『 [ "If I take these leaves back… will new flowers bloom?" ]
Kakavasha's voice drifts through the air once more.
[ .... ]
After wandering the labyrinth for a time, aventurine discovers another amulet on the ground, shimmering with a golden light.
[ "The look on your face right now… it truly defies description." ]
[ "This amulet Mother left you is forged from pure gold. Why did you never consider selling it?" ]
[ "If you had, you and your sister could have lived like normal people for a while." ]
[ "Looking back, that was clearly the better choice." ]
The Harmony Aventurine reappears, twisting the knife into Aventurine's heart with ruthless precision.
[ "Mom only left us two pieces of jewelry; a necklace and an amulet." ]
[ "There won't be a third." ]
Aventurine shakes his head.
[ "You've always said that—but actually, you regret it, don't you?" ]
[ "Regret not selling them?" ]
The Harmony manifestation delights in playing the devil's advocate.
[ "Stop looking for things to say." ]
Aventurine replies coldly.
[ "Hah… I understand." ]
[ "You must remember what your sister said back then: You are a child blessed by the Mother Goddess, Gaiathra Triclops. You can lead the clan to happiness. So, always remember to protect yourself, and never resent pain or poverty." ]
[ "The words are still ringing in your ears, aren't they?" ]
[ "You are a good boy. You would never forget." ]
[ "So, you surely haven't forgotten how miserable her final moments were, or how the shrill laughter behind you pierced your heart…" ]
[ "You ran away just like that, without looking back. You did exactly as she said." ]
[ "Tsk tsk… a lifetime of regret." ]
The Harmony Aventurine drags up another traumatic memory, aiming to shatter Aventurine's composure.
[ "That is enough…" ]
[ "Do you have no other topics to discuss?" ]
Aventurine truly does not wish to hear another word from this shadow.
[ "This is the second time you've interrupted me." ]
[ "You really are easy to read." ]
[ "I finally understand your thoughts… that wild rhythm of yours… Hmph, truly madness." ]
[ "In the end, I will overturn this beautiful dream and create the grandest death—this is indeed your proposition, consistent from start to finish, never changing." ]
[ "From that Stellaron, to Robin losing her voice, the two murder cases, the negotiation with Sunday, and finally the hint from that Masked Fool… only these two immutable words can pique your interest." ]
[ "And now, you truly hold it in your hands…" ]
[ "But… whose death will it ultimately be?" ]
The Harmony Aventurine's expression becomes inscrutable.
[ "We'll know when the dice settle." ]
Aventurine says indifferently.
[ "Fine then. Save me a seat in the audience. I'd like to see just how capable you are." ]
[ "However, I remain curious…" ]
[ "If everything could start over…" ]
[ "Would you still want to be the child blessed by the Mother Goddess?" ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "Ahhh! Why is this Harmony Aventurine so venomous?!"
Furina de Fontaine: "When will he finally disappear?!"
Furina de Fontaine: "I simply cannot stand listening to him anymore!"
Stelle: "Agreed."
Stelle: "Aventurine, you have the patience of a saint. Can't you just go up there and slap him hard? Let him know who's the boss?"
Stelle: "He's just a newly born consciousness, yet he's acting so pretentious!"
March 7th: "Aventurine looks like he's about to have an emotional breakdown… I don't think he has the mental capacity to think about hitting the Harmony version…"
Nahida: "'If everything could start over… would you still want to be the child blessed by the Mother Goddess?'"
Nahida: "This sentence seems somewhat similar to what Miss Acheron said at the beginning."
Acheron: "If, at the very beginning of your journey, you already knew the destination…"
Acheron: "Then would you still embark on this journey?"
Hu Tao: "Yes, yes, yes! That's the line!"
Hu Tao: "Now, looking at it in conjunction with Aventurine's experience…"
Hu Tao: "I feel like many people would waver in their original answer, wouldn't they?"
Paimon: "I don't want to! Paimon doesn't want to!"
Paimon: "If the ending leads to such a tragic future, then Paimon absolutely cannot accept it!"
Paimon: "I won't step onto that kind of journey!"
Lumine: "Uh… to be honest, I wouldn't have the courage to embark on such a journey again either."
Black Swan: "But if you do not embark on the journey, you will completely lose those memories within it that are so precious to you."
Black Swan: "Even so, would you be willing?"
Paimon: "If discarding those memories means correcting a tragic future…"
Paimon: "Then… then maybe it's not impossible…"
Lumine: "Paimon, is that really what you think…?"
Paimon: "Lumine, what do you think?"
Lumine: "Hmm… honestly, I don't know."
Lumine: "I crave the cherished memories of the journey, but I'm also terrified of facing a cruel future in the end."
Venti: "Hehe, do not be lost."
Venti: "That statement clearly has a premise: If at the beginning of the journey, you knew the end of the trip, would you still embark?"
Venti: "The key point is this—knowing the end at the very beginning!"
Venti: "But in your current journey, you don't know where the destination leads!"
Venti: "So, there is no need to project yourself into it."
Venti: "After all, this question is truly a difficult one to answer."
Zhongli: "Indeed… perhaps there is no correct answer to this question."
Zhongli: "If one must choose, one can only select the answer that yields the best outcome for oneself."
Acheron: "So, Mr. Aventurine, if everything could start over, would you still be willing to be the child blessed by the Mother Goddess?"
Aventurine: "....."
Aventurine: "I don't know…"
Aventurine: "But… there are no 'ifs' in this world!"
Acheron: "…..Indeed."
Acheron: "There was never an 'if' to speak of… so why bother hypothesizing about choices?"
Acheron: "Cherishing the present… is already the best choice available...."
....
『 [ "It's really quiet this time. Is it because he finally disappeared…" ]
[ "Or am I about to disappear?" ]
Aventurine continues walking through the labyrinth for a while.
But this time, the Harmony Aventurine does not reappear.
[ "Finally… I made it out." ]
Moments later, aventurine steps out of the maze.
[ "Are we going home?—But I don't want to go back yet—" ]
[ "It's so fun here—I want to stay here forever—" ]
Upon emerging from the labyrinth, aventurine hears Kakavasha's voice once again.
[ "Sir… is that you?" ]
[ "I heard the sound of leather shoes." ]
[ "Ah… it really is you." ]
Aventurine finally catches up to Kakavasha.
[ "I don't know why, Sir, but you give me a special feeling…" ]
[ "It makes me curious, eager to try." ]
[ "It's a pity I couldn't get to know you better." ]
[ "We should say goodbye now. Did you have fun?" ]
Kakavasha's face is still brimming with a smile.
[ "You… are you going back?" ]
Aventurine looks at Kakavasha, a complex expression surfacing on his face.
[ "Mn, I have to go home." ]
[ "The sky is getting dark, it's going to rain. I can't let everyone worry." ]
Kakavasha nods, speaking earnestly.
[ "Where is… your home?" ]
Aventurine cannot help but ask.
[ "What a strange question." ]
[ "Home is where Mom, Dad, and Big Sister are…" ]
[ "….Right here in this dream." ]
Kakavasha speaks with pure innocence.
[ "Sigh...." ]
Hearing Kakavasha's words, aventurine cannot suppress a sigh, his expression downcast.
[ "This amusement park, this beautiful dream, it's really peaceful." ]
[ "Everyone likes it." ]
[ "But Sir, why don't you like it?" ]
Kakavasha asks.
[ "….Because they aren't here." ]
Aventurine says in a low voice.
[ "Then where are they?" ]
The Harmony Aventurine, thought to have vanished, appears once more.
And throws the question back at Aventurine.
[ "I don't know." ]
Aventurine shakes his head in melancholy.
[ "You clearly know." ]
[ "It's just that the answer has no meaning." ]
The Harmony Aventurine says.
[ "..." ]
Aventurine falls silent.
[ "Admit it, you're tired." ]
[ "We are all tired. That is why we plan to stay here. Me… and him." ]
[ "Your past… and your future." ]
The Harmony Aventurine walks to Kakavasha's side, speaking to Aventurine with a ghostly tone.
[ "Stay here for how long?" ]
Aventurine retorts.
[ "Forever." ]
[ "We will stay with you, forever in this dream." ]
[ "...This is the greatest respect we offer to one determined to die." ]
The Harmony Aventurine's words, sound like a seduction.
[ "..." ]
Aventurine falls silent again.
[ "The sword walks the edge—an extremely absurd approach, but not rare for you." ]
[ "Because your own life has always been the first chip you throw onto the table. It has always been this way." ]
[ "You don't care who the real culprit is, nor are you interested in the so-called legacy." ]
[ "You just want to be a dutiful IPC employee, suffering everywhere in the Family's territory, shackled in scalding chains, pushed to the center of the stage…" ]
[ "And then, become the third sacrifice of this Charmony Festival." ]
The Harmony Aventurine voices the true thoughts buried in Aventurine's heart.
[ "….I can do it, and it will be flawless." ]
Aventurine denies the implication.
[ "Of course you can." ]
[ "Your good luck will surely aid you at just the right moment. A Stellaron and an Emanator… it's that simple, right?" ]
[ "In this way, the Corporation can gain the qualification to sit at the table." ]
[ "And you can withdraw from the endless vortex, obtaining the release you dream of." ]
[ "It's not the first time… this is the method you are most skilled at, and the one you crave the most." ]
[ "This farce began with a death, and it will conclude in a death…" ]
[ "….Is that why Diamond chose you?" ]
The Harmony Aventurine asks.
[ "All he wants is Penacony. Regardless of the means, regardless of the cost… and irrelevant to any specific person." ]
Aventurine shakes his head in explanation.
[ "It must be very hard on you." ]
The Harmony Aventurine's tone suddenly shifts to one of concern.
[ "You've suddenly become very considerate. Did you discover a conscience?" ]
Aventurine remains noncommittal.
[ "I was born from your self, after all. So I know very well that retrieving a chip once thrown is as difficult as ascending to the heavens." ]
[ "I cannot stop what you are about to do. We cannot change the place you are going to..." ]
The Harmony Aventurine seems to begin siding with Aventurine.
[ "Spilled water cannot be gathered." ]
[ "All we can do is seize every opportunity to let ourselves win for just one more second." ]
A look of firm determination emerges on Aventurine's face.
[ "Indeed." ]
[ "It is a pity that a person cannot make only correct decisions for a lifetime… even though luck always stands on your side." ]
[ "You will always keep winning; you have never lost—but why is it you? Why… must it be you?" ]
[ "If a lucky dog's miracle is built entirely upon the misfortune of all those he loves, and even more people…" ]
[ "If every rain you bring symbolizes not the Mother Goddess's forgiveness and grace, but meaningless death, time and time again…" ]
[ "…..Then just how many mistakes did you and I commit, to be born into this world?" ]
The Harmony Aventurine stabs at Aventurine's heart one last time.
[ "….." ]
[ "….Perhaps when I reach that terminus, our confusion will be answered." ]
Aventurine is silent, then replies to his shadow.
[ "Hmph… very well." ]
[ "I'll go on ahead, friend. I'll wait for you up ahead." ]
[ "In these final moments, say a proper goodbye to this child." ]
[ "Try your best to leave..." ]
[ "…..With no regrets." ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "This Harmony Aventurine… it seems he really disappeared this time?"
Stelle: "But Kakavasha, who belongs to Aventurine's past, still exists."
Welt Yang: "The Harmony Aventurine represented his future, while Kakavasha belongs to his past."
Welt Yang: "He is essentially negotiating with his own inner demons."
Welt Yang: "Whether to bid farewell to the past and move towards the future."
Welt Yang: "Or to drown forever in the regrets of yesterday, never to wake again—it all lies within a single thought."
Furina de Fontaine: "I understand now…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Those words the Harmony Aventurine spoke… they were actually the things Aventurine has been doubting about himself all along."
Furina de Fontaine: "Aventurine has never lost. Aventurine's luck has always been good."
Furina de Fontaine: "But Aventurine doesn't know if this luck is a blessing or a punishment…"
Furina de Fontaine: "If it is a blessing, then why would the lucky him lose everything he cherished?"
Furina de Fontaine: "But if it is a punishment, then why let him win these gambles time and time again?"
Black Swan: "Life is like a labyrinth. Aventurine has now fallen into a dead end."
Black Swan: "Unless he can break this deadlock, he may remain lost forever."
Dan Heng: "So, he created an opportunity for himself—a grand death!"
Dan Heng: "Death is also rebirth. Perhaps this can allow him to rediscover the meaning of living."
Himeko: "But perhaps… it will truly cause him to die completely."
Arlecchino: "Is this not a gamble in itself?"
Arlecchino: "Betting on oneself—whether one truly wishes to live on?"
Arlecchino: "I hope that in the end, he obtains the answer he desires…"
Aventurine: "I will. At the grand finale of fate, I will surely understand it all!"
....
『 [ "Now… it's just us left." ]
[ "Can you take a picture for me?" ]
[ "Just as a memento." ]
Kakavasha smiles, wanting Aventurine to take a photo of him.
[ "…..Mn, come on then." ]
Aventurine nods gently.
He takes out his phone, and begins to take a picture of Kakavasha.
With a click, the photo is taken.
[ "That's great. Now I can see what I look like too." ]
Kakavasha looks at the photo, his expression full of joy.
[ "Next time you take a photo, remember to look at the lens. Your expression will be more natural." ]
Aventurine reminds him with a smile.
[ "Mn, I will." ]
[ "So… Sir, are you going back too?" ]
Kakavasha looks at Aventurine with reluctance.
[ "I can't leave yet." ]
[ "I still have a… performance here." ]
Aventurine shakes his head and explains.
[ "Oh... So you're about to go on stage, aren't you?" ]
[ "Then let's go. I'll walk you to the grand stage." ] 』
『 ....』