These scenes flashed before Shu's eyes like a rapidly changing slideshow, presenting everything to him while also clearly informing him:
You are just an observer.
You had no power to save Sirin's mother, no power to stop Sirin's friends from entering hibernation, and certainly no power to prevent those professors, researchers, and others from injecting themselves with the virus.
And the final scene quickly unfolded before Shu.
Sirin sat on the edge of a high platform, her legs dangling through the gaps in the railing, swaying in the empty air.
She pressed her face against the cold metal railing, a few stray strands of purple hair falling across her forehead, gently resting on her long eyelashes.
Shu watched Sirin grip the railing, like a cage imprisoning a canary, separating her from the outside world.
But the canary wasn't gazing at the vast world beyond the cage; instead, from outside the railing she could leave at any time, she stared into the cramped interior space of a hibernation pod.
Looking down, tens of thousands of hibernation pods were neatly arranged on this level. Nearly ten thousand people lay in their pods, journeying together towards the future, towards a beautiful world.
Everyone in the Tower of Babylon was here.
Only one person was missing.
They had left Sirin behind... left her in time, left her in the past.
["I will stay with you until the very end..."
"Mommy will definitely wake up!"
"It's a promise! When we're all better..."
"..."]
Those words seemed to still echo in her ears, their smiling faces felt like just yesterday... Every single one of them had vowed, "It will definitely happen."
If this was the price of growing up... If this was why adults always hesitated and then made choices they disliked...
If the adult world was truly composed of "lies," "strife," "pestilence," and "deceit"...
Sirin didn't want to grow up.
Sirin didn't want to become like that... become an adult who always disappointed others, didn't want her companions to see her like that...
She didn't want to grow up...
So...
["I want everyone to wake up now..."] Sirin leaned against the railing, hugging her knees, and whispered.
["I don't want to wait until I grow up..."]
Shu's eyes widened as he watched the environment around Sirin begin to turn illusory.
"I want to see flowers... see the sea... see a world with countless Homus..." Sirin murmured to herself, her head bowed low.
"I want to see a world without war, without sickness, where everyone can live happily..."
Sirin curled up, making herself as small as possible.
Her voice was ethereal and cold, yet it contained an incredibly intense longing, so intense that...
[From Sirin: Create a beautiful fairytale "vista".]
Even though so much time had passed, when Shu witnessed this scene, he still received the [Wish] that had been made here long ago.
But it wasn't Shu who responded to Sirin.
["Alright..."] A proud voice sounded from behind Sirin. ["I promise you."]
Shu saw another "Sirin" appear behind Sirin. She seemed to be enveloped in a rainbow of light, gently bowing her body.
["Then let's create a beautiful world... just like that storybook, how about it?"] "Sirin" held out the wrinkled storybook to Sirin.
["We'll go on ahead. When we've finished that world... we'll bring everyone there, okay?"] "Sirin's" voice was full of temptation. Sirin, her eyes clouded with confusion, nodded and reached out her hand.
["Then... let's pinky swear..."]
"Sirin" smiled and took Sirin's hand.
["Alright... We pinky swear..."]
The afterimage vanished. And when Sirin stood up, Shu clearly saw a divine pattern glowing in her eyes.
She spread her arms, and a dazzling light emanated from her body, dispelling all darkness, gradually enveloping the entire Tower of Babylon.
The world became a vast, blank white paper. And Sirin's body gradually shrank amidst the spreading light. By the time the entire Babylon was submerged in this white light, Sirin had reverted to her 12-year-old appearance.
Then she picked up a paintbrush. With one stroke, she drew the heavens and the earth, using blue for the sky and green for the land.
And so, the world knew no more rainy seasons; every day was sunny, and verdant grass grew everywhere.
She painted colorful dots, and thus flowers gained five colors, every blossom dazzlingly brilliant.
She drew chimneys on the houses, and so smoke curled from every home, and everyone lived in prosperity and happiness...
Finally, she drew the inhabitants of this place.
A paradise full of Homus descended upon the world. They joyfully flocked around their creator, hailing Sirin as their supreme King.
She created this world... and the world lacked a story.
And so...
She cast the die, bestowing identities upon everyone.
"Hero," "Fairy," "Evil Dragon"... "Demon Lord."
Shu watched everything rapidly take shape around him, watched it all come into being with just a few strokes, watched the first "story" unfold in this world.
He saw the first "Hero"—Homu.
He saw the first "Demon Lord"—Joyce Welt.
Joyce, then still in his male form, possessed nano-robots far exceeding tenfold what he had now. With a wave of his hand, he could conjure war fortresses, showing this world the pinnacle of technology.
But he was the Demon Lord, and in the story's setting, the Demon Lord must be defeated by the Hero.
One sword strike sundered mountains and parted rivers.
The comical Homu, with its equally comical toy short sword, unleashed a world-shattering power before everyone's disbelieving eyes.
That single strike destroyed over ninety percent of Joyce's nano-robots, destroyed Joyce's body, and nearly destroyed this world.
This power even shook the foundations of the dreamscape, forcing "Sirin" to actively interrupt the story to repair it.
The world-saving Hero once again deceived "Sirin." Sirin completely lost trust in the "Hero" and chose the "Knight" instead.
And so, after the world was reconstructed, Sirin reclaimed all the titles and cast the die once more.
[Knight: Raiden Mei]
[Fairy: Bronya Zaychik]
[Princess: Kiana Kaslana]
[Evil Dragon: Bella Benares]
[Demon Lord: Shu]
...
All identities found new owners.
Except for the "Hero," whom Sirin had abandoned.