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Looking at himself on the screen, Tail's expression smoothly went through the full sequence—from joy, to blankness, to questioning life, to speechlessly appealing to the heavens.
Huohuo, standing beside him, was left completely stunned.
Sylvester felt that, by all reason, he should probably comfort Tail.
With sincere earnestness, he said: "Mm… has anyone ever told you that your performance talent is outstanding?"
"If you debuted, you might even have a chance to become a big star."
"Hah… haha." Tail let out two dry laughs, forcibly holding back the urge to curse. "Your joke isn't funny at all."
Looking at the 'tattoo' on his body, Tail even felt that life itself had lost all meaning.
If I wear the mask and endure forty-nine days of strange looks, I'll become the greatest and most famous disgrace in the history of the Heliobi. An eternal laughingstock—there's no escaping it!
Just imagining walking down the street, being pointed at every second, mocked openly and secretly… that's worse than death!
But if I don't wear the mask, I'll be a useless nobody for life, drooling over the sealed power inside it. That's also worse than death!
Damn it! Every path leads to death—there's no choice at all!
How can Aha be this morally bankrupt? I was only slightly disrespectful, just a tiny bit! Was this really necessary?!
"Try to think positively."
"At least it's personally bestowed by the Aeon of Elation. It can convert your power into the most orthodox Elation-type power."
Tail screeched in a broken voice: "That really is the power of Elation?!"
Sylvester spread his hands and said matter-of-factly: "Yeah. That's Aha for you. THEY love bestowing the power of Elation to people who don't want power of Elation. The Mourning Actors are a prime example."
"Damn it."
Sylvester spoke earnestly: "It's just forty-nine days. That's nothing major. Grit your teeth and it'll pass."
"When the time comes, your strength doubles. Isn't that great?"
"Great?" Tail's nose nearly twisted sideways as his voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth. "How about I give this kind of 'greatness' to you, huh?"
Seeing how furious he was, Sylvester laughed shamelessly. He leaned back in his chair and casually cracked sunflower seeds.
Stabbing straight at the heart, he said: "You're not the one Aha was offended by."
"Besides, even if I really offended THEM, THEY wouldn't be able to do anything to me."
"Hey, relax, relax. Worst case, you just stay home for a month and a half and don't go out. The mask never said how many people have to see you each day."
"When the time's up, you'll immediately be a hero again!"
Sylvester wasn't just mocking him—he did provide a solution.
"Fine!" Tail gritted his teeth viciously.
He flew back to Huohuo's side and said to her: "Find me a room with absolutely no surveillance. Pull all the curtains, turn it into a darkroom, and don't turn on the lights."
"For these forty-nine days, I'm going into closed-door cultivation!"
"Well…" Huohuo hesitated for a long moment, then said: "Alright."
She was most afraid of supernatural things. Even though the [Human Sovereign Banner] could completely suppress them, courage didn't magically fill up overnight.
Forcing a room into a darkroom made her feel like it would attract something unclean.
But Tail's situation was indeed too awkward. To help him, there wasn't much else to say.
After storing Tail back into her tail and holding the mask in her hands, she politely waved. "Shopkeeper Sylvester, goodbye."
With that, she stepped outside.
"Goodbye." Sylvester also waved politely.
Then he saw Aha's avatar step forward to leave as well.
Sylvester asked in confusion: "Why didn't Aha take you along? Do you already know what you're doing next?"
"Of course!"
Aha's avatar said calmly: "I'm going to Exalting Sanctum Plaza to take photos and check in."
Sylvester's eyebrow twitched. "No—wait, you're actually going?"
…
The Adlivun Star System—Main Planet.
On this planet, far larger than ordinary worlds, the once-glorious civilization that covered its surface had long since been slaughtered. Flames burned endlessly across the planet, leaving behind a deafening, oppressive silence.
This grave of civilization was the birthplace of [Destruction].
The structure piercing through the atmosphere was the sole ruler of this land—a towering spire built by the only survivor, and also THEIR throne.
A white-haired man with sharp features sat upon it. THEIR upper body was bare, THEIR musculature powerful and defined.
Yet across THEIR chest, slashing down from THEIR right shoulder, was a horrifying scar that shattered this beauty. Flames occasionally burst forth from it.
More terrifying still, THEIR arms were split apart, maintained in connection to THEIR body by some anomalous power. Beneath the tattered black robe, it was clear that THEIR lower limbs were missing—or perhaps had never existed at all.
The birth of the universe was a mistake. Civilization was a cancer that arose among the stars. To erase the blemishes of existence, THEY became the embodiment of entropy.
The Aeon of Destruction—Nanook.
Nanook, unmoving upon the throne, suddenly raised THEIR head.
THEY sensed a familiar presence. An uninvited guest had arrived.
The space before THEM rippled like disturbed water. A rust-red mask emerged first, followed by an utterly pitch-black humanoid silhouette.
"Aha. Why have you come here?"
Nanook rose proudly.
The cracks on THEIR chest spewed flames like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
This wound had been inflicted by Elation.
But Nanook did not believe Aha had come to fight. This being was overwhelmingly powerful and utterly unpredictable, yet never took the initiative to attack an Aeon.
Precisely because of that, THEIR arrival usually meant trouble.
In a sense, even more troublesome than Nanook THEMSELF.
Yet strangely, Aha did not let out THEIR signature laughter this time. Instead, THEY sighed heavily, looking utterly pessimistic.
This made Nanook take THEM even more seriously.
To make Aha look like this—even burning down the Imaginary Tree and evaporating the Sea of Quanta might not suffice.
"Sigh!" Aha let out a long sigh and shook THEIR head wearily, as if all hope were lost.
"The universe is finished. All of us are heading for the final curtain. It's over. Everything's over."
"What exactly happened?!" Nanook roared in a low voice.
Everything THEY had done was to heal the universe. If what Aha said was true, then all meaning of THEIR existence would vanish.
But something this monumental—how could THEY have felt nothing at all?
Could the gap between THEM truly be that vast?
"Just look at this and you'll understand." Aha pulled out a thin wooden stick.
Nanook leaned in, watching solemnly despite THEIR confusion.
Suddenly, Aha's lips curved into a wicked grin as THEY burst into wild laughter: "Haha—Riddikulus!"
A beam of light struck Nanook, and once the magical glow fully merged into THEIR body—
The massive Aeon of Destruction transformed into a plastic humanoid doll the size of an adult human.
THEY gained two legs, and THEIR arms were properly attached to THEIR torso, though thin seams ran along the joints of the limbs and neck.
A wind-up key was embedded in THEIR chest.
"Haha, got you!"
Aha felt no shame over the blatant ambush—THEY were proud of it.
Grinning smugly, THEY grabbed the key on Nanook's chest. "Hehe, here I turn!"
With a click, the vertical key was twisted sideways. Nanook's five limbs instantly shot outward, freed in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, they were gone, leaving behind only a bare torso.
Aha laughed so hard THEY nearly doubled over.
"Hahahaha—this is way too fun!"
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