Ten-Year Promise

The white rose at the core of the Star Ring withered and bloomed again; as the tenth spring arrived, Horikita Suzune stood alone on the observation deck.

The nano-Star Ring refracted aurora-like ripples in the morning light, and the moment a mechanical dolphin leaped out of the Silver Sea, she heard a long-lost child's voice:

"Mom, I'm home."

Bai Mei hovered amidst the light dust, his Stardust Cloak having already transformed into the slender figure of a youth.

His pupils still swirled with silvery-white starlight, but a hideous crack had appeared on his fingertips—the price for rewriting the laws of the universe.

"Your hand..." Horikita touched the crack, and a swarm of nanobots suddenly surged, etching the same scar into her palm.

"The mirror universe is calling for help," Bai Mei lowered his eyes, "I have interfered with the fate of too many galaxies, and the backlash has begun to erode all timelines."

When Hirata Yosuke rushed into the laboratory, the holographic star map was erupting with blood-red alarms.

The green light points representing peaceful universes flickered out one by one, replaced by the "Void Tide" that devoured everything—a darkness transcending physical laws, eroding backward along the trajectory of Bai Mei's interventions.

"It's a collapse of the causal chain!" Kei's mechanical heart cracked with fine lines, "When he saves one universe, he inevitably destroys the causal equilibrium of another..."

Horikita gripped the white rose on her chest, a sharp pain radiating from the intersection of her bio-chip and plant nerves.

In the memory fragments she had sacrificed ten years ago, the final scene before Kiyotaka dissipated emerged: he had not volunteered to become the Star Ring Protocol, but was forcibly ascended by the "Law of Equilibrium" implanted by Tsukishiro.

"Find Tsukishiro's original laboratory," she tore the neural link to the Star Ring, "The method to undo the backlash must be hidden there!"

Passing through the quantum vortex at the bottom of the Silver Sea, the three stepped into the "Forbidden Corridor" that the mirror-Horikita had once mentioned.

Time here was twisted into a spiral, and the walls were covered with portraits of Kiyotaka at different ages—from a dying old man to an embryo, each painting labeled "Test Subject γ-419 to γ-999."

"Tsukishiro was crazier than we imagined," Hirata's bionic eyes scanned the terrifying data, "He was conducting cloning experiments across all timelines simultaneously; these γ-series were containers specifically designed to carry the 'Law of Equilibrium'!"

Bai Mei suddenly fell to his knees, gasping for air as the cracks on his Stardust Cloak spread to his neck. As Horikita supported him, a hidden portrait automatically revealed itself: in the painting, Kiyotaka was nailed to a cross, a Stardust Dagger of the same origin as Bai Mei's plunged into his chest.

"Find... my origin..." Bai Mei's pupils began to digitize, "γ-000 is in..."

The floor collapsed with a roar, and they plummeted into a space of pure white. In the center floated a crystal coffin, inside which lay a youth with the same appearance as Bai Mei, but his body was wrapped in black chains—the Causal Entropy Entity of all timelines.

"Welcome to my prison," the youth in the coffin opened his pupil-less eyes, "I am γ-000, the shackles forged by Tsukishiro using the entropy of ten thousand universes."

Horikita's rose totem burned with agonizing pain. She suddenly understood: Bai Mei was not the successor to Kiyotaka's humanity, but the "lock core" used by Tsukishiro to imprison γ-000.

Every time Bai Mei modified the laws of a universe, the shackles of γ-000 loosened by a fraction—until the Void Tide swallowed all things.

"Kill me," γ-000's voice was as hollow as an abyss, "or watch all timelines return to zero."

Bai Mei raised the Stardust Dagger, but could not bring himself to strike. Horikita grasped his hand, her bio-chip resonating with the stardust energy: "There is a third option—"

She plunged the dagger into her own heart.

Rose and stardust merged in the blood, and Horikita's memory data transformed into billions of light filaments that entangled γ-000.

Bai Mei's cracks healed rapidly, while the chains on the youth in the coffin shattered piece by piece—each link turning into stardust, filling the universes consumed by the Void Tide.

"Are you insane?" γ-000's body gradually became transparent, "By replacing the entropy law with your own consciousness, you will be trapped forever in..."

"Then let me be trapped," Horikita smiled before dissipating, "It is better than letting my child bear the sin of deicide."

Bai Mei roared as he grabbed the last strand of light, the Stardust Cloak wrapping around Horikita's dissipating spirit. The shackles of γ-000 disintegrated completely, the Void Tide receded, and the price became clear—

Horikita's physical body turned into a crystal statue, forever guarding the entrance to the Cage of Entropy.

Ten years later.

Bai Mei knelt before the statue, the Stardust Dagger plunged into his heart. Blood seeped into the cracks in the ground, blooming into endless blue roses.

Hirata's observation logs showed that the Void Tide in all universes had reversed into the "Sea of Genesis," but from the fingertips of one statue, a crystal petal fell every year.

"Mom is watching us from beyond time," he picked up a child of the new generation, "When the flowers bloom next time, I will take you to find her."

Deep within the sea of stars, Horikita's spirit gently stroked a rose. Countless paths of light extended beneath her feet, each leading to the dawn of a certain universe.

And on the darkest path, the phantom of Kiyotaka stood waiting with a lantern:

"It's time to go, partner."

"This time, let me be the one to illuminate humanity for you."

In the memory fragments she sacrificed ten years ago, the final scene before Kiyotaka dissipated emerged: he had not volunteered to become the Star Ring Protocol, but had been forced into ascension by the Law of Equilibrium implanted by Tsukishiro.

"Find Tsukishiro's original laboratory," she said, severing her neural link with the Star Ring, "the method to undo the backlash must be hidden there!"

Passing through the quantum vortex at the bottom of the Silver Sea, the three of them stepped into the Forbidden Corridor that the mirror Horikita had once mentioned.

Time here twisted in a spiral, and the walls were covered with portraits of Kiyotaka at different ages—from a dying old man to an embryo, with each painting labeled "Subject γ-419 to γ-999" beneath it.

"Tsukishiro is crazier than we imagined," Hirata's bionic eyes scanned the terrifying data, "he is conducting cloning experiments across all timelines simultaneously; these γ-series are containers specifically designed to host the Law of Equilibrium!"

Bai Mei suddenly fell to his knees, gasping for air as the cracks on his Stardust Cloak spread to his neck. As Horikita reached out to steady him, a hidden portrait automatically revealed itself: in the painting, Kiyotaka was nailed to a cross, a Stardust Dagger of the same origin as Bai Mei's embedded in his chest.

"Find... my origin..." Bai Mei's pupils began to digitize, "γ-000 is in..."

The floor collapsed with a roar, and they plummeted into a space of pure white. Suspended in the center was a crystal coffin; the boy inside shared Bai Mei's appearance, but his body was wrapped in black chains—these were the Causal Entropy Entities of all timelines.

"Welcome to my prison," the boy in the coffin opened his pupil-less eyes, "I am γ-000, the shackle forged by Tsukishiro using the entropy of ten thousand universes."

Horikita's rose totem burned with agonizing pain. She suddenly understood: Bai Mei was not the successor to Kiyotaka's humanity, but the "lock core" Tsukishiro used to imprison γ-000.

Every time Bai Mei modified the laws of a universe, the shackles of γ-000 loosened by a fraction—until the Void Tide swallowed everything.

"Kill me," γ-000's voice was as hollow as an abyss, "or watch all timelines return to zero."

Bai Mei raised the Stardust Dagger, but hesitated, unable to strike. Horikita gripped his hand, her bio-chip resonating with the Stardust energy: "There is a third option—"

She plunged the dagger into her own heart.

Roses and stardust merged within her blood, and Horikita's memory data transformed into billions of light filaments that entangled γ-000.

Bai Mei's cracks healed rapidly, while the chains on the boy in the coffin shattered inch by inch—each link turning into stardust, filling the universes that had been swallowed by the Void Tide.

"Are you insane?" γ-000's body gradually turned transparent, "By replacing the law of entropy with your own consciousness, you will be trapped forever in..."

"Then let me be trapped," Horikita smiled before she dissipated, "it is better than letting my child bear the sin of god-slaying."

Bai Mei roared, grabbing the last strand of light as his Stardust Cloak wrapped around Horikita's fading spirit. The shackles of γ-000 disintegrated completely, the Void Tide receded, and the price became clear—

Horikita's physical body turned into a crystal statue, forever guarding the entrance to the Cage of Entropy.

Ten years later.

Bai Mei knelt before the statue, the Stardust Dagger plunged into his heart. Blood seeped into the cracks in the ground, blooming into a continuous field of blue roses.

Hirata's observation logs showed that the Void Tide in all universes had reversed into the Sea of Genesis, but from the fingertips of one statue, a crystal petal fell every year.

"Mother is watching us from outside of time," he said, picking up a child of the new generation, "when the flowers bloom next time, I will take you to find her."

Deep within the sea of stars, Horikita's spirit gently stroked a rose. Countless paths of light extended beneath her feet, each one leading to the dawn of a certain universe.

And on the darkest path of all, the phantom of Kiyotaka stood waiting with a lantern:

"It's time to go, partner."

"This time, let me be the one to illuminate humanity for you."