"But now that I think about it…" Sparkle turned her gaze back to Yun Fan, a trace of hesitation flickering in her eyes.
Kidnapping Yun Fan had been nothing more than a spur-of-the-moment whim—she hadn't given it much thought beyond wanting to see that pink-haired girl throw a tantrum.
But now, she wondered if she'd made a mistake. She didn't believe she could keep him under control forever. Just as Sparkle rubbed her chin in contemplation, a faint stinging sensation suddenly pricked her arm.
Looking down, she saw that tiny golden patterns, like serpentine tongues, had coiled around her slender arm without her noticing. Within those patterns, golden energy pulsed and flowed like blood.
"Hmph~"
Sparkle scoffed, her plum blossom pupils shifting as the power of Elation granted by Aha circulated through her, suppressing the golden markings once more.
"This Stellaron's corrosion is really something. If not for the power of Elation Aeon, I might not have been able to keep it in check."
"But this isn't a long-term solution. I'll have to find a way to extract this Stellaron sooner or later."
—————————————
"Dan Heng! Dan Heng! What do we do?! Yun Fan got kidnapped by that wicked woman! Dan Heng!…" March 7th shook Dan Heng's shoulders vigorously, her voice thick with urgency.
As for the others outside the Trailblazers, they remained silent. In their eyes, Yun Fan had risked himself to resolve Belobog's crisis—now that something had happened, all they could do was try to console his companions.
"March, stop…"
Dan Heng's vision darkened—he felt like March 7th was about to shake yesterday's dinner right out of him. But how could an anxious March possibly listen? Her shaking showed no signs of stopping. Seeing this, Stelle eagerly stepped forward as if ready to join forces with March.
"March, listen to me—don't panic!"
With no other choice, Dan Heng firmly gripped March's shoulders, forcing the Intertwined Fate enthusiast to settle down.
"Yun Fan will be fine. Don't forget, he's the strongest among us. If none of us were affected, how could he possibly fall under an illusion?"
"Ah… That does make sense…" March's dwindling intellect, eroded by panic, slowly returned. Now that she thought about it, Yun Fan was the most mysterious Emanator of Causality—how could he possibly lose to a mere Masked Fool? It was unthinkable!
Ding-ding!
Right then, the phones of the Astral Express crew chimed simultaneously. Unlocking them, they found an unread message in their inbox.
The sender? Yun Fan himself.
"It's a message from Yun Fan!" Overjoyed, March immediately opened the email and read it carefully. However, her expression quickly soured.
"How could this be…?"
[Dan Heng, March, Stelle—I've discovered something interesting about this Masked Fool, so I'll have to delay things for a bit. I'm heading to Penacony with her now. If I recall correctly, the Express's next stop is that Planet of Festivities, right? Let's meet there.]
"Stelle… Do you think Yun Fan really got controlled by that Masked Fool?" March's eyes were hollow, her energy visibly drained.
"Uh…" Stelle wasn't sure how to answer. After some deliberation, she shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Then why is he going to Penacony with her?"
"Hmm…" This stumped the Trailblazer. She wasn't a mind reader—how would she know?
"I think…" Stelle hesitated before speaking under March's hopeful gaze. "Maybe because that Masked Fool is cute?"
March 7th: "..."
——————————————
Several days later…
On a barren, lifeless planet, our protagonist, the great Sparkle, floated in midair, enveloped by the power of Elation. At her chest, a gem-encrusted golden goblet flickered in and out of visibility, seemingly serving some special purpose.
"Stellaron… separate—!"
With Sparkle's sharp cry, the Stellaron that had once been fused with her was forcibly extracted by the power of Elation. It fell onto the planet's crust, quickly sinking into the ground and vanishing.
Having accomplished this, Sparkle seemed utterly drained. Her brocade robes and Huntian Ling dissipated, reverting to her original red minidress.
"Hah… hah…" Drenched in sweat, Sparkle weakly rubbed her forehead before collapsing onto the ground to recover what little strength she had left. Her damp clothes clung to her, her modest chest rising and falling with each breath—a sight that, alas, no one was present to admire.
Hm? Yun Fan, you ask?
Sparkle wasn't sure if Yun Fan would remain under her control after she dissolved her fusion state. So, being cautious, she had simply left him on a nearby asteroid, planning to check on him after finishing her task.
If he was still under her illusion, she'd take him along to Penacony. As Nameless travelers journeying across the cosmos to uphold the Aeon of Trailblaze's will, the Astral Express crew had surely received an invitation from The Family, right?
Then, she could tease that pink-haired girl again. Of course, that wasn't the real reason she wanted to bring Yun Fan along—the true reason was his combat prowess.
Even if he couldn't unleash his full strength while controlled, he would still be an invaluable asset once chaos erupted in Penacony.
"Time to go check if that guy's still under my spell."
Meanwhile, on a small asteroid not far from the barren planet…
"Yawn~"
Yun Fan, still pretending to be ensnared, leaned against a protruding rock, bored out of his mind. His eyes betrayed a hint of impatience.
"That brat Sparkle—how long does it take to extract a Stellaron? Did Aha give her some knockoff power or something?"
"Oh Ahahahaha… Aha feels so ashamed…"
Yun Fan massaged his temples. Speak of the devil—mention Aha, and here he comes. What was this Aeon of Elation even doing all day? Hadn't Yun Fan already taught him how to break free from the constraints of the Origin? Instead of focusing on his cultivation, why was he bothering Yun Fan again?