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On a desolate, wasteland-covered planet, Hiroshi stood in a direct confrontation with Polka Kakamond, the foremost individual beneath the Aeons.
The gap in strength between them was a chasm; Polka could have crushed him like an ant with a thought. But at this moment, she stood rooted to the spot, her delicate brows furrowed. The playful ease was gone from her face, replaced by a grim solemnity. The reason was clear: the very fabric of reality was being strained by the presence of four Aeons drawn to this singular coordinate.
Qlipoth, the Amber Lord; Aha, the Aeon of Elation; Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction; and finally, Nous, the Aeon of Erudition.
Hiroshi clicked his tongue, his pulse drumming in his ears. He was facing a legendary executioner and the most intelligent entity in the universe simultaneously. But he had already cast the dice.
Looking at Polka, Hiroshi spoke, his voice resonant and steady. "It seems you already know what happened. The fragments in my body... only I can control them. Once I lose consciousness, they will follow the flow of blood and pierce my heart in an instant. And Nous will be finished along with me."
The atmosphere froze. Polka tightened her grip on her sleeves. Beside them, Madam Herta—though her memories of him were technically gone—felt her heart melt. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, a physiological rebellion against her erased mind.
"I know you follow Nous's orders, keeping the universe within its 'circle of intellect,'" Hiroshi continued, his clothes soaked in cold sweat. "But if you harm Madam Herta, I will perish with it right now! I'll destroy that damned circle along with its master!"
Polka remained silent. Her domain confirmed the truth: Hiroshi wasn't bluffing. Those fragments—and the "Heaven and Earth Share Longevity" protocol—didn't belong to this world's logic. Even Nous couldn't calculate a way to stop the fragments through the butterfly effect once Hiroshi's heart stopped.
Allowing one Herta to exist created a variable. Allowing Nous to die created a cosmic collapse. The choice was logical.
Polka looked toward the giant mechanical head of Nous. The red light on its side flashed continuously, emitting a series of telegraph-like sounds. Polka sighed and turned to leave.
"You win... kid. But I warn you: if that Curio falls into the hands of a madman, it will be a disaster for the universe."
Nous was the first to depart after a final series of sounds. Nanook and Qlipoth gazed deeply at Hiroshi, and in that moment, he felt two distinct surges of power—the gaze of the Aeons had bestowed their blessings upon him. Aha lingered for a moment, a chaotic chuckle echoing in the void, before vanishing.
"Ha... ha..."
The moment they were gone, Hiroshi slumped to the ground, his bones feeling like they had turned to water. He was pale, covered in beads of cold sweat.
Minutes later, the Fourth Mirror guided the spaceship back to the planet's surface, returning the preserved memories to Herta. As the fog in her mind cleared and she remembered everything—his training, their nights together, his sacrifice—she lunged forward.
Herta pulled Hiroshi into a tight embrace, her queenly arrogance replaced by the raw sobbing of a terrified girl.
"Madam Herta... please don't cry!" Hiroshi stammered, awkwardly trying to wipe her tears with his sleeve.
"Why did you come back?! Aren't you... afraid of death?!" Herta screamed into his chest. She didn't understand how this boy, who had once begged for her protection, had dared to hold a knife to the throat of an Aeon for her sake.
"I... of course I'm afraid," Hiroshi replied sincerely. "I'm still trembling. But I'm even more afraid of just watching the people I care about die while I do nothing."
"Hmph, you really are an incorrigible idiot..." Herta buried her head in his shoulder. She looked up after a moment, her purple eyes red-rimmed. "When did you gain the ability to threaten the mechanical head?"
"That... it's a long story," Hiroshi said, his expression conflicted. He couldn't speak of the System. Herta saw the struggle and didn't press him.
"Alright. But is that power safe?"
"It's safe, Madam Herta. Also... I've become a Pathstrider."
"Oh?" Herta's eyes widened. "Is it Preservation or Elation? It's not... Destruction, is it?"
"It's both Preservation and Destruction," Hiroshi answered honestly.
Herta stood frozen, her expression filled with total disbelief. To be glanced at by one Aeon was a feat; to tread two diametrically opposed Paths simultaneously was unheard of.
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