"Firefly-Firefly!" Hanxing looked around and finally spotted Firefly slowly getting to her feet nearby. "Where... is this?" Firefly had no idea what had happened either, so she looked toward Hanxing.
"It looks like the dream corridor in that hotel. Maybe we can get to Dreamflux Reef through here." Hanxing gave a brief answer, then glanced around again. "I think this is a good chance to come clean to Caelus and the others."
"Why?" Firefly was a little puzzled. "We just dealt with a major crisis in Penacony. Coming clean now gives us the best chance of winning their favor," Hanxing explained. "Besides, getting on good terms with the Astral Express isn't a bad thing, is it?"
"Maybe..." Firefly nodded. "Anyway, I'll follow your lead!" Hanxing's expression grew serious. "Then let's summon Sam first."
A heat wave swept over them, and the familiar mech appeared before Hanxing. "What, you two are talking without me?" Yan Bai's voice came from nearby just then. Hanxing turned around with a slight smile. "Of course not. How have you been lately?"
"Not bad. Life feels a lot more exciting than it did on Fansha Star." Yan Bai smiled. "No wonder so many people long for a journey of Trailblaze. If it weren't for Basha's curse, I'd want to switch over to Trailblaze too." He paused, then spoke again:
"I heard what you were discussing just now, and I agree with Hanxing. Somehow... I found a sense of home among them, and I can hardly bear to lie to them... Of course, I'm not saying I've 'gone over to the enemy,' it's just..."
"All right, all right." Hanxing waved a hand dismissively. "If you really want to join them, I won't stop you." Sam's voice carried a hint of emotion. "The Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters are like light and shadow, stumbling forward together. But we will meet again before the Finality. So, let's come clean to Caelus now. Leave the explanation of our purpose to me."
While the three were talking, Caelus also woke from his unconscious state. He looked at Sam, Hanxing, and Yan Bai, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"...You're awake." Sam's voice rang out, carrying a hint of authority. "I've been waiting here for you for a long time." "You are...?" Caelus asked for some reason. "You've already met us: the Stellaron Hunters Sam and Hanxing, and your friend Yan Bai." Sam's voice betrayed no emotion and sounded a little cold.
"We want... to come clean to you about a few things." Hanxing's gaze grew serious. Yellow and purple appeared in his eyes, and the sound of Tuning slowly rang out as Hanxing assumed Yan Bai's appearance before Caelus. Then the yellow and purple vanished again, and Hanxing returned to his own form.
"As you can see, that was the Tuning of Harmony. Besides being a Stellaron Hunter, I have another identity-I'm an Emanator of Harmony." Hanxing sounded utterly serious, but his words startled Yan Bai and Firefly beside him. Still, thinking back to the warm gaze when Acheron drew her blade, the blessing must have been bestowed then.
"Also, the Yan Bai you see is actually just one of my clones," Hanxing continued. "That's not quite accurate, though. He came about when I transferred Yan Bai's soul into my clone." With that, Hanxing snapped his fingers. Flames ignited around Yan Bai, and he slowly dissolved into the void.
"Where did you take Yan Bai...?" Caelus sounded somewhat angry. In an instant, the embroidered spring saber swept past Caelus's cheek, and Yan Bai's reflection appeared on the blade. "What's wrong, partner? Miss me that much?"
"And there's Sam here beside me." Hanxing stepped aside. "My girlfriend, Firefly." As Hanxing finished speaking, flames swept up once more, and a lovely young woman appeared before Caelus. "Hello, or... long time no see."
"So... why are you coming clean to me?" Caelus turned his attention to the matter at hand. "The truth of Penacony is beyond what we imagined. We need to travel with you from here on."
"The Stellaron Hunters, who run rampant across the universe, need help from others now?" Caelus sneered. "This crisis is beyond what either of us imagined," Firefly said briefly. "Elio said that in this land of dreams, you and I would both come away with something unforgettable."
"Since you've been so honest, I welcome you on behalf of the Astral Express Crew." Caelus smiled faintly. "So what next? What are we going to do?"
"Now close your eyes. Let's leave this place together." Hanxing and Caelus did as instructed. "Then take a deep breath and picture the outline of the dream in your minds. Remember... don't open your eyes, no matter what. Three... two... one."
When the countdown ended, Firefly spoke again. "Don't be afraid. The one here to greet us... has arrived." A piercing howl followed, and fierce, viscous Memoria rushed into the three of them, churning and raging in their chests. They were like a scrap of tissue in a whirlpool, breaking apart and dissolving in the torrent.
"Cough, cough-" Hanxing wasn't in very good shape, but he relaxed when he saw Firefly beside him. "You know, we still have the Blade of Ending. There was no need to use this method..."
"We're already here. There's no point saying more." Firefly smiled and shook her head. "Caelus, I'm glad to see you're safe." Welt's voice came from nearby. "Mr. Welt, you're here too?" Caelus replied, but Welt paused and changed the subject:
"Then who are you two?" "Stellaron Hunters, Hanxing and Firefly," Hanxing answered briefly. "Do wanted criminals no longer bother hiding their identities?" Welt's voice was rather confrontational.
"Come on, Uncle Yang." Caelus spoke up at just the right moment. "They said they wanted to join us because this crisis is beyond imagination. It wouldn't hurt to trust them this once." Welt put away his cane. "All right. I hope you won't try anything."
"'Close your eyes'... That was the answer. The monster that has always been regarded as 'Death' is actually a guardian of the Land of Exile. It follows a certain pattern, abducting people from the sweet dream and bringing them here," Firefly explained to the three.
"Even though I've been here once already, I still have to complain: the conditions here are a lot worse than in the sweet dream..." Hanxing sighed, though he could only say that local conditions were constrained.
"Whether true death exists in the dream has puzzled us all this time. Now it seems the question was entirely a trap set by the mastermind to conceal the truth behind the disappearances, as well as... this walled town called Dreamflux Reef." Welt added:
"Every appearance of that Meme was connected to the Watchmaker. Since Dreamflux Reef is where it brought the people it abducted, I imagine we can find clues here to many of the questions that have puzzled us for so long."
"The atmosphere here is completely different from the sweet dream. People live with very little structure, there are no administrators like the Family, and their mental state is somewhat subtly dazed," Firefly said. "But from the scraps of conversation I heard from the residents, I came across a familiar name... Gallagher."
So... a slum? Hanxing thought silently, while Welt continued, "That man again. He always appears in just the right place at every crucial moment... At least that saves us the trouble of looking for someone."
"Himeko and March 7th have already gone on ahead. Caelus, get yourself ready. We're leaving now."