Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

........................The clock winds back to the start of the journey to Penacony — the Astral Express, upon invitation from the Watchmaker, heads to a Cosmic vacation spot, The Reverie hotel, for a banquet. However, in this Sweetdream Paradise, they unexpectedly become entangled in two bizarre "murder mysteries.".

A grand struggle for a legacy begins. Numerous factions enter one after another, acting in response to the situation. The Family hosts also plot to capture the Watchmaker with this opportunity and ensure the Charmony Festival takes place as scheduled.

A confrontation between the Emanator of the Nihility, Acheron, and IPC representative, Aventurine, becomes the turning point of the entire event: The latter, through a "grand death," shatters The Family's lies and reveals the existence of the Primordial Dreamscape, Dreamflux Reef. The Express Crew thus delves into the heart of the situation. Here, Gallagher reveals to everyone the truths about the dreamscape, the Stellaron, Mikhail, and the other Nameless.

They finally uncover the legacy of the Trailblaze and, in doing so, receive a glimpse from the Harmony. To fulfill the wishes of their predecessors, everyone heads to the Penacony Grand Theater with the intention of sealing the Stellaron. However, they are forced into a deadly battle against Robin, the head of the Oak family, who is aligned with the Order. This great battle concludes with the fall of the Order once again.

The future of Penacony remains uncertain. However, thanks to the mediation of the Crew, The Family and the IPC agree to cede some of their interests, and reach a consensus. Penacony regains the right to determine its own destiny. In the very end, Sparkle makes a grand return with a startling bomb show. This "crisis" is ultimately resolved amidst spectacular fireworks. With everyone receiving their own best ending, the tragicomedy of the sweet dream comes to a close.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
All these twists and turns, ups and downs, dreams and reality....they have all led up to this moment.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Caelus goes to discuss his next trip with the others. When he gets there, he sees the others waiting for him and he stops to listen what Welt was going to announce:

 

"Amphoreus, The Eternal Land..." The elder man started

"There is no record of this world in the data bank... Not even a mention of its name." Dan Heng said, surprised that planet is so unknown to the universe

"Yeah, that's what Miss Black Swan said. It's a world hidden away from outside observation, with a presence only revealed by the light from the mirror of the Garden of Recollection. It's mysterious, alright." She turned her head to Caelus "You haven't been with us on the Express very long, Caelus. Will the journey be too much for you to handle?" She asked maybe concern, or no...just to rally him?

Caelus looked at her confused and responded: "I've been on the Express for nearly two years now..."

To that sudden information, March's eyes slightly widen "Huh? Has it been that long?"

"There's no need to be nervous." Himeko cheered up with a natural smile on her face "I understand that it may be difficult for us today to wrap our heads around the idea that there's a world Akivili didn't venture into, but a journey like that was only routine to the Express Crew back then. After all, to trailblaze is to explore the universe's boundaries." She reminded them softly

"We should consider Pom-Pom's opinion, too. They don't know we're considering Amphoreus as a destination." Welt prompted

"Sure, I'll take care of it." She nodded "That said, Pom-Pom usually stays out of discussions about destinations. The final decision will likely still be on us to make."

"In that case, we'd best take the time to think this over." Dan Heng deliberated

"Yeah! Plus, even if we pass Amphoreus over, we've still got a fuel problem to solve." March blithely said, confident

After a feel moments of silence, Caelus blankly asked: "Can I vote no?"

Himeko giggled and responded: " Of course you can. For now, I'll let Miss Black Swan know that we're considering The Eternal Land as a possible destination, but we're also keeping our options open. Seeing as how this is going to be an unusual adventure, it'd be good for us to take some time out to make preparations for the journey. Meanwhile, I'll see if I can find out more about Amphoreus from our allies before we depart."

"In other words, we won't be leaving Penacony anytime soon." Welt stated, as he glanced to see the two uncomfortable faces of the youngsters knowing they'll have to go back to that nightmarish place again

"Or we could also revisit our previous stops to make sure that the astral charts and navigation routes are all functioning fine? I wonder if the hole in the Taikiyan Stadium has been repaired." March asked, or more like made an excuse not to go there again

"The Express has been on the go almost the whole time since we left the space station. We've barely had any time to catch our breath. Let's take this as an opportunity to wrap up our vacation instead, and make the most out of this break." She encouraged them, not really working on March tho...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
𝘼𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙓𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙯𝙝𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙖 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙨...

 

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣... 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙚𝙨...

Chapter Text

Meanwhile in Penacony, a Bloodhound and Nightingale member were heard talking:

"Creating chaos is also a means to maintaining social stability, if you ask me" The male Bloodhound member said

"If you have the time for mindless gossip, you're probably better off spending it on getting actual work done." A female Bloodhound member reprimanded

"They say this is all part of "ongoing investigations," but is there even any point to doing this? The threat's long been neutralized. They're just putting on a show." The male remarked "I mean, look at us, and this sudden surge in inter-Family cooperative efforts. It's nothing but a pretense for those outsiders, isn't it?"

The female's attention must have been caught "Sounds like you've got insider intel. Now I'm curious..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Are the stories going around true?" The male suddenly asked "Was the furor that broke out a while ago really a result of trouble within the Oak Family? Those are some difficult questions... Didn't I just say that creating chaos is also a means to maintaining social stability?" He opined "Who knows who's been fanning the flames, but there are a dozen rumors going around out there, each one more outlandish than the last."

"Oh, I've heard those." The female reflected, thinking about it "Conspiracy theories about how the IPC had orchestrated everything and... What was it again? That the chaos was only quelled because of an accident? Ugh, it makes no sense. So, what's the lowdown?"

"The truth has probably been long buried under all the hearsay. All I can say for sure is that someone's taken the rap for it." He paused for a moment before saying:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"You mean... the 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙊𝙖𝙠 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙?"

The man smile like they saw eye to eye "Bingo! Most of the blame was pinned on 𝙝𝙚𝙧 when the Charmony Festival was abruptly canceled. Since then, not a single soul's seen 𝙝𝙚𝙧. Heck, forget 𝙝𝙚𝙧 whereabouts — nobody even knows if 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 still alive! Talk about scary. For all we know, we might have watched something go down in history — like what happened to the Blackplum Family back then — without even realizing it."

"I've heard another theory about that family head, though..." The woman editorialized
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
During the time those two were talking, unbeknown to Penacony, a certain 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮 was back...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
That 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙮 and 𝙝𝙚𝙧 "travel companion", Wonweek, went up to them
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The two notice them, the female started speaking:

" I beg your pardon, sir, ma'am. Dreamweavers are carrying out inspections on the routes around here, and all affected facilities have been closed off. Kindly take a detour in the meantime."

Wonweek scrunched his face and asked: " What happened? Is this because of the Stellaron? Geez, are we Penaconians never gonna dream in peace again?"

"There is no cause for alarm, sir." She composed "The Stellaron has already been sealed. This is just a routine inspection. A move to heighten security, if you will. Please rest assured that The Family will do everything in our power to protect the sweet dreams of every guest."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then that familiar voice came out: "...𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚. 𝙒𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣."

The male hummed " ...Hmm?"

The female had a confused expression and asked: "Excuse me, 𝙢𝙖'𝙖𝙢...Have we met before?"

The 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙮 stayed silent for a bit........... " ...𝙊𝙝?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
₮ⱧɆ ₱Ø₩ɆⱤ Ø₣ Ⱨ₳Ɽ₥Ø₦Ɏ Đł₴₮ØⱤ₮₴ ₮ⱧɆłⱤ Vł₴łØ₦
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
𝙎𝙝𝙚 softly asked: "𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩'𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙩?"

...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
†hê Hårmðñ¥'§ Ð阮ðr†ïðñ§ Ðï§åþþêår
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The man apologized: "My bad, I must be mistaken. Sorry about that. Sweet dreams to both of you, sir, 𝙢𝙖'𝙖𝙢."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The go somewhere with less people and Wonweek started scolding 𝙝𝙚𝙧 "You sure have a knack for stirring up trouble. Of all the routes available, you had to take the one that Bloodhound's keeping watch over."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
RÖßÌñ calmly said: "𝙒𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮'𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚."

Wonweek rolled his eyes "Spare a thought for me, will you? Just being in your company is plenty enough to get me into trouble, Mrs. Prime Fugitive of Penacony."

"And that is exactly why I need you with me. You're the only one I can rely on in Penacony now." She sincerely said

"....Hmph, the only one you can rely on, huh." He quietly said "What about 𝙝𝙞𝙢?" Wonweek's attention turned to a TV billboard that had....𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮 shown....Robin's eyes met the billboard and her expression immediately soften, maybe even saddened

 

...

 

"At least he was spared from the consequences of my actions." She whispered in a solemnly tone

"What a shame, huh?" Wonweek casually said

"Why do you say that?" Robin asked in a bemused, almost offended voice

"Just thought that being mean might be more effective than consoling you." He nonchalantly said " I've seen plenty like you. Eager for everyone to take you to task after a setback because that's the only way you'll feel better. As though the more they condemn you, the more likely you can rectify your mistake. That said, if I'd really wanted to hit you where it hurts, I'd use a different approach... Like a show of sympathy, for example."

"You're right. I won't deny that." She agreed

Then Wonweek looked at her and asked: "He should still be in Penacony. Aren't you going to look for him?"

"That won't be necessary. I'm sure you already know why, considering your vested interest in reading my thoughts." Robin ribbed...then looked serious " ...I can't bring myself to see him when I'm a fugitive."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then as they went through Golden Hour, Robin stopped in her tracks

Wonweek looked again at her "So, where are we heading next?"

She immediately said: "Oti Mall. There are Bloodhounds stationed along the way, though. It might be better to take a quieter route..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then a familiar elder voice was heard behind them: "I don't mean to meddle, but I'd advise you to stay away from that place."

Wonweek turned to the elder man - Welt Yang, from the Astral Express and asked: "Did something happen?"

Welt informed that: "There isn't any concrete information yet, but anomalies have been reported around the area. The Family is currently investigating."

He looked at....Rðßïñ and politely asked: "...You okay?" Who was using her powers to hide her true identity

"I'm fine." She now looking like an Intellitron said "The Stellaron incident may have been quelled, but who is to say that nobody has another agenda? Thanks for the tip, sir. We'll make a detour. May you stay safe, too."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hold on."

 

...

 

"Sweet dreams are technically safe, but it would be wise to look out for oncoming vehicles."

 

"Thank you" Robin and Wonweek thought they were caught
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As they continued onwards Wonweek said with a gasp: "Whew, that was no ordinary passerby. It's a miracle that he didn't see through your disguise."

"The Astral Express should've departed a long time ago. Why is he still in Penacony...?" Robin questioned " ...We needn't change our plans because of him, but be sure to keep your guard up. I hope nothing terrible has fallen upon Penacony while I was in captivity the last few days.............Come now, it's time we set off. Let's not stick too close to each other, just in case. A few feet or so between us will do."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As they were about to continue, Robin stopped....
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Seems I let my wishful thinking get the best of me. Will you at least give me a chance to explain?" She hopefully asked
.
.
.
.
.
.
"I will. But before I do..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Mr. Yang had used his powers on her to keep her in place....revealing her disguise...?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Put your hands behind your back and answer my questions in short sentences." He strictly said

"Short sentences?" She repeated

"I need to make sure your words aren't concealing any dangerous incantations." He said

"I can't believe I've left everyone with such a peculiar impression of me...Please believe me when I say that I didn't come back here with ill intent. Penacony will never experience the Order again either." She importuned

' I'm afraid I won't be taking your words at face value. Not after how you wielded the power of Harmony. Answer me. What are you doing here?" He warned

 

...

 

"It looks like there's only one way to gain your trust. Come on out, Wonweek. We've found ourselves an ally."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Wonweek reluctantly revealed himself
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Robin unreservedly shares her story with Welt...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"So, it was the IPC that freed you?" He said, after hearing her story

She nodded "My brother has likely made an agreement of some sort with them. As for how I'm able to move around freely in Penacony, I have Wonweek to thank for that. As you can see, I've only returned to my home to bid it farewell. Would you be kind enough to give me a chance to say goodbye so that I may leave without regrets?" She asked, getting annoyed now

 

...

 

"Agreed, but until you leave Penacony for good, you are to stay by my side." He insisted

"You have my gratitude." She thanked

"...I left my home in a hurry, too... I know how it feels. That said, I can't make this call by myself. My companions need to know about this too." Welt sticked to that

"The Astral Express crew is in Penacony, too?" She guessed

"Come with me — we'll go find them. You come along too." Mr. Yang began to lead the way

"Okay, okay. Boy, this is gonna be a party!" Wonweek cheered
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
When they reached the place Welt well informed: "We're here. They should be somewhere nearby."

"Mr. Yang. If you don't mind, there's something that puzzles me." She asked, looking up at him "Now that the crisis on the Planet of Festivities has been averted, shouldn't the Astral Express have departed to continue on its trailblazing journey? Why have you and your companions stayed behind in Penacony? Could it be that someone stirred up trouble after I left?"

Welt agreed: "And if that were indeed the case?"

"I doubt I'm in any position to be proposing ideas, but I'm happy to defer to the Nameless and aid with any plans you may have." She surmised

Welt then finally said: "There's no need to worry, all is well in Penacony. Our reason for lingering here is a 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧."

Robin looked a tiny bit surprised: "A passenger?"

"The Express has been commissioned to send a passenger back home. We're just resting up in Penacony for a while before we depart." He informed them

"Hm?" Robin looked around the area even more surprised and said "By "passenger," do you mean this boy here?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Or...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"...These boys?" They saw the scene before them: ..................𝙔𝘼𝙉𝙌𝙄𝙉𝙂!....A bunch Yanqing's.....?!!

Even Welt looked taken aback "This... How..."

 

Then another familiar cheerful voice was heard: "You're finally here, Mr. Yang! We have a huge problem!"

They turned to see March 7th and Caelus run up towards them

Chapter Text

Welt was quite for a few moments and then asked: "So, is anyone going to tell me what's going on? March?"

She also looked speechless said "Oh, uh... About that... Why don't you ask Caelus instead! He knows how to present things logically!"

"I'm gonna have to break that stereotype you have of me."

March scolded him and said "Not now, of all times!" She sighed " Forget it. I'll tell you... We walked around with Mister Yanqing for a while after separating from the rest, but then we ran into something... weird."

Welt now looked more serious and asked "Did something happen in the Dreamscape?"

March shocked her head no "Actually it's more like it was someone's fault... We met a Pepeshi filming a try-not-to-laugh challenge, and he gave us some of his candy. A type of candy that's supposed to make you fall over laughing."

Wonweek raised an eyebrow "Oh, so that sort of try-not-to-laugh challenge."

March nodded " I didn't really wanna do it, but he insisted on us giving it a shot." She looked Caelus who blew her kissed and she rolled her eyes "That's how we got into this problem."

Welt was silent for a bit and asked "What happened?"

"We failed the challenge. Terribly." Caelus pouted

March started to scold him again " Oh, come on—stop interrupting." She then continued "So, we had some candy and were so happy we rolled around on the ground for a bit before standing up... But once we did, we realized Mister Yanqing..." She paused, rethinking the events "Mister Yanqing ate the candy too, but he only sneezed non-stop! A-choo, a-choo! Sneeze after sneeze! And before we knew it, he multiplied into several Yanqings right in front of us!"

Welt looked at Robin and asked " ...What's your take on this?"

She, still in her Intellitron disguise, thought for a moment ": The Dreamscape is a memoria world. It is likely the candy triggered his hypersensitive mind, causing scattered memory fragments to dissociate and become entities themselves." She informed "There is no cause for concern. We've experienced similar incidents from time to time in the sweet dream."

March, not recognizing the female Intellitron asked "Mr. Yang, who's this?"

Welt gave Robin a reassuring look "It's okay, you can reveal yourself now."

"I was only being careful, or we would've been stopped by the Bloodhounds more than once on our way here." Robin looked at the short boy "Help me remove my disguise, Wonweek."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Caelus and March 7th were stunned to see Robin......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"It's been a while, everyone."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
March was the first to speak " Y—You...! What's going on!?"

"r. Yang! Have you turned on us!?" Caelus also asked in shock

"Everyone stay calm... I'll explain."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
Welt fills them in on what he's been through...
.
.
.
.
.
.
": I believe that at this point, Robin has no reason to be dishonest. But to prevent any unforeseen complications, I'll be accompanying her everywhere she goes, until she leaves Penacony." He reassured the two "Mr. Wonweek here is an old acquaintance of Robin's."

"Pleased to meet you, fair lady. And you, of course... you're the heavyweight who pummeled this control freak?" Wonweek asked as he glanced at Caelus

"I'm not one to boast about past feats." Caelus huffed

March still looked surprised "The surprises just keep pouring in... First, there was Miss Acheron, and then Mister Yanqing. Why does it seem like Mr. Yang always comes back with some extraordinary guests?"

Welt gave them an awkward smile and insisted " Ahem, let's leave this discussion for later. For now, we should be focusing on returning Mister Yanqing to his normal self."

March looked unsured " That's... not gonna be easy. You'll see what I mean, Mr. Yang. These Yanqings aren't exactly easy to communicate with."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
They all started to look for a proper Yanqing to communicate with...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The first Yanqing they approached looked happy to see them, or specifically Caelus "Mister Caelus! Have you taken the time to consider my suggestion?" He leaned in with a big, bright smile

Caelus alongside the rest looked confused and asked "Your suggestion? Wait, which Mister Yanqing are you again...?"

They boy giggled and said "It's me! I'm the one who wants every Yanqing to come together to form the Yanqing Training Sessions!" The boy clasped together his hands"How often do you get the chance to work with yourself? Just imagine how in sync we'll be with one another... We're bound to teach a whole three generations! I know we can't leave the Dreamscape to train with the outside worlds, so that's where you come in, Mister Caelus! Your will to learn swordplay will surpass many others!" The boy gushed

Caelus looked even more confused as he suggested silently for them to leave as he said "Ahaha, I guess I can consider it... I hope everything goes smoothly for training sessions!" The boy smiled and waved them off
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
March huffed and looked at Welt "There. Now do you see what I mean, Mr. Yang?"

Welt smiled softly and said " There does appear to be an element of him talking to himself."

Robin, who had been staying silent got a grasp on the situation and asked "Mr. Yang mentioned the Express' next voyage is to send a passenger back home. Could this boybe from the Xianzhou Alliance?"

Welt nodded " Yes, more specifically the Xianzhou Luofu."

"The Luofu? Didn't the Antimatter Legion launch an ambush on the Luofu some time ago? Was he one of the few survivors?" Robin asked in a more concerned and anticipated mix of tone

 

"Quite the contrary. He might've been the person closest to the eye of the storm."

Robin looked deep in thought " Looks like there's a lot more to this story."

Welt smiled and insisted " A story for another time. As host of the Dreamscape, do you have any suggestions for fixing this problem?"

"I don't have much to go on now. Perhaps we should talk to the other Mister Yanqings here."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then they all went on a Yanqing hunt
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
They saw three Yanqings and went closely to them

 

"That sounds nice. People never forget a personally prepared home-cooked meal." The first Yanqing said, thinking about something "But then again, gifts should be lasting. What about a delightful new bouquet of flowers on the table each day? Wouldn't they do a better job at brightening up someone's day?"

Another Yanqing looked surprised and agreed " Hmm, that sounds like a good idea."

The third and final of the trio Yanqings said "If we really want to do this right though, it's the thought behind the gift that truly matters. The more thought goes into the gift, the better the recipient feels it."

The second Yanqing smiled with a slight smirk " Oh, he makes a valid point, too."

March gave off a dead panned expression "You sure have a way of not offending anyone..."

"These three Yanqing's don't look like they'll be reaching a conclusion anytime soon. We won't be able to get a word in."

Wonweek looked at Robin " So, what do you think, Robby?"

 

...

 

"Let's try a different name, my dear friend." She politely insisted

 

"Don't we sound chummier that way? I took a leaf out of this Xianzhou boy's book."

She quickly came to a conclusion "The problem with Mister Yanqing is just as I suspected before. That prank shattered him into notes that are each a part of him. In other words, it means the Yanqings we see here are all different aspects of his psyche."

March looked confused again "Okaaay, you just made it sound a whole lot more complicated..."

"At any rate, this is a known occurrence across the Dreamscape. Tuning could be the way to fix it. The only problem is that these Mister Yanqings are too caught up in their own world. Is there one we can properly speak with?" She asked

March's light bulb lit up at that question "One that we can speak with...? Oh, I think there is one!" Then she looked puzzled "But... It may take me a while to identify him."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
They started searching for one...then they stood silently at the sight of one of the many Yanqings sleepwalking "Nngh... Tsk... Phew... I'm... walking on the street...? What a weird dream..."

"This Mister Yanqing looks like he's sleepwalking. Nope, not him."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then they came across another Yanqing that was staring at a billboard on the ground, while holding his iconic sword in one hand.....Then that Yanqing turned his head to them, with his pointer finger under his chin, with a wide smile and a shadow over his spooky eyes.....Quite the familiar sight...

"Yikes, he's scary! No, I won't be able to talk to him..." March sternly said as Caelus tried to push them all away from that very much Phantylia Yanqing, who silently grinned as he watched them leave
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then they came across a another Yanqing who had money in his head with little bubbles with beautiful swords surrounding his head, those were his thoughts, as he giggled "Ooh? Heh heh heh...I'm sure the general with buy me all basic necessities if I were to ever spend all my money on new swords~"

He seems completely oblivious to everything else, and is just standing there, continuously operating the Cash-Spewer, occasionally letting out an excited laugh.

"Why do I feel like it's not gonna be a wise move to interrupt him...?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then as they kept going they all let out an "awe!" and surprised look at the same time, upon seeing an even younger and shorter Yanqing, looking at a Penacony dragon balloon

 

The little angel asked it " You... can't fly? Why?" He sounded confused and sad " I can, I can fly! A long, long time ago, a big girl and my father flew with me really high into the sky!" HE pumped his fists "I'll take you next time. Pinky promise?" He promised with a reassuring smile
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Some of them felt like tearing up at such an adorable and innocent sight

March was the first to snap out of it "Uh...! Should we get someone to watch over him Is that general from this memory nearby?" She looked around not wanting to leave the boy

Wonweek smirked "Nah, I think he's perfectly fine on his own. The childlike innocence that adults have is a lot more resilient that you can imagine!"

March grumbled "Even if that's true, it doesn't apply to him!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As they felt like giving up on their search Caelus huffed and said "Uhh at this rate we'll never be able to find him..." He said as they stopped in their tracks
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then they heard another of the Yanqings " Oh, were you all looking for me?" They all looked surprised and gasp upon seeing the more normal aura around the boy, as he smiled the exact way he did back in the Luofu

March let out a surprised and happy sound "Found her! If I remember correctly, this Mister Yanqing's trait is..." She looked wonderous

The boy shrugged "It's nothing special really."

"So this is also a side of Mister Yanqing." Caelus noticed, in a calmer tone

"He ought to meet your "one we can properly speak with" requirement, right?" March hoped

"Worth a try." Robin nodded "Young boy, if I may, I wish to perform a tuning on you."

"Before you start, you should know we're keeping our eyes on you. If you even think about taking Mister Yanqing hostage—" March swore

" Brace yourself for gravitational disintegration." Caelus winked as he momentarily looked at Welt, who softly hummed

" It is not my intention to provoke you. Perhaps as assurance, we can have my friend here perform the task in my stead. Wonweek has a higher mastery of the Harmony than I do." Robin said

"That is true." Wonweek nodded

" If you still have concerns, you are also free to restrain me while he performs the tuning." Robin insisted
"Um, there's no need for that." March flushed "You're acting so sincere. I'm actually surprised."

"Are you alright with this, Mister Yanqing?" Welt asked solemnly

They somewhat normal boy nodded "I go as the wind blows, so you may decide for me."

"Then kindly forgive our intrusion. Please do your best, Wonweek." Robin pleaded softly
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then Wonweek practiced the move for the power of the Harmony on that Yanqing, who slightly tensed feeling the powers

"Ah..." The boy gritted his teeth
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then Wonweek saw a that boy in a dark world, but there was something wrong with him.... " Hee-hee..." There were giggles...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Wonweek stops the powers of the Harmony as he muttered "What the.........Did any of you hear a voice just now?" He asked, cautious

"A voice?" Robin asked softly and quietly

"Never mind..." He murmured
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then March noticed something........."Ah, look! It's working!" She screamed in joy
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then all the previous Yanqings started fluttering away like petals........Then all of them forming a big, blue lotus flower...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The people gasped and held their breaths as they finally saw the boy.....Newly transformed..........The same blond hair, slightly longer and just a bit messier, an outfit reminiscing of his previous self...the lower half - blue with golden edges that exposes a part of his legs, the inside the same shade of gold with blue stripes reminiscent of flower petals. Much of the hanfu is patterned with gold embellishments and chrysanthemum motifs. The shoulders of his hanfu sport two large darker blue flowers, and the cuffs of his sleeves(which were also shaped like icicles), as well as his chest are designed to resemble icicles. The waist of his hanfu, which was black like before, with a metallic darkish blue lotus flower ornament at the center... blue feather-like decorations on his right side, and multiple teardrop-shaped accessories hanging from the middle...Paired with light blue shoes with slightly darker blue bows in front with golden necklace...On his right shoulder is a yellow-orange flower-shaped scar that reaches as far as the back of his neck and collarbone, a symbol of his corruption by Destruction...the burnt marks on his legs, neck and chest area......Those crystal? ice like Halovian? wing ears....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Never did I expect that every encounter with you would always be in moments of distress." .....the real Yanqing casually said, politely lifting his fan, a dark, sparkly, moonlit night theme with a black handle, with slight ice particles... "Did I conduct myself improperly?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
March almost cried from joy "Mister Yanqing, you're finally back!" she looked at Wonweek "You may be small, but you're pretty amazing!"

 

She noticed Wonweek's uneasy state "Huh? What's wrong?"

Wonweek lets out an Oof sound "It's nothing. Just a trivial matter..."

"What do you sense?" Robin asked, worried for his state

He stayed silent, before saying " I should have let you handle it yourself. This boy is not as ordinary as he appears...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I nearly died... just now..."

Chapter Text

𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲. 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗱𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀, 𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
ℙ𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕝 ℍ𝕚𝕞 𝕃𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Don't be afraid."

 

That was the first thing ⱧɆ heard when ⱧɆ blinked, only to see a dark and cold hallway

 

As the вσу weakly raises hï§, hê could only utter

 

"What... is this place?"

 

"No matter what you see, you only need to remember one thing." The voice said
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚."

 

The BӨY felt a massive pang of confusion and loneliness as ΉΣ couldn't seem to 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚...𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨?

 

"Who... are you? And... who am I?" The b̶o̶y̶ asked in a hazy tone, as he turned to look behind ": Is that... where I came from?" He turned back to the path leading ahead "And where does this path lead?"

 

The b̷o̷y̷ attempted to use ᕼIᔕ legs to walk, trying to get used to...this...?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As the b̲o̲y̲ walked a little further ahead, h̷e̷ looked surprised to see a white silhouette of a...𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙃𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬-𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙧. 𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮, 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙛𝙞𝙩.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"That... looks so familiar." The b̳o̳y̳ thought to h̲i̲m̲s̲e̲l̲f̲ "Does he want to lead me somewhere...? with a surprised and weary expression the boy followed the familiar white silhouette, the corners boy's eyes were filled with tiny snowflakes, but he didn't seem to prioritize that at the moment
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As the two reach the end of the metal hall, the white silhouette faded away, leaving the ßð¥ even more confused, but he decided to go through the opening and closing doors in front of him
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As he did, he saw two people there, presumably working

 

As the boy got closer to them, he over heard them saying

 

The boy got closer to them

 

"The life support pod is ready. There were only minor issues." A mechanic in a blue uniform said, informing a researcher in a cute, pink uniform

 

"That's great. Otherwise, that person from the Xianzhou might not be able to hold on much longer." The researcher said, leaving the boy in confused and a uneasy feeling

 

"You're still trying? There's no precedent for saving someone who was destroyed by a Lord Ravager. Will it even work?" The mechanic shrugged, the conversation seemed to make the boy even more eager, a feeling of worry to talk to them

 

"I'm not a genius, so I don't understand the logic behind it, but if 𝙨𝙝𝙚 says it's possible, then it must be, even 𝙝𝙚 agreed" the researcher said, the boy found the courage to talk to them

 

"...Excuse me, could you tell me where I am?" The boy said, but instead was left with silence, not even a glance from the two men "Huh...? Can they not hear me?" The boy muttered to himself

 

The two men still didn't answer, and that's when the boy decided to venture further, giving them one last glance before leaving to go up some stair, as he got up he saw a report

 

As the boy seemed intrigued by the report, he looked at it, only to see a.....𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙧

 

The boy seemed even more surprised "This boy is..." he whispered subconsciously, as he went through the words written there

 

------------------------------------------------------

Observation Log: Day 6

Though extremely rare, the observed subject has started to provide short answers for some simple questions, even though his cognition is still in a chaotic state.
From what has been observed so far, he is not incapable of composing long and complex sentences. However... An unbearably intense pain would immediately attack him with high frequency, enough to interrupt his thoughts or even render him temporarily unconscious.
The relevant information should be delivered to Madam Ruan Mei and Dr Ratio, for them to decide whether the observed subject's senses should be temporarily numbed before conducting a questioning.
Correction: We have temporarily blocked the subject's various senses and are trying as much as we can to alleviate their pain. No further questioning will be made until the body's repair has made some progress.

Until then, this is a record of the questions that the observed subject has already answered:

No. 1 What is your name?
The subject replied within three seconds: "Yanqing."

No. 2 What did you encounter?
The observed subject spent a substantial period of time in rumination before suffering from intense pain and losing their consciousness.
After being questioned four times, it can be confirmed that the observed subject knows about the related details, but struggles to elucidate that knowledge during the limited periods of coherence.
...

------------------------------------------------------

And it just abruptly ended like that......

 

" "Yanqing"...What a familiar name. Do I know him?" He asked himself
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Don't question it. Keep moving forward." that same male voice was heard

 

The boy perked up slightly at the same, but still sudden voice " It's you again. Who's talking to me?" He asked

 

As the voice didn't respond, the boy had again decided to go up similar stairs...leading him up, and that's when he saw weird 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠, 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨

 

The boy seemed surprised at the weird and dangerous sight and aura of the enemies in front of him "These are..." The boy asked the voice, if it were still there

 

"These are wounds left by the Destruction. They have taken root within your body and cannot be removed." The voice said in a cold tone

 

"The Destruction? I don't understand..." He boy said, not understanding it nor it's origin "Please," The boy pleaded "who are you? And why won't you show yourself?

 

"I can't go to you. All I can do is wait for you to finish walking this path." The voice almost nonchalantly answered

 

"You want me to go through here? Do I have to... fight it?" The boy asked, the fighting idea coming from the fact he just now felt two weird, magical fans in his hands

 

"There's no need for that. It's too dangerous, and you can't do it anyway." The voice said casually "Don't fight it, embrace it. Try to coexist with it. Think of it as feeling your o̳w̳n̳ ̳s̳c̳a̳r̳s̳."

 

The boy looked even more confused, tho feeling a weird feeling in his body "My scars?" The boy's eyes widened as the monsters approached him "...Wait!?"

 

But as soon as the enemies readied a battle stance, they were suddenly weakened and a weird pink petal were swarmed around them, then floating down

 

"Is this called... coexisting?" The boy asked the mysterious voice again

 

"Don't worry. As I said before, you're not alone." The voice reassured
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It looked like the boy had no other choice but to raise his fans, as a frosty mist was spinning around his fans, and with a near swift move, ice spikes came from the floor of the metal like place, freezing the enemies, as other enemies came along, they too were inflicted with the icy spikes
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As the boy barely managed to defeat the enemies, he huffed as the enemies seemed to be broken and frozen, as soon as he got his breath back, he looked up, and an immediate despair was in his eyes as he saw more enemies, the same black one and two white and violet ones floating in mid air

 

He gasped "How can it be... Why are there still so many of them?" The boy noticed the ones behind him had healed and already were back on their feet "The ones from before weren't defeated either?"

 

The boy then saw a very tall 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙚𝙮𝙚. 𝙃𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙝-𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙮𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙪𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙨. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙟𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙨...

 

The man had his arms crossed as he said "As I said before, you can't defeat them. No one can." he paused before saying
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
"You can fall into the darkness and die alongside these scars of the Destruction." That more like sounded like a threat
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Or bring them with you when you return to the world here. These are your two choices." He ended

 

The boy's eyes widened with realization as he understood the situations "Return to the world? What are you saying...?" The boy couldn't stop asking questions, tho he had a good reason

 

Without answering the boy, the tall man looked up and the boy's gaze followed.....only to see....𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚....And the true realization dawned on the boy....in his previous fight with the weird "Destruction" enemies, he caught glimpses of his hair, and even the long, messy ponytail from his hairstyle
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The boy's mouth was now slightly opened as he truly understood the true meaning behind this situation "....Is that boy...𝙢𝙚" tho the man didn't answer, the the answer was clear as day to the boy
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Aah... No wonder those two ignored me.....Am I just a wandering spirit now?" The boy touched his shoulder, trying to feel if he's a ghost or not

 

The tall man hummed "Close, but not quite."

 

"So, I'm trapped between life and death, existing in a limbo?" The boy asked, in both amazement and shock.....just how did he get here?!

 

"You can think of it that way." The man said

 

"...Based on what you said, even if I should wake up, these wounds that caused my death will remain on my body and never heal?" The boy stopped for a second "I don't understand. You appear to be trying to save me, friend, but why are you telling me all this?"

 

""It's more of a habit of 𝙝𝙚𝙧. But I also believe everyone should have the right to choose whether they wish to return to this world or not." The man said, a subtle sympathetic tone in his voice

 

"Be that as it may, I don't remember anything. There's nothing to help me make a choice." The boy said, solemnly

 

"That doesn't matter. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 believe the desire to live was born from nothing to begin with." The man continued "You may also prove yourself to be the exception. I would also be pleased with that result."

 

The boy had a small pout on his look as he glanced at one of the enemies, then the body in the capsule "...How troublesome, but I suppose that's part of living." with that the man nodded

 

the boy began to slowly walk towards the capsule, making his choice "Survival or Destruction is no longer a choice for you. They both now grow along the same path." the man said
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The boy suddenly felt tiredness...or more like his eyes were forcefully closing? "And only by walking this path—"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Will you break through the darkness and arrive at my side." ....................The boy's eyes fluttered as he woke up, in that capsule he saw that body in
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There was a deafening silence before it was broken by the man's voice "Feeling more awake?" the man said, with a more relaxed face, especially when the boy looked down at him "Congratulations. You attained your very first victory in this tug of war. It's a good start."

 

"I... This is..." The boy..............𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗾𝗶𝗻𝗴.....or........𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗴 looked speechless

 

"Let me explain." The man - 𝘿𝙧. 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤 insisted, as he began saying "You were attacked by a 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙍𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧. By all rights, you should not have survived. But someone, whether that be fate didn't agree with that assessment, and it just so happens 𝙬𝙚 were able to fulfill their request."

 

"Were there other people....or innocent animals there...?" The boy asked, with a hopeful and worried look on his face

 

The doctor shook his head slowly "Even if there were, 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬."

 

The boy's hope of anything or anyone not getting caught in the mess were washed away in worry "Why me...?"

 

Ratio looked at the boy "Because you were the most unfortunate. You fell into the hands of that 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙍𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 who destroyed your body and spirit." He thought for a moment before saying "Yet in a twisted way you were also the most fortunate. Her desire to claim everything about you for herself meant she needed time, so you were spared instant annihilation." He assured him

 

The man's face turned serious in a second "There is only a fine line between resurrection and escaping death, yet they couldn't be more different. If you had truly died, we would be powerless to do anything for you." He stated

 

The boy quietly hummed, before realizing something about himself, or...the lack of it? " My body... feels strange..."

 

The doctor was quiet for a moment "I'm sorry. I can't let you regain your ability to feel just yet. You'd be in excruciating pain." He then continued, not sparring the boy to think about his answer "Your body was and probably still is contaminated by the Destruction and suffered severe damage. As I said before, these wounds will stay with you for the rest of your life." He sighed in a near shaky tone "To prevent its resurgence, the woman - 𝙍𝙪𝙖𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙞 made some minor modifications to your body — or more specifically..... your ear are."

 

The boy got his answer to why he had been seeing snowflakes and frosty mist in the corners of his eyes "These...wings?" He had ice, or crystal like wings, resembling the Halovian's

 

The doctor hummed in agreement "They are beautiful, aren't they? But still you'll have to learn to adapt to it. Unfortunately, the inescapable price of survival is often more adversity." He explained

 

The boy smiled even if it was through a mass amont of pain "...Regardless, I'm grateful to you two for saving my life." He smiled sadly

The doctor sighed heavily as he saw the boy's smile, it even pained the man to see him in such an agonizing state, yet still smiling "There's no need to thank us, we felt it was unfair for a life like yours to slip away like that. Still with this, the debt between the traveling merchant and us is clear." He ended in suspense for the boy

 

The boy's smile quickly turned into a confused one " Who?" The boy asked.....then he suddenly felt tired again

 

Dr Ratio smiled awkwardly "Don't worry about it. You should sleep for a little longer. By the time you wake up, you won't remember any of these details. We'll arrange for someone to send you home, if you wish for that... which reminds me, you seem to have some dependable friends with close ties to you. You should go with them. It can only help with your recovery to hear more about your past." He finished
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Before the boy fully fell asleep he heard the man say one last thing, something reassuring
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮, 𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙦𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙬𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
At this point, past events revealed by the tuning recede to the darkness once more...

Chapter Text

After slowly regaining consciousness....

 

"Are... Are you alright?" A female voice was heard

 

Wonweek slowly opened his eyes "Did I pass out?" He asked

 

"We were just about to make a memorial portrait of you." Caelus joked with a mused expression

 

"A little quick to the draw, aren't you?" Wonweek asked

 

Robin, who seemed to be thinking said "The tuning rebounded and affected Wonweek instead. This is no ordinary boy." She muttered

 

Welt sighed softly and said " I suppose there's no point in hiding it from you anymore." He coughed "Mister Yanqing is originally from the Xianzhou. He had an unfortunate encounter with a Lord Ravager, who robbed him of his identity and left him on the verge of death." Wonweek and Robin were shocked by the information "While he miraculously escaped with his life, his body suffered terrible injuries, beyond all power to heal."

 

Everybody stayed quiet for some time, before Robin asked "But something happened to change that outcome?"

 

Welt nodded "Yes, two geniuses got involved. One of them are very accomplished in the field of life sciences and the other - in biology, physics, philosophy, medicine and more, but they managed to grant Mister Yanqing a shot at survival. After that, they asked the Express to escort Mister Yanqing back home, if he wanted. We made a stop at Penacony along the way, partly to allow him some time to convalesce."

 

Yang Meng looked guilty "I'm so sorry. I thought no one would be affected if I hid inside a dream. I didn't expect so many mishaps to happen."

 

Wonweek brushed it off "That's alright, so long as nobody was hurt. Can I get something to drink? I feel like I've been asleep for ten years."

 

Welt smiled and agreed "That's fine. We should find another place to talk anyway. We drew some attention with that commotion earlier."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Shortly after—

 

Wonweek tried the drink "SoulGlad again... I'm a local, you know." He looked at Robin

 

"You'll have to make do." She shrugged

 

"In any case, I must thank the both of you for your assistance." Welt said

 

Robin shook her head softly "It was nothing. Now that the matter with Mister Yanqing is resolved, are we meeting your other two companions next?" She asked

 

"There's no need for that. Mr. Wonweek is in poor condition, so let's wrap up your farewells first." He then turned his attention to Caelus, March 7th and Yang Meng "I'll leave Mister Yanqing in your hands."

 

Caelus and March looked surprised at the sudden attention and March asked "Huh? But Mr. Yang, the messenger from the Xianzhou is almost here. You're not coming with us?"

 

"I trust that you can handle it. Besides, Himeko will be there. She'll be able to handle any decisions should you run into any difficulties." Welt confidently said

 

March looked at Caelus and Yang Meng, then back to Welt "Okay. We better hurry then."

 

Caelus, March and Yang Meng moved to the side

 

"Shall we keep going, then?" March exhorted

 

Caelus raised an eyebrow "Where are we going?" He asked, while gently placing his hand on Yang Meng's icy wings

 

March dead-panned and said " Did you forget already? Mister Yanqing is going back to the Alliance, so we're here to help him pick out souvenirs."

 

Yang Meng's icy wings perked up slightly at the recap "I'm not too familiar with this planet. I'm worried an unscrupulous cutthroat merchant will try to take advantage of me. Luckily, the people I want to buy these gifts for are friends you already know on the Xianzhou, so I'll be counting on both your stakeholder intuitions for recommendations!" He smiled brightly, tho that smiled reminded the two crew members 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 Yanqing's smile...But they still smiled

 

The trio then crossed a road and went up the stairs, leading to Oti Mall.

 

As they were walking to the mall, Yang Meng stated "I already picked up a few gifts earlier, so that means there's only three more left to go. But we've already lost a lot of time, so we'd better not drag our feet..."

 

When they got there, they first meet a lady, that was the shop owner

 

"Welcome! How can I help you?" The lady smiled politely

 

Yang Meng smiled back as he greeted her and said "Greetings Miss! It's my first time visiting the Dreamscape, so I wanted to buy some local specialties as souvenirs for my friends back home. My two friends here are more familiar with the Dreamscape and recommended your shop, so I'm here to take a look."

 

The lady looked impressed "Why, you really know how to flatter! Go ahead—browse all you like."

 

The trio went on to look at the souvenirs and Yang Meng looked at the two as he asked "First, we have....Lady Fu Xuan of the...Divination Commission. What do you think best suits her?" He asked tho there was confusion in his tone when he said her name and occupation

 

Caelus saw a Clockie merch and pointed at it " Look at this Clockie eye mask."

 

March looked at him and asked "Uhm, did you pick that because of her third eye?"

 

Caelus nodded like a wide smile

 

"A meticulously thought out and interesting suggestion. It'll make for a novel gift. Let's go with that." Yang Meng picked it up

 

"Next is" Yang Meng seemed quiet for a moment "...General Jing Yuan?" He said, with another confused but nostalgic feeling at the name, but he quickly smiled to cover up his confusion

 

Caelus saw a spool that held a motion picture film "Dreamjoy Memoir Film Reel?"

 

Yang Meng seemed to like that one ""Come to Clock Studios Theme Park to learn more about the history of the Planet of Festivities!" I think the general will like this gift..." He really can't seem to shake off the nostalgic feeling

 

Then the last person " Finally, we have...Lady Bailu of the Alchemy Commission. She loves excitement is what I heard." Yang Meng said

 

"SoulGlad syrup." Caelus said

 

Yang Meng seemed to agree with that option "That's a good idea. It might be commonplace, but it's still the specialty of Penacony. It would make for an ideal gift to bring home." He said

 

As soon as they were done "That's all of them. Please wrap them up for us." He turned to the two crew members "Thanks to both your help, everything went smoother than I expected. And it looks like we still have some time to spare."

March thought for a second before saying with a wide smile "Why don't we pay another visit to the Dreamscape Sales Store? You can find memory bubbles pretty much anywhere, but Penacony's dream bubbles are extraordinary. Even if we don't get them as gifts, we can keep them as souvenirs for ourselves."

Yang Meng tilted his head at that idea " A souvenir for myself? That's definitely an idea I can get behind." He nodded, but then he looked up at them again "But there's one more thing I wish to do. Since this is our last stop, could I have a word with you two in private? Perhaps somewhere more secluded. I'd like to discuss a personal matter."

 

He gently took their hands and led them to a quieter spot

 

As he looked around, Yang Meng sighed calmly and said under his breath "This is a good spot."

 

March and Caelus looked confused and a little concerned with the sudden shift in the mood "Mister Yanqing, what's this about?" March asked

 

Yang Meng, who was facing the wall turned to them "You've looked out for me during our travels together these past few days. I'm truly grateful and can't thank you enough." He smiled, putting a hand to his heart "But there are some things I find difficult to forget. I feel it's only right that I tell you what's on my mind before we "part ways"." He stopped for a bit before asking

 

"Do you two still remember what it was like when you first saw me?"

 

March and Caelus widened their eyes slightly at the question, but March was the first to speak up "How could we forget? Caelus was so shocked, he was frozen in place when he shouted..."

He posed a little dramatically "Sparkle? How!" Which earned him a tiny bump in his side by March

 

Yang Meng nodded "Exactly. And that's precisely why I haven't been able to shake off this strange feeling in the days since I started traveling with you." He stated "When I asked for your names, I couldn't help but think that this "first encounter" was actually a "long-awaited reunion" for you." He looked solemn and a bit sad " I've heard about what happened to you on the Xianzhou, and I've got to admit, that Phantylia's disguise was so perfect, it was like another me tricking everyone."

 

March nodded and remembered a certain moment, that was pretty mysterious "Yeah, we couldn't even tell when you were replaced by Phantylia. I figured it happened when we were after Kafka. You vanished for a while, I thought you must have come back as a double."

 

Yang Meng swayed "But it was much earlier than that. That thought has filled me with sorrow, as if a piece of my life had been stolen away, and I had no part in it. That's what I've been puzzled about too. I never actually saw how Phantylia managed to disguise herself as me." He announced to them, which they found pretty surprising

 

He then looked at them "What was your impression of that "Yanqing," if you recall?" He asked innocently

 

"A potential Emanator of the Destruction" Caelus said nonchalantly, which surprised both March and Yang Meng "You did seem a little TOO mysterious, I mean, when we killed the Ebon Deer you were pretty sad it died, and you badly wanted to try a Fruit of Abundance, knowing it was prohibited to engage into the Abundance on any of the Xianzhou planets, and seemed pretty hypnotized by it's regenerative abilities." That sentence alone got Yang Meng and March even more surprised, and both of them agreed

 

Yang Meng coughed and uttered "Well..... umm, was there anything particularly memorable?" He asked again

 

Caelus glared at March to not bump him again before saying "Extremely flexible." He looked again at March who looked bewildered but sighed "Now's not the time for those kinds of jokes..."

 

With a raised eyebrow, Yang Meng hesitantly said "Now, the final question... In your eyes, am I just like the Yanqing you remember?"

 

Caelus stayed silent before saying " No, not at all." That seemed to confuse March as she asked "Wait — don't you find that question a bit weird? You're the real Yanqing. Why compare yourself to an imposter?"

 

Yang Meng shook his head no with an awkward smile "Miss March, you might have the wrong idea. I'm just feeling a mix of regret and relief."

March looked even more confused " ...Huh?"

 

He giggled "As a now former Cloud Knight...Lieutenant? Staying well-informed is crucial. It's only natural for me to stay updated on the events of the Luofu before I return." He seemed to have a worried expression if those event turned out like that "If I had rushed in and out back then, I wouldn't have been much help. Instead, I would've postponed the trip and sought assistance from allies, but in that case..." He stopped for them to realize

 

"We wouldn't have crossed paths." Caelus and March muttered with a weird feeling in their stomachs, knowing the chances of the events actually going like that were very thin

 

"Exactly." Yang Meng agreed "Based on your description, that Lord Ravager was indeed cunning. Her demeanor mirrored mine so closely that it felt like she was living my life for a few days rather than merely disguising herself." He remarked "I regret missing out on your Xianzhou journey, but everything that unfolded afterward, aside from the scheming, played out exactly as if I'd been there. This leads me to consider another possibility...Phantylia had stolen a piece of my life, and everybody and everything should always get even. I will not be taken advantage of. I must take something back from her as well." He smirked with mischief "But after thinking it over, the only thing that could be considered equal value... is the bond I have with all of you." He said with a warmer smile

"That thought has brought me great comfort, and now I know how to speak to you properly. We've never even met before, yet here you are, offering your help, just as before. I should've treated you with respect, but fear of Phantylia made me act like somebody else. And now, I will reclaim everything I have lost. And it should begin with a proper acknowledgment—" He closed his eyes momentarily
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Dear friends, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you." He smiled warmly at them again, even more this time

 

...

 

"It's time to rethink how you see yourself." Caelus said

 

Yang Meng chuckled "Looks like we're off to a good start! Moving forward, I'll definitely be trying more things like this from now on."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"And you, my dear friends, will be my source of courage."

 

He declared with a sad blue confident smile

 

March perked up "Mister Yanqing, that's way too over the top. Just don't make any risky decisions. It might overwhelm him!" She ruffled Caelus's shoulder

 

He laughed "Haha, we'll see. I just hope the Yanqing in your memories won't be tainted by Phantylia anymore. Alright. No more questions. I hope I didn't take up too much of your time. Let's continue on our way."

 

The three leave the quiet area and went up to Dr. Edward who moved his eye to look at them

 

"Welcome to the Dreamscape Sales Store! Dr. Edward at your service!" He greeted them happily

 

"We're looking for some dreams to give as gifts — something exotic and, preferably, captivating." March listed out

 

Dr. Edwards hummed "Just a friendly reminder: Being too picky won't help you find the best dreams. It'll just dampen your spirits ahead of time."

 

Yang Meng nodded "Since I'm returning to the Xianzhou, I think it's better to choose something unrelated to the Alliance. Feel free to pick a few for me." He said to the big eye

 

"I love customers like you... So easy to work with." Dr. Edwards swooned

 

March looked suspicious " So easy to take advantage of, you mean? Just don't pick anything weird, okay?" She pleaded quietly

 

Yang Meng then turned to them with a blue bubble in his hands "Oh, speaking of dreamscapes, I have a gift for you, my friends. After troubling you all this time, I couldn't leave without properly expressing my thanks. Here's a dream bubble for you — I hope you enjoy it."

March looked at it excitedly "Wow, that's really nice of you!" March leaned in closer to the bubble
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The trio then arrives at the Radiant Feldspar, where they saw Miss Himeko

 

As soon as she saw the three, she had a happier smile on her face "You're back!"

 

March put her hands on her hips "Yeah, we got delayed on the way. Mr. Yang will explain in detail when he gets back. Has the messenger from the Xianzhou arrived yet?" March asked in anticipation

 

Himeko nodded "Yes, we've been chatting for a while. Turns out, she's an old acquaintance of yours."

 

The four of them hear hells clicking as they turn to the noise they see a certain foxian lady of the Sky-Farring Commission

 

"Long time no see, everyone." She greeted then as she looked at Yang Meng with a fixed sad smile

 

Yang Meng seemed surprised to see her ".............Madam.......Yukong?" He uttered her name, only hearing it from his two saviors

 

"I've imagined this moment many times." Yukong started "I was worried I might embarrass myself in front of you. I even rehearsed every word beforehand." She jokingly said, tho it was very much true "But now it seems it was unnecessary." She looked at the boy........that was once known to be Yanqing.... "Yanqing, I'm here to take you home." She sad with a calmer smile

 

Tho Yanqing also had a smile it didn't seem to meet his eyes, looking regrettable?

 

"You two must have a lot to catch up on after being apart for so long. We'll give you some space." Himeko said, as she gently intertwined her fingers between March and Caelus's hands to lead them forward
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The two stood in silent before Yang Meng said "Madam Yukong....It's you who decided to come here?"

 

Yukong nodded "I wanted to come because... after all, it's you who's coming home."

 

Yang Meng looked down "Yeah, me, of all people..." He said in a quiet tone

 

The second Yukong stepped into the radiant room, she took notice of Yanqing's appearance "Your body... It's going to be tough from now on, isn't it...? And those wings..."

 

Yang Meng sighed as he shook his head "I've already escaped death once. What more could I ask for?"

 

Yukong sighed heavily "You're still the same — carefree as always. I have a lot I'd like to tell you, but I'll save it for the road. It's a long journey back to the Luofu. Even if we can't completely rid you of the pain, there must be ways to alleviate it on the Xianzhou."

 

Yang Meng slightly gritted his teeth at the mention of going back to the Luofu

 

He gulped and decided to ask

 

"I have no doubt. But... since we're alone here, may I ask you one more thing?" Yukong immediately nodded
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"...Do I really have to go back to the Luofu? Shouldn't I continue to be with the Express?" He smiled innocently

 

Yukong's eyes widened at that question "...Why? You don't want to?" She asked in a surprised tone

 

"Despite Phantylia's ruthlessness, she spared me when I should have been eliminated. And why did Miss Ruan Mei and Dr Ratio, who have no ties to the Xianzhou, go out of their way to save me?" Yang Meng asked "It seems as if I've become a pawn in someone else's game." He compared

 

"...There are people within the Alliance who also believe that the suspect is now on the Yuque." Yukong remembered

 

"If that's the case, it's all the more reason for me not to return to the Luofu and complicate things. I might as well take advantage of this situation." He said with a rather happier smile suddenly

"Take advantage of the situation? What do you mean?" Yukong asked still in disbelief

 

"Right now, the marks of Ruin inside me maintain a delicate balance. Moreover... they were created by Phantylia herself." He stated "If possible, please inform the general and arrange for me to meet with the marshal. Maybe this body of mine can help the Alliance get one step closer to the Xianzhou's enemies." He said in a calmer tone

 

"...When Ruan Mei visited the Luofu earlier, she mentioned to me what happened to you. This coincided with when the message sent by the Astral Express arrived. We must keep your "resurrection" hidden. But before making any decisions, I want to know what you think. If you wish to go home..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"I'll support you, no matter what others may say. No matter what the generals say" Yukong said, which made Yang Meng smile wider " Then I'm glad. I shall save you the trouble of hearing what those people may say." He said

 

Yukong had a small frown as she said "The road ahead is perilous. If you decide to take it, I won't stop you. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I still want to know — are you choosing this because it's what you really want?." She asked in a worried-like tone

 

Yang Meng thought for a little and then said " I've come to see myself clearly in this dream journey. Perhaps it's what people call a blessing in disguise. There is someone who can attest to my true intentions. Please follow me. She should be around here somewhere."
.
.
.
.
.
.
He turned his attention to the view of the skies and the platform of the Radiant Feldspar, as he signaled to Yukong to follow him, the two then see......𝘼 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙦𝙞𝙣𝙜

 

She looked even more shocked as she uttered " Is that..."

 

Yang Meng nodded "After a strange encounter, I was fragmented into multiple "Yanqings," each embodying a different aspect of my memories... And one of them hasn't returned to me because he ventured too far. Until now." He explain in a calm but sad and nostalgic tone

 

Yukong, who looked at Yang Meng as he was explaining, turned her attention to the younger memory "...You mean him? What is he... doing?"

 

"He is captivated by something that has deeply mesmerized me so long ago. As a fleeting emotion, he's no different from a newborn. Him boarding this ship was solely down to his inner impulse."

 

"Madam Yukong, do you remember? Perhaps that was just an ordinary flight for you....But for a certain different boy...That was his first experience with the "sky." "

 

Yukong had a nostalgic smile "Of course I remember."

 

She was reminiscing how her, Yanqing and general Jing Yuan were on that starskiff, as Yanqing's eyes were sparkling as he looked out at the sky filled with other starskiffs and a warm yellow and orange sky and clear white clouds

 

"Back then, you were still young enough for me and even Tingyun to carry." She chuckled

 

Yang Meng got an idea "You all probably still can! Want to give it a try?"

 

She laughed softly "I'm afraid you'd be too heavy for me now."

 

"I remember you kept begging me, Tingyun and Jing Yuan to take you to the starskiff and even dreamed of becoming a pilot. But once you were airborne, you were so nervous that you clung to others for dear life."

Yukong had a small tear in her eye, but she immediately wiped it away, remembering how that smaller Yanqing would cling onto Jing Yuan, saying he was too afraid he would fall

 

"This flight was a turning point in my life." He stopped for a few moments, gazing at the sky "The boundless cosmos unfolded before me. I was completely mesmerized, not just by the view, but by a realization—" He stopped looking out at the entire sky again "In this world, there are paths beyond waiting for us to explore...But even though I got far too busy with "my" new title as the Lieutenant of the Cloud Knights...Even to this day, this thrill still courses through me." He said solemnly

 

"That hasn't changed?" Yukong asked a little surprised since tho he was a high ranking Lieutenant, he still dreamt of exploring the world

 

"Never." He stated truthfully "Now, I can embark once more on my journey as a "Traveler of No Return," exploring the paths that lie beyond...With the Astral Express"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Madam Yukong, you were once a "survivor" in a war too, weren't you?"

 

Yukong looked even more surprised and impressed

 

...

 

" In a hazy dream, I vaguely remember someone telling me that the inescapable price of survival is often more adversity, but..." He looked at her with a face mixed of determination and slight anger "Madam Yukong, the gods use humans as pawns in their cosmic game, sacrificing countless innocent souls... Have you ever thought about making THEM pay?"

 

Yukong sighed and said " ...Every moment of every day. But as inconsequential as we are, how can we escape the fate of being mere pawns? If I could choose, I would never want you or Tingyun to become pawns. I just wish you could still be that carefree little child, not caught up in this war..."

 

"Don't be disheartened, Madam Yukong. Thanks to the "favor" of the Lord Ravager, I've become a player in this game. Remember, it's often the unassuming pawns — the lone traveler or the worm that subdues the dragon — that leave even the best strategists helpless. So now, I'll become a cunning speck of dust and make those masterminds behind the curtains..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Sneeze a few times!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A moment of silence lingers after that. "Departure" is often indistinguishable from "Parting," yet they are fortunate enough not to have to waver between the two...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And that boy's status shall stay a secret to the Xianzhou

Chapter Text

Rarity: ★★★★★

Combat Path: Nihility

Combat Type: Ice

------------------
Type: Playable Character

Additional Names: 𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙦𝙞𝙣𝙜

Lore Path: Destruction(contaminated)

Faction(s): The Xianzhou Luofu(formerly?), Astral Expess(member)

World(s): The Xianzhou Luofu(presumable homeworld), Astral Express

-----------------------------------------------------------
KIT:

𝙍𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠𝙚 / Basic Attack: Deals Ice DMG equal to 𝟱𝟬%-𝟭𝟭𝟬% of Yang Meng's ATK to one designated enemy.

◉ 𝙄𝙘𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 / Enhanced Basic Attack: Deals Ice DMG equal to 𝟱𝟬%-𝟭𝟭𝟬% of Yang Meng's ATK to one designated enemy and Ice DMG equal to 𝟮𝟱%-𝟱𝟱% of Yang Meng's ATK to adjacent targets

 

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝘽𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙨 / Skill: Grants one designated ally "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚". Enters the "𝙀𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩" state, lasting for 3 turn(s). This duration decreases by 1 at the start of Yang Meng's every turn. "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚" only takes effect on the most recent target of Yang Meng's skill. The ally with "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚" have their Break Effect increased by 𝟮𝟯%-𝟯𝟴% and also reduce Toughness even when attacking enemies that don't have the corresponding Weakness Type, with the equivalent to 50% of the original Toughness Reduction value. This cannot stack with other Toughness Reduction effects that also ignore Weakness Type.
◉ While in the "𝙀𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩" state, Yang Meng enhances his Basic Attack.
◉ Every time Yang Meng or an ally with "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚" attacks, Yang Meng has a 100% b̲a̲s̲e̲ ̲c̲h̲a̲n̲c̲e̲ to reduce the attacked enemy target's DEF by 𝟭𝟬%-𝟯𝟬%, lasting for 3 turn(s).
◉ When in the "𝙀𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩" state, Yang Meng can also reduce Toughness, even if he isn't the selected ally with "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚", and if enemies don't have the Ice Weakness.

 

𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙎𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙐𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙡𝙡 / Ultimate: Deals Ice DMG equal to 𝟭𝟯𝟬%-𝟮𝟰𝟬% of Yang Meng's ATK to all enemies. This attack ignores Weakness Type to reduce all enemies Toughness. And when breaking Weakness, triggers the Ice Weakness Break Effect. Also increases all enemies' received Break Effect DMG and allies can reduce their Toughness Bars faster.

 

𝙎𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙑𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 / Talent: While Yang Meng is on the field, enemy targets get additionally afflicted with "𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚, 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩", equal to 40% of their Max Toughness. When the initial Toughness is reduced to 0, "𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚, 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩" can continue to be reduced. When "𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚, 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩" is reduced to 0, the enemy will receive Weakness Break DMG again.
◉ While Yang Meng is on the field and after W̲e̲a̲k̲n̲e̲s̲s̲ ̲B̲r̲o̲k̲e̲n̲ enemy targets, converts the Toughness Reduction of this attack into 1 instance of 𝟳𝟬%-𝟭𝟲𝟬% S̲u̲p̲e̲r̲ ̲B̲r̲e̲a̲k̲ ̲D̲M̲G̲.

 

𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 / Technique: After using Technique, inflicts 𝘿𝙖𝙯𝙚 on enemies, within a certain area, lasting for 10 second(s). While 𝘿𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙙, enemies will not actively attack ally targets. After entering battle via actively attacking 𝘿𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙙 enemies, Yang Meng's a̲c̲t̲i̲o̲n̲ ̲a̲d̲v̲a̲n̲c̲e̲s̲ by 40%, with a 100% b̲a̲s̲e̲ ̲c̲h̲a̲n̲c̲e̲ to inflict each enemy target with the same DEF Reduction as that applied by Yang Meng's Skill, lasting for 3 turn(s).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eidolons:

𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨, 𝙎𝙠𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙄 𝙗𝙚 / Eidolon 1: Ally target with "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚" have their Weakness Break Efficiency further increased by 50%
◉ When selecting ally to grant them "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚", a̲c̲t̲i̲o̲n̲ ̲a̲d̲v̲a̲n̲c̲e̲s̲ them by 100%
◉ If Yang Meng dies in battle, "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚" and "𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚, 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩" won't disappear.

 

𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙮 / Eidolon 2: When enemy target's Weakness gets broken, Yang Meng regenerates 5 energy. After using ultimate a̲d̲v̲a̲n̲c̲e̲s̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲a̲c̲t̲i̲o̲n̲ of all allies by 25%.

 

𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚 / Eidolon 3: Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.

 

𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢, 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙧 / Eidolon 4: Ally target with "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚" have their Break DMG and All-Type RES-PEN increased by 20%

 

𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙠𝙮 / Eidolon 5: Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

 

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 / Eidolon 6: Increases Yang Meng's Weakness Break Efficiency by 50%. While Yang Meng is in the "𝙀𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙩" state, "𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙘𝙚" takes effect on all allies.
◉ When entering battle and after using Yang Meng's Technique, all enemies' DEF gets reduced by 30% for 4 turns.
◉ All allies have their ATK, SPD, Element Type and Break Effect by 65% for 7 turn(s) after entering battle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Traces:

𝙇𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙊𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 / Requires Character Ascension 2: After ally targets break Weakness, additionally delays the a̲c̲t̲i̲o̲n̲ of the enemy target(s) by 18%.

 

𝙀𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙀𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙢𝙖 / Requires Character Ascension 4: Increases this unit's Break Effect by 30%. After using Skill for the first and second time, recovers 1 Skill Point(s).

 

𝙀𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖 / Requires Character Ascension 6: When an enemy target's Weakness gets broken, increases teammates(i.e., excluding this unit) Break Effect by 68%. If Yang Meng's Break Effect is 150% or higher, all allies Break Effect increase is boosted by an additional 14%, lasting for 3 turn(s). This effect can stack up to 3 time(s)

Chapter Text

OK ANGST HC(? i mean this is my story? 💀):

 

When Phantylia possessed Yanqing, his body was already hurt beforehand, but after getting "possessed"(When Ruan Mei and Dr. Ratio found him), his body was even more damaged, burnt nearly all the way and scratched all over, which is why it took them 2 years(the time line? and maybe a little more) to fix his body to some amount, which is way he still has burnt marks all over his body <3

Chapter Text

𝙈𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢'𝙨 𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙚

 

As the three got to Dream's Edge

 

Welt looks at Robin with a skeptical look "Is this place also affected by the Order?"

 

Robin shakes her head and answers with a mix of anticipation and worry "No, I'm just here to bid farewell. I changed my mind along the way. This journey has too many variables...So it shouldn't matter if we add another." She looks at her 𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮 from afar

 

Welt raised an eyebrow "How did you know he would be here?"

 

Robin softly shrugs " I didn't. I had a hunch and decided to try my luck. It seems I can be lucky sometimes."

 

"It's not like you to leave things to luck." He crossed his arms against his chest

 

"...I'm trying to change, too..."

 

"I don't think you need a bystander in this scenario. Go on ahead." He encouraged her. Robin turns at him with a slightly surprised look "You're not worried I'll take the opportunity to escape?"

 

"I believe you're the kind of person that has the ability and desire to use everything to your advantage... but that "everything" does not include Mister Sunday."

 

She subconsciously moves her mouth slowly, even more surprise by his answer, but still says "...Thank you."

 

Welt nods as he looks at Wonweek, who has been silently watching and listening to their conversation "Now then, Mr. Wonweek...-"

 

He immediately retaliates "I'm not leaving. No way."

 

"Let him stay. He won't be in the way." Robin sides with him "I actually need Wonweek to be there. He shouldn't be seen talking to a fugitive no matter the circumstances."

 

Welt again looked surprised by her reluctance on letting Wonweek back off "You... don't intend to reveal your true identity to him?"

 

Robin looks down, with a more selfless, sad even expression "Both parties don't have to be aware that this is a farewell." She looks at Sunday slowly "...I shouldn't put him at risk for my selfishness..."

 

Welt nods in understandment "...As you wish."

 

Wonweek looks at her "Shall we go then?"

 

Robin, before answering, deeply inhales and slowly exhales "..... Let's go. Our journey can't begin if I can't take this first step." She turns her body towards his direction, signaling the two to go on

 

-----------------------------

 

As the two get closer to the cosmic star, who (thankfully?) still didn't seem to notice them, Robin looks at Wonweek. Him, understanding her stare nods silently

 

Sunday's Halovian ear twitched softly as he heard footsteps behind him, as he slowly turned around-............. " I didn't expect to see you here, Mister Sunday." He saw one of the "famous Intellitrons, a golden male one"

 

His mouth morphed into a soft smile as he greeted him(her) "It's nice to meet you, Mister. May I know your name?"

 

The "Intellitron" or who was behind the illusion seemed hesitate before answering "My name is... Wonweek. I'm a member of the 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮."

 

Sunday's smiled brighten and is eyes looked brighter " Oh, you're a Dreamweaver. Thank you for all your hard work. You all are the reason the Dreamscape has been able to recover from this crisis."

(Robin's frown had turned into a smile, but she had a feeling Sunday was still heavily affected and worried of what "could be happening to her") The "Intellitron" gently shook "his" head "You're too kind, Mister Sunday. You must be very busy. What brings you here to Dream's Edge?"

 

Sunday looked towards the tranquil sky, full of star, the wishes of the people in Penacony "I'm taking a break. I wanted to find a quiet place to relax, ideally somewhere where I could see the stars. Before I knew it, I'd walked all the way here~."

 

(Robin) The "male Intellitron" turned their focus towards the sky, as Sunday continued "I know these stars only exist in the dream but..."

 

In the corner of his eye, Sunday saw the "Intellitron"(Robin) stride towards the balcony as well "Well, perhaps the dreamscape is not so different from reality."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
."𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙠𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙜𝙤."

 

"𝐒𝐨, 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬?" (She) "He" continued to look up, also dazed, hypnotized even from the sky

 

Sunday had a sad smile as he shook his head "You're very philosophical, Mister Wonweek. You remind me of someone I know."

 

...

 

...

 

"Do you work nearby?"

 

(She) "He" quickly shook their head, a little too quickly "No, no. Today is my rest day. There's going to be a show later, so I came early to find a good seat."

 

Sunday looked more surprised "A show? Here?"

 

"It's somewhere farther away. They say it's a farewell performance, the kind that's better to listen to from afar than watch it performed live."

 

He nodded in better understanding "I see. In that case, the observation deck is a good choice. You can see all of Penacony from here."

 

He looked up again "𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡."

 

...

 

Robin felt her breath hitch at the words " ...Mister Sunday, may I stay here with you to gaze at the stars, before the show begins?"

 

Sunday almost immediately nods happily, graciously inviting (her) "him" "Of course! You don't have to be so courteous. I should be the one asking. This is Dream's Edge, after all, and the Dreamweavers are its true masters."

 

...

 

Wonweek heads off a little

 

-----------------------

As time passed and they were still looking up, enjoying the peaceful moment

 

"Still, these stars are unfamiliar to me. I don't recognize any of them, and it makes me feel uneasy." (Robin) "The male Intellitron" suddenly said

 

Sunday snapped out of their tranquil shared moment "What makes you feel this way? Is it because the sky is so far away, or because it's the unknown?"

 

(Robin,) "The Intellitron", the sky not leaving their gaze says, in a worried tone "Perhaps it's both...The 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙣 Disaster may not have had any real consequences, but many guests still chose to check out. Now, the hotel feels quieter than before. It makes me wonder what Penacony's future will be like. I just hope it will not negatively affect you, Mister Sunday."

 

Sunday's look of surprise softened "You're too kind. I'll be fine. The disaster was unexpected, but because of it, I was able to witness many pasts and think about many futures. My only real regret is that I left some things unsaid." He looked away, a smile, clearly fake, covered with sadness appeared

 

(Robin) could feel (her) heart clench with sorrow and worry for him as (she) started to utter, more weakly " Did the person you wanted to say them to leave?"

 

Sunday simply nods "Yes. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 left in such a hurry that I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye."

 

(Robin wanted to slap herself for putting her brother through such worry, for the rush. Sadness, for the lonely and emptiness he must have been feeling and still feels) " Sometimes what's in your heart doesn't need to be dressed up in words. Maybe she already knows what you wanted to say."

 

Sunday looked back at the sky "But don't you think we should put in some effort when we want to 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚?"

 

(Robin) nods along, but still asks " If you don't mind me asking, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚?" (She) already knows the answer, it must be-
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮."

 

"There are many such people on Penacony. Failure is like the setting sun to a Dreamchaser. It's something that happens every day." The more (she) talks, the more (Robin) can feel (her) heart racing with anxiousness and adrenaline

 

"𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙬, 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮."

 

But even with those words, (Robin) knows him best, those words don't work on Sunday, he can't help but feel worry "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙎𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩, 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚."

 

"Are you saying that's not true?" (She) tilts her head, barely

 

He shakes his head again, looking sadder as the seconds pass "𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣."

 

...

 

"𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚."

 

Sunday nods, feeling the brink of tears "𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚." He looks the other side, slightly, not wanting to ruin the mood with a rude act

 

(Robin) looked shocked as (she) turned to his face, and understanding the turn, not pointing it out "Why's that?"

 

Still with a smile, he utters
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 

"𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙒𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨. 𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚."

 

(Robin) found harder and harder, to ignore the feeling of crying, but she couldn't break down here, even with those meaningful words, "meaningful" isn't enough to describe them

 

"𝙒𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧." She turned her attention to his next words
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙨."

 

Damn it! (Robin), at the literal speed of light had to brush (her) hand against (her) eyes, just to not spill a tear!

 

...

 

"𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙨𝙤."

 

Sunday, feeling lighter and better now looks at her "Mister Wonweek, may I ask a favor? There's a jigsaw here I'd like to finish before I leave." He pointed, with his elegant navy blue and entwined white wing symbol gloved hand, to the commonly met Jigsaw Puzzle "If I have a Dreamweaver's help, maybe I'll be able to fill in the missing pieces."

 

(Robin) looked at the Jigsaw Puzzle, the feeling of surprise still within (her) "A Dream Jigsaw? I see. I'll do my best."

 

Sunday couldn't help but let out a chuckle, even making (Robin) feel better " Don't worry if you can't find them. Just think of it as us taking a walk together."

 

-----------------------------

 

As the two started to wonder off, (Robin) quickly made an excuse " I'm still inexperienced, so let's just hope we get lucky." Sunday nodded along "Thank you anyway. I expect the first jigsaw piece will be a part of the starry skys. As for the other piece, I hope it will 𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨." As they got down from the white, short stairs and began their short adventure for the jigsaw puzzle pieces

 

As the two passed the small fountain in the middle, they saw one of the floating pieces and immediately let to get it " It seems we've been blessed with good fortune today." (Robin) says as they collected it, but also saw a small notebook:

A scrawled note was left here.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝙈𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙩."

 

"Is this..." Sunday felt his eyes widened at the mysterious letter "It seems familiar..."

 

"Another Dreamweaver probably left this behind. It's a habit for this profession." (Robin) quickly covered up "They hope to use these blessings as a foundation for the Dreamscape."

 

It didn't take long for the (sib)lings to head towards the other side of the small fountain, to find the final jigsaw piece

 

"The second jigsaw piece. Is this a 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨?" (She) asked

 

Sunday could legitimately feel a deeper connection to them "Maybe it's somewhere in between the two. It's a 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨."

 

Oh my (Now) Xipe, Robin thought, another (probably) reference to her...

 

" ...We should keep looking." (She) said, looking around fast

 

Sunday shook his head yet again " It's okay. Let's use this one."

 

Just as before, a note was placed carefully next to the puzzle, like someone got here a step earlier...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝙈𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨."
"𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙩𝙤𝙤."

 

"We have enough. Let's go back." Sunday informed (her)

 

After the two got back to the Jigsaw Puzzle, it took some time for (Robin) to get it done, but when she did..........She gasped silently, that 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮'𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨.......

 

(Robin) swallowed anxiously, before saying "It's done. Have a look."

 

Sunday, who was deep in thought, immediately looked up. For a few moments he too was left stunned into silence, but an adoring smile creeped onto his face again
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚: 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨—

 

As Sunday was adoring the solved puzzle, he heard a "tweet-tweet" and the flutter of wings, as he looked towards the sounds, he smiled wider than before as he saw the 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩...

 

----------------------------

 

The scene was far from anything perfect:

 

𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙨𝙩 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙣, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙚
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝙎𝙤𝙤𝙣, 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚."
"𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙚 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚—"
"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣."

- Robin

 

As the moment full of somber, tranquil, peaceful, reunion feeling ended, and Sunday looked back, she was gone.....

 

With that smile.....Turning into a 𝙨𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣.....He utters to himself more than to her, or quite the opposite "𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙗𝙮𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙? 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙄'𝙢 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠..." He puts his hands together in front on the place of his heart...Her hear......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
But in that sadness, 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙩, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚.............. "𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙭 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮..."

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 

...𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The hesitation of walking away didn't leave Robin, even after she reached Mr. Yang and Wonweek again, as he looked up at her, Mr. Yang, rather bluntly noted off imediately "That didn't seem like a perfect goodbye."

 

Robin shook her head, a sense of sadness, departure, but joy "It's enough. I only meant to stay quietly by her side for a bit." As soon she looked towards Wonweek, her peaceful look turned into slight anger "But why did you do those unnecessary things?"

 

Wonweek raised an irritated eyebrow at the sudden "accusation" "What things?"

 

Robin gritted her teeth ever so slightly "Those two notes. If someone finds them, they can be used as evidence against him."

 

Wonweek rolled his eyes "Hmph, so you can do whatever you want as many times as you want, but I can't?"

 

Robin's stern glare somewhat got to him, as he looked down " I don't want to live with regret for the rest of my life either."

 

"Live with regret..." Welt said to himself

 

Wonweek managed to look back, specifically at Robin "We're almost done saying our goodbyes, right?"

 

Robin nodded, more softly "Yes, we only have one last stop." She then turned to Welt, a question in mind "But before we leave, I have a question I'd like to ask you, Mr. Yang."

-----------------

 

"I'm curious. Why did you become a 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨?"

 

Welt's attention went back to her and her question "Why the sudden interest?"

 

"I always had a feeling that you would never give up on someone who needed help. After spending time with you, I'm even more convinced of this assessment." She said back "At this very moment, there are countless worlds above the skies still waiting for the arrival of the 𝘼𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨, yet you and your companions have chosen to stay here. All for an "𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙(𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙦𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙤𝙝 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙝. 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚)" you never knew and a notorious fugitive."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"To 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙚 means to forge ahead, yet you stop and spend precious time on people just passing by. All the while you believe this is... the natural course of action?"

 

Welt stayed silent for a bit "That's not what I think at all. Besides, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧 also made a similar choice."

 

Robin closed her at eyes the answer, somber "And because of that, he bid farewell to the Express and never walked among the stars again in his lifetime."

 

" Not all journeys lead to the stars." Even if we leave the Express, some Trailblazing paths will still continue." He explained "You can think of it this way: The title of Nameless doesn't belong to any one person. Each individual will have their own view of what it means to walk this path, and will always try their best, no matter the situation. The goal of my Trailblazing is not the unknown world, but every living being who exists under the stars."

 

"In my homeland, the name "Welt" means "world." It suggests that each person is a world unto themselves, and that we harbor as many possibilities as the distant stars. The connections I gain on my journey are what is most precious to me. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙄 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚."

 

"Why me?" Robin asked quietly

 

"Like I said before, I left my home in a hurry, too. I know how you feel right now. 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮'𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙗𝙮𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩... 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬..."

 

...

 

"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙪𝙨, 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚?"

 

Robin looked surprised, but Wonweek just sighed at her "I told you he'd find out."

 

Robin quickly recovered from the initial surprise and also let out a chuckle "I should have known nothing could escape your keen eyes."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙒𝙤𝙣𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠'𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚."
"𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙜𝙤. 𝙒𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚."