Rover's heart clenched tightly. He asked the question he had to explore, even if he already knew the answer: "Chaos... a phantom... then how do I find her? How do I bring her back?"
An extremely stern expression appeared on Lilibet's face: "Child, I must tell you that entering that Space of Chaos is incredibly dangerous. It is not a physical space, but a turbulent flow of concepts and memories."
"Once you get lost within it, your self-awareness will be washed away completely, and you will sink into eternal oblivion. Even I can only rely on the faint light of fate to catch a glimpse of revelation at its edges."
She tried to dissuade him, her tone carrying an elder's concern: "For fate to offer two diverging branches is already a rare leniency. Forget her disappearance, and let her rest in peace; or forget her death, and let it be as if she never truly existed..."
"Choosing either one might be an easier choice for both you and the world."
"Accepting the established ending, is..."
"I refuse."
Rover cut her off with absolute certainty. He stood up, an unshakeable fire burning in his golden eyes. "There is no established ending! Easy? The momentary ease bought by forgetting her would be an eternal, heavy burden for me!"
He raised the bracelet on his wrist: "She gave this to me, and it wasn't so I could forget her!"
"She trusted me, and even confessed to me in her final moments... In short, I will absolutely not give up on her!"
Lilibet gazed at him, looking at the unquestionable determination and near-insane obsession in his eyes.
She remained silent for a long time. The dissuasion on her face gradually faded, transforming into a deep sigh mixed with worry and respect.
"Sigh... let it be, let it be."
She slowly shook her head, yet nodded at the same time. "It seems this old woman cannot persuade you. Your resolve is firmer than the stars in the sky."
Her eyes turned sharp, carrying the decisiveness belonging to an older generation of Oracles: "Since your mind is made up, and you insist on going against the current to retrieve your moon from within the Chaos..."
"Then this old woman will lend you a helping hand."
She pointed toward a certain direction outside the hall: "According to the records, the place where she 'died' is at the End of the Clear Spring, which was once completely swallowed by the Black Tide. That is also one of the intersection points where the barrier to the Chaos is at its thinnest."
"I will point the way for you and stabilize the passage from the outside as much as possible, but once you enter..."
"Everything will rely solely on yourself, and on that anchor link between you and her."
"Thank you, Grandma Lilibet."
Rover gave her a solemn bow.
"No need to thank me," Lilibet waved her hand, her eyes profound. "Perhaps... this too is a part of the turning wheels of fate."
"Go, child. Fulfill your wish. May... the lunar phases eventually come full circle."
The End of the Clear Spring was now a desolate, dead ruin severely eroded by the Black Tide's energy.
Twisted crystal clusters and scorched earth narrated the tragic events of the past.
A faint, glowing vortex slowly rotated in the air, emitting unstable energy fluctuations. That was the entrance to the Chaos the Moonstone bracelet had guided him to.
Lilibet stood not far away. The ancient Oracle artifact in her hands emitted a faint glow, seemingly struggling to maintain the stability of the entrance.
She watched as Rover walked toward that dangerous vortex without hesitation. She spoke one last time, her voice carrying a trace of trembling: "Child, it is still not too late to turn back now. What you see within the Chaos may not be real; there is mostly pain and nothingness..."
Rover didn't stop his steps. He merely turned his head, giving her an incredibly resolute, even slightly mad look: "Precisely because of the pain and nothingness, I must go even more."
"This isn't just for her sake, it's for mine. Because I know she is in there waiting for me."
He said no more and resolutely stepped into the swirling halo.
Rover's silhouette was instantly swallowed by the flowing lights of Chaos.
The entrance slowly contracted behind him. Grandma Lilibet gazed in the direction he vanished, remaining silent for a long time.
Ultimately, a long sigh full of complex emotions dissipated into the desolate wind.
Light swallowed all his senses.
When Rover broke free from the dizzying sensation of teleportation, he found himself in a realm that defied all common sense.
There was no sky here, no earth, only boundless blocks of chaotic colors.
The concepts of time and space became blurred. Fragmented pieces of memories drifted about like ghosts, emitting silent shrieks.
The air was permeated with a sense of coldness and emptiness capable of eroding one's sanity.
"Rover! It's so weird here... Benbu feels dizzy..."
Abby's voice rang out in Rover's mind, carrying a hint of timidity. It seemed to shrink tighter into Rover's body, relying on his existence to stabilize itself.
Rover steadied his mind. The Moonstone bracelet on his wrist emitted a faint yet firm, bright moonlight. Like a lighthouse in the darkness, it pierced through the bewildering Chaos, pointing clearly in one direction.
"Don't worry, we follow the light, Abby," Rover whispered, and began to walk.
His steps created ripples in the void, as if he were walking upon the deep sea of consciousness.
He didn't know how long he walked, constantly resisting the void's whispers around him that tried to confuse his sense of direction. Finally, deep within the chaotic fog, the light of the bracelet suddenly brightened, pointing toward a blurry orb of light quietly suspended within.
At the core of the orb of light was an illusory silhouette, hugging her knees and curled up as if in a deep slumber.
She had blue-black twintails. Her figure was so transparent she almost blended into the surrounding Chaos, like a lingering afterglow of sorrowful moonlight on the verge of dissipation.
It was Yuno!
Rover's heart violently clenched, and he quickened his pace.
However, several pitch-black constructs—condensed from chaotic energy and negative memories—acted like vicious hounds guarding a nightmare.
They circled around Yuno's phantom, emitting silent roars, blocking anyone who approached.
"Get lost!"
Rover's eyes turned sharp. His longsword was instantly unsheathed. Aero power erupted, and his swift blade slashed out accurately and rapidly.
The sword light cut through the Chaos like a meteor. Amidst shrill, silent shrieks, those Black Tide constructs shattered one after another, reducing to nothingness.
Without pausing, Rover broke through the final obstacle and arrived before that faint light from his memories.
He approached cautiously. His voice unconsciously became extremely light, for fear of disturbing this fragile phantom: "Yuno?"
The illusory silhouette trembled slightly. Her long eyelashes quivered as she slowly opened her eyes.
Those azure eyes were initially filled with bewilderment and emptiness, as if unable to reflect anything.
She slowly raised her head, looking toward the source of the voice, her gaze gradually focusing on Rover.
"...Yuno?"
She murmured, repeating the name as if recalling a distant symbol, her eyes carrying confusion. "You're... calling me? Are you... here to find me?"
Her voice was as light as a brushing feather, carrying an illusory echo and filled with unbelievable fragility: "Why... would anyone look for me?"
A wave of genuine ache surged within Rover's heart.
She looks exactly the same as when she was about to dissipate, just a lingering afterglow...
Although he had followed his memories and come to find her the very moment after she disappeared, the flow of time in the Chaos was clearly different from the real world... How long had she actually been staying in this Chaos since then?
He suppressed his emotions, trying his best to make his voice sound steady and reliable, and extended his hand toward her: "Sorry, I'm late."
Rover's palm faced upward—an invitation, and also a promise. "I will take you back. Everything will be alright now."
He gazed into her eyes, carrying a trace of cautious anticipation: "Do you... still recognize me?"
Yuno's phantom tilted her head, carefully and effortfully trying to identify him.
After a long time, a tiny star seemed to light up in her empty eyes, and a very faint, instinctual sense of familiarity surfaced.
"I know you..."
She said softly, her tone uncertain. "You are Blank... Blank..."
She seemed only able to capture this most essential impression, repeating it once more: "Blank... Person."
Rover's heart stirred. Playing along with her words, he spoke with infinite patience and gentleness: "Blank Person? Is this a new nickname? Never mind, call me whatever you want."
"Mm, Blank Person."
Yuno's phantom seemed to relax a little. She looked at his extended hand, hesitated for a moment, and then raised her translucent hand, gently placing it into his palm.
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