Beneath the small Order Clock, only a few thread-thin blue fragments remained. These were left intentionally by Rita.
After creating the time loops, she hadn't rushed to collect them. But as her writing in the World Sigh accumulated, a sharp clarity emerged. She realized that once she claimed all of these fragments, the beings trapped inside the clock would awaken sooner than expected.
Even so, she knew it still wouldn't be enough. Even if she stripped every accumulated piece of power, how could she ever hope to surpass the centuries of accumulation spanning nine entire epochs? Each time she considered it, her chest tightened. She felt no fear of hardship or danger, yet rationally analyzing the situation brought a distinct sense of powerlessness. That combination of fearlessness and helplessness was strange, but not conflicting.
Rita returned to Cat's Ideal, taking Nivalis, B80, and the six deputy captain cats with her, leaving the timeline she had just been working in.
