waking memories, nor any other inspiration.

‘Tch…’

‘Why am I doing something so stupid?’

‘I’m acting like a little kid!’

Enya’s face flushed slightly. She felt that even her own Rosily wouldn’t do something like this like her mother did.

“Ahem.”

She softly coughed to ease the embarrassment.

Then she quickly crossed the small bridge and continued down the stairs.

The City of the Other Shore had experienced its most chaotic day in history.

The city had never seen such a change before.

First, two people slaughtered within its walls. Then, the pitch-black sky lit up with stars. Everyone in the city began to find ways to escape.

In an underground chamber of the City of the Other Shore, the light of a massive magic array flared up, and a dozen figures emerged within it.

A gaunt-faced man, sensing something was off, quickly ran to the stairway and rushed up to the ground.

Behind him came the group consisting of a middle-aged man, a young man, and a young girl.

They also stepped out of the underground exit, followed by the captain of the Black Boat and his crew.

When these people reached the surface, they were stunned by the scene before them.

The city that had always operated stably despite its darkness and chaos—how had it become a sea of fire and ruins?

What in the world had happened!

Soon, they realized they couldn’t stay in the City of the Other Shore.

Just as they were about to leave, the cloaked teenager shouted.

“Look! In the sky!”

All eyes turned upward, and then they witnessed a sight they’d never forget. A massive dragon silhouette rose outside the city!

Its enormous wings cast a great shadow over the city, followed by a surge of turbulent air.

Enya revealed her true form. Some of the weaker ones fainted at the sight.

She flew high—high enough to look down upon Mount Blacksky.

On her shoulder, a tiny golden speck bounced up and down. Zeta seemed a bit excited.

“Sister Enya, can you spit and drown those humans?”

“…”

Enya was speechless.

Dragon spittle—was that something you could just spit out?

If she collected it in a bottle, she could sell it for tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of gold coins as dragon saliva!

Enya sighed and said.

“Breath. It’s called Dragon’s Breath, you know?”

“Oh, oh.”

Zeta giggled foolishly, then thrust out her little fist.

“Sister Enya, for my sake, use Dragon’s Breath on those humans!”

“You really…”

Those were words Enya had said before, and Zeta had stolen them. Now they were being used on Enya herself. It felt a bit strange.

Calming the turmoil inside her, Enya turned her massive dragon body, aiming her maw toward the towering Mount Blacksky.

As she spread her wings to their fullest, magic power began to surge violently.

Those in the city felt their own magic being drawn by the overwhelming force, unable to control even the mana within their cores.