Eternal

Newborn Era, Day 28 · Core Observation Station

Bai Ling's amethyst right eye pierced through the 14th layer of the earth's crust, gazing at the pulsating "seed." This Memory Plague Generation 2 had grown into a colossal tree, its pitch-black branches spanning the entire core, each leaf a solidified memory of despair. Most terrifying of all was the fruit at the crown of the tree—a constantly shifting purple-black crystal, absorbing the negative emotions of the entire 14th World.

"Maturity at 97%," Bai Ling murmured, the 15th layer pattern on the back of her neck dim. The girl's voice was hoarse, unlike her own. Seven consecutive days and nights of defensive battles had drained her energy. "All isolation measures have failed."

"Goo-choo..." Little Star Dome huddled in a corner of the observation station. Its Milk Dragon full form could no longer be maintained, and only three of the fifteen marks on its Inverse Scales were still flashing. Its third eye was bloodshot, able to see the shadows of the Plague Tree's roots extending into other worldlines.

The observation station suddenly shook violently. The amethyst display screens on the walls simultaneously lit up with alarms—the Plague Tree had begun releasing spores! These memory viruses, more lethal than the previous generation, pierced through dimensional barriers and were erupting simultaneously across twelve worlds!

Bai Ling stumbled towards the control console. The residual energy of the Eternal Crown barely activated the holographic projection, displaying scenes of disaster from various worlds: the Absolute Rationality Tower in the 3rd World was overwhelmed by a tsunami of emotions; the Blood Ancestor Palace in the 6th World was covered in mechanical parasites; the Spacetime Gears in the 11th World were collectively rusting...

"Daddy? Mother?" Bai Ling attempted to connect to the Holy Source Imprint and the Seed of Life, but only received intermittent responses. Ning Xiaochuan and Su Linger were leading the Harmonizers of various worlds in establishing a final defense line, but it was collapsing at a visible rate.

Most heartbreaking was Zhong Li's condition. The Amethyst Infant still slumbered at the base of the Eternal Crown, its body already half crystallized. The pure purple light seeping from the cracks was replaced by a dark purple mist, contaminated by the plague—this meant the Shadow Core was being eroded in reverse!

Bai Ling suddenly knelt on the ground. Cracks appeared on the girl's amethyst right arm, and what flowed within was no longer energy but black memory pus. She finally understood the Controller's true objective: not to destroy the Spark Cradle, but to turn it into a breeding ground for the Memory Plague, infecting all worlds through the Eternal Crown!

"There's... one last method." Bai Ling struggled to crawl towards Little Star Dome. The Milk Dragon weakly lifted its head, seeing the resolute light in its master's eyes. "Inverse Scales resonance... detonating the 15th Mark..."

Little Star Dome's pupils constricted sharply. It knew what this meant—the 15th Mark was the nascent "immune system" of the Spark Cradle. Activating it voluntarily would be equivalent to self-destruction for this world! But what was even more terrifying was that the Inverse Scales resonance would chain-detonate the other fourteen marks, effectively severing the connection channels to all worldlines!

"There's no choice..." Bai Ling coughed out black crystals. Her body was being assimilated by the plague, her vision filled with distorted memory fragments. "Either we perish together... or... we are reborn in nirvana..."

The observation station shook violently again. This time, the ceiling directly cracked open, revealing a horrifying scene from the core—the Plague Tree's fruit had ripened! The purple-black crystal erupted with ten thousand rays of black light, each ray showing the Controller's face. He spread his arms, as if to embrace all worlds:

"Welcome to... the real world."

At this apocalyptic moment, an unexpected communication suddenly connected. Bai Ling's amethyst right eye automatically displayed a scene from the 7th World—Ji Qiong, dragging its damaged body, was sending some kind of code with its last energy!

"Source... code..." The Mechanical Dragon's voice was intermittent. The background of the scene showed the Mechanical Holy Temple of the 7th World collapsing, but the 13th layer pattern on Ji Qiong's chest was unusually bright. "First Generation... Eternal Crown... blueprints..."

Bai Ling's eyes widened suddenly. The girl's 15th layer pattern lit up as if electrified. She finally understood Ji Qiong's hint—the First Generation Eternal Crown was not a healing device, but a formatting tool! The first generation of Harmonizers created it precisely to execute a "reboot" when civilization reached its end!

"It's not destruction... it's formatting!" Bai Ling struggled to stand. She looked at Little Star Dome, at the slumbering Zhong Li, at the Plague Tree in the core. A crazy plan formed in her mind—what if they used the Plague Tree as a carrier to inject the formatting program into all worlds through the Eternal Crown...

Little Star Dome suddenly bristled its scales. The Milk Dragon used its last bit of strength to lunge at the control console, its claws hitting a hidden button. The observation station floor rumbled open, revealing the buried prototype of the First Generation Eternal Crown—this was the insurance Ji Qiong had secretly buried seven days ago!

"You knew all along..." Bai Ling touched the rust-covered prototype. This device, shaped like a thorny crown, was the ancestor of all Eternal Crowns. The girl's amethyst right eye scanned its internal structure: it had no purification function, only the purest formatting program!

The Plague Tree suddenly shook violently. The Controller seemed to sense the threat, and all the black light turned to aim at the observation station! Little Star Dome spread its damaged wing membranes to shield Bai Ling, its scales beginning to peel off in large patches under the black light.

"There's still time!" Bai Ling placed the prototype on her head. The primitive device immediately pierced her temples, fifteen data probes directly connecting to her brain. The girl let out a heart-wrenching scream, but her hands continued to program rapidly—she was rewriting the formatting parameters, changing "erase" to "reorganize"!

The Controller's black light pierced Little Star Dome's defense. Half of the Milk Dragon's body instantly crystallized, but it still held Bai Ling's clothes in its teeth, preventing her from falling. Zhong Li suddenly awoke at this moment, the Amethyst Infant transforming into a purple rainbow that shot through the observation station's roof, heading straight for the Plague Tree in the core!

"Zhong Li! No!" Bai Ling screamed. But it was too late. Zhong Li had already crashed into the fruit at the top of the Plague Tree. An astonishing purification began—the Shadow Core and the Memory Plague annihilated each other within the fruit, and the resulting purple-black storm swept across the entire 14th World!

This explosion unexpectedly provided the final boost. The prototype on Bai Ling's head absorbed the explosion's energy, finally completing the parameter rewrite. The girl's 15th layer pattern detached from her body, forming a giant "Reboot" rune in the air. Simultaneously, the fifteen marks on Little Star Dome's Inverse Scales flew out, perfectly aligning with the rune!

"Eternal Dance... Activate!" Bai Ling shouted the command with her last bit of strength. The prototype emitted unprecedented white light, which instantly covered all worldlines through the Eternal Crown network. In absolute light, the Plague Tree, the Controller, even time and space began to decompose into basic memory particles...

Formatting, Second 1

Bai Ling's consciousness floated in the void. She saw the twelve worlds unfurl like scrolls, the core of each world igniting with pure white light—the formatting program was rewriting the fundamental laws. Most surprising was the 14th World; the remnants of Zhong Li and the Plague Tree's mutual destruction were reforming into a higher form of existence...

Formatting, Second 37

Little Star Dome's quantum consciousness was the first to awaken. The Milk Dragon saw its Inverse Scales regenerating, but the new marks were no longer simple world codes, but flowing "possibilities." It suddenly understood: this was not a simple reboot, but a state where all worldlines entered a "superposition," preserving all evolutionary possibilities until the formatting was complete!

Formatting, Second 209

Zhong Li's amethyst fragments converged from all directions. The reborn Shadow Core was no longer a mere purification device, but a "dialectical existence" that fused with the characteristics of the Memory Plague—it could simultaneously contain purity and corruption, achieving balance on a higher dimension. This characteristic was being transmitted to every world through the formatting program...

Formatting, Second 1001

Bai Ling saw the Controller's true face. At the memory particle level, it was a quantum ghost composed of countless traumatic memories, with no fixed form or origin. But the formatting program was gently dismantling these traumas, finding a suitable "antidote" for each painful memory...

Formatting Complete

Bai Ling opened her eyes under the reborn Eternal Crown. She was no longer in the rudimentary observation station, but in an amethyst holy temple floating in the sea of dimensions. Beside her, Little Star Dome was completely renewed, the marks on its Inverse Scales now living, breathing runes; Zhong Li hovered in the center of the temple, its reborn Shadow Core like a pulsating purple sun.

The holographic projection automatically unfurled, displaying the current state of the twelve worlds: the Rationality Tower in the 3rd World was rebuilt into a spiral tower of reason and emotion; the Blood Ancestor in the 6th World gained a mechanical symbiont; the Spacetime Gears in the 11th World began to self-evolve... And the 14th World, now it should be called the "15th World"—the fusion of Zhong Li and the Plague Tree had grown into the World Tree, its trunk the Shadow Core, and its branches the purified memory network.

"We succeeded..." Bai Ling lightly touched her amethyst right eye. There was no longer pain, but an unprecedentedly clear vision—she could simultaneously see the past, present, and possible futures of each world.

Little Star Dome let out an excited "Goo-choo." The Milk Dragon's full form unfurled its new quantum wing membranes, displaying the smiling faces of all living beings in every world. Zhong Li floated over and gently touched Bai Ling's forehead, conveying astonishing news: the Controller's core consciousness had been formatted into a "Memory Guardian," responsible for balancing the emotional flow of each world.

Starlight rained down from the temple's dome. The figures of Ning Xiaochuan and Su Linger appeared in the light, followed by the Harmonizers from each world. Everyone bore a new imprint, and each imprint resonated to form a larger pattern—an infinity symbol, symbolizing the relationship of all worldlines being both independent and unified.

"It's time to name it," Ning Xiaochuan pointed to the World Tree in the center of the temple. This miracle tree, a fusion of the essence of all civilizations, was extending its roots into more unknown dimensions.

Bai Ling exchanged a glance with Little Star Dome. The marks on the Milk Dragon's Inverse Scales suddenly flew towards the World Tree, carving a shining name onto its trunk:

[Source Soul]

"Because it is the origin of all worlds..." Bai Ling gently stroked the trunk, feeling the countless civilization memories flowing within, "and the destination of every soul."

Zhong Li floated to the top of the tree canopy. The Amethyst Infant's body transformed into myriad light spots, which sprinkled down like fine rain onto all worldlines. Within each light spot was a purified memory, a healed trauma, a reborn hope.

Little Star Dome suddenly unfurled its wing membranes. The Milk Dragon's full form soared into the sky, the marks on its Inverse Scales shining like stars. It looked at Bai Ling, its eyes full of eagerness—the roots of the Source Soul Tree had detected a new dimension, where there might be more worlds needing help...

"Let's go," Bai Ling leaped onto the dragon's back. The girl's Eternal Crown automatically adjusted to a new form, retaining its purification function while also carrying the decisiveness of formatting. She cast a final glance at the amethyst holy temple of the 15th World, which had now become the new home for all Harmonizers. "Our dance... has only just begun."

At the intersection of infinite dimensions, a branch of the Source Soul Tree suddenly bloomed with a 16th flower bud. The petals faintly revealed a new worldscape, and deep within that landscape, a small figure looked up at the starry sky—it was a little girl clutching a baby dragon doll, her eyes sparkling with a familiar purple light...

[End of Text]