"How long have you been deceiving them under the guise of a Memokeeper?" Black Swan appeared behind the five of them, her words aimed straight at Dahlia.
"You seemed determined to savor every moment of that unforgettable time. Take a hint. I don't have time to entertain you right now." There was a hostile edge to Dahlia's voice, but Black Swan's next words suddenly set the whole scene ablaze:
"Oh, because you're busy... pretending to be a 'Stellaron Hunter'?" "Who are you talking about?" Hanxing asked Black Swan warily, prompting Firefly to turn around as well. "Quite the clever trick, I must say. Mr. Hanxing, Ms. Firefly... if you're willing to take my advice, why not return to reality? Ask Ms. Silver Wolf carefully who your real companion is."
"How could you know..." A trace of shock appeared in Hanxing's and Firefly's eyes, but Dahlia's confrontational response interrupted them. "Enough. You... still love meddling in other people's affairs." Suddenly, Dahlia reached out a hand, and Firefly vanished from the scene into thin air.
"You...!" Hanxing's eyes nearly blazed with fire. In an instant, his embroidered spring saber was out of its sheath and against Dahlia's neck. "Who gave you the right to pull a trick like that?!" The red light on the blade flared fiercely in response to Hanxing's emotions.
"Now, calm down. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your dear Fly will make it out of the turbulent currents of memory." Dahlia smiled as though everything was under her control, using the greatest trump card she held to threaten Hanxing step by step.
"Damn it..." Hanxing clenched his teeth several times before finally lowering his saber. "You'd better not give me a reason to kill you."
"Who... exactly are you people?" Robin's voice came from the side. Though she wasn't as close to Firefly, she was naturally displeased at having been deceived by Dahlia for so long. "Her? She's just an incinerator who took the opportunity to manipulate memories and pretend to be a companion of the Stellaron Hunters. She fooled all of you." A chill crept into Black Swan's voice.
"Is Firefly... all right?" Hanxing looked at Black Swan. "She might get lost in the turbulent currents of the Memory Zone. Don't worry, I know your side has plenty of ways to deal with it. She'll probably only be trapped for a while."
"...Fine." Hanxing cursed under his breath, his eyes glowing blue as he glared fiercely at Dahlia. "Prison of Fiery Eyes: Forbidden Thrust!" "...Hm?" Dahlia frowned as a hellish scene unfolded before her. A skeleton's steel saber plunged into her abdomen with lightning speed. "Consider that a warning. You'd better remember it-"
Dahlia coughed violently in reality, and Hanxing looked somewhat satisfied. He drew his embroidered spring saber again, slashed twice to open a spatial portal, and left without another word.
"I'm here to take you back to the Oak Family. Mr. Sunday was very worried about your safety, and he asked me to find you in the dream." Black Swan looked at Robin again. "As for Dahlia, she's absolutely untrustworthy. To retrieve a specific piece of history from the Memory Zone using only a single memory... a Memokeeper capable of that might exist, but they would never be merely a Pathstrider."
"Cough, cough, cough... Looks like you've been watching for quite a while." Dahlia's voice sounded strained. The warning Hanxing had just given her really had been a bit much. "But you only 'graced us with your presence' when we were about to make progress. So which of us is untrustworthy?"
"Even after that fellow put you in your place, your tongue is still as venomous as ever." Black Swan gave a cold smile as she faced Dahlia's retort. "There's no need to quibble. I've brought a message from Mr. Sunday, enough to prove who I am."
"A single message? Don't you think that's a little ridiculous?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Dahlia's voice, but Black Swan treated it with contempt. "Try it and you'll see. It's only three words-" She turned to Robin, her gaze serious. "'Melodi-Dove.'"
Robin looked a little surprised and placed both hands against her chest. "I don't know what it means. Mr. Sunday said you would understand." "...Indeed. Unless the circumstances are extreme, that's enough for me to trust you." The two quickly formed an alliance, leaving Dahlia isolated.
"The Company, the Astral Express... and now you've even accepted a commission from The Family? You certainly get along 'well' with people." Dahlia's voice grew much colder. "...But must you really go looking for death?"
Dahlia smiled faintly. "Back then, I not only kept Ms. Acheron's secret, but also left and spared your life. What, are you so eager... to 'pick up where we left off'?"
"What can I say? You're Dahlia. I had to see what trouble you were stirring up this time. There's something I've wondered for a long while... how could 'Destiny's Slave' possibly accept you, someone whose very nature is betrayal?" Black Swan met her words head-on, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
"And what about the Stellaron Hunters? What's going on there?" Robin was wary, but Black Swan simply stopped her. "Let's get somewhere safe first. We can talk it over afterward. She's too dangerous to take lightly."
The three looked at one another and fell silent for a while. "...Thank you." Robin looked at Black Swan, then ran back the way she had come.
"You've become much more 'composed,' haven't you? Or have your reactions gotten slower?" Only the two of them remained, facing each other...
"Firefly... Firefly!" Following the marks he had left earlier, Hanxing searched everywhere for traces of Firefly amid the turbulent currents of the Memory Zone. Footprint after footprint, yellow around the edges and red within, was etched across the vast Memory Zone, recording Hanxing's efforts to find Firefly. From time to time, a few blind Memory Zone Memes became targets for Hanxing's wrath.
"Why are you all... so damn annoying?!" Red light suddenly flashed from the embroidered spring saber in its sheath. Hanxing drew it without hesitation, and the world fell silent in an instant. Space and time froze together, and countless flashes of red saber light cut everything around him to powder. Hanxing slowly sheathed his saber, and the blade energy suddenly erupted, reducing the surrounding Memes to dust.
Hanxing kept sweeping his arms through the thick Memory Zone, where movement was difficult. The crushing pressure, as though he were underwater, made every step a struggle. He called out to the one in his heart again and again, but received no response. Soon, however, a purple will-o'-the-wisp floated before him.
"Did Dahlia leave this?" Hanxing was somewhat doubtful, but the will-o'-the-wisp darted off in one direction. Though it was hardly trustworthy, he had no other option. Hanxing could only follow Dahlia's will-o'-the-wisp step by step, grasping at that one-in-ten-thousand chance.
After a few minutes, the will-o'-the-wisp paused for an instant, then vanished. There before Hanxing was Firefly, still breathing evenly as she lay quietly under the crushing pressure of the Memory Zone. No one knew how long she had lain alone in this place of despair.
A tear trickled from Hanxing's eye. He gently picked Firefly up and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of here." Then he tore open space with his bare hands and carried Firefly away from that troubled place.