Now playing—I Will Ignite the Ocean!
After the familiar black screen transition, the image gradually cleared, and the camera finally settled in front of Stelle.
Acheron walked to Stelle's side, stopped, just pursed her lips, and lowered her eyes. After a while, she stooped down, as if gathering something with her hand, then rose again.
"May death end your long dream… and lead you back… to the waking world."
Stelle stood motionless, her eyes empty and unfocused, staring straight at the ground. The remembrance (Firefly) on the ground was slowly dissipating into the air, until only half of a disappearing phone remained. Stelle, as if frozen, suddenly squatted down in a daze, reaching out to try and touch the phone.
The phone screen still displayed an unsent message and a group photo. The two people in the photo smiled brightly and happily.
The moment Stelle picked up the phone, the phone, which had half dissipated, completely turned into a dream bubble and rapidly vanished in her hand, as if it had never existed.
Qingque: Opening shock.
Stelle: Why is it still replaying to whip the corpse! This is too much!
Seele: Before that, she still wanted to send the group photo...
Natasha: But, who was she planning to send it to?
Stelle, whose mood had gradually calmed down after a day, felt her eyes welling up with tears upon seeing this scene, a sorrow as if she was experiencing it herself.
"Her death is so strange…" March 7th's quiet murmur was heard by Stelle, and she also turned her gaze.
Upon seeing this, March 7th stammered, "You think, this monster flew straight at Firefly, and then just left, completely ignoring you guys. This looks like a deliberate attack no matter how you look at it."
"Little March is right, Stelle. The person behind this is clearly trying to do something, and after being exposed… The key is to be careful they don't jump the gun."
"Exactly, exactly," March 7th said, gaining more confidence when she saw Himeko supporting her. "Look, she even wanted to send a group photo of you two. There's definitely something fishy going on."
Stelle just felt her head heavy and nodded without saying anything more.
On the screen, Black Swan said in a low voice, "I just contacted Miss Himeko. She entrusted me to bring you two back to reality. Stelle… I'm glad to see you're well. Let's go, and we can talk once we're in a safe place."
"Miss Black Swan, aren't you planning to open a… portal, or something?" Acheron asked, puzzled.
"Hmm… I don't recommend doing that. Her mental state is still unstable, so we should try to avoid that kind of rough movement," Black Swan responded softly.
"And—while evacuating, we can also do more for Miss Firefly, can't we? There are still some traces she left behind nearby. Before they completely disappear, let them become your Memory."
"If we can investigate along the way, that would be good too," Acheron said, nodding in agreement after a moment of contemplation.
Stelle remained frozen in place, seemingly not having come back to her senses.
Then, Black Swan stepped forward to Stelle, closing her eyes, and gently comforting her, saying, "Relax—you'll be fine."
Comforted by Black Swan, Stelle's emotions seemed to gradually stabilize, and her originally paper-white face slowly regained some color. She nodded slightly in agreement and said softly, "I'm fine… Let's go."
As her words fell, the three of them walked together in another direction towards the hotel.
However, as they walked, Black Swan suddenly stopped, murmuring thoughtfully, "Strange… In the remembrance here… why is there suddenly a little bit of heat?"
Acheron nodded: "You noticed it too. It's like something is burning…"
"There seems to be some charred debris over there. It looks like we'll have to slow down. Be careful," Black Swan said.
They continued forward, discovering more and more Memory Zone Meme debris along the way. These remnants were different from those Acheron had defeated before; they seemed to have been attacked by powerful energy weapons, burned to a charred crisp.
The three continued to advance, but unfortunately, there was no path to the target area ahead. Black Swan then chose to give an on-site lesson on how to smash through the floor in a dream using certain methods. After that, the three passed through the broken floor and landed on a lower level.
This looked like a monitoring room, with a large number of display screens arranged around, flashing various images and data. In the center of the room, a virtual image of Firefly floated quietly.
Fu Xuan: Although it's a dream, many things are no different from reality.
Herta: These virtual images seem very similar to the initial dream, only they appear more illusory.
Asta: Really? Could the ones in that space also be created by a Recollector?
Black Swan: Not so. I cannot determine how the initial dream was formed; it is very mysterious.
"Is this Firefly?" Stelle asked suspiciously.
"Yes. These are her Memories left in this room. The slight tremors on the ground, the reflections flashing on the screens, the flow of remembrance… I gathered them and re-presented them in fragmented form," Black Swan explained.
"As for the context… we'll need to sort it out a bit. Hurry up, this scale of Memory re-presentation is very taxing on me."
HuoHuo: True, her voice and face are still here.
HuoHuo: But, I always feel like it's another round of nesting dolls. However, thinking about it this way, could our current actions also be presented to others for their viewing pleasure?
March 7th: Wh-what? That sounds a bit scary.
HuoHuo: See, we can see these future events through the viewing live stream, so who can guarantee that everything we are doing now—like what I'm saying—won't be seen by others again?
Qingque: Like a Recollector's Memory reading?
Black Swan: That's different, but Memory does not lie, and all experiences will live forever in Memory.
"That thing I met with Stelle, if I'm not mistaken… it must be related to the Clockmaker," Firefly's virtual image said.
"She mentioned your name," Acheron said, turning her gaze to Stelle, as if observing her reaction to the words.
"She calls you that behind your back too, so it seems your relationship is indeed good," Black Swan said with a teasing tone. "She seems to be sharing her discovery with someone, and… it's related to the Clockmaker."
"She doesn't even know she'll become a victim…" Hearing Black Swan's words, Acheron's voice became somewhat heavy.