The ground beneath Anming's feet shimmered like crystal, reflecting his form in fractured light.
Another dream?
The last time he'd felt this—on the way to Jarilo-VI—he'd met Yaoshi. But here, in this kaleidoscopic realm of glass and memory, countless silhouettes flickered behind translucent ice-like panes.
Fragmented memories, stored like jewels in an endless vault.
A river of crystallized recollections flowed before him, its waters brimming with lifetimes of joy and sorrow. Gazing into it sent vertigo crashing through his skull—too much, too fast.
Along its banks bloomed lotus flowers of purest jade, their petals guiding him forward.
Pink, blue, white gemstones floated like seeds of remembrance before a towering figure.
But behind it—only void.
Beneath a six-pearl crown, a head of liquid crystal pulsed with countless memories. No joy, no grief—just knowing.
Fuli.
The Aeon of Memory stared into Anming's soul, his life unraveling before its gaze—only to dissolve into that same abyssal terminus.
Yet Fuli saw nothing.
A crystalline finger touched Anming's forehead.
Cold. Clarity.
For an instant, he perceived all causality—past, present, threads of existence woven into the river's flow.
"Awaken."
"Return to the beginning."
Then—
Falling backward.
The river reversed. Lotuses withered. Only Fuli remained, the void unwavering at its back.
Reality - Astral Express
Anming jolted awake, gasping.
Even after multiple Aeon encounters, the weight of their presence never dulled. Most mortals went lifetimes without glimpsing a god's shadow—yet here he was, three deep and counting.
At least Qliphoth had been straightforward (bonk + corporate benefits). Useful, given Firefly's habit of blowing up IPC property.
Codename: Mountain-Piercer Anming, reporting for duty!
"Stop scaring people like that!" March 7th elbowed him. "First crying, now hyperventilating—are you trying to get a medical drama spin-off?"
"Did you... ascend again?" Stelle gasped, convinced he'd secretly absorbed some mythical "Supreme Bone" to power-level into Anming the Heavenly Lord.
"You're both insane," Anming deadpanned. Shouldn't they be used to his divine-induced breakdowns by now?
But this dream likely signaled the next Simulated Universe blessing would be Memory-aligned.
Though Fuli's "Awaken" and "Return to the beginning" lines are extra cryptic.
Typical Aeon riddles.
Shaking it off, he refocused:
Reach the Luofu.
Resolve the Stellaron crisis.
Live happily (and shamelessly) ever after with Fu Xuan.
Memories of their time together surfaced—Fu Xuan watching him train under peach blossoms, handing him chilled tea through the window.
The more he reminisced, the more he ached to see her.
But would she still feel the same?
"March," he blurted, "how do you cheer up a girl?"
"Normal people use surprises," March huffed. "You should commit seppuku."
"Give me your Supreme Bone," Stelle bargained, "and I'll put in a good word with Lady Fu Xuan."
"You've never even met her!"
"My Galaxy Bat-wielding Hero reputation precedes me!"
Qingque facepalmed. So this is why Master-in-Law's like this...
Meanwhile, Dan Heng quietly announced: "I'll stay aboard."
His tone brooked no argument.
Stelle patted his shoulder. "I'll bring you authentic Luofu douzhi!"
"...Hard pass."
"Fine. More for me!" Stelle grinned. "'Critic Star's Food Review: Zero Credits, Maximum Suffering!'"
March sighed. "You're hopeless."