Tears fell without a sound.
The fragile sense of comfort that dozens of photos had painstakingly built upon the girl's face shattered in an instant, vanishing like bubbles after just a few words.
Warm droplets fell one after another, bleeding across the blank photograph. In the dim, lightless room, a faint sob carried inexpressible sorrow into every corner.
The sound was small—stifled in her chest as if afraid someone might hear.
But such restraint is only temporary. A cup overflows when full; a heart, when overwhelmed with grief, consumes all else.
In the end, the girl broke down completely.
What began as stifled weeping soon turned into unrestrained crying, as if a demon named Sorrow had taken hold of her body.
Heartache spread uncontrollably; tears fell like rain, dripping ceaselessly onto that blank photograph.
"How cruel... this is just too cruel..."
Her voice trembled, blurred by tears. Yet the gentle smile in her memory remained vivid and clear.
"How can you do something like this... and still expect me to keep our promise...?"
"I just can't do it..."
She lifted her arms, slow and weak, and gathered the photos to her chest—as though embracing someone who was no longer there.
"But if it's just this once... if I allow myself this one small act of selfishness..."
"I'm sure you'd allow it... wouldn't you?"
Just before exhaustion overtook her consciousness, she whispered those words.
The date was June 1st.
From making a promise to breaking it—Firefly needed only a single day.
--+--
Lumine: 「My friend, are you trying to kill me?!」
Stelle: 「Bai Heng... he might just be a character from a parallel world, a bubble universe that doesn't exist here. And you—whoever set up this live stream—don't let me find you.」
Stelle: 「When I do, my vengeance will be more fierce than the Hunt!
My methods more thorough than Destruction!
My memory deeper than Remembrance!
My patience more enduring than Nihility!
My plans more perfect than Erudition!
My moral limits more twisted than Elation!
My desires purer than Abundance!
And in the end—I will compose a hymn of Harmony with your very flesh!」
Sparkle: 「We have a term for behavior like yours—impotent rage~」
Kiana: 「Why did I have to watch that... I would've been okay if it ended with their separation...」
Sparkle: 「Don't worry, Firefly and Bai Heng will meet again soon~」
Pela: 「Oh? Does Miss Sparkle have some unique insight?」
Kiana: 「Could it be like they promised? That one day, when planets align and universes shift, they'll see each other again? Suddenly excited.jpg!」
Sparkle: 「A promise? You actually believe in those? What's really going to happen is: longing will eat away at her like poison, spreading through every part of her. Her Entropy Loss Syndrome will get worse each day, until she can't even stay conscious.
In her final moments, Firefly will whisper: "Ah... finally I get to see you. I kept our promise, just like we said. You'll praise me... won't you?"」
Stelle: 「You! Masked! Fool! You! DESERVE TO DIE! A thousand deaths won't be enough!」
Sparkle: 「We're all grown-ups here. Time to learn to find your own angst to feast on, right?」
Raiden Mei: 「I originally felt some regret about how things ended for Mr. Bai Heng and Miss Firefly... but after hearing Miss Sparkle's version, I feel almost relieved...」
Welt: 「Everyone reacts differently to losing someone they love. What Mr. Bai Heng left Miss Firefly was a powerful belief. Perhaps today's collapse is only temporary.」
March 7th: 「Uncle Welt... don't tell me you also had a...」
Welt: 「Ahem! Don't jump to conclusions, March. It's just that in my world, there was someone who one day found redemption for his entire life... and then spent the rest of that life trying to redeem the one who saved him. He even broke through the Imaginary Tree to create a world where she existed.」
March 7th: 「That sounds like a really moving story...」
Welt: 「........」
Otto Apocalypse: 「Oh? I believe I heard an old friend mentioning something about me?」
Welt: 「Otto! You █████████—!」
Dan Heng: 「......」
March 7th: 「I've never seen Uncle Welt like this before...」
Stelle: 「Never mind that for now! Archbishop Otto! Take our Firefly and break through the Imaginary Tree one more time! Make a world where Bai Heng exists!」
--+--
As everyone remained lost in the heaviness of that final scene, the live stream screen gradually dimmed, freezing on the image of Firefly clutching the photos as she fell into a deep sleep.
As if signaling the ending theme, a soft and gentle melody began to play. The opening notes of [If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking] once again reached everyone's ears.
"Birds are born with no shackles."
--+--
Amidst that soothing, almost sorrow-dispelling melody, the images on the stream began to shift.
They were glimpses of all the moments the two had shared in Penacony.
Their first meeting... the kiss on the hand in the Iris family's territory... their honest conversation while gazing at each other on the rooftop... the girl mustering her courage to offer a kiss... the boy kneeling on one knee to fasten the Teardrop of Star around her wrist...
Every beautiful moment from those two months was pieced together in fleeting images during those short few minutes.
Watching those scenes, everyone in the stream couldn't help but wonder:
--+--
Kiana: 「What will happen to Miss Firefly in that world from now on?」
Sparkle: 「Like I said—」
Stelle: 「Shut! Up!」
Elysia: 「Carrying Mr. Bai Heng's belief in her heart, Miss Firefly will surely find a way to overcome Entropy Loss Syndrome!」
--+--
Perhaps in response to everyone's questions, or perhaps as part of the intended program, a line of text suddenly appeared on the gradually fading screen, offering an answer to all.
[After years of searching, the "Family" still could not find the "The Place Where Stars Fall." Perhaps they never will.]
[For the Star named Bai Heng did not fall anywhere in Penacony.]
[He fell into the heart of a girl named Firefly.]
[And surely, under the blessing brought by the Aeon of Beauty, all misfortune that young girl suffered will finally be healed.]
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.