The single line of text didn't use any complicated words—it just plainly stated a fact.
And when the viewers in the livestream saw that message, they were all quietly stunned.
Having followed along this far, they clearly understood what kind of misfortune had been haunting Firefly.
—Entropy Loss Syndrome.
An irreversible disease caused by a genetic defect.
And now, though the stream didn't show any visuals, the text clearly displayed the word: "Healed."
Which meant that in that world, Firefly's Entropy Loss Syndrome had very likely already been cured.
This outcome brought a wave of quiet joy to everyone in the stream—but along with that joy came another feeling.
Loneliness.
The gentle youth named Bai Heng had upheld the promise he made to the girl until the very end.
—To give her all the beauty life could offer in the limited time they had left.
Without a doubt, he had done it.
--+--
Lumine: 「The Place Where Stars Fall… that's the wondrous spectacle that appears when the life of a Star Child reaches its end. Where it lands, the blessing of the Aeon of Beauty blooms, and everything around is touched by grace…」
Stelle: 「Exactly! And this star… fell right into Firefly's heart!」
Kiana: 「And from the description in the text, it looks like this power might even be able to cure Miss Firefly's Entropy Loss Syndrome!」
Stelle: 「@Sparkle, say something, you angst-monger! Say something!」
Sparkle: 「Fine, let's try another version then. Under the blessing of the Aeon of Beauty, Firefly's Entropy Loss Syndrome was cured. No matter when or where, she kept the promise she made to that boy. But even as her beauty faded and her body grew frail, she never saw that boy again.
In her final moments, she whispered softly: 'I miss you… I wish I could see you one more time…'」
Sparkle: 「So, which one do you prefer? This one or the earlier version?」
Stelle: 「Beep—beep! You—beep!」
March 7th: 「Okay, sure, the language is a little rough, but this time? Good clapback! Hehe!」
Black Swan: 「Still, what an ending. A fleeting meteor used everything it had to keep a faint firefly glowing… I have to admit, even I'm a little moved.」
Elysia: 「Speaking of Miss Firefly! I can't wait to hear what she thinks!」
Silver Wolf: 「She's basically watching a memorial stream of her late husband—you really think she's gonna be in any state to share thoughts?」
Elysia: 「Late husband memorial… oh. Oh. Is Miss Firefly… doing okay? Now that you mention it, she hasn't said anything in a while.」
Silver Wolf: 「Hmm… She locked down all the access points to her room. I can't see inside, but… she's probably fine? Maybe?」
Lumine: 「That was not convincing at all…」
--+--
Was Firefly okay?
The answer was no.
In her darkened room.
Firefly's breath caught as she took in the final lines of text that had appeared on the stream.
"The Star named Bai Heng did not fall anywhere in Penacony…"
"He fell into the heart of a girl named Firefly…"
"Surely, under the blessing brought by the Aeon of Beauty, all the misfortune that girl suffered would finally be healed…"
Her lips pressed tightly together, Firefly repeated the words quietly, her expression complicated.
Before this, she had always believed that what the stream showed was a story from another parallel world or inside a bubble universe.
But as the stream went on, fragmented images and intense feelings of déjà vu tangled together, gradually surfacing in her mind.
That belief began to waver.
She recalled earlier, during the stream chat, how Lumine—who had learned about her identity through the broadcast—had asked how she was feeling.
Back then, Firefly's reply had been: "It's not all that bad… really. And I've been feeling better lately."
That wasn't just her trying to comfort the other—it was the truth.
Some time ago, she had started to feel her body slowly recovering. The process was subtle, almost imperceptible, but undeniably real.
Though puzzled by this change, she hadn't dwelled on it at the time, chalking it up to a sudden miracle or perhaps a final flare of energy before her Entropy Loss Syndrome consumed her completely.
But now, the description in the stream offered an answer.
[Surely, under the blessing brought by the Aeon of Beauty, all the misfortune that girl suffered would finally be healed.]
Unlike "Yaoshi," "Idrila" did not possess miracles that could reverse life and death.
The power It embodied was the manifestation of "Beauty."
But this "Beauty" was not merely skin-deep.
The soul, one's nature, the inner self—anything capable of producing beauty fell within Idrila's domain.
Even fleeting moments of beauty, like the spark when two lovers' eyes meet in the simplicity of daily life, or the innocent laughter of children—anything that added a touch of color to the world could be encompassed by this idea.
Because such things were beautiful in their very essence.
And it was precisely this kind of power that served as the absolute antidote to the despair embodied by "Entropy Loss Syndrome."
Reading those words, a small hypothesis began to form in Firefly's mind.
Maybe…
Maybe those events didn't happen in some other parallel world.
Perhaps meeting that Star Child in Penacony, opening their hearts to one another, accepting each other, then walking hand-in-hand through that festival star… all of it really happened.
But due to some unknown reason, or some other factor… she had lost those memories…
In the darkness, the girl's expression gradually grew firm.
For now, it was only a hypothesis—but there were many ways to find out the truth.
Penacony, the Planet of Festivities.
The boy named Bai Heng had left countless traces of himself with her on that planet.
There, she would surely find her answers!
--+--
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.