The perspective shifts back to the Scorchsand Moment, at the SoulGlad™ Audition Venue.
"Please forgive me," Sunday explained, "I had previous contact with that Chair, so... I can sense the surging [ Eternity ] power within Miss Firefly."
All eyes were on Firefly, waiting for her answer.
"Mr. Sunday, your insight is keen, but you've overlooked a crucial point—"
Firefly slightly raised her hand, her fingertips seemingly touching something in the void. "What [ Eternity ] bestows is not merely an 'antidote' to suppress extinction."
"[One cup]..."
The precise quantifier made Sunday's gaze sharpen; he seemed to understand something. He hadn't expected that there would be an [ Eternity ] Emanator on the Astral Express as well.
Hmm... this means that in the worst-case scenario, he will face three [ Emanator ] level beings. Isn't that a huge difference in combat power?
The Firefly ' gazes drifted across Sunday, landing on the dazzling dome lights of the venue:
"What [ Eternity ] truly gave me was not the chance to prolong my life..." Her voice became clear and firm, "--but the right to [choose]!"
"That force... did indeed suppress the progression of Entropy Loss Syndrome, sparing me from exhausting my will in endless pain and the fear of chronic dissociation."
She turned her head, her gaze briefly meeting Xing's—as the person present most closely connected to [ Eternity ], Xing would surely understand this weight.
As expected, Xing stepped forward and seamlessly continued Firefly's words:
"[ Eternity ] gave the Firefly some breathing space, and also gave her a window to see the path clearly and make her own choices. Is this what you call the condescending pity of [ Eternity ]?"
March 7th strongly agreed, after all, the [ Eternity ] Aeon was on their train. Even if they didn't know much about Teacher Ye Yan, it should still be better than Sunday's, right?
He never looked down on people from a high position; on the contrary, he was very close to all living beings.
"No, this is what allows the Firefly to embrace the possibility of fighting against fate with a clear mind—[freedom]!"
"Yes, without this 'suppression,' Entropy Loss Syndrome would devour me even faster. But... that doesn't mean my will will yield!" Firefly's voice was firm and resolute.
"It might make me fall faster, but it will never change my determination to fight to the end before I fall!"
"Mr. Sunday, do you think that [ Eternity ] has delayed my demise or stifled my struggle?"
Firefly posed the question to Sunday in the distance, and seeing no response, she answered herself:
"The answer is obvious—it precisely prolongs the time I, as a [ Firefly ], have to fight and choose based on my will."
"Do you call this 'dependence'?" Firefly gently shook her head. "This is not dependence, but [ Eternity ] given to those weak individuals, allowing them to retain their last dignity in the face of cruel fate."
"So, Mr. Sunday..." Firefly stepped forward, her bearing imposing, "Your [ Order ] promises to erase all suffering and bring Eternity peace."
"But the price of this comfort is that everyone must relinquish their right to examine pain, confront pain, and ultimately [transcend pain]. You want to exchange a perfect greenhouse for everyone's wings."
"And I..."
The Firefly raised its head, its gaze piercing as it stared directly at Sunday: "Even if I eventually vanish, I will fly in the name of [self] every second before my consciousness completely returns to Nihility."
Even if that flight path is destined to be as fleeting as a firefly's, it is still a path that belongs only to [me].
With Firefly's speech finished, it's time for the Astral Express to take over.
Himeko looked at Hoshino: "Now that Miss Firefly has stated her point of view, the Astral Express will naturally give us its answer."
"It's up to you, Xing. Just as Mr. Mikhail instructed, tell him our choice—"
Xing nodded and gently placed the [ Clockmaker ]'s hat on his head.
"The so-called ' Trailblaze ' is to follow the path left unfinished by predecessors and go even further... while the so-called ' Eternity ' is to carry on the unfinished dreams of predecessors until the end of time!"
" The Penacony of Mikhail's dream does not belong to [ Order ]."
The moment the words left her lips, Xing felt a violent jolt in her consciousness.
Sunday in my line of sight, and my companions beside me, their figures flickered and distorted violently like a bad signal, and then disappeared one by one, as if swallowed by an invisible vortex and plunged into the boundless deep sea.
"Ugh... pulling this stunt at such a crucial moment..."
Xing had already anticipated what would happen next; she was very experienced in this kind of thing.
Immediately afterwards, a strong feeling of weightlessness struck again.
In the fading afterimages and chaotic perception, Xing saw a magnificent being—[ Harmony ] Xipe.
He has three faces, and his body is intricately pieced together from countless shimmering jigsaw puzzle fragments, within which lies a vast and boundless galaxy.
Xipe slowly opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the tiny girl.
[Universal Harmony, A Galaxy of Stars Shining Together]
An immense voice, whose source was indiscernible, resonated and echoed directly in the depths of Xing's consciousness.
Just when Xing thought the gaze of the [ Aeon ] was about to end, an even more intense feeling of weightlessness swept over her again...
Before the aftershocks of Xipe's gaze had even faded, another completely different, chilling sensation had already quietly descended upon him.
This time, it was not the whisper of the stars, but absolute silence. The concept of sound was stripped away; even the sounds of heartbeats and breathing could not be perceived.
"Wow... Could it be [ Nihility ] IX? No... wasn't it said that He never glances at anyone?"
Xing thought to herself, "It can't be the Ena of [ Order ] either. How could He see me if He's dead?"
In the stillness, once her vision cleared, Xing saw an extremely ancient hourglass.
The hourglass frame was ancient and mottled, covered with incomprehensible inscriptions. The 'sand' that should have been flowing in the two conical containers above and below was now in a strange state of suspension.
From the perspective of the stars, those 'gravels' resemble countless stars compressed to the extreme and frozen, shimmering with a cold, faint light.
The hourglass itself was awe-inspiring enough, but what truly made Xing feel suffocated and oppressed was the hands that held it up.
The hands were enormous, with faint silver stardust swirling around the knuckles, and the palms held the still hourglass in a twisted manner.
It seems to have been so since time immemorial, and will remain so until the end of all things.
His presence is so immense that the mere sight of the hands holding up the hourglass and the suspended grains of sand proclaims his undeniable identity.
For some reason, Xing felt a little disappointed after seeing the true form of [ Eternity ].
Sigh... the image of the [ Eternity ] Aeon I saw in the Simulated Universe is much more fitting— Iridescent Number 8... oh no, a dazzling ∞!
Xing complained inwardly, but as if sensing something, those hands pulled her directly into their palms.
Then, those hands, which held the power of Eternity, slowly reached for her hourglass-shaped necklace...
bite!
As the concept of sound reappeared, a sudden upheaval pulled Xing's consciousness back to reality.