England, Thames Estuary.
Right beside London rose the tallest structure on Earth — an impossible tower, raised in record time through the direct assistance of the Varyn Magic Empire.
On its highest floor, where all of London lay sprawled far below, two mages, a man and a woman, sat together, deep in conversation.
"Do you really think," the man began lightly, a faint smile on his lips that didn't match his words, "that there's still a need for us to stay in this world? To endure the chaos for a hundred years or more, until it finally stabilizes?"
The woman huffed, and in her sharp gaze burned a wild, almost feverish light. "Her Highness, Lyria Solstice Arden's birth shook the world," she replied. "And even those entities whose names cannot be spoken aloud, only whispered in the dark places of the universe, have already moved, to take her in."
She paused, leaning forward slightly. "Do you understand what that means?"
And without waiting for an answer, she continued with fierce conviction. "It means we must work even harder. We should at least shape this world into something worthy of her — a gift fit for her hands to play with."
"Retreating back to the Varyn Magic Empire?" she scoffed, her voice sharp with certainty. "Absolutely not."
The woman mage had a wild fire in her gaze, so intense, so fanatical, that had the leader of the Liberation Front witnessed it… he would have felt regret that she was not by his side. Not under his banner!
He would have felt shame that none of his own followers burned with such crazy, mad devotion!
Back in the United States, in the state of Minnesota, Christian was with Eva and his sister inside a monitor room.
The room was filled with screens displaying all kinds of satellite images of the Earth, alongside various reports and streams of information pouring in from different sources.
Although he had already calmed down after his initial exaggerated reaction, Christian's expression remained serious.
Because, unlike people from other worlds, who saw the first sign as an opportunity, Christian didn't share their view. And so, his attention was still fully focused on the data in front of him.
After all, aside from the sudden surge in the density of essence in the atmosphere, earthquakes were actually occurring around the world. And according to the information he had gathered, other repercussions would gradually follow as well.
However, Christian had already grasped the core of the issue. With the event now in motion, it had quickly become the center of discussion among many different groups: people from the other world, ancient families, and various governments alike.
Ascension, evolution, or whatever term was used… one thing was certain: the Earth was advancing.
That this was just the first sign, not the actual advancement itself, which he already knew was still a lot further in the future, was a relief. But that didn't mean he could relax.
That was why he had already reached out to Zero, giving him a number of orders… especially since one of the places hit by an earthquake was California, after all!
His order was simple: contain the damage and don't fall during the chaos.
He also gave a few instructions to Iris, tell her to change her stance on many matters and become more vigilant… because what was once considered excessive was now nothing less than necessary!
[Master, Olivia is calling. Should I connect her?]
At this sudden statement, Christian's eyes lit up.
Because, despite the massive pool of sources feeding him information, it was often more about quantity than quality.
But Olivia was different.
She was at the Academy, after all!
That's why he immediately told Iris to connect him to her.
And fortunately, Olivia didn't disappoint.
After exchanging a few quick words to confirm that everything was fine on his end, she got straight to the main topic.
"When the abnormalities started, I was with the principal, and I was able to glean a lot of information from her," she said, before launching into her explanation.
Eva, at the side, had an intrigued look on her face as she listened, while Annabelle raised an eyebrow… wondering why Olivia had chosen to call Christian, the lover, instead of her own mother.
Each of them had their own curiosity about the situation, but neither said anything. They simply kept quiet and listened closely to what Olivia had to say.
She began by explaining how this was merely the first sign of something much larger… something Christian already knew. She followed with more information, most of which he also was already aware of, before finally mentioning something that caught his full attention… something he didn't completely know about.
"And so, with this first sign now unfolding, it'll act like a clear and bright signal shining through the fog, for those from other far worlds," she said.
Christian's expression changed into a frown.
These groups… the ones already on Earth, no one has been able to fully deal with them so far.
And if more were to arrive?
What would happen then?
Those thoughts weighed on his mind.
But then, Olivia clarified, saying something along the lines of an analysis made by the chief of a tribe in India… something Christian hadn't been able to eavesdrop on, and thus was unfamiliar with.
"So, you need to be careful," Olivia warned. "Even though the incoming groups are likely weak… that's in comparison to the strong ones already on Earth."
"It doesn't mean the same applies to you."
She paused briefly before continuing, her tone firmer.
"Not to mention, you have no way of knowing where these groups will end up when they teleport here. So again… be careful."
Then, all of a sudden, her tone changed. It became brighter, almost filled with pride, as she added, "Anyway, that's not all I was able to find out."
"Even the reason why all these people from the other world are coming here — I discovered that too!"