Hearing this, the audience was already dumbstruck.
...
: Holy shit! Oronyx knows how to act dumb?!
: Pfft… bro, don't mess around!
: Huh??? Who?! Since when did Stelle become a mom?!
: This isn't right, is it?!
: Damn, I've seen Titans fight before, but this is the first time I've seen a Titan acknowledge a mom.
: Stelle: Just standing in the temple, and suddenly a kid falls from the sky.
: This Amphoreus really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, damn!
...
The comments went crazy.
Everyone present was utterly confused.
Stelle was even more shocked. She froze completely, standing stiffly in place.
No matter how she thought about it… She couldn't understand how she had suddenly become a mother.
Just as everyone descended into chaos, Oronyx continued calling out.
And Castorice kept translating for everyone.
"Mother? Mother..."
"Is that you... Is that you? Mother... encountered you. She misses you..."
"Follow me... Please follow me. I see you... She also misses you. We want to see everything about you."
After hearing this sentence, everyone finally realized there had been a misunderstanding.
Oronyx was indeed calling out to Stelle, but the word "mother" wasn't being directed at Stelle.
However, the true meaning behind Oronyx's words still left everyone shaken.
Dan Heng was also dumbstruck "Is that Titan extending an invitation to Stelle?"
"You… know… this Titan's… mother?!"
As the only person present who could understand the Titan's language, Castorice's heart was surging like stormy waves.
If she hadn't misunderstood, then after seeing Stelle, Oronyx had clearly become agitated.
And it even revealed that its mother missed Stelle… missed her?!
This… This was way beyond the scope of anything reasonable.
Castorice felt her head spinning.
And Phainon, whose patience had run out, also wore a stunned expression of Who am I? Where am I?
He had been ready to seize the Coreflame.
Yet now he was hearing a shocking piece of gossip, a story that had to be told between a Titan's mother and a visitor from beyond the stars who had just entered Amphoreus…?
The melodrama was so absurd that even Phainon felt his limits being tested.
This young man, who had just made up his mind to slay the Titan and forcibly take the Coreflame, was now completely dumbfounded.
The fighting intent on Phainon's face was erased as if by an eraser, replaced with shock and blankness.
He shook his head hard. He even began to suspect that the pressure had gotten to him and he was hallucinating.
Phainon's gaze shifted back and forth between Stelle and Oronyx.
The sentence "I need your Coreflame", which had been on the tip of his tongue, got forcibly stuck in his throat.
A thousand words, in the end, all collapsed into one sound. "Huh?!"
Stelle was already so anxious she was about to jump in place.
"I… I don't know either!"
She stared at Oronyx and shouted in panic, "Hey, you! If you've got something to say, say it properly! Don't spread rumors! When did I ever know your mother?!"
"Speak properly! Don't slander me out of thin air!" Stelle's voice became incoherent due to extreme shock and her desperate attempt to distance herself.
She was completely stunned!
What the hell! Since when did Titans play this kind of game?!
The comments also became chaotic and joyful at this moment.
...
: Hahahahahaha!
: I'm dying, Phainon's expression went from 'ready to risk it all' straight to 'what the hell,' it's too funny.
: Even Miss Castorice is totally dumbfounded.
: Why is this so funny, damn it!
: The atmosphere was serious just a second ago, and now it's suddenly pure comedy!
: I don't even want to fight anymore, I just want to eat popcorn!
: So why exactly does Stelle know Oronyx's mother? I can't take this.
...
On screen, Stelle explained to Dan Heng with grief and indignation, "I really didn't do anything!"
"I know. Maybe something went wrong somewhere?" Dan Heng nodded, though his expression still carried deep shock.
But at that moment, Oronyx spoke again.
After listening, Castorice's expression became especially vivid.
"Come with me... Follow me and join me... as we look far into your past..."
"Waiting... Hate waiting.."
After Castorice finished translating, Stelle already wore an utterly doomed expression.
Great.
Now there was no way to explain this anymore.
"I… I don't know. I can't fully understand," Castorice said in shock.
"But if the other party is willing to make contact, maybe we can avoid fighting." Suppressing countless questions, Phainon looked at Stelle and said, "How about… giving it a try?"
"I…" Stelle wanted to refuse, but after opening her mouth, she swallowed her words back down.
Damn it!
She was going to see for herself what this was all about!
"Fine! I agree!" Stelle nodded heavily.
Her eyes glared fiercely at Oronyx.
After hearing Stelle accept, Oronyx stopped speaking.
A unique power began to gather across the mist.
Specks of starlight gradually spread.
Aside from Stelle, everyone else retreated several steps, distancing themselves from her.
Both to give the space to Stelle, and to stay on guard, if danger appeared, everyone except Castorice would rush in immediately to help.
However, Stelle could no longer feel her companions' concern.
Under the influence of that power, a strong wave of drowsiness surged up from her heart.
She once again fell into a special state that was neither clearly memory nor dream.
The screen went black and lit up again.
A pink, fluffy creature appeared in the center of the frame.
It had a pair of large ears like a rabbit's, and a fluffy, oversized tail.
Its big eyes contained star-shaped pupils. Its entire body was pink-and-white in color.
Of course, those pink little paws displayed to the camera were unbelievably cute.
You could even clearly see the pink pads on its feet!
If you had to describe this creature in one word,
Cute.
In two words,
Super adorable!
From the moment Mem made its first appearance, it instantly captured the audience's hearts, regardless of age or gender.
…
: Wow!! What is this, so cute!
: Holy crap! My HP bar is empty!
: This is way too adorable!
: It's too cute, I'm done for!
: What kind of cute creature is this?!
: Wait, is this what Oronyx wanted Stelle to see?
: Haven't we seen this before? I remember when we first arrived in Amphoreus, there was also some pink unknown creature?!
: Sorry, I have sinned.
: You guys…
...
The comments swept past.
On screen, Stelle slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at the creature in front of her and asked blankly: "It's you again... Where do you want to take me?"
The words spoken by the pink creature, were all hazy, indistinct syllables. In that instant, the audience thought of the dream Stelle had before. In that dream, she had heard the same indistinct sounds.
"It's you. It's me. Where? With you." The pink creature's words were still fragmented and disordered.
But this time, Stelle seemed to understand its meaning.
"You want to look into... my memories?" Stelle asked.
"Yours. Look into? Curious." The pink creature spoke haltingly: "Future? Past. Observe. Secrets..."
As the words fell, the surroundings before Stelle flickered violently.
A layer of icy frost spread across the entire screen.
Within the ice. Illusory yet unreal images emerged.
A train!
In an instant, by some unknown power, Stelle was returned once more to the Express.
"This is... the Express? No, is this... a memory?" Stelle looked around in confusion.
"Where? Here." The pink creature's voice echoed inside her mind.
Stelle couldn't understand it at all. She could only follow the voice and move forward.
Very soon. She passed through the cars and arrived at the party car.
Here another version of herself was chatting with Dan Heng and Himeko.
"Is that... me?"
"There's also Himeko and Dan Heng... What memory is this?"
Stelle understood. This was likely a fragment of a memory buried in her mind. She subconsciously stepped closer, wanting to hear what her past self was saying. But after listening for a while, she realized something was wrong.
It wasn't herself. It was Himeko and Dan Heng.
At this moment, Himeko was comforting the Stelle within the memory.
"...We've got a decent harvest this time. Although we deviated slightly from the "script," it's not a big deal."
"Thanks for your hard work, Stelle. I'm very glad that you're not hurt."
Something about the words felt off. And the voice and tone were completely wrong!
It didn't sound like Himeko at all. It sounded like Kafka!
Too strange! Himeko's appearance, yet Kafka's tone.
What? Did the two moms merge into one?!
On screen. Faced with 'Himeko's' questions, the Stelle in the memory remained silent.
And 'Himeko' merely chuckled softly: "Heh... Not going to share what's on your mind? Traveling with two quiet people really makes the trip feel a little lonely."
The Stelle in the memory scratched her head and said in a flat, unfamiliar tone she had no recollection of ever using:
"...I'm hungry."
Hearing that, 'Himeko' seemed troubled: "Is this really the only time you'll say something? Come on, dinner is ready."
Before the Stelle in the memory could respond. Dan Heng, standing nearby with his arms crossed, spoke in a much more familiar voice and tone: "...If possible, can we not have Meat Offal Stew for once?"
"Why?" 'Himeko' turned to look at Dan Heng. "You don't like the taste of home?"
Dan Heng replied in a low voice, "I dislike the gamey taste of offal"
"Hiss…" The Stelle observing this memory, along with the audience outside the screen, all sucked in a sharp breath.
Dan Heng was speaking in Blade's tone. Just how much had he drunk to end up like this?!
"What's going on...? Are these really my memories?" Stelle murmured in disbelief.
The pink creature's voice appeared again: "Memory. Forgotten, chaotic. We. Confusion, uncover."
As the words fell, Himeko and Dan Heng before her suddenly turned into Kafka and Blade.
"Kafka... Blade!?" Stelle frowned deeply and said with absolute certainty:
"No, these aren't my memories... There must have been some mistake."
Yet the pink creature replied firmly: "Memories, discrepancies? Correct. Truth. Depths, hidden. Forgotten. Forgotten..."
Its meaning was clear. There was nothing wrong with the memory. These were memories buried deep in Stelle's mind, ones that had once been forgotten.
Hearing those indistinct words. The audience began to stir. They seemed to realize they were witnessing something extraordinary.
Not Stelle's memories. But the memories of Stellaron Hunter · Stelle?!
On screen. The surroundings flickered once more.
This time, more people appeared.
In another part of the Express, SAM, Blade, Kafka, and Stelle herself were standing together.
"Another set of nonexistent memories... This time, Sam's also here." Stelle muttered as she walked over.
Before she could get close, Sam's voice reached her ears.
"The "script" turned out to be extremely dangerous. It's only because of (Trailblazer)'s quick thinking that we managed to escape."
"Dancing on the razor's edge all the time, it's only a matter of time before disaster catches up with us... Kafka."
After Sam finished speaking, Kafka nodded in agreement.
"I accept your criticism, Sam. Indeed... Because of the "script," I failed to consider the possibility of failure."
"I suppose even Stellaron Hunters could use a retreat signal to respond to dire circumstances."
"There's no time like the present. Why don't we come up with one right now?"
It seemed that this was a memory from after a script had ended.
Stelle observed with interest.
Although Kafka made the suggestion. No one had a good idea regarding the signal.
In the end, Kafka turned her gaze toward Blade.
Blade pondered briefly, then spoke familiar lines.
"Three of a kind..."
"Two pair..."
"Ace."
Blade finished calmly.
Before Kafka could speak, the comments had already exploded.
....
: ????!
: So this is where the foreshadowing gets paid off?!
: I'm actually about to cry, I can't take this!
: I can already imagine how they used this signal to retreat in the past!
: Stellaron Hunters, the Express Crew … holy shit, how is there this much overlap?!
: Dan Heng, Blade, they're both using this code, doesn't that mean they're reminiscing too?!
....
On screen, Kafka also said in surprise: "Ah... It reeks of Xianzhou. Aren't you afraid you'll be bound by your past?"
Blade replied calmly: "It's just a passphrase from the past... No matter. There won't be a need for us to use it."
Here, this set of memories came to an end.
The pink creature's voice appeared once more.
"Not only. This. More. Still more!"
This time, Stelle understood what it meant.
She exclaimed in shock: "What do you mean I can talk to the people in these memories, even ask them directly?!"
Before the pink creature could explain. The scene inside the Express shifted again.
Blade, Firefly, Kafka, Silver Wolf.
These Stellaron Hunters were scattered throughout the Express, as if waiting for Stelle to step forward and speak to them.