Silence. A boundless, deathly silence enveloped the entire Penacony Grand Theater, thick and suffocating. Daziel's arms were stiff, cradling
Silence.
A boundless, deathly silence enveloped the entire Penacony Grand Theater, thick and suffocating.
Daziel's arms were stiff, cradling Firefly. The warmth of the young woman's body was being siphoned away by the void, drop by drop, a bone-chilling cold piercing deep into his soul.
The concept of time had already blurred in his perception. Within his field of vision, there was only the crimson stain in his arms, rapidly spreading—stark, desperate, expanding ceaselessly, devouring his remaining sanity and light.
"Master Daziel, calm down. Don't let a moment of anger and grief completely consume your mind."
Black Swan's voice was like a stray thread of silk drifting from a distant void, ethereal and faint, attempting to pierce through the deafening silence in Daziel's ears.
Daziel abruptly threw his head up. In his scarlet, blood-red eyes, a world-burning rage and a bottomless despair furiously intertwined and clashed, as if they would completely devour Black Swan in the next instant.
"After something like this… how do you expect me to be calm?! Firefly… she did it for me…"
Daziel's voice was broken and hoarse, each word as if torn from the deepest part of his throat with all his strength, carrying a thick, nauseating scent of blood and the pain of shattering.
He slowly lowered his head, his gaze frozen on the paper-white face of the girl in his arms. Remorse and powerlessness, like a bursting black tide, instantly submerged him.
Those once-lively eyes were now forever closed, never again to show him that shy, warm smile.
Black Swan let out a soft sigh. The sound echoed in the empty theater, carrying an ineffable complexity and weight.
"According to the information I extracted from the depths of that little girl Sparkle's memory, if I recall correctly…"
Black Swan's tone paused slightly, as if she were carefully searching her vast library of memories, confirming a crucial detail.
"This little lady from the Stellaron Hunters, her destiny is to experience a cycle of three deaths, is it not?"
"Her previous fall in the Dream's Edge was the first… so this time, it should be the second, right?"
Daziel's entire body shuddered violently, the blood in his veins freezing in an instant.
"And then? She really… Wait, no! Something doesn't feel right!"
A blinding flash of lightning suddenly cut through the haze of grief and despair shrouding his mind.
Certain key details, previously ignored and buried deep in his subconscious due to the intense emotional turmoil, suddenly surged forth.
"Oh? It seems Master Daziel has realized something?"
Black Swan's tone held a subtle hint of knowing and guidance.
Daziel's eyes flickered rapidly, the light in his pupils flaring and dimming. His thoughts, which had been thrown into chaos by extreme grief, began to reorganize and connect at an astonishing speed.
He suddenly remembered the first confrontation between the protagonist team and Sunday in the original story…
That seemingly smooth and clean victory was ultimately exposed by Black Swan's Memokeeper abilities—it was nothing but an illusory dream bubble meticulously woven by Sunday.
Simply because Firefly had "died" in front of him, the sudden, heart-wrenching impact was too immense, too real, that Daziel had subconsciously forgotten this crucial point!
Now, this similar despair, this sudden sacrifice, could it be…
"So, right now… we've actually been inside that bastard Sunday's 'Dream of the One' this whole time, haven't we?!"
Daziel sucked in a sharp breath, trying to keep his voice from trembling, to maintain a semblance of composure.
The fire and grief in his chest, ignited by Firefly's "death," subsided slightly, forcibly suppressed to the deepest part of his heart by his sheer will.
A barely perceptible, faintly appreciative curve touched Black Swan's lips, her eyes glinting.
"As expected of Master Daziel, you catch on so quickly."
Then, Black Swan's tone suddenly shifted, now tinged with a bit of teasing and deep helplessness.
"It really wasn't my intention to slack off and watch you two fight for your lives earlier. It's just that…"
"All of this fighting, all of this sacrifice, from the very beginning, was completely meaningless…"
Black Swan's soft voice, cold and cruel, revealed a chilling truth.
"Because, an even harsher reality is… we are already dead."
"Everyone, including you, Master Daziel, including Firefly, including me, we all died completely in the struggle against that ambitious man—Sunday."
"Even that Phantylia in your coin, who had already grasped the dual powers of Propagation and Destruction, couldn't gain any advantage against Dominicus and ultimately died as well."
Hearing this, Daziel shot a harsh glare at Black Swan.
"Then why didn't you remind me sooner! You made me… for nothing…"
Daziel's voice cut off. He was too embarrassed to say the rest.
I should have thought of it sooner…
He felt a wave of powerlessness, his body uncontrollably stumbling backward, slumping dejectedly to the ground.
At that moment, the body of Firefly in his arms, which should have been cold and stiff, began to shatter without warning, turning into a sky full of twinkling, starlike points of fluorescent light.
The light spiraled upwards, circling and dancing, before finally dissipating completely at his fingertips, leaving not a single trace behind.
Daziel numbly reached out, looking at his empty embrace, feeling the last faint trace of warmth on his fingertips rapidly disappear. He laughed at himself.
I got… too into the role.
So deep that he almost forgot the cruel boundaries of reality, forgot the blurred line between illusion and truth.
What made it even harder for Daziel to believe was that someone as powerful as Phantylia, combined with the strength of himself, Firefly, and Black Swan…
Could actually… actually lose to Sunday?
Is he really that powerful?
This cruel result weighed on his chest, so heavy he could barely breathe.
Black Swan walked over to Daziel with the elegant and lazy gait of a cat. She looked down at him, her eyes holding a strange meaning.
"I just saw how excited and full of fighting spirit you were earlier, Master Daziel, looking like you wanted to completely dismantle that hunk of metal."
Black Swan's red lips parted, her voice carrying a faint tease, but it was quickly tinged with a layer of deep worry.
"I really couldn't bear to interrupt your high spirits at that moment and pour cold water on you."
"It's just… Master Daziel, have you ever thought…"
"Even if we manage to break free from the shackles of this 'Dream of the One' and return to the cold reality…"
"Are we certain… that we can defeat the Sunday who has already mastered the dual Paths of 'Order' and 'Harmony'?"
"You should know, an enemy you can't beat in a dream, you probably… can't beat in reality either."
This seemingly light and airy statement precisely pierced Daziel's heart.
Daziel was silent for a long, long time.
Within the empty and deathly silent Penacony Grand Theater, all that remained was the distant, mountain-like pile of metallic wreckage, occasionally emitting a few faint, unwilling "zzt-zzt" sounds.
After a long while, Daziel suddenly raised his head. In those eyes, briefly filled with despair and confusion, the flames of resolve and determination reignited.
"No matter what, we have to find a way back first!"
"This false victory, this feeling of being played like a puppet by the enemy, I don't want to experience it for another second!"
"Once we're truly awake, we'll plan from there, find a way to completely shatter his symphony!"
Escaping would never solve any problem.
Only by facing it bravely was there a slim chance of survival.
Black Swan gazed at Daziel, her eyes shimmering, a thousand complex thoughts churning within them.
She nodded gently, her voice returning to its usual softness and charm.
"I can use the secret arts of the Memokeepers now to help you, Master Daziel, escape this 'Dream of the One' and return to the narrow space between reality and the dreamscape."
"However… before that…"
Black Swan's figure, like a phantom, closed in on Daziel without warning. Her warm breath, like orchids and musk, gently puffed against his ear, carrying a soul-stirring seduction and ambiguity.
"Can… can we do it one more time, Master Daziel?"
Daziel almost thought he had heard wrong, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor.
He whipped his head around, looking at Black Swan, who was inches away, with disbelief, as if looking at a completely deranged lunatic.
"Are you… are you out of your mind?! Weren't your brains scrambled by that iron lump's sound waves?! Didn't I already use the clock trick to return you to normal?"
Daziel's voice was strained.
"I just went through a life-and-death battle, and I personally witnessed Firefly 'die' in front of me!"
"After such ups and downs, such great sorrow, you think I have the mood… or the energy to do that kind of thing?!"
What is this woman thinking? Did her brain get rewired with casino chips or something?
The light in Black Swan's eyes, which had been sparkling with mischief and charm, visibly dimmed in an instant upon hearing Daziel's words.
She slowly lowered her head, her eyelashes casting a shadow beneath her eyes, her voice carrying a faint, weak tremble and a deep sense of grievance.
"I'm just… I'm just scared."
"I'm scared that… in the future, there might not be another chance… to do this kind of thing with you, Master Daziel."
"I have a very bad feeling, like if you go back this time, you're going to your death, never to return…"
"You should know, I lost my original body many, many years ago. It was you… you who helped me rediscover that long-lost, real feeling of being 'human'."
"If… if we really do return to the real world, I'll go back to being that ethereal memetic body… At that time, even if I want to, I won't be able to…"
Her low whisper, like a dreamy murmur, was like the softest feather, gently stroking Daziel's heart.
Daziel looked at Black Swan's tearful and pitiful appearance, a mix of feelings churning inside him. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"What kind of pre-battle death flag is this?! It's like you're saying if we go back this time, we're guaranteed to lose again, and even worse!"
Daziel shot a contemptuous glance at Black Swan, trying to use a harsh, sharp tone to hide the indescribable ripple that had quietly stirred in the depths of his heart.
"Sob…"
Black Swan let out a suppressed whimper, the grievance and loss in her eyes almost condensing into physical tears.
Daziel took a deep breath, feeling his temples throb as if countless steel needles were stirring inside.
This woman… I'm utterly defeated by her.
He slowly closed his eyes, sinking into the darkness for a few seconds. When he snapped them open again, his eyes were filled with a complex, unreadable emotion.
"Fine… Fine! I really can't do anything about you!"
Daziel's voice was laced with obvious helplessness.
"Then… let's do it…"
"But let me make it clear beforehand. To get you satisfied as quickly as possible, to end this absurd farce, I… will absolutely not show any mercy!"
Daziel practically bit out this sentence, squeezing each word from between his clenched teeth.
The light in Black Swan's dimmed eyes, upon hearing Daziel's words, suddenly re-ignited, shining more brilliantly than ever before.
"Praise be to Master Daziel! Master, you are too good to me!"
Black Swan let out a cry of surprise and joy. With a fervor and obsession that was startling, she threw herself at Daziel.
The sudden impact, soft and elastic, nearly made the already exhausted Daziel lose his footing and stumble backward.
This woman…
This woman is like a repressed maiden of several hundred years, finally unleashed!
Within the Penacony Grand Theater, the cold light remained as before, illuminating the distant, mountain-like pile of wreckage from the battle, which reeked of scorching and destruction.
And upon these ruins, which symbolized despair and failure, a taboo interlude, both absurdly bizarre and morbidly beautiful, quietly played out.
Daziel's ability to conduct an orchestra was in no way inferior to Sunday's!
Black Swan's soft, suppressed panting and her fragmented moans of pain and pleasure intertwined and echoed in the empty, silent theater, composing a fantastical symphony.
An unknown amount of time passed. It felt as long as a century, yet as brief as a moment.
When all the noise and chaos finally returned to peace.
Daziel leaned against the cold, rough surface of a broken wall, feeling as if every muscle and bone in his body had been completely hollowed out, exhausted to the point of collapse.
However, his spirit, in a strange state, had achieved an unprecedented relaxation and tranquility, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.
Daziel tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Black Swan beside him, who was gracefully tidying her disheveled clothes.
At this moment, a flush that had not yet completely faded graced Black Swan's lovely face. Her eyes and brows were filled with a satisfied languor and charm.
"Now… can we go back now?"
Daziel's voice was hoarse with the exhaustion of battle and passion, and a few hints of barely perceptible weakness.
Black Swan gracefully tucked a stray strand of pale purple hair behind her ear, turned her head, and smiled enchantingly at Daziel.
"We can, my dear Master Daziel."
Black Swan's lazy breath brushed past Daziel's ear, carrying a post-coital hoarseness.
"This is enough."
She whispered softly, like a sigh.
"Even if we die this time, this memory between us will be inscribed in the star sea of the Garden of Recollection. I will place it in the most conspicuous position."
The corner of Daziel's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"You'd… you'd better get rid of that idea quickly."
"I have no special fetish for exposing such private matters to be peeped at by Memokeepers I've never met in front of a large audience!"
The one in the Express's observation car who peeps at me every day is already more than enough.
The thought of those all-seeing gazes in the Garden of Recollection made Daziel feel extremely uncomfortable.
Hearing this, a bell-like, crisp laugh escaped Black Swan's lips. Her eyes flowed with the charm of a fox who sees through the human heart, and a trace of imperceptible gentleness.
"Oh my, my dear Master, look how nervous you are."
Her voice was melodious, with a deliberate soothing tone.
"It was just a harmless joke with you, don't take it seriously."
"Rest assured, I am not the kind of strange person who would publicize such private affairs."
Black Swan turned gracefully, her slender fingers tracing a beautiful arc in the air. A deep and mysterious blue light quietly coiled around her fingertips.
She moved with light, lotus-like steps to stand before Daziel. The fingertip, wreathed in light, touched the center of his brow with a slight coolness.
"Then, Master Daziel—"
Black Swan's voice became faint and distant, carrying a certain solemnity and gravity.
"Let us break free from this seemingly endless cycle together."
"And return to that world which is both cruel and real, our own waking world—"
Her voice grew softer and more distant, as if coming from another faraway time and space across countless layers of mist, carrying a fated summons.
"To seek that one and only answer, to grasp that fleeting, single sliver of a chance we have left."
Daziel felt an irresistible, intense vertigo suddenly engulf his entire brain. Heaven and earth seemed to flip and spin in an instant, countless bizarre colors intertwining and shattering before his eyes.
Everything around him began to distort violently, rapidly spreading, and finally dissolving into a chaotic void.
His consciousness, like a kite whose string had been snapped by a fierce wind, lost all its tethers and anchors.
Towards some unknown, distant shore, it sank, it fell…
A sudden cold touch forcibly woke him from the boundless darkness and sinking.
Daziel snapped his eyes open. The jarring light made him instinctively narrow them.
As his vision gradually adjusted, Daziel found himself in the center of a pool filled with a faint mist.
The pool water was crystal clear, yet it was not ordinarily transparent. It shimmered with a strange, stardust-like glow, and the surface rippled as if in a dream.
It was the medium for entering the dreamscape—the Dream Pool.
Daziel shook his still somewhat heavy and aching head, trying to dispel the lingering dizziness.
Everything that had happened in the Grand Theater—the brutal slaughter, the desperate scene of Firefly sacrificing herself to save him, and the final absurd and beautiful entanglement with Black Swan…
Countless chaotic memory fragments, like a bursting tide, poured back into his mind.
"Master Daziel, you're awake?"
A voice, slightly lazy yet incredibly familiar, as if it could charm one's heart, carrying a faint, knowing smile, drifted over from his side.
Daziel turned his stiff neck with difficulty and looked towards the sound.
He saw that Black Swan had woken up at some point and was now lounging lazily against the warm, jade-like edge of the Dream Pool.
She was wearing only a simple, light silk nightgown. The silky fabric clung to her exquisitely curved body, outlining her stunning, graceful figure.
The pool water had wet her clothes and the tips of her hair. Crystal-clear water droplets slid slowly down her pale, delicate skin, reflecting a hazy light, adding an even more stunning charm.
Black Swan's deep, enchanting eyes were now sizing up Daziel, who was still soaking in the pool with a somewhat dazed and confused expression, with undisguised amusement and playfulness.
________
Since the full lemon of Black Swan was just a few chapters ago, I found it redundant to write this one again. There wouldn't be much to add.
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