The little girl smiled sweetly.
"Will Mother save you too?"
Silence spread across the forest.
Kael immediately moved in front of Lyra.
Rylan slowly raised his hands.
"Okay. Tiny creepy children are officially worse than Titans."
The girl blinked innocently.
"Creepy?"
Flowers bloomed around her feet.
"I don't understand."
Selene's eyes narrowed.
"Who is your mother?"
The child pointed deeper into the forest.
"Mother protects everyone."
"Nobody cries anymore."
"Nobody feels pain anymore."
The smile on the girl's face never changed.
And somehow, that frightened Lyra more than anything.
Because it wasn't happiness.
It looked programmed.
Behind them, hundreds of stone statues stood peacefully among the flowers.
Families.
Children.
Travelers.
All frozen forever.
No fear.
No pain.
No life.
Lyra's chest tightened.
Compassion.
This world's Heart had become twisted.
Too much compassion had become imprisonment.
The stranger quietly examined one of the statues.
"They're alive."
Everyone froze.
"What?" Kael asked.
The stranger touched the stone surface.
"I can feel heartbeats."
Rylan nearly jumped.
"So they're conscious?!"
Selene looked horrified.
"That's impossible."
The little girl smiled again.
"Mother keeps everyone safe."
"Nobody can hurt them."
Lyra slowly walked forward.
"And nobody can leave?"
The girl's smile faltered slightly.
"Leave?"
As though the concept itself confused her.
"Why leave?"
"Outside hurts."
The answer made Lyra's heart ache.
Because she understood.
Someone in this world had suffered greatly.
Someone who wanted to remove pain completely.
And somewhere along the way, compassion became control.
Suddenly, the black mark on Lyra's hand glowed softly.
HOPE SYSTEM ANALYSIS HEART OF COMPASSION DETECTED
STATUS: CORRUPTED
CAUSE: EXCESSIVE PROTECTION
The message vanished.
Lyra looked toward the forest.
"She's lonely."
Selene blinked.
"That's your conclusion?"
Lyra nodded.
"People who try to protect everyone usually are."
Kael looked at her with a small smile.
"You always see the best in people."
Rylan raised a finger.
"And monsters."
"Mostly monsters lately."
Nobody laughed.
Because he wasn't wrong.
The little girl suddenly grabbed Lyra's hand.
Her smile returned.
"Mother will love you."
Before anyone could react, flowers exploded around them.
The ground disappeared.
The world blurred.
And the group was thrown into another part of the forest.
Deep within Elysia, an enormous palace made entirely of vines and flowers stretched toward the sky.
Its beauty was breathtaking.
Its atmosphere was suffocating.
Surrounding the palace, thousands of stone people knelt peacefully in endless gardens.
Lyra's breathing became uneven.
Thousands.
An entire civilisation.
Frozen.
Preserved.
Protected.
Imprisoned.
At the centre of the garden, a giant woman sat upon a throne of flowers.
Her body resembled a goddess.
Beautiful.
Gentle.
Tragic.
Vines covered parts of her skin.
Flowers bloomed in her silver hair.
Her eyes slowly opened.
Green.
Ancient.
Sad.
She smiled warmly.
"My children."
Her voice sounded like a loving mother.
"I've missed you."
Rylan whispered:
"Why do powerful beings always greet us like relatives?"
The woman's smile widened.
"Because every living soul is my child."
She slowly stood.
Flowers bloomed across the world itself.
Birds gathered around her.
Even the wind seemed to obey.
She looked at Lyra.
Then, it suddenly froze.
The smile on her face trembled.
The black mark.
The silver mark.
Recognition appeared in her eyes.
Tears slowly filled them.
"Hope…"
Everyone froze.
The woman dropped to her knees.
Not in worship.
In grief.
"You're alive."
Lyra stepped forward carefully.
"I'm Lyra."
The giant woman smiled sadly.
"I know."
"My name is Elaria."
"Keeper of Compassion."
"The First Heart."
Kael's expression hardened.
"Did you do this to these people?"
Elaria looked around at the statues.
Pain crossed her face.
"I saved them."
Selene quietly asked:
"From what?"
Elaria's voice trembled.
"From suffering."
Memories suddenly filled the air around them.
War.
Disease.
Children crying.
Entire nations are dying.
Elaria was desperately healing everyone she could.
Until one day, she failed.
And after losing the people she loved, she decided nobody would ever suffer again.
Even if she had to stop time itself.
Tears flowed down her face.
"I only wanted them to smile."
Lyra's heart broke.
Because once again, the enemy wasn't evil.
Only broken.
Then Elaria looked directly at Lyra.
Hope filled her eyes.
"You've returned."
The flowers around the palace trembled.
"Please…"
Her voice cracked.
"Tell me I did the right thing."
Silence.
Kael looked toward Lyra.
Selene lowered her eyes.
Even Rylan became serious.
Because everyone understood.
This answer could destroy Elaria.
Or save her.
Lyra slowly approached the giant woman.
And gently placed her hand against Elaria's trembling fingers.
Tears filled Lyra's own eyes.
Then she whispered:
"You loved them."
Elaria broke down crying.
"But love isn't the same as letting go."
The world itself became silent.
As Elaria cried for the first time in centuries, one of the stone statues suddenly cracked.
And a frightened little boy woke up screaming.
But he wasn't screaming at Elaria.
He was pointing toward the sky.
Above Elysia, a gigantic shadow had appeared.
And unlike Elaria, it radiated pure hatred.