And so, the imitation by 'Hysilens' continued:
"Imperator, don't you understand yet? I have no lingering attachment to the deep seas of my homeland, nor do I yearn for the vast oceans beyond the stars. A fish is a fish, after all; how could she ever truly leave the waters she calls home..."
She wasn't just mimicking; to ensure the performance was authentic and brimming with genuine emotion, 'Hysilens' even tapped into the power of Elation to better inhabit the role.
Cerydra knew perfectly well that the person standing before her wasn't the Hysilens she knew so intimately.
Yet, the raw emotion, the specific cadence of the voice, and lingering sense of Nihility made Cerydra realize that this was an expression the Hysilens she knew would truly wear.
Except...
Cerydra turned her head to look at the actual Hysilens, who had already covered her face with her hands, appearing quite ready to socially withdraw into herself.
"Hysilens, is what you want... truly not the sea beyond the stars?"
"Imperator, I..."
Hysilens found herself momentarily speechless, her voice trembling as she struggled to find the words.
"..."
Seeing her in such a state, a ripple of emotion stirred in Cerydra's heart.
Ever since boarding the Astral Express, Cerydra had only ever asked one thing of Himeko: to take them to see the oceans beyond the stars.
Thus, the Express had journeyed to the oceanic world of Lushaka—a world almost entirely submerged in seawater.
There, Cerydra had fulfilled her promise to Hysilens, bringing the celestial sea to her loyal subject. Cerydra could have sworn that Hysilens was truly satisfied and happy then.
That feeling and that smile—they certainly weren't faked. With the data from thirty million cycles of reincarnation, Cerydra was certain of it.
That was why, when 'Hysilens' stood before her and delivered those lines with such perfect acting, and when Hysilens reacted with more bashfulness than denial, Cerydra realized things weren't quite as she had imagined.
But clearly, our soft-spoken Hysilens was at a complete loss for words. Thoughts and rebuttals flashed through her mind at lightning speed, cycling through countless versions in an instant.
Yet, in reality, all she could manage was a few hesitant stammers, unable to string a coherent sentence together.
It's fair to say that if she actually had the courage to speak her mind, things wouldn't have been dragged out this long, leaving 'Hysilens' to finally poke a hole through the paper window of their secrets.
Naturally, 'Hysilens' was having a grand time. On one hand, Hysilens' shy reaction was adorable; on the other, the rising emotional value on the display panel was cause for celebration.
Beyond that, 'Hysilens' suddenly understood why Hysilens—an Ocean Titan representing Nihility—had never actually fallen into the abyss of Nihility in reality.
Speaking of the woman herself, the first half of her life was hollow, and the second half was equally void.
But there was that middle period—the time she spent following Cerydra—where her heart had a goal, a yearning.
Or rather, outside of Nihility, Hysilens had an anchor: Cerydra, the one who had picked her up. Because of Cerydra's existence, Hysilens was able to temporarily escape Nihility during those cycles of reincarnation, chasing after her sun and her King in search of meaning.
But after Cerydra died—especially after being killed by Hysilens' own hands—Hysilens would sink into an even purer state of Nihility.
Empty, meaningless, worthless—that was the state of a Hysilens who had lost Cerydra.
Conversely, once Amphoreus became reality and the data from thirty million lifetimes returned, Cerydra stood before her in the flesh. She reached out her hand to Hysilens to fulfill their promise.
To Hysilens, that steadfast anchor truly existed right here; naturally, she lost any fundamental possibility of falling into Nihility.
Nihility is a sluggish thing by nature. If you don't provoke it, it won't go out of its way to provoke you.
As an Ocean Titan, Hysilens represented Nihility, but she carried a spark of light within herself, so she remained untouched by the void. That was how she maintained her normal state.
Still... to think the reason for staying away from Nihility was something like this. It really did have the flavor of an adult fairy tale.
While 'Hysilens' was lost in thought, Hysilens was being pushed to her limit by Cerydra.
Not that Cerydra was actually pressuring her; she understood most of it just by looking at her expression, so she wasn't demanding an answer.
It was simply that Hysilens was overthinking things so much she looked ready to faint.
"Hmm?"
Realizing that Hysilens might actually pass out from the mental strain, 'Hysilens' snapped back to attention. She decided to seize the moment to earn a bit more emotional value.
Once these couple of days passed and the secret was out in the open, earning points just by reciting lines would be nothing more than a dream.
So, this time, 'Hysilens' shifted her tone to something resembling a narrator. Clearing her throat, she began to recite a certain mission description with a mischievous grin:
"Having conquered the sea at the boundary of heaven and earth, they sleep forever amidst the sound of the waves. Sleeping amidst the waves, having conquered the sea at the boundary of heaven and earth. They never feared the prophecy; in fact, they even looked forward to it a little."
"But she does not know that the sea of her dreams is no mere pond. She does not know that the sea of her desires is no deserted shore."
"She does not know that she has no heart for eternal sleep. She does not know that she has no love for conquest—"
Just as 'Hysilens' was getting into the rhythm, Cerydra couldn't help but interrupt.
"Wait—! Madam Bai Ming, this is getting a bit theatrical."
Cerydra glanced at Hysilens and saw the other woman looking back at her. She gave a dry cough.
"Ahem! Madam Bai Ming, your narration is getting more and more convoluted. Let her catch her breath, or she really might faint."
Of course, if one ignored Hysilens' trembling pupils, Cerydra's words might have carried some weight.
"Imperator... do you really have no love for conquest?"
Until now, Hysilens had assumed that Cerydra hadn't begun a campaign beyond Amphoreus only because she was gathering strength and waiting for the right moment.
As it turned out, it was the complete opposite of what she had thought!
Faced with this question, Cerydra was the one who suddenly found herself speechless. She couldn't help but glare at 'Hysilens', who was standing nearby with a beaming smile.
Could this deity act with a bit more dignity?
Was teasing the two of them such a high-class form of entertainment that an Aeon would make a special trip for it?
Cerydra was utterly exasperated. How could there be such a bored Aeon in this world?
However, facing the searching gaze of her subject, Cerydra ultimately sighed and nodded.
As for the reason, she didn't elaborate. With the memories of thirty million lifetimes, there were far too many reasons to count.
Hysilens wanted to delve deeper into the conversation, but Cerydra reached out and covered her mouth.
"Let's find a quiet place to talk in detail. Hysilens, unless you want to stay and hear our Aeon continue her speech for us?"
"..."
The girl, whose actual age was anyone's guess, blushed again.
In truth, Hysilens kind of wanted to keep listening. 'Hysilens' wasn't just exposing her secrets; she was exposing Cerydra's as well.
If it were just her, it would be the ultimate social death, but if Imperator's secrets were involved, it was almost like a mutual baring of souls.
While having a third person present made her shame almost unbearable, there was something meaningful about having an Aeon witness it all.
On the other hand, the wicked glint in 'Hysilens'' smile was truly unsettling.
Though she had no proof, she had a strong hunch that if the three of them stayed together, the focus would shift back to her.
Then all her little hidden feelings would be laid bare before Cerydra, stripped down to the bone.
She was terrified the other would say something about her inner thoughts that would actually make her faint on the spot. Out of respect, Hysilens didn't dare to argue loudly or cover the Aeon's mouth.
So, after weighing her options, she decided to agree with Cerydra's decision.
Even if she might find it hard to speak when facing the Imperator alone, she would figure something out then. Anything was better than having her soul bared in public.
'Hysilens' watched as the lord and vassal prepared to sneak off for some private bonding. Although she was curious, she decided to give Hysilens a pass since the harvest had already been so bountiful.
Mostly, it was because Hysilens clearly wasn't used to this sort of thing. Emotional value was tempting, but one had to be careful not to overdo it.
If she actually talked her into a faint, Cerydra would likely lose her temper.
She'd just ask Hysilens for the gossip after they finished their talk. Besides, she hadn't come to Penacony just for this one thing.
"Hysilens, chat later?"
Cerydra pulled on Hysilens' arm, looking over with a wary, protective gaze, as if she were afraid 'Hysilens' might tease her Knight Commander again.
Hysilens, however, nodded in agreement.
"Is Your Excellency going to see Miss Himeko next?"
"No, I have some other business to attend to. I'll check in on the others later. You two go ahead."
The two nodded and didn't pry further. They turned and left, carrying an atmosphere that was both awkward and strangely intimate.
As for "Hysilens," she found a quiet corner and began to stir the ripples of the Sea of Memory.
Years ago, the surveyor Razalina had merged her life into the Memory Zone to provide the foundation for Penacony's prosperity. One could say Razalina's death was as final as it gets.
On the other hand, within the Dreamscape, faint traces of her could still be found.
So, there was a possibility. Perhaps the consciousness of Razalina Jane Estella still existed.
Previously, her own power hadn't been enough. But now, with the power of Elation, she could amplify her memory abilities to a considerable degree.
It was time to try and find out.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL