Chapter 240: New Partner
Just then, Dan Heng, who had been carefully observing the image, spoke again. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his tone was laced with unmistakable doubt.
"I feel... this 'March 7th' in Olonios's manifested memory is a bit strange."
Stelle, who could no longer hold back, immediately chimed in, eager to prove she wasn't just a spectator but also possessed keen observational skills.
"Yeah, yeah! I feel it too!"
Stelle nodded vigorously, pointing a finger at the shimmering projection. "This 'March,' at first glance, looks exactly like our March 7th, but if you look closely, you always feel... she's both very familiar and yet..."
"...there's this certain, indescribable sense of unfamiliarity! Ugh, I can't quite describe it, it just feels wrong!"
Though Stelle's description was rough, it hit the core of the problem precisely. The person in the image resembled their friend in form but not entirely in spirit. It was those eyes, especially—a deep, gradient red, like a striking brand that hinted at an unknown truth hidden just beneath the surface.
Instead of being solved, the mystery only became more perplexing with the manifestation of this memory.
Dan Heng gazed at the scene displayed by Olonios, his focus locked on the eerie, crimson-shaded eyes of the other "March 7th." He calmly began to analyze the situation aloud.
"We previously speculated that a part of March was taken away by an unknown Emanator. If that hypothesis holds true, then is it possible that the part of her that was taken arrived at Amphoreus much earlier than our main consciousness perceives?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the shocked faces of Stelle and March 7th before he offered an even more startling deduction. "And if we combine that with our firsthand verification of the immense time-flow difference between Amphoreus and the outside world..."
"Perhaps, at the very same moment we experienced the attack on the Astral Express and perceived the event of 'March being split,' that part of her was already cast into this world."
"And here... she has already lived through a long period of time, one far beyond our imagination."
Stelle gasped sharply, the terrifying implication of Dan Heng's words crashing down on her. "Doesn't that mean..." she cried out, her voice thin with disbelief, "the other half of March has already been here, all alone, for..."
"...a thousand years... or even longer..." March 7th murmured, finishing Stelle's unspoken thought. Her voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.
She instinctively hugged her arms, a phantom chill crawling over her skin as if she could feel the boundless, crushing loneliness of "another self" that spanned a millennium. An indescribable heartache—not the pity of an outsider, but a deep, resonant empathy for "herself"—spread through her chest.
"Suddenly... I'm starting to feel sorry for myself," she said softly, her tone a complex and indecipherable mix of emotions.
Stelle and Dan Heng's brows also furrowed tightly, their faces now devoid of any of their previous ease.
Stelle's fists unconsciously clenched at her sides. The playful glint that usually danced in her golden eyes had completely vanished, replaced by a sharpness as keen as a newly drawn sword.
"No, we have to speed up!" Stelle's voice was decisive, carrying an obvious resolve. "The other March has already endured a thousand years of solitude... We can't let her wait a single moment longer!"
Her gaze grew sharper, so intense it was as if substantial flames were burning within her pupils. "We find her, and then—"
She suddenly raised her head, a chilling aura emanating from her as she spoke.
"We completely smash that bastard Emanator who dared to arbitrarily split people apart and toy with time! We'll make that guy understand that the crew of the Astral Express is absolutely not to be trifled with! Anyone who dares to touch our people will pay the price!"
Dan Heng said nothing more. He simply turned to Stelle and gave a silent, solemn nod. In that single exchange of glances, an unspoken understanding and a shared will passed between them.
Protecting their companions, seeking the truth, and obtaining justice—these were the inviolable principles of a Trailblazer.
Seeing Stelle's fiercely protective expression and hearing the undisguised, burning fighting spirit in her words, March 7th felt a gentle pluck at her heartstrings. For a moment, she actually felt that this companion of hers, who usually joked around and harbored an absurd love for trash cans, seemed exceptionally reliable. Even... a little cool.
Just as the trio was filled with surging emotions, their resolve hardening in the face of this heavy speculation, Olonios, hovering nearby, seemed to sense the dip and change in its "Mother's" emotional state.
The massive, luminous blue body, which flowed with starlight, fluctuated slightly, emitting a wave of feeling that was both comforting and deeply attached.
Immediately after, under the astonished gazes of the three, a cluster of light at Olonios's core began to softly separate. As if calving a glacier, it slowly peeled off a more solidified and brighter sphere of blue light, about the size of a basketball.
This light cluster floated lightly toward March 7th. During its flight, its form began to undergo a wondrous transformation. It gradually elongated, its top becoming rounded while countless fine, soft, translucent tentacles, each emitting a faint starlight, trailed from its bottom. Its main body was a deep and pure azure, like the calmest night sky, with points of starlight flowing within as if it contained a miniature sea of stars.
Its overall form was, strikingly, an exquisitely beautiful, dreamlike blue jellyfish.
The small creature floated gently in front of March 7th, bobbing up and down as it emitted thoughts of reliance and pleading. A clear and tender voice, a miniaturized version of Olonios's ethereal tone, sounded directly in their minds.
"'Mother'... please take me with you... I won't cause you any trouble... I don't want... to be separated from you again..." The voice was laced with heart-wrenching sobs and an immense, hopeful anticipation.
March 7th looked at the beautiful and somewhat pitiful little jellyfish before her, once again falling into a dilemma. 'Taking a Titan's consciousness avatar with us? That sounds like a lot of trouble.'
And that "Mother" title...
But then, she thought of Stelle. Didn't Stelle also inexplicably subdue that Aetherium Wars companion, that little Trotter she was so proud of every day?
'If Stelle can have a "pet," why can't I?'she reasoned.'Just treating it as an extra little one to care for on the journey seems... not entirely unacceptable?'
Having come to this conclusion, the hesitation in March 7th's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sudden clarity and determination. She was no longer confused. Taking a deep breath, she looked earnestly at the little jellyfish, which was nervously awaiting her response.
"In that case," March 7th's voice was clear and strong, "you can follow me."
The starlight on the little jellyfish instantly brightened by several shades, and its tentacles swayed in a clear expression of pure joy.
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