After the Memokeeper uncontrollably blurted out her true thoughts, she immediately urged, "Now go., Miss March."
She stepped aside, revealing the glowing gate not far away. March 7th hesitated only briefly before running toward the glowing gate.
Whether it was leaving this place or discovering her origins, both held an enormous attraction for March 7th.
Not to mention, 'Fu Xuan' was leading the way in front of her. "This way, March. Your past awaits beyond the Gate of Memory."
The tempting voice echoed in March 7th's ears.
However, before March could take more than a few steps, that mysterious voice appeared again. This time, it directly sounded inside her mind.
"Stop! They're just mimicking people from your memories..."
"Don't let those bad people deceive you..."
The playful voice also began to sound anxious. Just as March 7th started to waver, her pupils suddenly contracted.
The gate had become farther away. And the Master Diviner who had been leading the way disappeared.
In her place were two familiar figures.
Dan Heng... and Stelle. These two were far more attractive to March 7th than the Memokeeper.
Almost without thinking, she quickly ran over to her companions.
"Hey guys... what are you doing in a place like this?"
An instinctively relieved smile appeared on March 7th's face as she reached out and patted the two on the shoulders.
At this point, even the dumbest viewer could see that something was wrong.
No matter how foolish March 7th was, there was no way she would overlook so many strange occurrences.
Fu Xuan's disappearance. The sudden appearance of her companions. No rational person would simply turn a blind eye to such things.
Yet March quickly accepted all of it. Rather than a real physical space, what was happening here seemed more like a dream.
March's almost completely unguarded trust toward the people inside was also much like what happened in a dream.
But in Honkai: Star Rail, there was another term for this kind of situation.
A memory-stealing space constructed by a Memokeeper. When March 7th had previously awakened from the chaos and seen this space, she immediately realized that it resembled what Stelle had once told her about.
And what Memokeepers were best at was using other people's memories to construct places that made them lower their guard.
The appearances of Fu Xuan and her companions were also based on March's memories.
That Memokeeper had come with ill intentions! She wanted to dig something out of March's mind!
This made the viewers even more certain of their previous speculation, March's past was indeed anything but ordinary.
But no matter what... March! You can't just let yourself be fooled like this!
The viewers watched the screen worriedly.
It was obvious that after her companions appeared, March's vigilance had dropped even further.
"March! There you are..."
'Dan Heng' spoke first, saying seriously, "The Trailblazing journey just isn't the same without you."
Stelle followed up, "Traveling's no fun without you around."
The two echoed each other, immediately making March happy from all the praise. She hummed smugly, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled.
"Well duh! What's Team Trailblaze without its star member?"
But after laughing, March suddenly felt that something was off. A trace of clarity once again appeared in her eyes, which had been filled with joy.
Her 'intelligence,' which could hardly sink any lower, instead became a great advantage at a time like this.
"Wait a second... You might look like Stelle and Dan Heng, but..."
'Dan Heng' hearing March 7th's thoughts, directly said, "We understand your confusion. The Garden's allies helped us establish this neural link to reach you."
The doubts March 7th had been about to voice were immediately swallowed back down, and she instead asked, "The Garden's allies... you mean Miss Black Swan?"
"Yes, she helped make this possible." 'Dan Heng' nodded.
"Keep going, March." 'Stelle' urged her, her voice filled with temptation. "Find your past, wake up... and travel with us again."
Her past, her companions, traveling. The clarity that had finally returned to March 7th's eyes once again dimmed.
That's right. Wasn't this exactly what she wanted most?
Dan Heng and Stelle stopped speaking and began leading the way for March 7th.
With her companions reassuringly guiding her, March 7th followed them without hesitation.
The glowing gate was visibly getting closer and closer. But then the space began to flicker and tremble once again.
After another blink, the glowing gate became distant once more.
Even Dan Heng and Stelle, who had been leading the way ahead, disappeared.
"Wait up! Slow down..."
"Whew... at last... I finally caught up."
A panting voice sounded. It was clearer than before.
March 7th stopped and turned around.
A beautiful pink-haired girl, about a head shorter than her, was supporting herself with both hands on her knees, panting as she looked at her.
"Hey... are you alright?"
Upon seeing the pink-haired girl, March's originally muddled mind instantly became much clearer.
"I'll be... okay... just not used to... running around..."
"Say, March? Got a moment to talk before you make your decision?"
The pink-haired girl, Cyrene, spoke between breaths.
"Wait, that was you? Pushing the gate away, sending those warnings?"
March 7th looked Cyrene up and down. For some reason, she instinctively felt willing to trust this girl.
"Yep! Let's introduce ourselves first!"
Cyrene took a deep breath and revealed a sweet smile. "Name's Cyrene, it means "ripples of past reverie"... Easy to remember, right?"
It really was Cyrene?! The viewers' brains temporarily short-circuited for a moment.
After all, from the little impression they had of Cyrene, although she was surrounded by mysteries, she was still someone within Amphoreus and Phainon's companion from Aedes Elysiae.
However, just as Phainon, turned out to be the person most suited to save the world, Cyrene, who had similarly come from the countryside, was now going back and forth against a Memokeeper inside this unknown space.
...
: Holy shit, I told you Aedes Elysiae wasn't ordinary!
: It's really a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
: Phainon is already anything but ordinary, and the mysterious Cyrene can actually go head-to-head with a Memokeeper?!
: And this is way too mysterious. Three whole episodes without revealing a single bit of information, and the moment she properly appears, it's on a stage like this?
: That's just how we people from Aedes Elysiae are. Every one of us has our own unique skills. We never bother with small-time scenes.
: "Ripple of the past"... That's quite a beautiful name. I wonder what story lies behind it.
: Mystery represents the unknown. Cyrene has appeared indirectly in various ways since the first episode, but she has never revealed her true nature.
: Perhaps this card is the key that can save Phainon and even Amphoreus?
...
The audience was abuzz with speculation, their interest running high.
At this point, every unknown represented another possibility for Amphoreus, so naturally, they were happy to see it.
On screen.
Cyrene spoke in a light and slightly playful tone. She seemed naturally outgoing and familiar, with an overflowing sense of friendliness. She took the initiative and said with a smile, "And look, you and I... don't we have quite a few similarities?"
March 7th was also infected by her enthusiasm and quickly got on the same wavelength. "Yeah! Your pink hair is just as eye-catching as mine!"
Cyrene chuckled. "And we're both bright, pretty, and positive girls! Talk about coincidence!"
March 7th nodded repeatedly, completely agreeing with those words. She also laughed and said, "Wow, you're quite the smooth talker... but I can't disagree!"
"Wait, you know my name is March? Have we met?"
Cyrene looked at March and replied sincerely, "This is our first time meeting, but from those memories just now, I've already learned about your story."
"It's incredible, really. We might have more in common than you think... I know exactly what you're going through, which is why I don't want to see you exploited or hurt."
March 7th froze. "You know what I'm going through?"
Cyrene revealed a complicated smile.
Although she was smiling, the audience could sense from her smile that she must have experienced many things.
"I know because I've been exactly where you are."
Cyrene looked around and said softly, "This empty space has been my home for ages... I barely remember what time feels like anymore."
"But there's something I'll never forget."
"Trust me, that gate won't give you what you want."
March 7th followed her gaze and looked toward the door of light as well.
"You mean those people, they're lying? Luring me into a trap?"
After Cyrene appeared, March 7th's mind became much clearer. She was no longer muddleheaded like before, as though she were dreaming.
"Yes. Convincing, weren't they? They've studied your memories, using your deepest wishes against you. How dare they manipulate a young girl's feelings like that."
Cyrene's smile faded somewhat as she said seriously, "If you go through that door, the worst case scenario is you'll become their pawn, losing control over your own fate forever."
March 7th stared absentmindedly at the door of light. "You've seen what's on the other side?"
Cyrene's expression became somewhat heavy.
"I may be stuck here with missing memories like you, but I still recall fragments of my homeland where I grew up..."
"That door leads to Amphoreus. Trust me, it's anything but welcoming."
"For ages, I've watched people walk through that door. They couldn't see or hear my calls. The voices beyond always promised safety, but I've never seen anyone return safely..."
"So I had to try and stop you."
Cyrene was earnest and sincere. But in the eyes of the audience, both Cyrene herself and the information contained in her words were extremely significant!
Strictly speaking, this was also the first time the audience had seen such a lengthy scene involving Cyrene.
Although there was no context explaining the beginning or end of it, it was already enough for the audience to carefully ponder every scene.
Especially the information within that was worth considering.
...
: Before the Astral Express crew arrived, other people had also reached Amphoreus!
: Why would Cyrene be hiding in a place like this?
: This place can encounter people from beyond the sky and even allow her to dissuade them. There's no way this is inside Amphoreus itself, right?!
: It wasn't only the Trailblaze team that came here... But when Stelle and Dan Heng were in Amphoreus, apart from themselves, they basically didn't encounter any other outsiders!
: Holy shit, Amphoreus eats people.
: The more you think about it, the more terrifying it becomes!
: If they disappeared, we can basically assume they're already dead, right...? So many people went inside, and every single one vanished.
: Could our previous guess have been wrong? The Memokeeper wasn't trying to investigate March 7th's past, but instead trying to deceive her into entering Amphoreus.
: But what would be the purpose of doing that?
: As expected of a place involving three Paths. There are unsolved mysteries everywhere.
: But the only thing we can be certain of is that the Path of Remembrance isn't nearly as low-profile in Amphoreus as we thought.
: With Cyrene's appearance, the plotlines and connections between the Paths, as well as the characters representing them, are gradually becoming clearer.
...
The audience recalled the plot, trying to connect all this information together.
But no matter how they pieced it together, the truth was always missing a few pieces of the puzzle.
They continued watching.
Cyrene's sincerity moved March.
"To be honest, I'm not sure what to believe. But the fact that you're here, putting in all this effort to warn me... that means something."
"Tell me, Cyrene, how can I return to my world?"
Hearing March's words, Cyrene visibly breathed a sigh of relief and said lightly, "It's really easy, actually. Just turn around and walk away from this place."
The moment Cyrene finished speaking, countless human figures formed from memoria densely appeared throughout the space, surrounding them layer upon layer.
Every one of them was someone March 7th had seen in her memories.
"The girl... cannot be trusted..."
"Through the door... save... the Garden..."
"Both of you... children of Remembrance..."
Ghostly voices merged together. It made one's blood run cold.
But Cyrene took a step forward and firmly stood in front of March, blocking the influence imposed by the Memokeepers.
"They never give up, do they? But don't let them sway you. Stick to your path."
"The return journey could take ages... longer than most lives..."
"But that path will lead you home."
March 7th looked at Cyrene standing in front of her, at that small figure and the genuine kindness coming from her heart.
In all fairness, she was willing to believe Cyrene too.
However... After the Memokeepers' influence had been removed, March could finally think completely for herself, without being influenced by anything.
But the more that was the case, the more certain she became about one thing.
"Thank you, Cyrene. I know what I need to do!"
"I'm going through that gate, into Amphoreus."
March 7th smiled in relief.
"Wait, what...?" Cyrene turned around in astonishment.
March 7th chuckled, her clear eyes filled with longing and worry. "Don't worry, I believe you. It's just that for me, the only place I can call "home"..."
"...is right beside my friends."