The Ancient One's clear implication was that Salix would have to fight anyone who came before him, much as Reno had done.

If this event had led to the meeting with Shirei, Salix would have risked losing out. The evil god, however, seemed to consider it a perfectly valid minimal and empty sacrifice.

Is Rakion ready to sacrifice a god who blindly follows him as if nothing had happened? Does he just want to send him away at the risk of losing him or does he mean to say that he has full faith that Salix will not be defeated?

Judging by the face of the son of Tefine, Shirei could only ignore the second alternative

At the same time, though, sending a god into battle is a guaranteed victory.

Salix, as a deity, had to be immortal, so they would not have been able to kill him even if they wanted to.

So… why does he look so scared?

The question remained unanswered, while Rakion's silence became more eloquent than any words.

“After that the war will begin,” the Severe concluded, without any trace of emotion.

Suddenly, the blade floating above the throne came to life, flying in a lightning-fast motion and stabbing Salix from behind. The boy flinched as the strange weapon pierced him, but incredibly, he was not injured.

The blade, a sort of sword with an ancient and menacing appearance, was characterized by a blade that started straight but became curved after a short while. The edge of the sword almost described a broad crescent before ending in a sharp point.

A 'kopesh'...

Shirei was surprised by that word, which had come from who knows where. The kopesh was a typical blade born in the Sumerian era and then adapted by the Egyptians as equipment for the Pharaonic army.

Where is all this information coming from?

It was an easy question to answer.

From my past memories...

The same fragments that he couldn't even put together.

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Shirei returned his attention to the dreamlike scene before him. The weapon floated with sinister grace toward Rakion's hand, and he gripped it effortlessly.

As soon as contact was made between the god's skin and the mystical metal, a flow of opaque energy escaped from the weapon and was conveyed towards Rakion.

The god accepted the mana willingly and relaxed his shoulders, then said, “You are dismissed.”

Salix was visibly trembling, his silver eyes reflecting, among the peculiar pink hues, a mixture of anger and fear. He took one last look at Shirei.

It seemed to have a pretty clear meaning, a warning to Cragar's son.

Finally, with a look full of resignation, he nodded slightly and walked towards the exit with heavy steps.

Shirei remained still, observing every movement, every detail, of the enemy still with his back turned. A voice in his mind warned him.

He should have prepared.

Once on the battlefield, the god would surely come looking for him. His being was now certain of it: that was the destiny that awaited him.

The son of Tefine crossed the threshold and Shirei heard Rakion muttering to himself.

The words were filled with deep hatred and resentment.

“I won't make the same mistake again. First the demigods, then the celestial world, and… finally, my son.”

The dream began to slowly fade away, dissolving into a blur, and Shirei found himself thinking blankly about what he had just seen. Every single detail was imprinted in his mind as if the scene had been branded on his skin.

Again… has this happened before?

The purple-eyed demigod took stock of all the information he had obtained.

Cragar has already told me about Rakion, but he has always done so with leaden feet, as if he wanted to do a control test. So the Gods must know that Rakion intends to attack them.

It was natural for the boy to wonder why the Gods were hiding everything.

If war broke out in earnest, the demigods in Lilies Park wouldn't be ready in the slightest...

While he was lost in thought, a familiar voice called out to him. Shirei saw a new landscape being built in nothingness, with a silhouette in front of him that, through its voice, made his auricles vibrate.

It was the same figure from the dream he had in the infirmary, but the details of her face still appeared blurry, as if seen through fogged glass.

The girl passed by him with ethereal grace.

Before he could follow her, Shirei heard a calm voice aimed directly at him.

“It's not you she's calling.”

Cragar's son froze for a split second, then he turned abruptly and found an exact copy of himself.

The mirror image stared back at him with a quiet but enigmatic expression, and for a moment, Shirei couldn't understand what was happening.

The presence of his copy made everything more surreal, increasing the sense of confusion and restlessness.

“Is this still part of Salix's dream?”

The two studied each other for a moment that seemed eternal, silence filling the space between them. Shirei wondered what that vision meant and what message his counterpart was hiding.

The void pulsed with latent energy and was ever changing, making maintaining concentration too difficult a task for Cragar's son.

Shirei felt that a deep and important truth was at hand, ready to reveal itself if only he knew how to interpret the signs.

This was the right time to try to get his memories back, at least that was what he hoped for.

The nightmare in which Salix had temporarily locked him had ended completely, only to be followed by a second dream.

A meeting wanted by Fate.