---o---
The colors of twilight slowly faded as night once again draped itself over the sky.
The amusement park remained lit. The exhausted children were asleep in the hotel, while the others continued to wander through the park.
Kalpas had already smashed the "King of Strength" machine to pieces with a single punch.
Mobius and Klein were watching a movie with VR glasses on.
Eden stood on the hotel roof, swirling a wine glass and singing tunes from the past.
Elysia held a pair of binoculars, observing the duo on the Ferris wheel with great interest.
"Father, thank you for the gift you prepared for the children today," Aponia said suddenly, watching the moon draw ever closer.
"It was nothing. I had a great time myself. You, on the other hand, were with the children the whole time and barely got to enjoy anything."
Leaning back against the soft seat, Fu Li seemed a bit nonchalant.
This relaxing trip wasn't just for the children; it was also for his weary friends.
Just seeing their heartfelt smiles made Fu Li feel that any amount of exhaustion was worth it.
Suddenly, he felt a cool sensation in his hand.
"Father, this is for you."
"What is this?" Lowering his head, Fu Li looked at the stone carving that had been pressed into his hand.
The carving technique was a bit rough, and the details weren't handled perfectly, but the subject of the praying nun was clearly Aponia herself.
"It's a stone carving I made myself. There's nothing special about it. If I had to give it some meaning…"
At this, Aponia paused, as if organizing her thoughts.
"This is the first gift I have ever made and given to another person. Does that count?"
"Of course. I'm honored," Fu Li nodded, carefully putting it away.
While this wasn't the first gift Aponia had given him, the sentiment it contained was impossible to ignore.
"Father, did you know? I'm so grateful that you could become my anchor."
"Without you, perhaps I would not be who I am today. I would have continued as before, making some… unwise attempts."
"Until the strings of fate had completely entangled me, pulling me down into the abyss."
The Ferris wheel reached its highest point and began its slow descent with the passage of time, like the hands of a clock counting down the final moments of this celebration.
"If one day, the threads of fate try to pull you into the abyss, then I will once again crush that fate."
Fu Li looked at Aponia, his expression serious.
"Is that so?" Aponia replied, almost jokingly. "Then until that time, I will be waiting for you in the darkness."
Until you pull me out from it.
---o---
[The night of revelry came to an end. As the sun rose, the amusement park was once again abandoned.]
[You all boarded the bus and returned to The MOTHs Who Chase the Flame.]
[The past is gone, but a new life will continue.]
[But you believe that the beautiful memories will remain in their hearts forever.]
[You begin to recalibrate the Divine Key, occasionally taking time to learn manual carving from Aponia.]
[Seven months later, the Eleventh Herrscher descends. The Heavenly Punishment Plan you formulated—to assassinate it with an orbital weapon the instant it awakens—fails.]
[This is because the Herrscher of Binding awakened three months earlier than in the previous simulation, causing all plans targeting it to fail.]
[After the plan failed, although you were severely countered by its abilities, you still managed to execute it one step ahead of Kevin.]
[However, excluding Ania, Windsor, and Yvonne who did not participate in the battle, the number of MANTISes was reduced to just 13.]
[For a time, the entire MOTHs organization and the rest of humanity were plunged into terror once again. They could already see the end of the world.]
[Aponia asks for your permission to impose a precept upon them: 'Never give up hope in the fight against the Honkai'.]
[You agree.]
[Not long after, Sakura's younger sister, Rin, is detected to have a Herrscher constitution and is imprisoned.]
[Using Venom as a threat, you make a demand to the MOTHs' high command: you and Aponia will be responsible for guarding Rin.]
[Leveraging your authority, you gain the right to guard Rin alongside Aponia, waiting for Dr. MEI to create the Black Box.]
[After obtaining the Black Box, you use the New Second Divine Key to extract the Herrscher Core from Rin's body and seal it within.]
[The Herrscher of Corruption is dead before it is even born.]
[Kalpas's friendship with Aponia does not rupture, as Rin did not die.]
[Sakura's hostility towards you vanishes, replaced by gratitude.]
[But Aponia has a new question.]
---o---
"Father? Can you also foresee the future?"
In the chapel of The Deep End, Aponia asked with a hint of curiosity, all while carving a stone statue in her hands.
As the person who spent the most time with him, she had observed all of Fu Li's actions.
While she had been the one to predict the Herrscher of Binding, she had never spoken a word about the Herrscher of Corruption.
Yet, Fu Li had begun developing the New Second Divine Key specifically to counter the Herrscher of Corruption a full year in advance, and he had achieved perfect success.
This made her suspect that Fu Li might also possess the ability of foresight.
"Foresight? No, I don't have such an ability," Fu Li's tone was somewhat heavy.
"Is that so?" Aponia stopped her work.
She could tell that there was a hint of self-blame in Fu Li's heart.
"Father, are you still blaming yourself?" she asked with concern.
"A little," Fu Li did not deny it.
In truth, he had an unprovable theory as to why the Herrscher of Binding had appeared early.
The Tarot Card—Wheel of Fortune.
When you toy with fate, fate is also watching you.
Even though he had been careful when using it, the flap of a tiny butterfly's wings could still trigger a tsunami.
"Father."
Aponia set down her stone carving and sat beside Fu Li, comforting him like a close friend.
"...I don't know how to make you forget those things."
"But those threads suspended in the air follow their owners closely, unable to be touched."
"And while I can see their existence, I can never change their direction, not even by the slightest degree."
Fu Li didn't speak. He simply stretched out his hand, and a butterfly specimen appeared in his palm.
It was a butterfly of exceptionally vibrant colors, its body pierced by a pin, firmly bound within a small box.
"Aponia, don't you think we're a lot like it?"
"No matter how we struggle, even in death, we are still bound by these threads of fate."
"Nia-jie, can you see the threads above my head? What do they look like, and where do they lead?"
Before she could answer, his index finger gently rested on her lips.
"Don't answer. Let's leave some mystery for both of us. Answer this question for me next time."
"Perhaps by then, our destiny will have changed once again."