"They were young once too, stumbling and bickering just like us. Partners, rivals, journeys, adventures, all the sad and happy memories... the everyday things we're used to, they experienced just as much."
But all of that... is in the past.
"Time will take everything away, cherish the present," Xing whispered comfortingly.
"I know, but what I find hardest to let go of... is [the present moment]."
March 7th's gaze fell upon the sleeping old man, his eyes filled with complex emotions:
"Let me give you an analogy to make it easier to understand: it's like reading a book where the characters always encounter hardships and ultimately meet a regretful end. Our feelings would always be a bit complicated, right?"
Xing shook her head, her tone firm. "No matter what, this is hard to accept."
"Because we've seen every aspect of their lives, we consider these people special."
"So even if it's not that realistic, even if there are illogical parts, I still hope that when the story ends, it will have a happy ending. But..."
March 7th's voice lowered as he gazed at Mikhail: "But what if they... and we... aren't actually that [special]?"
"What were Mr. Mikhail thinking as he sat in this chair, waiting day after day for the Astral Express to arrive? If, at the end of his life, he could still firmly say that he had never regretted it..."
"So now, what is this feeling of regret we have?"
"I think we are all searching for the answer to this question."
Himeko's gentle voice flowed like a clear spring as she spoke:
"The Milky Way is vast, and life is insignificant. The pace of Trailblaze never stops, but on the scale of the universe, an ordinary person can only travel a short distance in a lifetime."
"Yet this extremely short stretch of road, connected to each other, can link countless worlds together. The universe may not remember everyone who leaves a sleeper on the galactic track, but we will remember them."
"As long as we remember, their story is not over."
"And what Mr. Mikhail left us was his answer to this problem. It may not be perfect, but it allowed an old Nameless had experienced many hardships to smile with relief at the end of his life."
"And its significance will be interpreted by us in the future."
"The answer isn't important; what matters is what we can learn from other people's answers... right?"
Himeko nodded. "This is... [ the Trailblaze ]."
"I think..." Welt adjusted his glasses, turning his gaze to Ye Yan, who stood silently to the side, "This is also the meaning of [ Eternity ]'s existence in this world."
All eyes, along with the sense of loss and bewilderment at the fleeting nature of life, converged on Ye Yan.
Ye Yan's expression remained calm. He did not respond to Welt immediately, but instead walked slowly towards the sleeping Mikhail. His fingertips brushed across the void, and a soft, almost invisible ray of light quietly entered the old man's brow, which was etched with the wrinkles of Years.
"Regret..." Ye Yan spoke softly, his voice serene. "This is an echo born of 'limitation.' Miss March 7th witnessed Mikhail's end, then looked back to the beginning, lamenting the journey's haste and the unfulfilled ending."
"Of course, this is not weakness, but rather a deep appreciation for 'existence' itself."
"[ Trailblaze ] is the instinct of life, the courage to ignite the unknown, the star trail connecting the universe." Ye Yan's gaze returned to Welt and Himeko:
"It forges countless 'present moments' into a path to the future, allowing individual footprints to leave their mark within a grand narrative."
Ye Yan slightly raised his hand, his fingertips shimmering with starlight. "When the footsteps of an Nameless reach their end, when the story of an individual comes to a close, time will erase all traces of matter."
His gaze fell upon Mikhail once more, and the child's figure seemed to be enveloped in a warm halo under his gaze.
"But those fervent emotions, those indomitable wills, those lights that constitute the essence of the soul—[ Eternity ]—can allow them to gain another form of [continuation] on the precipice of [vanishment]."
"The 'regret' in our hearts comes from seeing the end... and feeling the constraints of 'limitation'."
Ye Yan looked at March 7th and Xing, his eyes filled with understanding, "And the redemption of ' Eternity ' is not merely a promise of false immortality, but rather a testament that transcends 'finitude'."
"[ Eternity ] tells every life that even though the journey eventually comes to an end, the meaning of the light that has shone, the fire that has been lit, and the emotions that have been given will not be completely swallowed up by time."
" Misha's existence now is the embodiment of this redemption— Mikhail's purest Trailblaze spirit, living on in another dimension through Eternity, with you, shining with the starlight."
Himeko's eyes gleamed with understanding. "So, [ Eternity ] protects the most brilliant spiritual cores of those [ Trailblaze ] paths and history? Allowing them to become a source of strength for those who come after?"
"[ Trailblaze ] is the forward dimension, the creation of a story; [ Eternity ] is the vertical dimension, the preservation of the story's essence."
" The Nameless ignited the flame of [ Trailblaze ], and [ Eternity ] will protect it so that it never goes out."
Mikhail's "regret" may have been predetermined on a physical level, but his spirit—that Trailblaze will—was redeemed and reborn under the protection of " Eternity," becoming a part of the present and even a guide for the "future."
"This... is the peace that belongs only to him in the endless expanse of time."
Ye Yan gazed one last time at the sleeping old man, his voice softening with an unprecedented gentleness. "His waiting, his perseverance, his life... may be as insignificant as dust on the scale of the universe."
"But on the scale of Eternity, the weight of this 'existence,' the purity of this spirit, has been anchored."
"This is also the redemption that [ Eternity ] brings to Mikhail, and to all lives that have left their mark on the universe but will eventually vanish..."
"Wow... Teacher Ye Yan suddenly seems so unfamiliar." March 7th exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Haha~ Sorry, sorry, you've made the atmosphere so heavy— Dan Heng, tell a lame joke to lighten the mood!"
"[ Shut Up ] Are you going to go and unload it from the Party Car?"
"Um... never mind."
"Thinking ahead is never a bad thing." Welt's words, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, rippled across the tranquil garden. "One day, we will all have to face parting."
"But before that, we still have a long road ahead of us."
"Yes, so the most important thing right now is to bring our observations from Penacony to the Conductor."
Himeko crossed her arms and said with a smile, "Then let's get ready and head to the next stop on the [ Trailblaze ]."