"Oh?"
"Forgotten me already?"
The transparent Aventurine smiled:
"Who gave you the idea when you were tied to the electric chair by the warlords of Emanick?"
Aventurine himself lowered his voice:
"Enough, I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid."
"Get out of my head, newborn of the Harmony."
"Hehe, the Harmony?" the virtual Aventurine sneered:
"Don't be silly, it's not our first time meeting, no need to be so formal, right?"
"I am you, even understanding you better than you know yourself, and knowing precisely what you want."
"You're dying, and on the verge of death you still want to drag a few unlucky souls down with you... That's why you came here, isn't it?"
"...A grand curtain-raising performance, do you genuinely think you can pull it off?"
Aventurine narrowed his eyes:
"Why not?"
The virtual Aventurine smiled faintly:
"Maybe you can fool everyone else, but the one person you can never fool is yourself."
"I can prove it to you. Before you completely vanish, I'll accompany you for the final stretch of the road..."
"Let's have a proper chat along the way."
"Oh, and open your eyes wide—take a good look at where you actually are right now."
"?" Suddenly, Aventurine's pupils violently constricted as he quickly scanned his surroundings.
He was no longer driving the Stonewall Falcon through the night sky, but instead found himself standing upon a stretch of red carpet.
Red curtains hung everywhere, making the place look like a magnificent theater.
"I... When did I get in here?" Aventurine instantly grew vigilant.
"And you." He looked at the other version of himself in the backseat and asked again:
"What on earth are you?"
The virtual Aventurine crossed his arms and said in a deep voice:
"Most people in this world spend their entire lives