"Could it be that a battle broke out here?"

Daniel's mind involuntarily recalled the fragmented message Mist had left him when she handed over the abyss key.

It spoke of a time when the Land of Origin had been invaded by an ancient god—an event that led to a cataclysmic battle of unimaginable brutality.

So… was the time he had arrived in now the aftermath of that very war?

A thought flickered through Daniel's mind. His body blurred, and in the next instant, he activated Flashback, instantly reappearing inside a familiar old castle.

But the moment he materialized, Daniel sensed that the castle had undergone tremendous changes.

More importantly, he felt the unmistakable aura of a familiar presence.

The Luck Goddess—Luke.

Yet at the same time, Milla, who had been standing by his side just a moment earlier, had vanished without a trace.

Under normal circumstances, such a phenomenon should have been impossible. The time portal was under Daniel's absolute control, and no companion entering it with him should simply disappear.

But reality defied logic—it had happened.

Daniel didn't have the luxury to dwell on the mystery, for his instincts told him that Milla's disappearance was somehow connected to the unconscious Luke before him.

Even if he wanted to bring Milla here again, the rules of this timeline would find endless reasons to reject her presence.

Suppressing his thoughts, Daniel turned his full attention toward Luke.

She lay motionless, unconscious, her aura weak but still shimmering faintly with the familiar brilliance of fortune's divinity.

Her power had clearly reached the Demigod Rank.

Activating his Eye of Insight, Daniel's vision shimmered as Luke's status panel unfolded before him.

[Luck Goddess – Luke][Level: 1000][Tier: Demigod Rank][Domain: Luck]

However, what shocked Daniel was not her rank—but the special conditions displayed beneath it.

[Status 1: Under a special curse. Unconscious. Memory loss.]

[Status 2: Severely injured. Wounds cannot heal. Loses a fixed percentage of HP over time until complete death.]

[Status 3: Protected by Luck. The curse's influence is gradually weakening.]

Upon reading this, Daniel's expression hardened instantly.

Even a Demigod had been reduced to this state—cursed, wounded, and powerless to resist. It could only mean one thing.

This was the work of a god.

Only a true god could inflict an irreversible curse upon someone of Luke's level.

His earlier speculation seemed to be correct—an ancient god from the Elder Pantheon had indeed descended upon the Land of Origin, igniting that devastating war.

Now, the war was apparently over.

And Luke's current condition must have been the direct result of that battle—an aftermath of a divine confrontation she could not withstand.

Daniel exhaled slowly.

He knew he couldn't lift the curse himself. But judging from the faint aura of divine luck still surrounding Luke, the Blessing of Fortune was working to counteract the affliction.

Given time, Luke might heal naturally.

Still, he couldn't help but worry.

One of the statuses indicated memory loss—which might mean that part of Luke's consciousness had been deliberately sealed away.

Daniel's brows furrowed. He reactivated Flashback, shifting deeper into Luke's personal chambers.

Then, as a precaution, he severed his link with the Land of Origin and prepared to activate Time Stream, keeping it suspended just on the edge of use—ready to retreat at a moment's notice.

Even though Luke was a trusted ally and friend, she was now a Demigod, and caution was never a bad idea when dealing with beings of that rank.

After a few moments of thought, Daniel used Eye of Insight once more, examining every line of Luke's condition with meticulous care.

Then something on the nearby desk caught his eye—a small folded note.

He reached out and opened it.

[Do not remove the memory seal on Luke. – Mist]

Daniel's eyes narrowed.

So Luke's memory loss… was intentional?

Mist had done this deliberately? But why?

Before he could form an answer, something glimmered faintly beside the note—a crystal orb, half-transparent, faintly pulsating with divine light.

Daniel's intuition told him there was more to it. He focused the Eye of Insight upon the orb, tracing the layers of energy swirling within it.

And soon enough, an image appeared inside.

Within the orb was a preserved memory recording—a vision of Mist casting the very spell that sealed Luke's memories, erasing every trace of knowledge regarding the Twin God Thrones.

So that was it…

Because of Mist's intervention, Luke no longer remembered that to become a true god, one must prepare two divine thrones in advance.

And this seal—it wasn't new. Judging by the energy patterns, it had been placed long ago, shortly after Daniel's previous departure.

Everything started to make sense.

Daniel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, recalling the cryptic hints Luke had once given him. She had indeed mentioned something about divine thrones back then—but in a way that felt oddly uncertain.

Now he understood why.

"Mist… what exactly were you planning?" he muttered softly.

But there was no point pondering too deeply. He had learned enough to see her intentions clearly.

Mist wanted Luke to give birth to an Inner God.

Yet what exactly was an Inner God?

That question lingered in Daniel's mind like an echo, its meaning veiled in mystery.

Just as Daniel was lost in thought, a sudden shift of energy rippled through the room.

The unconscious Luke stirred—and to Daniel's shock, her eyes slowly opened.

Her gaze was unfocused at first, but then it found him.

When recognition dawned, surprise flashed across her face, followed by a tender, almost nostalgic smile.

"Lord Crossbridge… welcome back."

Daniel froze.

According to his calculations, Luke shouldn't have awakened for at least another two years.

Why now?

Could it be his presence that had triggered her early awakening?

Thousands of possibilities rushed through his mind in an instant, but eventually, he simply sighed.

"Yes… I've returned," he said softly. "But it seems I'm a bit late."

He paused, then asked, "Can you tell me what happened here?"

Luke turned her gaze toward the window, looking out at the pale sky beyond. For a moment, silence hung heavy between them.

Then she spoke, her voice calm but carrying an undertone of grief.

"Do you know about the Backworld?"

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Backworld?"

Luke nodded faintly.

"For some reason, the passage to the Backworld was opened… and it became connected to the Land of Origin."

Her words grew heavier with each breath.

"When that happened, the ancient gods of the Elder Pantheon—those who had long been slumbering—awakened. They sought to seize the Land of Origin for themselves… to corrupt it, to twist the entire realm into a vessel of their will."

There was no mystery in her tone, no deliberate concealment. She told him everything plainly.

As Daniel listened, fragments of memory resurfaced in his mind—visions of that other dimension, the Backworld.

He remembered how the beings of that world could acquire divine thrones simply by meeting the conditions of power. Those who had not yet chosen their divine path would be forcibly bound to the thrones of the Elder Gods—without the right to refuse.

If that same phenomenon had spread to the Land of Origin…

Then it truly was a catastrophe.

"So the outside world…" Daniel asked quietly, "Is the battle over?"

Luke closed her eyes, her aura flickering faintly.

"The battle," she whispered, "is… barely over. But everyone who fought has been cursed in one way or another. We're still trying to recover."

Her voice trailed off, heavy with exhaustion and sorrow.

Daniel stood there silently, watching the weakened goddess before him.

His mind churned with countless questions—about Mist's motives, the meaning of the Inner God, the truth behind the Backworld's awakening—but he suppressed them all for the moment.

For now, one thing was clear:

The Land of Origin had survived… but only barely.

And whatever awaited beyond this moment, he would soon have to face it himself.

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