A decent transition

"By the way, Lin, why do you collect all kinds of memories? Do you just like hearing stories?"

"Memories are proof of all existence. Every living being, event, joy, sorrow, cause, and effect in the universe leaves behind 'memoria.' My work is to travel through countless pasts, collecting, preserving, and reflecting everything that has happened. Should the universe come to an end, the countless sealed memories will serve as the foundation for reshaping the world as we await the universe's rebirth."

"Then what exactly are those Cremators you just mentioned?"

"The Cremators are a group of arrogant souls who have lost their way.

They consider themselves the cleaners of memories, judging the value of memoria by their own preferences and burning away every past they deem 'useless.'

They don't understand that Fuli-the Aeon of Remembrance, whom you can also think of as our boss-collects all memories without selection or prejudice. Mortals have no right to decide whether an existence deserves to be forgotten.

To burn away memories is to erase existence itself. That runs counter to the path we Memokeepers pursue."

"So Memokeepers like you are pretty great, then?"

"Oh, come now~ I'm not that great. I just do what I can..."

"So... does your boss pay you for this work? Do you get weekends off? Does your boss contribute to your pension?"

"..."

Whose little brat was this?

Oh, mine. Never mind, then.

"Don't go quiet on me... I just heard someone had their pension canceled, so I thought I'd check on you."

"My mission is to observe, track, and collect flowing memories. I have devoted everything I am to remembrance. Eating, aging, and illness have long since ceased to be concepts that apply to me. Those things you mentioned have no meaning for me."

"So you've lived for a very, very long time, but all you do every day is look through other people's memories and store them?"

"You could say that."

"Oh... an old fossil and a peeping Tom."

Lin: ???

"You (goo-goo ga-ga) (baby, off I go, falling in love with the Raiden Shogun right now)"

Oh, gods above, she had such a filthy mouth.

A faint smile tugged at Xingsu's lips as he quietly switched to letting it go in one ear and out the other. He lounged back in the wooden chair, looking past the window lattice toward the distant pinpricks of starlight spread across the sky.

"Hey, you're not listening."

Stars densely dotted the sky. Auroras of pale cyan and pinkish purple intertwined like flowing ribbons, slowly unfurling across the heavens, their light tranquil yet magnificent.

Thick, icy iron bars stood before her. Damp cold crept up from the stone floor of the cell, soaking through Peruere's thin clothes. A narrow window high in the cell offered a glimpse of Snezhnaya's vast, deep night sky.

The aurora...

The instant she saw those swaying colors, Peruere's breath caught softly.

It was like... like that secret base only the children knew about. There were no harsh orders there, no wary looks or fighting to the death, only three innocent children huddled together, imagining a future where they left the House of the Hearth and traveled far away to see the aurora.

"I heard that at night in Snezhnaya, colorful auroras hang in the sky... When we grow up, let's go see them together!"

"Yes, we'll definitely go see them together."

"...Okay."

Distant memories surged up beyond her control.

Back then, they had been full of hope, promising to break free from the cage of the House of the Hearth and set out for those brilliant auroras.

Yet in the end, she alone had reached Snezhnaya-as a prisoner, gazing alone through the bars of her cell at the beautiful sight they had once all longed to see.

"Xingsu... Clervie..."

"The auroras in Snezhnaya really are beautiful."

Of the three who had made that promise, only she remained to fulfill it. However magnificent the auroras filling her vision, there was no one beside her.

A bright moon rose over the sea; far apart, we shared this moment.

The evening breeze still remembered those bygone days. When would the moon shine upon old friends again?

Now... who was left to admire this same starry sky with me?

"She's the one who killed the Harbinger?"

"Shh!"

The Fatui soldiers outside the bars were still whispering among themselves.

Heh. Who knew what the Tsaritsa and the other Harbingers would make of a 'sinner' like me?

Heavy footsteps approached along the stone corridor, steady and solemn, interrupting her tangled thoughts.

Peruere looked up.

A tall, slender figure walked slowly toward her from the end of the corridor, long gray-white hair falling to his shoulders, wearing his distinctive mask and a heavy white Harbinger's coat.

The Jester-Pierro.

The iron cell door slowly opened. Pierro stood before Peruere.

"By order of the Tsaritsa, I am here to read your judgment."

Peruere straightened her back and quietly raised her eyes, awaiting her final sentence.

"I have pardoned your sins and bestowed upon you a new name. Carry on this bloodstained title."

"O pitiable,"

"mad,"

"cursed Arlecchino, 'The Knave.'"

As he spoke, Pierro took the heavy Fatui Harbinger's cloak from a tray held up by a nearby Fatui soldier. Dark patterns rippled through the pure white, black-trimmed fabric. The cloth was thick, carrying Snezhnaya's year-round, unthawing chill.

Pierro stepped forward, personally unfolding the coat and slowly draping it over the bewildered girl before him.

Peruere shuddered, staring blankly at the cloak, her fingertips curling instinctively.

She had never imagined such an outcome. She had thought that she would spend the rest of her life in prison or face the cold blade of execution. Never had she imagined that the Tsaritsa would pardon her for killing Crucabena and entrust her with a Harbinger's authority.

"Come with me. I will guide you in taking over everything belonging to the previous Knave. Crucabena's twisted methods will all be abolished. You will oversee this garden that has raised countless orphans, selecting and nurturing children willing to follow the Tsaritsa's ideals."

Peruere slowly reached out with a faintly trembling hand and touched the cloak's cold fabric. Scenes of past bloodshed and the faces of Xingsu and Clervie suddenly flooded her mind.

She had won her revenge and lost everyone she had known. After all those twists and turns, she had returned to the cage that was the House of the Hearth. Only this time, she stood at the top.

"Why... choose me?" Peruere's voice was slightly hoarse.

"Because you have lived through all the suffering of the House of the Hearth," Pierro said evenly. "You know its darkness, and you know the glimmer of light the children yearn for. No one is better suited than you to rebuild the House of the Hearth."

The cloak settled gently on Peruere's shoulders, its heavy weight bearing down at once. The title of "The Knave" was like a new brand, seared into her flesh and blood.

Outside the window, the auroras still flowed across Snezhnaya's night sky. The vow the three had once made to watch the auroras together still echoed deep within her memories.

Peruere gently closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the tender edge in her gaze that belonged to Peruere quietly receded.

"I accept this title, inherit the name of 'The Knave,' and take over the House of the Hearth."