Lantern Keeper

The blue roses on the edge of the Star Ring burned silently in the void. Bai Mei knelt before the crystal statue as the eleventh petal fell into his palm. The moment the petal touched his skin, he heard the voice of Horikita Suzune—

"Head north."

His Stardust Cloak swept across the ruins as he followed the guidance to the far northern ice fields. A Bronze Giant Gate stood tall in the eternal night, its doors carved with Klein Bottle Totems that shared the same origin as the Cage of Entropy.

Black mist seeped from the cracks in the gate, and within the mist floated the silhouette of Kiyotaka holding a lantern.

"Who exactly are you?" Bai Mei pointed his Stardust Dagger at the black mist. "Are you a lingering shadow of Tsukishiro... or his final shred of humanity?"

The Lantern Keeper turned, and the face illuminated by the fire made Bai Mei's pupils shrink—it was a fifteen-year-old clone of Kiyotaka, the uncorrupted Child of Pure White.

"I am the only one among all possibilities who refused to become a god." He raised the lantern, and within the firelight appeared the spirit of Horikita Suzune, bound by chains. "If you want to save her, open this Gate of Finality for me."

Inside the Bronze Giant Gate lay a sea of time flowing in reverse. The waves were condensed from fragments of memory, each drop carrying the end of a certain universe.

As Bai Mei stepped inside, the black mist transformed into shackles that bound his limbs, and the whisper of Tsukishiro echoed in his ears:

"Behind this door is the Dark Side of the Moon, where all the 'errors' I discarded have piled up... including the complete consciousness of your mother."

The Lantern Keeper poured lamp oil onto Bai Mei's Stardust Cloak, and the flames instantly consumed them both: "Pain is the key, and burning is the password—this is the only way to break through the Cage of Entropy."

In the raging flames, Bai Mei saw Horikita Suzune's sealed memories: ten years ago, when she initiated the Nirvana Protocol, fragments of Tsukishiro's consciousness had already been lurking at the base of the Star Ring. The so-called entropy backlash was actually a conspiracy for Tsukishiro to be reborn through the hands of γ-000!

"Do you understand now?" The Lantern Keeper's body became transparent in the fire. "I am the 'error' Tsukishiro fears the most—he created me, only to exile me beyond time with his own hands."

When the flames died out, Bai Mei stood on a pale, desolate plain. The sky was hung with countless shattered Star Rings, each one imprisoning a fragment of Horikita Suzune's spirit.

In the distance, an old man with the same appearance as Tsukishiro sat upon a throne constructed of Mechanical Roses.

"You are even more foolish than I imagined," the old man said, stroking the black cat on his lap. "To actually bring my 'scrap' back here to die."

Bai Mei's Stardust Dagger pierced the ground, and blue rose vines instantly coiled around the throne: "Give my mother... back to me!"

"Mother?" The old man sneered. "Do you truly believe that Horikita Suzune is the 'mother' in your genetic memory?"

The black cat leaped into the air, transforming into a holographic projection—in the image, the base of Bai Mei's genetic chain was clearly branded with Tsukishiro's biological signature.

"You are the ultimate weapon I cultivated using Horikita Suzune's cells and Kiyotaka's quantum state," the old man rose, his skin peeling away to reveal a mechanical core. "So-called maternal love is nothing more than a programmed domestication command."

Bai Mei's Stardust Cloak shattered inch by inch, and the blue roses withered under the impact of the truth. The Lantern Keeper suddenly flashed from the shadows, smashing his lantern against Tsukishiro's mechanical skull: "Now!"

The moment the lamp oil splashed, Bai Mei saw the hidden code—buried deep within his genetic chain was Kiyotaka's final gift: a self-annihilation program capable of erasing Tsukishiro's existence from every timeline.

"Make your choice," the Lantern Keeper said as his arm was twisted off by Tsukishiro. "Become a god-slayer... or continue being a good little boy."

Bai Mei closed his eyes. The tears of Horikita Suzune in his memories, the playful antics of the Mechanical Dolphin, and the Codex of Possibilities recorded by Hirata swirled in his mind.

Finally, it settled on her smile before she dissipated in front of the Cage of Entropy.

"I choose..." He tore out the Stardust Dagger from his chest. "To be myself."

The dagger pierced the core of his genetic chain, and the annihilation program initiated. Tsukishiro's manic laughter stopped abruptly, and his mechanical body collapsed like a sandcastle.

All the fragments of Horikita Suzune's spirit within the Star Rings converged into a river of light, rushing into Bai Mei's dying body.

Hirata watched a sight he would never forget from the observation deck: the Bronze Giant Gate dissolved into light dust, and a blue rose tree that pierced the heavens rose from the ice field.

Within the trunk, the spirits of Bai Mei and Horikita Suzune slept in an embrace; as each petal fell, the Mechanical Roses of a certain universe lost their blood-red hue.

Kei's Mechanical Heart floated at the top of the tree, broadcasting the final message:

[New Era Protocol detected]

[Designation: Seed of Humanity]

[Executors: Bai Mei & Horikita Suzune]

Deep in the sea of stars, the Lantern Keeper picked up Tsukishiro's broken chip, Kiyotaka's face flashing for a moment: "Time to go find the next 'lost soul'..."

The blue roses on the edge of the Star Ring burned silently in the void. Bai Mei knelt before the crystal statue as the eleventh petal fell into his palm. The moment the petal touched his skin, he heard the voice of Horikita Suzune—

"Head north."

His Stardust Cloak swept across the ruins as he followed the guidance to the far northern ice fields. A Bronze Giant Gate stood tall in the eternal night, its doors carved with Klein Bottle Totems that shared the same origin as the Cage of Entropy.

Black mist seeped from the cracks in the gate, and within the mist floated the silhouette of Kiyotaka holding a lantern.

"Who exactly are you?" Bai Mei pointed his Stardust Dagger at the black mist. "Are you a lingering shadow of Tsukishiro... or his final shred of humanity?"

The Lantern Keeper turned, and the face illuminated by the fire made Bai Mei's pupils shrink—it was a fifteen-year-old clone of Kiyotaka, the uncorrupted Child of Pure White.

"I am the only one among all possibilities who refused to become a god." He raised the lantern, and within the firelight appeared the spirit of Horikita Suzune, bound by chains. "If you want to save her, open this Gate of Finality for me."

Inside the Bronze Giant Gate lay a sea of time flowing in reverse. The waves were condensed from fragments of memory, each drop carrying the end of a certain universe.

As Bai Mei stepped inside, the black mist transformed into shackles that bound his limbs, and the whisper of Tsukishiro echoed in his ears:

"Behind this door is the Dark Side of the Moon, where all the 'errors' I discarded have piled up... including the complete consciousness of your mother."

The Lantern Keeper poured lamp oil onto Bai Mei's Stardust Cloak, and the flames instantly consumed them both: "Pain is the key, and burning is the password—this is the only way to break through the Cage of Entropy."

In the raging flames, Bai Mei saw Horikita Suzune's sealed memories: ten years ago, when she initiated the Nirvana Protocol, fragments of Tsukishiro's consciousness had already been lurking at the base of the Star Ring. The so-called entropy backlash was actually a conspiracy for Tsukishiro to be reborn through the hands of γ-000!

"Do you understand now?" The Lantern Keeper's body became transparent in the fire. "I am the 'error' Tsukishiro fears the most—he created me, only to exile me beyond time with his own hands."

When the flames died out, Bai Mei stood on a pale, desolate plain. The sky was hung with countless shattered Star Rings, each one imprisoning a fragment of Horikita Suzune's spirit.

In the distance, an old man with the same appearance as Tsukishiro sat upon a throne constructed of Mechanical Roses.

"You are more foolish than I imagined," the old man said, stroking the black cat on his lap, "to actually bring my 'scrap' back here to die."

Bai Mei's Stardust Dagger plunged into the ground, and blue rose vines instantly coiled around the throne: "Give my mother... back to me!"

"Mother?" The old man sneered, "Do you truly believe that Horikita Suzune is the 'mother' from your genetic memory?"

The black cat leaped into the air, transforming into a holographic projection—within the footage, the base of Bai Mei's genetic chain was clearly branded with the biological signature of Tsukishiro.

"You are the ultimate weapon I cultivated using Horikita's cells and Kiyotaka's quantum state," the old man rose, his skin peeling away to reveal a mechanical core, "so-called maternal love is nothing more than a programmed domestication command."

Bai Mei's Stardust Cloak shattered inch by inch, and the blue roses withered under the impact of the truth. The Lantern Keeper suddenly flashed out from the shadows, slamming his lantern toward Tsukishiro's mechanical skull: "Now!"

The moment the lamp oil splashed, Bai Mei saw the hidden code—buried deep within his genetic chain was Kiyotaka's final gift: a self-annihilation program capable of erasing Tsukishiro's existence from every timeline.

"Choose," the Lantern Keeper's arm was twisted off by Tsukishiro, "become a god-slayer... or continue being a good boy."

Bai Mei closed his eyes. The tears of Horikita in his memories, the playful antics of the Mechanical Dolphin, and the Codex of Possibilities recorded by Hirata swirled in his mind.

It finally settled on the image of her smile before she dissipated in front of the Cage of Entropy.

"I choose..." he ripped the Stardust Dagger from his chest, "to be myself."

The dagger pierced the core of his genetic chain, and the annihilation program initiated. Tsukishiro's manic laughter came to an abrupt halt as his mechanical body collapsed like a sandcastle.

All the fragments of Horikita's spirit within the Star Ring converged into a river of light, rushing into Bai Mei's dying body.

From the observation deck, Hirata witnessed a sight he would never forget: the Bronze Giant Gate dissolved into light particles, and a blue rose tree that pierced the heavens rose from the ice field.

Inside the trunk, the spirits of Bai Mei and Horikita slept in an embrace; with every petal that fell, the blood-red color faded from the Mechanical Rose of a certain universe.

Kei's Mechanical Heart hovered at the top of the tree, broadcasting the final message:

[New Era Protocol detected]

[Designation: Seed of Humanity]

[Executors: Bai Mei & Horikita Suzune]

Deep in the sea of stars, the Lantern Keeper picked up Tsukishiro's broken chip, and the face of Kiyotaka flashed by for an instant: "Time to go find the next 'lost soul'..."