"You know… out of all the people that I would have expected to stumble upon this place at some point, you're one of the few that I least expect to do so."

"Of course, it's not because I don't think you have the skill, nor the strength to stumble upon this place. If anything, it's because I don't know you well enough to confidently say that you'd get here. After all, we were in two different factions back then."

"In any case, it's been a long time since we've last met."

Though the words the spark spoke had caused waves to churn in her mind, what truly left Arcane at a loss for words was the voice that the spark had chosen to use.

Just like what the spark had said, the two indeed had not interacted much in the past due to their differences in allegiance. However, the confidence and conviction in the voice the spark used was something Arcane would not easily forget.

With that, she took in a deep breath to compose herself before asking the spark a question. "Are you… who I think you are?"

"Who could I possibly be?" The spark let out a chuckle as it decided to shrink itself down. "You've gotta make yourself clear if you want me to give you an answer."

"Then again, I could say the same to you."

"It's a… very long story." Understanding what the spark was trying to say, Arcane paused for a bit before letting out a brief chuckle. "But, seriously. Are you really who I think you are?"

"Didn't you… die back then, Veradine?"

At the mention of the name, the spark went silent for a bit. Then, all of a sudden, the speed at which the spark shrunk increased by a factor of 10.

However, just because it sped up all of a sudden did not meant it stopped speeding up after that. In fact, once the spark had gotten to around half its previous size, it shrunk even faster, its speed at least a hundred times faster than before.

At this point, the spark was molding itself to a specific shape, which was unlike before where it conformed to its natural shape according to both gravity and its accumulated energy.

Slowly but surely, the spark took a humanoid shape, gradually increasing in detail as it got closer and closer to its target size.

By the time the spark had shrunken down to Arcane's level, it had taken on a vastly different form, which left the former looking at it with a solemn expression.

Though Arcane could easily tell that the entity in front of her was purely made out of energy, the features it had taken were incredibly lifelike, making her feel like it was no different from any other human.

Of course, compared to any other human, the being in front of her would greatly stand out.

Accompanying a head of long flowing silver hair, the being's eyes glistened with the vision of a thousand galaxies, only for that vision to then dissipate into the essence of the universe's most basic components.

Alongside a white long-sleeve dress that had elegant touches of red, blue, green, gold, and gray all over it, Arcane immediately recognized that the spark had taken on the form of Veradine.

Specifically, the appearance she had last shown the universe before her untimely death.

Though, considering how sudden this reveal was, she was still unsure if the being in front of her was truly Veradine.

"Now, that's better," the being said, only to then do a few basic movements as it acclimated itself to its new form. "I know you have a lot of questions you want to ask me, but I'll answer the most important one for now now."

"Though I take on her form, I am not Veradine. The Veradine Avantis you used to know in the past is truly and utterly dead."

Hearing those words, Arcane felt the hope she had begun to nurture from the spark's earlier words immediately fizzle out.

Then, as if a string in her mind had snapped apart, she radiated a terrifying aura that encompassed the entirety of the void, only for her to rein it in not even a second later.

"…Haah." Spending some time to compose herself yet again, Arcane looked at the being in front of her, seemingly unaffected by the aura she had let out just now.

"Are you… are you really not her?"

"I am not her." The being shook its head. "However, I did use to be a wisp of her spirit, which she had left at the Shadow Plane as a way for her to remain constant supervision on it."

"Unfortunately, with her death, I have turned into her memento, a remnant that only serves as a proof of her prior existence in the universe."

Arcane remained silent throughout the being's introduction.

While the being was explaining what kind of existence it was, the few memories she shared with Veradine in the past began to surface in her mind, reminding her of a time when she and Veradine were hoping to achieve the same goal.

Yet, because of that same goal, Veradine had fallen prey to the unyielding might of the universe.

"…" Letting out a faint exhale as she sorted out her thoughts, Arcane looked at the being in front of her once more. "What should I call you?"

"…Nadir," answered the being after giving the question a bit of thought. "Considering my current state, as well as the responsibility I've yet to fulfill, I suppose calling me Nadir is the most appropriate."

"Nadir it is, then." Arcane faintly nodded in acknowledgment. "So, Nadir. Why did you bring me here? Is it really because of the Resonance of the Creators?"

"That it is." Nadir nodded. "Though, to be more specific, bringing you here because of the Resonance of the Creators only makes up a small part."

"Instead, it's because you've triggered the being that caused the Resonance of the Creators to erupt within the Shadow Plane."

"Wait…" Though there were only a few words that made Nadir's reply different from the answer Arcane got from her questioning, those words were more than enough to force Arcane's mind to whir into overdrive.

By the time she was done going through all of the information she had collected thus far, she looked at the being in front of her once more, her expression now solemn.

"Is your target… the being that caused the Resonance of the Creators?"

"Bingo," said Nadir with a kind smile.

However, in Arcane's eyes, that smile did not seem to bear any kind intentions.