The ceiling of the escape pod crumbled into dust particles, revealing the twisting sky which painted the horizon with its unending gloom. The Second Princess narrowed her eyes in response to the abrupt change in brightness, an upside-down whirlpool emerging in her blurry vision.

The Arachna around her screamed in pain as countless droplets of Fons touched their carapaces and vaporized them. Though their screeches were heart-gripping, the thunders above overwhelmed them into insignificance.

The Second Princess glanced back at the mothership and saw its last moment. It gradually sank into the sea of clouds, the multi-coloured Fons coating its surface. Despite the distance, She saw her friends, her disciples, and her comrades facing their demises dutifully.

She knew they wouldn't scream nor cry, but their emotionless faces still haunted her. They hovered in her mind, praying for her survival. The Second Princess sighed as she raised her head skywards, staring at the descension of something beyond her imagination.

From the whirlpool, the faintest shadow of the Originator manifested in front of the Second Princess. With a swarm of chains restraining its complete descension, it hung above the world and overlooked everything with its eyeless surface.

The False Originator that extended beyond the boundary of the grey horizon and occupied the sky with its unending silhouette. The chaotic flow of Fons congealed and crystalized into mirror-like surfaces. They reflected the radiance of thunders, filling the atmosphere with strange glares.

Despite its overwhelming presence, the Second Princess knew she only witnessed the tiniest fragment of something that existed outside the realm of possibility. In front of the crushing imagery, the Second Princess stood up and stared at the flawless surface of the False Originator, her hands supporting her shaky legs.

"Everyone, it seems that I can't go on anymore," the Second Princess said.

She took off her uniform and wore only the lightest piece of her clothes, revealing her soft, bouncy skin. The cold wind caressed her, but she could only feel the numbness of acceptance. She took out a pocket watch she always kept with herself and opened it.

As time kept moving, the Second Princess stared at the picture of her mother and held it in her hand. Her tears dropped on it and tainted the scenery, distorting the colour schemes. Her mother's appearance twisted into a monstrous purple mess before slowly merging with the shadow that cast upon her.

From the whirlpool, a spiral of darkness surged outwards and devoured everything. It engulfed the world and spared none, consuming space and returned it to the origin of all, the void.

As the torrent of death crept closer, the Second Princess clasped the picture and closed her eyes, countless visions of her past flashing through her.

"Everyone, I'm sorry for lying to you. Nevertheless, if given another chance, I'll still do the same. I know everything will change, yet a naive girl in me still wishes for eternity."

The Second Princess saw herself studying under the moonlight with Medoria dozing off beside her. She watched Specria explaining her new spell formation, listened to Ocupas flirting with her, discussed with Lord Inemas, taught Venetus about strategies. In the end, she bid farewell to Medoria to whom she lay the most.

"It is the path which I take, and it shall end with me." The Second Princess opened her dull eyes and watched the darkness engulfing her. "Medoria, please don't search for the truth."

Though she knew her words were nonsense, she harboured a hope that everyone would silently forget about her existence, that no one would be able to uncover the reason for her departure and the secret she held dear.

"Mother, I'm coming."

"I'm right here, Peritia."

The tide of darkness stopped its advance, halted by a shadowy silhouette whose build towered over the world. The Arachna Queen's shadow extended beyond her elegant figure and formed a pair of all-encompassing hands which fought against the Divine Tribulation.

The Arachna Queen descended from the sky and landed in front of the Second Princess, staring at the Second Princess with her pair of azure pupils. Their eyes met and linked, merging their feeling of security and relief into one. The Arachna Queen smiled and hugged the Second Princess, softly stroking her head.

"I'm sorry for going away for too long." Despite the hardness of her carapaced body, the Arachna Queen's hand was strangely soft. "You've done well. It's time for your mother to help you."

"Mother, you're still alive?" The Second Princess compared the picture with the Arachna Queen. Though the skin colour and the race weren't the same, the demeanour and the aura were the same. "How did you become like this?"

"Do you hate me for abandoning my humanity?"

"Not at all. I've learnt that nothing is black and white like in the fairytale. Mother, I've become old."

"You're still pursuing your dream, Peritia. With the dream, you can never grow old."

"My path is hopeless, mother. I've failed everyone."

"Your path hasn't ended yet. I'm here to offer you a new life."

"Mother, am I going to become like you?"

The Second Princess gently moved away from the Arachna Queen and examined her. She stared at herself through the reflection of the carapace. Her mind pictured herself as an Arachna. Despite the underlying pressure, her stress vanished upon knowing her mother was by her side.

Through illogical mean of emotions and intuition, the Second Princess knew with certainty that the Arachna Queen was her mother. Nevertheless, she couldn't bear to leave her human friends and fight against them in the future.

"Mother, I can't fight my friends."

"You are strong, Peritia. You choose your path and stick to it. It isn't only the present that matters but the past too. The memory you created will always remain within you, no matter how fleeting it is."

The Second Princess contemplated for a moment before she smiled. "Thank you, mother. I'll create more memory and forge my path. Please trust me once more."

Princess weaved her hands in the air, the Divine Fons in her body erupting into a massive array of an ever-changing memory. The Divine Tribulation which consumed Elemental Labyrinth stood against a tide of invisible power, clashing against the other.

Through the hazy vision, the Arachna Queen stepped from the realm of memory into the physical world. She softly smiled at Princess before dissipating into a swarm of glowing Arachna. They exploded into a speck of radiance that gave light to the boundless darkness.

Like the Arachna Queen, countless figures manifested through the hazy scenery and helped Princess by giving their power to halt the Divine Tribulation. Though their power was feeble, their endless number counterbalanced the scale.

"Teacher, I only have one Domain, Memory Domain," Princess said.

Inemas stared at his other self stepping through Memory Domain and created an army of shadowy hands before he shook his head and disappeared. He felt conflicted witnessing his old self, who used to be cold to Princess.

The God of Light's strike clashed with Inemas's power, creating the shockwave which blew the sky open. The False Originator absorbed the impact without any scratch, silently swallowing it without any reaction.

Despite the combination of countless powers, Princess could only delay the Divine Tribulation for mere moments. As time passed, it exponentially grew more powerful, threatening to consume Memory Domain along with the entirety of Elementia.

"Fallen Princess, your power has grown stronger again, but before the Originator, everything is meaningless," the God of Light said. He retreated from the False Originator and generated a shield of blazing flame around himself.

"It's true. One can't rely on the past alone to move forwards. No matter how ideal it seems, the past isn't perfect. Nothing is."

Princess glanced at Inemas and exerted herself. The orb in her chest flashed, generating a blinding ray of light. Memory Domain trembled as two enormous figures descended from the sky, standing head to head with the God of Light.

Princess gripped her chest as her body struggled to maintain balance. The Divine Fons in her body rapidly scattered and took with it her vitality. Every time the Goddess of Winter and the Goddess of Nature used their Divinity to assault the God of Light, a searing pain clutched her heart.

The absolute blizzard and the overgrown forest formed a region of greenery which occupied the flattened surrounding. Countless vines enveloped the wreckages and restored the wilderness and mountains. The winter chilled the tide of darkness and merged with the glowing Arachna, strengthening their carapaces.

Though they were merely an avatar with only a strand of Divinity, their power supported the Arachna Queen. With the help of Inemas, they managed to weaken the God of Light.

"Teacher, I can't accept your offer. We have a different goal. Everyone has." Princess stared at the tide of darkness, her gaze reaching the False Originator. She held her hand at it and clasped into a fist, grasping the Originator with her palm. "I'm glad to be your pupil."

The Goddess of Winter and the Goddess of Nature snapped their strands of Divinity and created a rift in space, destroying the balance of power. In an instant, it devoured the sea of Fons in the air before heading towards the False Originator.

The Goddess of Winder and the Goddess of Nature sent their strands of Divinity into the formation and overloaded it. Princess collapsed on the ground as her carapace ruptured into a flood of green blood. To replicate the strands of Divinity with Memory Domain had depleted her power.

Temporarily, Princess regressed to an ordinary Arbiter, losing every bit of her power as an Authority. She watched Memory Domain dissipated into nothingness, bringing with it the army of the glowing Arachna, the Goddess of Nature and the Goddess of Winter, as well as everything from her memory.

She shuddered as her power left her. Her carapace broke into fragments and disintegrated into ashes. The leftover winds of the blizzard caressed her pale-white skin, chilling her vulnerable body. Her vision blurred as exhaustion filled her mind.

In her darkening vision, the rift in space met the False Originator. Though it could assimilate everything into the empty void, the False Originator stood unhinged and unbothered by its advance. Like a firefly moving towards the sun, the rift slowly burnt to a crisp and vanished from the world.

Without anything to stop its power, the Divine Tribulation descended on Elemental Labyrinth and devoured the world.

Shifting Mist fought against the overwhelming darkness and hovered above Princess, protecting her from all harm. Despite its Divine-class power, its structure continuously disintegrated.

"Fallen Princess, your ultimate plan has failed. None can defend against the Originator. Today, you and Elemental Labyrinth shall vanish from the face of the world."

Despite his taunt, the God of Light retreated from Princess. His eyes narrowed. The rift in space was powerful enough to injure him. If not for the False Originator attracting it, he would have been in trouble under its all-devouring power.

"Inemas, you've served the Great Races for far too long. It's time for you to retire and leave the world for the future generation."

"Even if I were to die, I'll take you with me."

Inemas gritted his teeth and appeared in front of the helpless Princess. He witnessed her pitiful condition and sighed, his hand reaching down to her.

"Teacher, you should leave," Princess whispered as a weak smile manifested on her face. "Thank you for everything."

The expression Inemas saw pulled him into a fleeting memory she had. The smile Princess had was the same with hers. Despite being an Elemental, he couldn't stop his desire from boiling.

A muffled noise echoed throughout Elemental Labyrinth, filling the crumbling reality with golden light. The Library of Knowledge rocked and split in half as the formation in it erupted into a massive fountain of Fons.

Like a firework, it shot towards the False Originator and brightened the sky with infinite colours, creating from the Fons in every floor of the Library of Knowledge.