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Elayne and Olivia remained outside the museum, keeping watch. Monsters appeared from time to time and attacked them. Some were living statues, others were living paintings, and there was even the occasional dinosaur for some strange reason. They dispatched the creatures with ease and collected their bodies, especially the cores. Elayne examined these with great care before absorbing them. She slowly broke down their components and gained energy from the process.

Olivia did the same, feeding the colorful cores to her Heroic Spirits. There was no official name for them yet, but many people had begun calling them "Imaginarium Hearts." They also referred to the Living Ink as "Imaginarium," a powerful new magical substance that reacted to human imagination and fiction, bringing both to life.

"Imaginarium, huh?" Elayne wondered aloud. She sat atop the giant corpse of a reanimated dinosaur fossil that had transformed into a massive triceratops. "But it even works on fossils from dead animals? How does that work?"

"Well, technically these aren’t real fossils," Olivia replied.

"Wait, what?" Elayne raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What do you mean they aren’t real fossils?"

"Most of the fossils in museum exhibits are fake. Counterfeit replicas made for display. Just like the paintings, this museum doesn’t have the budget for anything authentic," Olivia explained with a laugh, puffing on her pipe. "Genuine fossils wouldn’t turn into dinosaurs because they are historical facts, not fiction. But a fake fossil created by an artist? Somehow, it works."

"I see..." Elayne sighed. She noticed Olivia walking over and sitting beside her. "Oh?"

"Here. It’s cold coffee in a can. They sell these everywhere in Japan. This one has milk. It’s pretty good," Olivia said, handing her the can.

"Hm! Thank you." Elayne took the can, opened it, and began drinking. "Hmm, phew! It’s not bad. Maybe I needed a moment like this to relax. Still, I hope Elena and the others are safe..."

"Can’t you see them?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I’ve separated my consciousness from Elena’s core," Elayne explained. "This allows me to move around freely. I crystallized a spirit core specifically for this avatar. If it gets destroyed, I will simply return to her."

"That’s so strange. I don’t think any other Heroic Spirit can do something so complicated," Olivia remarked.

"Yeah, she’s a monster!" a loud, manly voice echoed. Rider appeared beside Elayne for a moment before vanishing. His wife, Caster, took his place instead. "Sorry about my husband interrupting. This is more of a conversation between ladies, right?"

"Ah, your name is Ninsun, correct?" Elayne asked. "It is nice to meet you. I am glad we finally have some time to talk."

"Me too. Nice to meet you, Elayne... or should I call you Gaia?" Ninsun wondered. "You know, in our religion there is an equivalent to you called Ki, the Mother of the Earth and wife of An, the Sky Father. She was also known as the Mother Goddess Ninhursag."

"Really? That is fascinating," Elayne said. "I am not entirely sure where I begin and where Gaia ends, but she has granted me a great deal of freedom. She has allowed me to remain the dominant personality. I believe some people call my situation a pseudo... pseudo what was it?"

"Pseudo Divine Spirit," Olivia explained. "They are Divine Spirits summoned only halfway, usually bonded with another spirit that serves as a vessel for their divinity. This way they can manifest without violating the rules of the Holy War. Your case is particularly interesting, though. It was clear that your daughter had a catalyst to summon you, but not Gaia. It is almost as if Gaia chose to help you rather than the other way around, where she would have been summoned and chosen you as her vessel."

"Huh, that is really interesting. I wonder why Mother Gaia would want to help you?" Ninsun asked.

"Hm..." Elayne remained silent for a moment, but she trusted both women. "When I fought Avenger, there was a ’mission’ inside me, a ’purpose’ beyond simply being with my daughter. Gaia must have helped me in exchange for me acting as a counterforce guardian of the planet."

"T-The planet?!" Olivia gasped. "Wait, you mean...! The mythological Soul of the World? That... that?!"

"Perhaps." Elayne finished the can of coffee and turned the empty container into butterflies that fluttered away. "Avenger was an enormous threat to humanity, so I used all my power to slay him. Yet I feel my mission is far from over. This Holy War, combined with the First Contact and the Demon King of Death, is creating a giant Spiral of Madness. Pure chaos is being born endlessly across this world. Gates to long-forbidden realms are opening, including the Nightmare Realm you mentioned, Olivia... and much more. The reason those girls from the Dream Heart Academy are here is likely not just for a simple exchange program. I believe they have a mission. They want to take down something dangerous that has been drawn to this country."

"And it all had to happen in Japan, huh?" Olivia sighed. "Unbelievable... It had to happen in such a small country! Nearly ninety percent of the population lives crammed into this giant city of Tokyo. If a real disaster strikes, so many people would die..."

"This Spiral of Madness will likely spread everywhere. No, it is already spreading," Elayne explained. "But it probably began here because of that ’Lord Chaos’ you told me about. For some reason, the Chaos Gate decided to settle in this country. Their leader and that massive criminal organization have brought all this chaos upon themselves."

"And you were summoned specifically to fight such threats. That is why you are a Ruler," Ninsun said. "Only those with no personal wish for the Holy Grail can be summoned into the Ruler Class, those who possess a ’greater purpose.’ I suppose I am not such a person, despite who I am."

"You are the mother of the Legendary Hero King Gilgamesh, correct?" Elayne asked.

"Y-Yeah, I guess you already know about me. Fufu," Ninsun smiled warmly. "It is nice, isn’t it? Two goddesses sitting together like this. This is a legendary meeting I never imagined would happen. Aren’t you glad, Olivia?"

"Indeed. Two mother goddesses gathered together... I am obviously very honored!" Olivia replied. "Though... one of them is also my friend, so it feels a little strange."

"Hahaha, I suppose it is a little weird, but—" Elayne suddenly paused.

Her senses flared. She stood up quickly, and Ninsun did the same.

"G-Goddesses?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow as both goddesses turned utterly serious. Their divine auras flared brightly, wrapping around their bodies and shielding Olivia.

"Reveal yourself," Elayne commanded firmly.

In the distance, from the corridor leading to the stairs, darkness began to stir. It spread forward like a living black fog...

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