"Calm down, calm down!"
March 7th was the first to lunge forward, clinging to Freesna's leg, with a nagging feeling this scene would repeat in the future.
"Don't be swayed by the Guardian's one-sided words!" Stelle urged.
"Ah, the milk tea cup broke." Looking at the shattered glass scattered on the ground, Adrian wore a pained expression.
"The lofty Milk Tea Aeon, on this day, lost THEIR beloved… lost THEIR vessel." Stelle narrated dramatically, playing the role of commentator.
Himeko, still confused, glanced at the unmoved Dan Heng, feeling he was one of the few normal ones in the Astral Express crew.
"You're not going to try calming her down?"
Dan Heng shook his head. "You'll get used to it… Ahem, Bronya and Cocolia's conversation isn't over yet. Shall we keep listening?"
"The Voidrangers here seem to have a special connection to Cocolia. They're repeatedly projecting her image."
"This Voidranger projection's got a big mouth. Can't it control itself a little?" March 7th grumbled.
"March, you're expecting Voidrangers to reason?" Stelle glanced at the speaking Bronya projection.
"I don't understand… If what you say is true, then for the past few hundred years, every Guardian in power resisted the Stellaron Core's call… Were they all wrong, Mother?"
"You still don't see it, Bronya? There's no right or wrong here—only human arrogance and shortsightedness." Cocolia's cold voice rang out again.
"Our ancestors… including Alisa Rand, burned their lives to preserve this civilization, only to fade into silence, their memories scattered by the blizzard."
"They spent their lives composing hymns of human courage, yet never spared a moment to gaze at the stars. To the grander existences in the cosmos, a thousand years is but a speck, and the achievements of a puny race hold no value."
The afterimage turned, and March 7th felt it was looking through Bronya's projection directly at her.
"But I… will not repeat their mistakes, wallowing in self-pity on a doomed path. If persistence is futile, then I choose a new beginning."
Bronya countered, "But Qlipoth of [Preservation], isn't THEY one of the 'grander existences' you speak of? Haven't THEY been protecting Belobog all along?"
"You're wrong, Bronya. Has THEY ever truly looked at us? It's merely the builders' delusions, seeing their god erect walls against foreign enemies and joining in blindly. Utterly laughable."
Adrian's furrowed brow relaxed. With Jarilo-VI's limited knowledge, Cocolia couldn't have said such things. There was only one truth.
Damn that Aha of [Elation]. Of course, THEY had to meddle. Time to deal with that clown.
"Soon, the true voice of grandeur will resound, Bronya… and then, you'll understand my choice."
"Then why… why do you still slander those outsiders as villains of [Eternity]?"
Hearing Bronya's question, March 7th's furrowed brow smoothed out, as if the wrinkles in her cortex were instantly flattened, stretched.
It was like strolling through a lush forest, soaring over a cerulean sea, feeling like a nimble butterfly sipping the first drop of dew after rain.
With a few pets by her side, sitting on a grassland gazing at the horizon, she felt like a pool of clear water, slowly slipping away.
She let go of Freesna's legs, the spark fading from her eyes.
"Ugh~ Let it burn. Priestess Sister, I won't stop you anymore."
No playing around now! That one line from the afterimage rendered all her soothing words useless.
"Hmph, the insignificant [Eternity], daring to compare with [Destruction]…"
Snap!
Adrian snapped his fingers, and the two afterimages turned to dust in an instant.
"Keep talking, and it'll get rude." He handed March 7th a new milk tea.
"Miss March, snap out of it!"
Adrian encouraged her. March 7th was one of the liveliest among the younger generation of the Astral Express.
"Wait, Teacher Adrian, you can just erase that thing?!" Stelle's eyes widened.
"Yeah, aren't you a follower of the [Eternity] Aeon? That jerk Guardian's slandering your boss, and you're not even reacting?" Himeko didn't get it—she was starting to question Adrian's loyalty.
Knowing Aha was behind this, Adrian felt no emotional stir.
"No big deal. The Great Guardian's mindset will be corrected." He glanced at the silent Freesna, thinking it was comfier to slack off at the back of the team.
"Stelle, I've got a question. Can you recreate that [voice] from your dream again?"
"I'll try."
When it was time to get serious, Stelle gave Dan Heng an OK gesture. Any more delays… Bronya and Cocolia could be in mortal danger. The Galaxy Ranger couldn't just stand by.
Stelle closed her eyes, focusing, trying to recall the strange dreams from the past few nights. As her thoughts deepened, voices intruded into her mind—not just one, but many.
[Coco… lia… threat… approaching…]
[It's coming! [Eternity] is almost here!]
[Must… eradicate… must… completely…]
[Quick… embrace [Eternity]!]
[Beware… the silver-haired elf… she's dangerous…]
[Fight, fight!]
Stelle: …
Multiple voices intertwined in her mind, but she felt no pain—just confusion.
"Damn voices… daring to attack the Galaxy Ranger's brain!" She relayed every voice verbatim to the group.
"Hm… This is just my guess, but the voices you heard might be messages the Stellaron Core sent to Cocolia in some way. The reason you can hear them is because the thing in your body… is resonating with this world's [Stellaron Core]."
Himeko had underestimated the Stellaron Core. "So, you're saying the [Stellaron Core] knows we're here… Are we just walking into a trap?"
"Exactly. Bronya's likely the bait."
At the mention of Bronya, Himeko's tone shifted:
"Hmph! No retreat anyway. At least we're prepared, and we won't be intimidated by Cocolia. An ambush? We won't lose!"
"Miss Himeko, you change faces pretty fast."
"For Bronya, forget the small stuff. I'm saving Bronya, crushing Cocolia, and smashing that Stellaron Core to bits!"
"Such rousing words! Well done… Join our [Church of Eternity]!"
Freesna looked up, and Adrian gave her a thumbs-up.
"Still promoting the Church at a time like this? Nice work! Worthy of the priestess personally appointed by the Aeon of [Eternity]!"
"That's the focus?!"
March 7th shook her head, snapping out of her slump. If Cocolia was set on seeking death, she wouldn't stop her.
"Ah, it's like a children's story where the prince slays the dragon and marries the princess! Miss Himeko's got some serious guts. What are we waiting for? Let's move!"