The reply from Demiurge arrived several days after 'Hysilens' had returned to the borders of Nihility.
Fortunately, she'd had the foresight to leave a mask draped over one of Herta's puppets back at the Space Station, allowing her to reach the outside world through the power of Elation.
Had she missed Demiurge's message this time, there was no telling when she'd manage to track them down again.
So, she shifted a fraction of her focus, tethering her consciousness to that specific puppet on the station.
The moment she synced up, however, 'Hysilens' felt something was off.
The little formal dress the puppet wore had been swapped for a light-colored outfit, and even the hair had turned snow-white. A quick flick through the puppet's internal logs revealed the culprit.
After that woman Herta discovered 'Hysilens' had "requisitioned" this particular unit, she had personally come over to give it a makeover, remodeling it into a puppet of Bai Ming as a young girl.
Aside from the style being somewhat similar to the original, the entire palette had been shifted to lighter tones.
"...Talk about having too much time on her hands," 'Hysilens' muttered with a wry smile.
Then, without the slightest hint of politeness, she took full ownership of the puppet.
She pulled up a floating screen and logged into her account. Both Demiurge and Evernight had replied; they'd even started a three-person group chat.
[Demiurge: Looking for us for something~?]
[Evernight: Is it urgent?]
[Nameless: It's alright. What were you two even doing? I sent those messages ages ago.]
[Evernight: Bad timing. We were at the Garden of Recollection back then.]
[Nameless: ??]
[Nameless: You two didn't tear the Garden of Recollection apart, did you...]
[Demiurge: Hehe~ You're exaggerating. We don't have that kind of patience.]
'Hysilens' let out a sigh of relief at Demiurge's reply.
[Nameless: You scared me. So, what were you doing there?]
[Evernight: We gave everyone in the Garden a solid thrashing, their boss included. We just managed to shake off their pursuit, so now we have a moment to reply.]
[Nameless: ...]
[Nameless: ...]
[Demiurge: Oh, don't worry, Sister. We knew when to stop. Besides, it's all their fault—they just wouldn't leave little Night-Night alone.]
[Evernight: ...I told you not to call me that.]
[Demiurge: What's the harm~? It's cute.]
Reading the shocking dialogue between the two, 'Hysilens' couldn't help but palm her face and sigh. Just what on earth could have happened to make these two single-handedly take on the entire Garden of Recollection?
[Nameless: So you guys... forget it, let's talk details offline. When can you get back? I need a favor.]
[Demiurge: Soon! We're already on our way back.]
[Evernight: Yeah. And as it happens, I have some things I want to ask you about.]
[Nameless: Fine. I'll wait for you at the Space Station.]
'Hysilens' shook her head. As for the brawl with the Garden of Recollection, she'd have to wait until she saw them in person to ask what that was all about.
She didn't even know if they'd won or lost—and if they won, to what extent? Would the Garden come looking for revenge later?
After waiting at the station for about half a day, Demiurge and Evernight arrived. 'Hysilens' cast a glance behind them, but saw no signs of any pursuers.
Before she could even get a word out, Demiurge's eyes lit up the moment she saw the pint-sized puppet. She lunged forward and scooped the puppet into a tight embrace.
"Tiny Sister is so cute~!"
'Hysilens' ignored the pink-haired menace and turned her gaze toward the more composed Evernight. Evernight merely smiled and shrugged.
"It wasn't much, really. We just found out the Garden of Recollection still hasn't given up their schemes, so we decided to teach them a lesson. With Demiurge and me working together, they couldn't do a thing to us."
"Besides, with you as our backing, they just have to swallow the loss."
"...They aren't stupid, are they? Or are you just using me as an excuse?"
'Hysilens' found the whole thing a bit absurd. First there was Noa's grand manifestation, then her own public ascension to Aeonhood.
Most of the Pure Children, even if they weren't exactly slacking off, wouldn't be bold enough to move against Evernight while 'Hysilens' was at the height of her power.
It felt more like Evernight had simply seized an opportunity to settle a score.
Evernight let out a cold laugh.
"The ones who actually moved were the Memokeepers, but the rest of them aren't innocent. In the past, I lacked the power. Now that I have the toughest backer in the universe, isn't it only natural to return the favor?"
"..."
'Hysilens' shook her head helplessly. But since it was already done, it was time for business.
"Let's focus on the task at hand. Demiurge, put me down first."
"Eh~? Isn't it nice sitting in your sister's arms? I love Sister's new look."
Demiurge pouted, squinting as she nuzzled her face into the puppet's hair a few times before reluctantly letting go. 'Hysilens' steadied the puppet and looked at the two Pure Children.
"Here's the deal. This time, I need you two to help me find something within Penacony's Memory Zone..."
She briefly explained the situation she'd discovered at Penacony, along with her recent findings and theories.
"In short, I want to ask you to help me search for any sign that Razalina might still exist. I'm too slow on my own, and I've been busy with other things lately, so I can't devote enough focus to this side."
Demiurge and Evernight exchanged a glance before turning back to 'Hysilens'.
"Since it's Sister's request, of course I'll say yes~"
Evernight nodded in agreement. She had no objections to helping out.
"Since you've already arranged everything over there, Demiurge and I can head straight to Penacony in a bit."
"No rest for a couple of days?"
"No need. We can rest after we get there."
Seeing how proactive Evernight was, 'Hysilens' smiled and nodded. Then she asked, "By the way, Evernight, what was it you wanted to ask me?"
"There are a few things. I want to know more about 'March 7th.' Can you tell me about her?"
"Huh?"
'Hysilens' looked at Evernight in a daze.
How did March 7th even come up? She had assumed that this girl might never be born in this timeline.
After all, Evernight hadn't been backed into a corner or chased until she was weary of life.
Now, she was even out raiding the Garden of Recollection with Demiurge. How could the name "March 7th" still surface?
As if she had anticipated the confusion, Evernight said with a smile, "Actually, I just suddenly felt a bit... empty. While we were fighting our way into the Garden."
Evernight began to share her thoughts. Just as 'Hysilens' had guessed, once two Aeon-level entities appeared among the Pure Children, this unique "battle royale" lost all meaning.
In terms of status and identity, no one could compare to Madam Bai Ming, who created an Aeon and then became one herself.
In terms of character, no one could catch up to Noa, who carried hope itself. At first, Evernight didn't have many thoughts on the matter.
But when she and Demiurge broke into the Garden and she watched those people who used to target her turn hysterical... those loathsome, calculating figures were now driven to madness and despair because their hopes were shattered.
All their schemes, all the struggles she had endured—it all seemed to lose its meaning. And as that hatred reached its final conclusion, for some reason, Evernight felt a wave of boredom.
It was a sense of emptiness that comes at the end of chaos and struggle, a realization that everything felt hollow.
Looking back at her own past, Evernight suddenly became curious about one thing.
If those unpleasant base colors were erased, what kind of pattern would have grown on her original, blank canvas? What would that version of herself, the one named "March 7th," have been like?
March 7th. What a lovely name. How could one not be curious? So, Evernight chose to come and see 'Hysilens', the one who knew that future.
"...So, you're curious about March 7th? Evernight, this nihilistic state you're in is a bit dangerous."
"I know. That's why I came to you."
Evernight was well aware her mindset was in a bad place. But more than that, she wanted answers.
"Alright. I can tell you everything I know. Afterwards, you can also go to the Land of Light and ask Divine Herta; she should know a few things too."
"Thank you for indulging me, Madam Bai Ming."
Evernight gave an elegant bow. Nearby, Demiurge had secured tea and snacks from Celenova, looking perfectly ready to settle in for a story.
"I'll ask one thing first. If you like what you hear, will you let March 7th be born?"
"..."
Evernight fell into silence. She nodded, then shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe, maybe not."
Right now, Evernight was only curious. Whether she would actually go through with it was hard to say.
Hearing this, 'Hysilens' shrugged. She hadn't expected things to come full circle like this.
She had been thinking that if the Express crew didn't have March 7th to liven things up, they'd just be a bunch of sticks-in-the-mud.
"Fine then. I'll tell you everything I remember about March 7th."
'Hysilens' began to recount the March 7th she remembered, starting from the adventures on the Space Station, including details from character stories and various snippets of text.
Everything she had seen and remembered, she told to Evernight.
Though she used to tease March for being a bit of a scatterbrain online, from another perspective, there was a lot to love about her. She was sunny, optimistic, and full of life.
Even with her memory loss and the mystery of her origins, she never made others worry about her.
While she often seemed airheaded, her virtues were too many to count in one breath. There was a reason people said March 7th felt like the perfect "girl next door." That was where her charm lay.
As 'Hysilens' spoke, there was no doubt that Evernight felt that charm as well. Even Demiurge was taken aback.
"Wow—that's the first time I've seen little Night-Night give such a gentle smile. So cute~! Your smiles used to be scary enough to kill."
"...Stop calling me that!"
Evernight's smile vanished instantly as she glared at Demiurge.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL