"It symbolizes the moon of our homeland..." Jolan said faintly, "but I no longer remember what our homeland looks like, let alone the moon."
"Alright," Ymir seemed to be in a very good mood. He happily said to the Aozaki sisters, "The rewards I prepared for you are not limited to this. The previously promised magic lessons can now continue."
Although the sisters suspected that Ymir might have some strange plans for them, so far, this former professor of the Royal Academy of Caria had treated them fairly well and was quite open in sharing his magical knowledge.
Previously, Aoko and Touko had asked Ymir what kind of Glintstone magic he planned to teach them after they completed their mission. Ymir's response was, "Those are merely by-products of my research. You can only truly master them once you understand certain truths."
And now, after Aoko and Touko rang the bell at the Finger Ruins, Ymir, true to his word, began teaching them the unique Glintstone magic he had developed in his research.
Ymir had never explicitly stated what his research was about, but from his words and the tasks he assigned to the Aozaki sisters, it was clear that all of his studies were related to the Fingers.
Ymir had once warned Aoko, saying, "Be mindful of your steps when moving around here—there might be children playing on the ground." However, aside from knowing that Ymir had a deceased child buried in the graveyard, Aoko had never seen any actual human children present in the church.
Initially, Aoko thought that perhaps the spirit of Ymir's child was wandering near the church. For a magician, such occurrences were not unusual. However, she soon dismissed this possibility because Touko, being an expert in souls, had confirmed that there were no lingering spirits in that graveyard at all.
This raised the question: what exactly was Ymir's child? However, as long as Ymir did nothing harmful to them, Aoko had no intention of interfering with the life of this talented yet troubled magic professor.
This time, the magic he taught them included three spells: Glintstone Claw, Glintstone Multi-Claw, and Illusory Microcosm.
The first could be considered a variant of Glintstone Pebbles, capable of changing trajectory multiple times in midair. Aoko and Touko could enhance this spell using their magical techniques, upgrading it into Glintstone Claw Rain, similar to how they used their Glintblade Phalanx.
The Illusory Microcosm, however, was much more intriguing. Its description—creating an object resembling a miniature universe—was vague, and its principles were complex. It took Aoko and Touko longer to master than any spell they had learned before, even longer than Eternal Darkness. Aoko, in particular, grasped its essence more deeply than Touko.
"...You two are the most outstanding students I have ever taught, Aoko and Touko," Ymir said with satisfaction as he watched them successfully master Illusory Microcosm after much effort. "So I don't want to deceive you with ambiguous words."
"Is there something important you want to tell us, Professor Ymir?" Aoko asked calmly. She sensed that Ymir was finally about to reveal the true nature of his research. Their conversation had reached a critical juncture.
"My original plan was to tell you that the source of the distortion in the Lands Between and the Shadow Lands lies with the Two Fingers and Queen Marika," Ymir said, walking with his hands behind his back. "Then, I intended to guide you, so that you could use your Law to replace Marika's, bringing new life to the Lands Between."
"But that would be meaningless—because the true source of the Lands Between's corruption does not lie with Marika or the Two Fingers," Ymir continued. "It cannot even be blamed on the Greater Will. After creating the many beings of the Lands Between, it has hardly interfered with this land."
Huh? Aoko was puzzled. The Greater Will doesn't interfere with the Lands Between? Then how was Nokron's Eternal City destroyed? And under whose orders was the Golden Order founded?
"No matter how much people strive, the root cause of the decay lies at the very foundation," Ymir said, ignoring their confusion. "I am not the only one who has noticed this—even among Marika's demigod offspring, there are some who have realized the same thing."
"Are you referring to Princess Ranni?" Aoko asked. "As far as I know, she abandoned her divine body."
"Princess Ranni is a wise one," Ymir sighed. "She saw the immense distortion within the Lands Between and chose to free herself from it, abandoning her lineage and authority. But the true reality is different from what she assumed."
"Do you know about Miquella?" Ymir suddenly changed the subject. "That eternally youthful and pure demigod—he, in a sense, has seen through everything about the Lands Between."
Miquella? Huh? Wasn't the little boy trapped in the Mohg? What did he have to do with this?
Aoko sensed there was some hidden scheme at play, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what felt off. After all, from what they had seen of the Haligtree City in the north, Miquella undoubtedly appeared to be a compassionate god, willing to welcome all the forsaken people of the Lands Between.
"What happened to Miquella?" Aoko asked while pondering. "Is he planning something?"
"I can roughly guess Miquella's intentions," Ymir replied. "He likely plans to travel to the Shadow Lands, become a true deity, and then use his own Law to eliminate the suffering and distortion of this land."
"Ascend to godhood?" Aoko frowned. "As far as I know, to become a god in the Lands Between, one must incorporate the Elden Ring's image into their being, meaning they need the Greater Will's permission. So why would Miquella go to the Shadow Lands to become a god?"
"That is not the case," Ymir shook his head. "Even Marika's ascension to godhood was completed on this ancient land—back when it was not yet called the Shadow Lands."
"So, the Shadow Lands were once part of the Lands Between," Touko mused.
"Exactly," Ymir nodded. "But for some reason, Queen Marika separated this land from the Lands Between, using her divine authority to shroud this most ancient and vital land under a veil of shadow."
"And Queen Marika's ascension was achieved using a device built by the Omen people," Ymir revealed the greatest secret so far. "Miquella has learned of this and intends to replicate his mother's path—to become the true god of the Lands Between."
"Then… do you want us to help him, or stop him?" Aoko asked directly. After all, she and Touko had come here mainly for the Erdtree seeds and to learn magic. Becoming gods was not on their agenda.
"Just observe him," Ymir said unexpectedly. "Because whatever that demigod plans, it won't change anything. Besides, he hasn't even entered the Shadow Lands yet."
Ymir seemed to have some way of knowing what was happening in the Lands Between—perhaps not surprising for the magic professor of Caria Queen's sister.
"What I want to say is… a mother is a crucial figure for everyone." Ymir sighed. "Miquella follows in his mother's footsteps, trying to replicate her ascension, hoping to become a god gentler and more accepting than Marika."
"But in this world, beyond Marika and the Two Fingers, there is a deeper, hidden source of destruction and chaos," Ymir spoke with unprecedented seriousness. "And the true identity of this corrupted force—I will reveal it to you after you complete your second mission."
Aoko and Touko exchanged glances.
They had only come here for Erdtree seeds and magic lessons—how did they suddenly get dragged into an epic mission to save the world?!