"It shouldn't be that bad, right?" Hanxing carefully examined the green color, which stirred up some unpleasant memories. Her throat tightened, but in the end, she still took a small sip.
The bubbles burst on my tongue, followed by a fishy, foul smell, like swallowing a piece of rotten raw meat. But then, it tasted somewhat sweet.
"Hmm... the taste is quite complex." Hanxing didn't want to relive that feeling, so she pinched her nose and swallowed most of it in one gulp, suppressing the somewhat nauseating taste.
"Why are you drinking so fast? Leave some for me!" Firefly gently punched Hanxing, snatched the last bit of soy milk, and drank it all in one gulp. "That's really... strange. I can't understand how you can stand it."
"Actually, it's even better when paired with Oak Cake Roll?" Hanxing joked. "Probably because I've eaten worse things before."
"I don't know how you got through all that before." Firefly shook her head slightly, inserted the straw into the cup, and took a small sip. "This is still the best."
Hanxing smiled as she looked at the engrossed Firefly, and taking advantage of the moment of distraction, she snatched the Happy Tea and took a big gulp.
"Hey! Could you let me know next time you need to take it?" Firefly looked at Hanxing with some dissatisfaction, rubbing her wrist that had been violently pulled.
"Alright, here, let me blow on it for you." Hanxing chuckled, blew a few breaths on the spot where Firefly had rubbed, and then handed the Happy Tea back to Firefly: "Okay, let's go."
"Hmm." Firefly nodded. Hanxing tore through space, and the two stepped out, arriving at a hilltop. "It feels... a bit eerie." Firefly crossed her arms and scratched her head.
"It's alright, I'm here." Hanxing wrapped her arms around Firefly's neck and placed her hands on her shoulders. "The place Elio mentioned... should be around here." The two looked around but found nothing unusual.
"How about... we go up a bit further?" Firefly suggested. "Wait, isn't it over there!" Hanxing pulled Firefly around, pointing to a black cat in the distance, its golden pupils shining like nightlights.
" Elio... why is he here?" Hanxing asked curiously. "No... this isn't Elio." Firefly examined the black cat carefully, her expression turning serious.
"What's that?" Hanxing asked, puzzled. "It's the remains of the Terminus," Firefly explained. " The Terminus hasn't ascended to godhood yet, and his body scattered, turning into these black cats."
"I see..." Hanxing mused, "So... Elio is planning to send me on the Path of ' the Finality '?"
"It's hard to say, but to embark on the Path ' the Finality,' one must abandon the previous Path. That price... I don't want to recall it." Firefly sighed softly, and said no more.
"Is there... any way to fool Him?" Hanxing suddenly asked. "You can ask Silver Wolf. Her ' Elation ' related powers are sealed in the cartridge and can be used at any time. That's one way," Firefly replied.
"Hmm... I'll give it a try." Hanxing pondered for a moment, then took out the firefly-shaped pendant. A golden light began to gather from Hanxing's entire body towards the pendant, which suddenly flashed brightly. The light on Hanxing's body also disappeared abruptly, and he began to gasp for breath.
"Are you alright?" Firefly stepped forward and asked with concern, gently patting Hanxing's back. "Yes, I'm fine." Hanxing smiled, her blue and yellow eyes focusing, but the yellow-purple border had disappeared.
"So... is it alright now?" Hanxing sighed softly, reaching out her hand to the black cat that was staring at Hanxing.
"I've been here--"
"I've been here--"
"What do you mean?" Hanxing looked at Firefly beside her. " The Terminus speaks in reverse; just listen to it backwards." Firefly chuckled, "Let's move forward."
Hanxing and the black cat drew closer and closer until they were touching. The instant their hands touched, a dizzying sensation ran through them, and Hanxing found herself once again standing among the stars.
" Pathstrider's Chasm..." Hanxing looked around, the familiar white line guiding his path. "So, all those who embark on Path end up here?"
"I've been here... I've been here--" The nameless whisper rang out again.
"Um, I'll go now..." Hanxing was about to step forward when a sudden pain shot through his brain. "How... how could this be?"
Remembrance of him—himself from other worlds—rushed towards him. Intense pain caused him to kneel on one knee. His black hair was tinged with red at the ends.
"I will take what I can—" the Terminus's whisper continued, "This world will be destroyed, and you will be finished."
"No... no--" Hanxing clutched his head, the immense pain rendering him speechless. The pure blue was rapidly stained by red, leaving behind a horizontal infinity symbol and a vertical rhombus.
"I'll leave, and the world will be destroyed." The whisper continued, "If you resist, you'll face your fate." The black cat standing in the distance suddenly disappeared, disappearing straight into Hanxing's body.
"Ah--" As Hanxing cried out to the sky, the surrounding scene returned to Fyxestroll Garden. Hanxing knelt on one knee on the ground, unable to get up for a long time. Firefly leaned on Hanxing with concern, but was separated by a barrier.
"Don't... don't touch me yet." Hanxing's voice was somewhat tired, and the red streak was particularly eye-catching. He gently stroked the firefly pendant, and a burst of golden power rippled through him, barely suppressing the strange red power.
"What... what happened again?" The moment the barrier disappeared, Firefly asked with concern, while helping Hanxing was kneeling on the ground, to her feet.
"I think... nothing much has happened." Hanxing sighed softly, ultimately saying nothing more, "This power of ' the Finality ' is beyond my imagination."
"That black cat... disappeared." Firefly looked ahead. "That's right, it merged with me." Hanxing raised its head, its eyes turning red. "This is... my third pair of eyes, isn't it?"
"Your hair...?" Firefly's gaze fixed on Hanxing's transformed hair. "The power of 'The Finality,' I don't know what's going on either." Hanxing sighed softly.
"However, one thing is clear to me: this ' Finality ' and the ' Eternal Finality ' power of our world share the same origin; I'm all too familiar with this feeling..."
"So... what's next?" Firefly stared into Hanxing's eyes. "Let's go find the Astral Express Crew. These things can't be resolved in a short time." Hanxing turned away, saying no more.