Golden Hour, Oti Mall
It was the same familiar milk tea shop, and yet another special customer came to visit.
Blake surveyed the crowd. " Galaxy Ranger, Garden of Recollection, Astral Express, the Family... and a special ' Galaxy Ranger,' quite a lively scene."
When his gaze swept over the Black Swan, the latter instinctively turned away to avoid him due to past experiences.
Dan Heng looked at Blake, "Didn't that priestess come with you?"
" Fulisina? Ah... she was called away by a close friend."
Blake glosses over the Church priest; she has more important things to do.
Boothill looked around, a sense of unease rising within him that "only I am being kept in the dark."
"Damn it, what [encrypted content] are you guys talking about behind my back?" Boothill looked at Dan Heng, frantically gesturing with his eyes for an explanation.
Dan Heng briefly introduced Blake's identity. Boothill's furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and he burst into hearty laughter:
" Wubbaboo, so you're the Chair of the [ Church of Eternity ], huh? Haha, the one he's got his hands on, the tough guy who beat that lovable Oswaldo Schneider so badly his bones were all broken!"
He grabbed the unopened bottle of milk tea-flavored Asdana White Oak next to him and shoved it into Blake's hand.
"..."
Seeing this, Dan Heng was silent for a moment. This bottle of [ Asdana White Oak ] would probably have to be specially enshrined by Blake.
Boothill turned around and saw Blake taking the bottle of milk tea with trembling hands, his eyes shining with an indescribable light. "Good, good... Mr. Boothill, you must come visit the Church sometime!"
"Definitely! Definitely!"
Boothill was taken aback by the strong reaction and clicked his tongue in amazement. "As expected of the Chair of the [ Church of Eternity ], he's got quite the personality!"
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the conversation quickly returned to normal.
The significance of the presence of an [ Eternity ] Emanator here is self-evident.
"Do you know Mr. Sunday's ambition? He plans to use the will of the Stellaron, the Oak Family's more than 100,000 people, and the desires of the Penacony beings to usurp the authority of [ Harmony ] and restore [ Order ] to the world."
"I think... the purpose of [ Order ] is not to put everyone to sleep." Acheron thoughtfully took over the conversation:
"On the contrary, they use the Stellaron to catalyze the infiltration of Asdana's Memoria into the material world, allowing [dreams] to merge with [reality]."
Acheron speculated that if the [ Dream Master's] plan had proceeded as scheduled, with the blessing of the Stellaron and the passage of time, the dream would have long since become indistinguishable from reality.
People think they are awake, but their spirits have already entered the temple of [ Order ].
It's just a pity... The [ The Family ] didn't expect a Aeon to come to Penacony. Such a magnificent being, even if it's just an avatar, can affect the [ Stellaron ] the moment it arrives.
"Wow, does that mean there's going to be a big battle? A clash between [ Emanator ] level beings... this little dream might not be able to handle it... it might even affect reality."
Boothill whistled, his eyes flashing with a mixture of excitement and worry.
"Simply awaken all the creatures trapped in the [dream], as for the rest..."
Before Blake could Robin had already stepped forward, its voice clear and firm:
"Leave the matter of awakening him to me."
"I will use the Harmony singing to Tuning people's hearts, to transmit dissonant notes to their souls, and to point them in the direction of reality."
"While people are indeed divided into the strong and the weak, if [ Trailblaze ] is the mission of heroes, then the responsibility of [ Harmony ] is to help the weak with the strong."
The Robin's gaze swept over everyone present, revealing her unwavering determination.
"Because the only Savior of Penacony can be the Penacony people themselves."
"Everyone's happiness and path should be created by themselves. Although I am not Nameless, I am willing to pass on the courage to fly to everyone who needs it."
"This includes my brother. The shackles of [ Order ]... are too cruel to him, to the [ Dream Master ], to everyone."
Great! Very energetic!
Blake nodded approvingly; it was a real shame that someone with such awareness didn't join the Church of Eternity.
The Black Swan gently stroked its chin and Reason analyzed:
"It sounds like a good start, but it still has a bit of... idealistic Romance."
"Human weaknesses cannot be overcome overnight. Can these efforts alone truly lead everyone to abandon darkness and embrace the light?"
"That's true, Miss Black Swan. So, I'd appreciate your assistance. And the most crucial part of the plan isn't getting everyone to abandon their evil ways and embrace the light..."
Blake's gaze landed precisely on Boothill, who was wiping his weapons.
"Mr. Boothill... would you like to increase the bounty a bit more?" Blake's gaze was fixed on Boothill.
Boothill's hand suddenly stopped; he had thought that the position was occupied by Acheron.
"He'd love it if he could get those corporate dogs to notice him."
He deftly chambered the bullet, looked at Blake, and said, "Tell me, brother, what do we do?"
"Simple."
A smile played on Blake's lips as he magically produced two bars of soap and placed them steadily in Boothill's hand.
Upon seeing the soap, Dan Heng's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
"We want to hold a grand, subversive 'art exhibition' in this meticulously constructed dream world."
Boothill looked down at the soap, then looked up at Blake. The moment their eyes met, without a word, smiles bloomed on both their faces.
"Ha! Wubbaboo, what a sweetheart! This idea is so cute, and I love it!"
"As for Miss Acheron..."
Because of the unique nature of the [ Nihility ] power, Blake wanted to move her to the audience seats, but a crimson Fool's Mask appeared in his mind.
Oh, I almost forgot about [ Elation ].
"I think... there's a friend who's currently longing for Miss Acheron's special 'care'."
"I am willing to do my part," Acheron's voice remained calm.
"Alright! Now that the tasks have been assigned, let's head to our respective battlefields! Get ready—let's go all out!"
Penacony Grand Theater, Hall of Tuning
As the main hall of the Grand Theater, the [ Tuner ], the representative of the [ Harmony ] collective consciousness, will descend here, but a certain change occurs due to the power of [ Order ].
" The Grand Theater has completely changed... Is this the power of [ Order ]?"
Looking around at this unfamiliar and oppressive stage, March 7th knew that another tough battle was about to begin.
"Gentlemen, prepare yourselves. We may be facing a fierce battle."
The Nameless of the Astral Express walked through the long corridor, the carpet beneath their feet extending towards the center of the stage. Sunday's voice, like a theater narration, echoed once more in the empty dome:
"This is the seventh day."
"Then cheers and chants erupted in unison—"
Before the words were finished, the void on both sides of the corridor suddenly solidified, and white characters floated up and down, like suspended inscriptions of precepts:
"May the world Harmony, may all stars shine brightly, and may the supreme merits of the Divine Lord be praised!"
" Order is dead! Order is dead! Order is dead!"
"Look! He's right there!"
March 7th had no time to scrutinize the eeriness of the words; her gaze pierced through the unsettling text, fixing firmly on Sunday's figure in the center of the stage.
"That concludes everything regarding [ Order ]. What are your thoughts?"
On Sunday, he turned his head and asked, but only silence answered him. However, he didn't seem surprised and continued:
"However, this is ultimately just an insignificant episode in the history of the galaxy, and it's not important. What's important is where this long river will flow in the future..."
"You've all arrived at the perfect time. The Charmony Festival is about to begin, and it would be a great pity if the prelude to [ Harmony ] were not attended."
He gracefully placed his hand on his chest, "Please allow me to once again welcome you all—welcome to the [ Penacony Grand Theater ]—the center of dreams, the Stellaron, the absolute stage for the Charmony Festival..."
"Yes... we've decided on the Penacony's future." Sunday's tone suddenly turned cold.
Xing gripped the hourglass-shaped necklace tightly, trying to locate the Stellaron. "Where is the Stellaron? I can't see it!"
"It's right behind the curtain, or you could think of it as the theater itself."
"However, in order to see it, you must also demonstrate to me a conviction commensurate with the power of the Stellaron."
Only by holding firm to our beliefs can we bring true well-being to this world.
Himeko took a step forward, her high heels clicking crisply on the stage floor.
"Please allow me to point out that falling into permanent Dormancy is not the same as happiness, especially when people are at the mercy of others in their sleep."
" Himeko, even now, do you still believe that [ Order ] only wants to turn the entire universe into its puppet?"
No matter how perfect your vision of Paradise may be, a cage is still a cage.
Himeko disagreed with Sunday's idea, and March 7th echoed it:
"In that kind of world, it's impossible for people to find true happiness! They're just toys of the Aeon!"
"Alas~ it seems you have all misunderstood my intentions all along." Sunday let out a long sigh, "I hereby formally declare: my ideal is neither to resurrect the Aeon, nor to ascend to godhood--"
"There is only one thing I want to do, and that is to create a Paradise that belongs only to us humans, a paradise without Aeon, only [ Order ], a paradise that can encompass the dignity and happiness of all people."
"You're wrong," Himeko pointed out the crux of the problem. "If people are to live with dignity, then no person or thing should ever be above them."
"And in your so-called Paradise, that person is you."
Sunday shook his head. "It seems we can't persuade them no matter what."
Fate has destined us to fight each other. Since things have come to this, let us use our respective Path to show the universe a righteous path.
He slightly raised his chin, as if initiating some grand ceremony. "However, before the prelude to the future officially begins, I would appreciate it if you could take a little more time to consider the question I have raised—"
Are day and night equal?
Are the righteous equal to the sinner?
As soon as the words were spoken, the actors of the Dreamjolt Troupe, who were bound by [ Order ], appeared one after another and surrounded the Astral Express Crew.
If humans are born weak—from which god can the weak find peace?
He said nothing more on Sunday. He turned gracefully around, his back to the crowd, and slowly spread his arms to his sides.
At the same time, his body seemed to be lifted up by an invisible force, rising steadily to a higher place, where an incredibly precise and intense spotlight shone down from the dome, completely enveloping him.
Please enjoy this play entitled "[Those Who Were, Are Now, Are Forever]".