『 "Everyone, we've arrived." Seed looked at the fissure ahead and stopped, speaking to the group.
Belle nodded in agreement. "Mm, that's right. The coordinates point right inside that fissure."
"I want to go alone," Seed said, taking a deep breath.
"No way! Who knows if there's some dangerous Ethereals hiding in there? I'm not comfortable with this!" Magus shook its gun barrel.
"Captain… the radar shows no Ethereal life signs inside…" Orpheus undercut him.
"Still no…!" Magus shouted, his eyes turning red.
"Can you tell us why, Seed?" Trigger asked.
"I just feel like… I'm going to look very pathetic. If everyone sees me like that, I'll feel terrible," Seed explained softly.
"You… you brat, you just easily grabbed the only reason I can actually accept…!" Magus's eyes returned to normal.
"Pfft…" Orpheus couldn't hold back a laugh.
"I understand, Seed. Keep the comms open. We'll be ready to back you up at any time." Trigger nodded, deciding to respect Seed's wishes.
"Don't forget the extra spicy noodles later," Soldier 11 reminded her.
"It's a promise. We'll wait for you to come back!" Belle looked at Seed and smiled.
Seed nodded, then stepped into the fissure.
Before her was a familiar monument, but the ground beneath was no longer the purple of Ethereal corruption; it was a sea of flowers. 』
『 ....』
〘Belle〙: So beautiful…
〘Elysia〙: What a beautiful sea of flowers.
....
『 Seed walked up to the monument and placed Seed Sr. in front of it. After setting him down, she backed away while calling out.
"Seed Sr.? Are you listening?"
Sunlight broke through the dark clouds, spilling over Seed Sr.'s mechanical frame.
Seeing this, Seed took a deep breath and continued, "I kept my promise!"
A small, proud expression appeared on Seed's face.
"Captain Magus and Dr. Veronica have both acknowledged me!"
Seed placed her hand over her heart, pointing at herself, then reached out to grab Seed Sr.'s giant finger.
"I've become strong enough to stand on my own!"
Seed struggled to lift Seed Sr.'s hand onto her own head.
"See? I've grown taller, too…"
"Look, I'm even taller than the flowers in the Hollow you talked about!"
Due to gravity, Seed Sr.'s finger fell back down, lightly tapping Seed on the head, as if he had woken up.
Seed immediately backed away until she could see Seed Sr.'s entire form. With a smile that carried the sound of crying, she asked, "Seed Sr.?"
The expectation in her eyes was moving.
Petals drifted in the wind. Without Seed's support, Seed Sr.'s hand slowly dropped. No miracle occurred.
Seeing this, Seed slowly walked toward Seed Sr.
"Why…"
Seed leaned against Seed Sr. and began to cry. "Why didn't you come back?"
"Didn't we… make a promise?" 』
『 ....』
〘Elysia〙: Why is it this kind of ending♪…
〘Eden〙: Tragedy accompanies a person's life, Ellie, but people always find a way out of tragedy.
....
『 Teardrops the size of beans fell from Seed's eyes, rolling down her cheeks and finally dropping away.
The crystal-clear liquid dripped onto Seed Sr.'s body. The chassis, which had been dormant for so long, seemed to start running on its own.
An arm shimmering with golden light slowly rose, as if encouraging the girl before it, or perhaps attempting a gentle embrace.
Seed lunged forward, tightly hugging that massive, warm figure.
[ Special liquid sample detected. Sodium and potassium ion concentrations match human tear parameters… ]
[ Pilot identity confirmed. Vital signs synchronization rate 100%. Now playing Seed's final message for you. ]
Seed held onto Seed Sr.'s head and wailed. Seed Sr.'s hand even gave a thumbs-up.
Seed wiped her tears, confused. "Final message…?"
Seed Sr.'s voice, the one Seed had longed for in her dreams, rang out.
"Sorry, Seed. I broke our promise."
"Please forgive my departure without a word. I couldn't predict, and didn't dare imagine, how much pain you would suffer if your young self knew the truth."
Seed's sobbing grew louder with Seed Sr.'s words.
"So, I didn't dare take the risk. I even forced this unreasonable request onto the other members of the Obol Squad."
"If you realized they were quietly lying to you, please don't blame them… This was my responsibility."
"Seed, where are you right now, and what mission are you on?" Seed Sr. asked in a gentle tone.
"You must have grown much taller, right?"
Seed choked back a sob and nodded. "Mm… mm…"
"If the cockpit starts feeling too cramped, maybe you can go ask a lady named Veronica… I hope you get along. I think she'll find a way to help you adjust the cabin space." 』
『 ....』
〘Veronica〙: Then I'll have to disappoint you. She and I don't get along at all.
....
『 "In the Hollow where we first met, I scattered some seeds, hoping they would bloom. Oh, and those potted plants I left for you to take care of at home—did they grow into beautiful flowers?"
"Even if they didn't, you can't eat them… give them a little more time to grow, okay?"
"To be honest… I can't predict when this message will play. Will it be when you are feeling sad, or when you are shedding tears of happiness? The only thing I can be sure of is…"
"At this moment, Seed, you are able to shed tears naturally. In my eyes, you are already a flower in proud bloom."
"If that's the case, I suppose I can face my own death more calmly."
"Truthfully, I've read many books about death. Because when I first knew I couldn't escape it, I didn't really feel anything… the fear only slowly reared its head later."
"The books told me that death is a new birth, death is a poem, death is a heroic song, death is just a few light words on a gravestone…"
"But more than death, I prefer another word in those books. Life."
"I think life is indeed a circle… just a very massive circle. We walk together on it, embarking on a journey called 'Finding Our Heart.' By now, we've probably traveled less than a fifth of it…"
"Regrettably, I have to stop now. But the path will keep going forward, so you will get further and further away from me. At first, you might not even realize it, and you won't look back…"
Seed cried even harder.
"But it's okay, don't be afraid. None of this ends here… because I discovered you, a seed named Flora."
"From the day I met you, I secretly scattered a new seed in every one of your footprints. These seeds once belonged to me; now they belong to you."
"When I stopped, I hid the seeds on you as well. So as you continue forward, you will keep sowing them. Just keep going forward, keep walking…"
"Until one day in the future, when you finally finish this giant circle, when you return to where we started, you will surely see me again. And you will surely see this circle blooming with flowers all along the way."
"Now… I'm going to continue sleeping on this circle. Keep walking forward… until you finish the loop and come back."
"Seed Sr… are you leaving?" Seed cried.
"Don't be sad because of me... I've already achieved more than enough."
"The seed I planted really did bloom into a little flower. Congratulations, you've harvested a new 'Heart'."
"So, smile. That is the most suitable gift for a goodbye."
Gradually, the sobbing and the tears faded into this bright sea of flowers.
The sorrow of parting was carefully tucked away deep in her heart, and a smile slowly bloomed on the girl's face.
But the girl's voice, still thick with the sound of crying, betrayed her.
"Goodnight, Seed."
"Goodnight, Flora," Seed Sr. said gently.
The screen then went dark. 』
『 ....』
{Alright, it's over. Any thoughts?}
〘Stelle〙: Goodnight, Seed.
〘Stelle〙: Also, can we stop with the knives (heartbreak)?
〘Hanabi〙: Give us some Elation!
〘Sunday〙: Don't listen to the Masked Fool, I want to see the follow-up on Penacony!
{Elation? Easy. Just you wait!}
〘Sunday〙: Hey, don't ignore me!
〘Hanabi〙: Chicken-wing boy, just give up.
{Next Episode Preview — Someone is actually barking like a dog in public at Aurum Alley? Is this a distortion of humanity, or a moral decline? Let's stay tuned to the light curtain in one day!}
〘Qingque〙: Hmm? Aurum Alley? Let me see if I can calculate it…
〘Qingque〙: It's actually kind of funny… You guys can look forward to it. Definitely no 'knives.'
〘Stelle〙: You've already calculated the whole thing?
〘Qingque〙: Not quite, but I have a general idea of what happened.
〘Hanabi〙: Looking forward to it.
....
( Zenless Zone Zero, Flora of the Blooming Valley END. Next, let's go back to HSR! )