The ending of "To the Moon": Going to the moon for you

"... It's all over now."

However, at this moment, Kristen actually responded to Saria's voice. While Saria was in a daze, before anyone could react, Saria felt the space-time around her distort.

However, this wasn't some kind of spatial destruction... it was simply that after hearing all this, Xi almost instinctively sent Saria to the spacetime where Kristen was.

Clearly, even Xi couldn't possibly see her entire painting at once. After Saria was teleported into the space where Kristen was, she only felt a moment of dizziness before she found herself in Kristen's place.

This is the end of the corridor, the place where John, in his memory, reunited with the River and invited her to see a movie together.

Saria had just been teleported here, and the screen returned to a clear state after being completely blank.

What everyone just witnessed was the direction that the semi-transparent Kristen was gazing at, and... the scene where the childhood message played by Alina was pulled away by several unfamiliar figures.

River initially resisted, but was eventually forcibly taken away from the scene by several people. Saria, who witnessed this scene, and everyone watching from outside the screen, felt their hearts clench tightly.

"What did you do to her?!" Saria rushed forward immediately, while Kristen, after a slight silence, answered with his eyes closed:

"... I just wanted to make sure she wouldn't run into John again during this period."

"John will never see the River again, I can assure you, he can now... To the Moon in peace."

However, Kristen's calm and indifferent words plunged Saria into a deep silence. At this moment, the atmosphere both on and off the screen was incredibly oppressive, as if everyone's heart was being crushed, and no one could utter a single word for a long time.

All of this continued until Saria took a deep breath, silently turned to look at Kristen, and her tone was not one of anger... but rather of weariness from all the fruitless efforts.

"You know, forcing me to do something I don't want to do is one thing."

"... But this time, it went too far."

"... I'm sorry, I just don't want us to achieve nothing." Kristen, still with her eyes closed, silently turned away, avoiding Saria's gaze, and answered with her head down:

"Now, there's only one thing we need to do..."

As she said this, Kristen silently continued operating the machine. Her figure left the scene as she went to activate the memory overwrite, to change all of John's memories.

Saria didn't leave with Kristen; she simply stood there silently, unwilling to leave for a long time...

Hey? What are you doing? Don't push me!

It wasn't until a child's innocent voice rang out behind Saria that Saria and the people watching from behind the screen realized what was happening.

Saria slowly turned around and discovered that, without her noticing, Chen Qi, playing the young John, had been pushed there by her friend Nicolas. After a slight hesitation, she mustered her strength and spoke towards the spot where the River had originally been:

"Uh-huh, hello--"

However, as the camera moves, the place where John first invited her to the movies... is no longer there.

The girl was nowhere to be seen on the empty staircase. At that moment, the sound of a piano quietly began to drift in, causing a ripple in the hearts of the people who had been able to remain calm.

The sound of that piano was like a gentle caress on the softest spot in everyone's heart, so light... yet it could cause unbearable heartache...

The only song with lyrics in the film " To the To the Moon," "Everything's Right," delivered a perfectly timed final blow to everyone feeling heavy-hearted, achieving an effect beyond the song itself and amplifying everyone's feelings at that moment countless times.

This song, so slow, with such a gentle female voice, touches everyone's heart more deeply than any other song at this moment.

"I'm sorry, child."

At this moment, Saria stood beside Chen Qi, slowly raising her head, as if she was trying hard to hold back her tears... Her words were filled with weariness at being unable to change anything, and self-blame for not being able to change anything.

"... It has all begun."

As Saria finished speaking, the space around Saria distorted, and when she came to her senses, Chen Qi had already vanished.

Instead, she saw children laughing and playing ahead. Saria spotted John, Nicolas... and John's brother, "Joey," who should have been dead.

However, despite the brother's return and the heartwarming scene, no one is happy; no one is joyful about Joey's resurrection.

Because they all knew that the price of all this... was the disappearance of a girl.

A girl who should have been indispensable in that boy's life. She has gradually disappeared from his life.

Kristen, who had changed everything, slowly walked to Saria's side, who had remained silent. She watched the scene unfold for a long time before speaking in a low voice:

"... He can always find another 'River,' but he only has one brother."

"--Fuck you, Kristen."

However, as soon as Kristen said this, Muelsyse, who was watching from outside the screen, was already sobbing uncontrollably. Even though one of her water clones was also crying, it was still not enough to stop Muelsyse's tears.

And it wasn't just her; Talulah, FrostNova, even Nian... At this moment, everyone, whether filming or watching, was sobbing uncontrollably because of the disappearance of a girl, a girl who was so important to that boy.

This girl is irreplaceable, no matter who you bring in or what kind of life you give her... Everyone understands this.

Therefore, even as a die-hard fan of Kristen, when he heard Kristen use such an excuse to exonerate himself, even Muelsyse couldn't help but swear, finding it utterly unacceptable.

"I don't care about Joey, I want River... John's all alone now."

"He couldn't find another River... His brother didn't stay with John his whole life, but the River stayed with John his whole life..."

"Give the River back to him, you bitch..."

Sobbing uncontrollably, Muelsyse was so overcome with emotion that she completely lost all composure as a researcher, swearing repeatedly, but no matter how much she wiped away her tears, she couldn't stop the pain in her heart.

People like Muelsyse were everywhere in the painting. Cries, suppressed wails, and sobbing curses rose and fell, but no one made a fuss. Everyone was suppressing their emotions, but they couldn't resist the madness of their feelings.

At this moment, witnessing all of this, Xi, with tears welling in her eyes, heard Chen Qi's communication once again. This time, Chen Qi's communication consisted of only one short sentence:

"Xi, present the scrolls I asked you to prepare."

"... You're a bastard, Chen Qi, a heartless bastard."

The moment Xi received the call, she unleashed an unprecedentedly direct and scathing tirade against Chen Qi. Only now did she realize what those paintings Chen Qi had asked her to prepare, omitting the existence of the River, were actually for.

The ending had already been foreshadowed. Xi thought she was strong enough to handle it, but now she could only barely hold back her tears.

With another sweep of her greatsword, Xi finally unveiled the entire tapestry she had prepared, depicting John's new life. The story was about to reach its end...

Chapter 193: The Ending of " To the To the Moon," To the Moon for You

Under Xi's actions, John's life, which had lost the presence of the River, began to slowly unfold before everyone.

This time, the flashback at the beginning of the film * To the To the Moon * finally returned to normal. Accompanied by music, everyone saw what John's reset life, without the River but with Joey, really looked like...

The movie theater that John and River had originally gone to together was now completely River -handed. In its place, John, Joey, and Nicolas were all happily watching the movie together.

In the movie theater, the spot where River had been standing was suddenly gone, and the girl was nowhere to be seen... Even the platypus that had been beside her had vanished.

John no longer used riding skills to cure River's illness. Without River, there was no need for him to learn riding skills. He simply sat in the carriage and slowly watched others happily riding their camels.

In class, the teacher asked each student about their future dreams. When Joey answered that he wanted to be a writer, and the other students answered with various professions, the teacher also asked John:

"And what about you, John?"

However, when John was asked this question, after a long silence, John, whose life had been free of the River and who, because of his brother's resurrection, had not taken large amounts of inhibitors, finally spoke slowly but firmly:

"... I To the Moon."

This answer once again deeply moved everyone watching, and suppressed sobs echoed throughout the painting.

John no longer had a place for this girl in his life, but through some childhood memories, he still knew that he needed to keep his promise... To the Moon to see this girl became his only motivation for going to the moon.

Gradually, John's life, and the memories related to the River, were all changed. He lost touch with the River and only remembered that he To the Moon, and he worked hard alone for it.

He studied and exercised alone... Finally, in his youth, he submitted his carefully prepared resume, only to be rejected several times. But he didn't give up, repeating the process time and time again...

Driven by this promise, he braved wind and rain, determined to reach the moon.

Ultimately, his brother Joey did become a great writer, and at a book signing, John received a phone call—he had finally been hired.

At that moment, Joey, Nicolas... everyone was genuinely happy for John. Only the audience watching on screen continued to shed tears, wanting to applaud but unable to laugh at all.

Finally, as the music ended, the audience seemed to gradually accept the truth, and their emotions calmed down a little. John, played by Chen Qi, arrived in front of a company as the camera moved, and the company name written on it once again attracted everyone's attention.

" --Rhine Lab Aerospace Department...?"

"He did it, but... does it all still have any meaning?"

Saria and Kristen reappeared on the screen. Facing the building of a department that Rhine Lab didn't even have, Saria seemed to have recovered somewhat, and Kristen, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but speak up:

"Anyway, we succeeded, didn't we?"

"... This doesn't count as a success." Saria answered sullenly, and after a long while, Saria looked at Chen Qi, who had successfully entered the Rhine Lab Aerospace Department, and said with emotion:

"How pitiful... all the hardships seem to befall that girl."

Saria's remark resonated with many who remained silent. They all knew that Saria was lamenting the River; it had given so much, only to receive such an ending in return...

John, played by Chen Qi, seems to have a wonderful life now. He has finally realized his dream, with struggles, efforts, and rewards along the way... Without a doubt, it is a perfect dream.

... If none of them knew about that girl, this dream would be something everyone would want.

"Alright, we're at the Rhine Lab Aerospace Department now, let's cheer up."

"... yes."

With Kristen's comforting words, Saria gave a muffled reply. However, Saria, who was in a rather low mood at the moment, did not notice that she was not as happy as she seemed, as she was about to witness this final scene.

The two followed in Chen Qi's footsteps and visited the so-called Ministry of Aerospace, which does not exist in reality but can only be seen in paintings, based on Chen Qi's "imagination" and Xi's paintings. They learned what kind of structure it was.

In the past, Saria and Kristen might have been curious to look around, but now neither of them was in the mood. Kristen tried to stop several times, but didn't stay for long before silently lowering her head and continuing on her way.

"... I don't know if this place resembles a real space agency." Kristen's mood seemed to have improved somewhat after the tour, and Saria shook her head in response.

"I don't know, it's probably just in my imagination... but you're right, at least you helped him fulfill his dream, but it's just a dream."

As Saria's words faded, the familiar sound of a heartbeat rang out once more, and the surrounding light began to dim... This signified that John's life was nearing its end.

However, just when everyone thought it was all over, a sudden mechanical door opening sound drew everyone's attention.

For a moment, the hearts of Saria, Kristen, Chen Qi, and everyone watching from outside the screen clenched tightly. Accompanied by footsteps, a familiar figure slowly walked into view.

The moment they saw that beautiful figure, everyone's pupils contracted slightly, and many incredulous gazes were cast towards her.

"Ah, this is our newly hired girl." The person showing John, played by Chen Qi, around introduced the girl to everyone, saying:

"River, is that right? It's so nice to have you here."

The familiar Alina, who plays River, seems unchanged; she remains taciturn and quiet.

While everyone was stunned, Alina had already walked up to Chen Qi. After a brief silence, Chen Qi, just like in his childhood, took the initiative to greet her:

"Hello, I'm John."

"--I didn't expect this to actually succeed."

However, even Kristen was somewhat taken aback by this scene. Her gaze was blank and filled with disbelief, as if she was utterly astonished that the two of them could meet again.

Even Saria, who knew the plot, was utterly incredulous that the two could still meet as promised. Her gaze immediately fell on Kristen, and she exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and joy:

"You... you didn't delete her?!"

"... I didn't erase her existence. If even the River disappeared, John's motivation to 'To the Moon' would disappear." Kristen slowly came to her senses, gazing at the two who had met again. A glint of light flashed in her eyes as she murmured to herself:

"I erased River from John's life, except for her childhood experiences... and yet she can still appear here... then there's only one possibility."

"... It was John who believed that they would truly meet on the moon. It was he who always believed that the River would appear in his life."

Saria slowly picked up on Kristen's words. The two women gazed at the two who had met again, and after a long while, faint smiles reappeared on their faces.

Saria was delighted that everything could end just like the script had initially suggested—although Kristen's actions differed slightly from those of the Doctor in the script, going a little too far... After all, Kristen himself didn't quite believe that the two could still meet under these circumstances.

She hadn't held out much hope, but their meeting now seemed to stir a long-lost joy within Kristen... subtle, yet enough to bring a genuine smile to her face.

Meanwhile, many people watching from outside the screen laughed along with them, and everyone who saw the two reunite showed an expression of joy that brought tears to their eyes.

On the screen, the scroll shifted again, and this time, the familiar "For River," which runs throughout the entire work, was played once more. After the screen returned to normal, everyone saw John, played by Chen Qi, sitting at the piano, playing the piece.

In the distance, Alina, playing the character River, listened to the music silently for a long time before finally asking the person beside her, "What's the name of this song?"

--To the Moon.

"I like this name."

The same melody, different names; yet when Alina's character, River, utters a completely different answer, many people can't help but smile from the bottom of their hearts.

"For River... to the To the Moon."

"Is this the full name of this piece...?"

Having figured everything out, Muelsyse had unknowingly created many water clones. She managed to control her tears, but she still couldn't help but cry again because of the name of this piece of music.

Beside her, everyone was already sobbing uncontrollably... The scenes on the screen— John and River's new time together, and finally... the realization of their dreams.

Saria and Kristen finally witnessed the final spaceship ascend into the starry sky—as the spaceship slowly rose, neither of them made any record of it. Instead, they simply looked up together in the final painting, gazing at a scene they had never seen before, a scene that could only be found in paintings.

Finally, in the final scene, Kristen, Saria... and everyone else saw the moment the spaceship broke through the barrier, and the distant view of the land beneath their feet that they had never seen before... seemed to be a spherical object.