The revelation hung heavy in the air, the silence of the ancient grove broken only by the gentle murmur of the spring. Lumi's initial shock had given way to a quiet intensity as she absorbed Xylos's words.
"A god…" she breathed, her gaze fixed on his face, searching for any hint of deception or madness. But in his eyes, she saw not the timid Pipkin, but a depth and ancient wisdom that belied his frail form.
Xylos, still reeling from the resurfacing memories, felt the weight of a forgotten pantheon settle upon him. The whispers from the spring continued, painting fragmented images of his former life: the grandeur of his underwater kingdom, the complex relationships with his fellow deities, and the chilling premonition of the cataclysm that had shattered their world.
"My realm… it was dying," he explained, his voice low and tinged with a sorrow that spanned millennia. "Our power was fading, our purpose forgotten. The end… it was inevitable."
He hesitated, grappling with the fragmented memories of his transmigration. "I don't fully understand how I came here. There was a… a surge of energy, a desperate attempt to preserve something… perhaps myself."
The "System" provided more context, its blue boxes flickering with increasing detail:
[Memory Resonance Progression: 67%]
[New Information Acquired: Cataclysm of the Forgotten Tides]
[New Information Acquired: Desperate Transmigration Ritual (Partial)]
"This… 'System'," Xylos mused aloud, looking at the familiar blue text only he could see. "It feels… nascent. Almost like a framework being built. Could it be connected to my arrival?"
Lumi, though still processing the unbelievable truth, focused on his words. "You said 'premonition'… of a cataclysm here?"
Xylos's gaze sharpened, the weight of his forgotten knowledge settling upon him. "Not my world. This one. Even in my fading moments, I saw… a shadow looming over this realm. A darkness that could consume it."
The joy of recovering his memories was quickly overshadowed by the chilling realization of the danger he had foreseen. His arrival in Aethel was not just a random escape; it was a desperate flight into a new storm.
"That's why…" he murmured, the pieces starting to fall into place. "That's why I felt the need to interfere, even in my powerless state. The subtle nudges, the observations… it was instinct, a god trying to avert disaster."
Lumi's expression was now one of grave concern. "What kind of darkness? What did you see?"
Xylos struggled to recall the specifics, the visions clouded and fragmented. "A creeping void… a corruption… it felt ancient, powerful. And I sensed… a point of origin. A nexus of dark energy."
He looked at Lumi, a new urgency in his eyes. "Elder Maeve spoke of old powers, of things best left undisturbed. Perhaps… perhaps this darkness is what she sensed."
The bond between them, forged by the shared experience at the spring, had deepened. Lumi, despite her initial shock, was listening with an open mind and a growing sense of responsibility.
"We need to understand this," she said, her voice firm. "If what you saw is true, then Oakhaven, all of Aethel… could be in danger."
Xylos nodded, the weight of his past and the potential future of this world pressing down on his frail shoulders. The useless god was no longer just a prisoner in a weak body. He was a reluctant guardian, burdened with a knowledge no one else possessed. And he knew, with a chilling certainty, that his second life was about to become far more complicated – and far more dangerous – than he could have ever imagined. The whispers of a fallen god were no longer just echoes of the past; they were a warning for the future.