Chapter 38: Aha: Oh, You Can't Beat Me; I'm the One Who Wounded You
"Oh, I haven't actually told you guys yet, have I?" March 7th leaned back, her gaze drifting upward to the starry expanse visible through the Express ceiling observation window. Her tone was uncharacteristically soft, floating lightly in the quiet cabin. "Before being salvaged by the Astral Express, I was frozen solid inside a giant block of ice, just drifting endlessly through the universe."
"How did you get frozen?" Caelus asked, leaning forward with genuine curiosity.
"Who knows? I don't remember a single thing from before." March 7th shook her head, a fleeting shadow crossing her bright features. "Who I am, what my original name was, where I came from... I've forgotten all of it. Even the name 'March 7th' is just to commemorate the exact date I was awakened."
She paused, her fingers tracing the edge of her skirt. "So I stayed on the Astral Express, following it from stop to stop, hoping that one day I'd finally find my past." At this point, she suddenly clapped her hands together, interrupting herself with a playful, exaggerated sigh. "Oh, why am I talking about this? It's such a buzzkill!"
Sensing the atmosphere had dipped into something a bit too somber, Stelle and Caelus quickly exchanged a look and apologized in unison. "Sorry..."
"Hey... it's completely okay, I brought it up myself!" March 7th's smile returned, bright and infectious. "Cheer up, Stelle, Caelus! Riding the Astral Express is a super rare experience!"
There wasn't a single hint of gloom left in her voice; instead, it brimmed with absolute anticipation for the future.
At this moment, March 7th's unique personal charm was on full display. She was lively and cute, armed with quick quips that always managed to hit the mark, and her gentle, down-to-earth personality made everyone around her feel instantly at ease.
"I don't know much about your frozen past either," Leon drawled, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. A knowing, almost mischievous smile played on his lips. "But I do know there is a very specific, very potent power hidden deep inside you. Your identity is far from simple, March. And... from what I gather, it seems you have quite a few sisters out there."
Speaking of which, he needed to tag Fuli in the group chat.
[Leon: @Fuli... You shouldn't technically be born yet, right? I'm genuinely curious. Who are you in the future? March 7th? Or Cyrene?]
Leon had practically figured the whole thing out. The Fuli that had shattered on the exact day he arrived in this universe was nothing more than a fabricated shell.
The true Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli, had not actually been born yet.
As for why Fuli still existed in the present... it was because Fuli carried out the ultimate conviction of remembering the entire universe, destined to ascend to godhood only at the absolute end of time.
And at the exact moment of that future ascension, His memories would pierce backward through the temporal flow, manifesting in the past as the Fuli that people currently perceived.
Therefore, that crystalline entity was just an empty vessel, and the Garden of Recollection had been fiercely guarding this cosmic secret.
Even within the Garden of Recollection itself, only the absolute highest-ranking Memokeepers knew the truth.
'Isn't that right, you hardworking Garden of Recollection employee, Black Swan?' Leon thought, his grin widening.
[Fuli: March 7th Smile.JPG]
[Fuli: Cyrene Smile.JPG]
Fuli didn't respond directly, opting instead to send two cryptic emojis.
No admission? No denial either?
It really made a person curious!
However, the fact that Fuli was actually a pink-haired beautiful girl was practically confirmed!
Leon was absolutely sure of it!
[Aha: I told you that you would find out soon, but Aha didn't expect it to be this fast!]
[Aha: That's right, Fuli hasn't been born yet, so Aha doesn't need to help Fuli get revenge at all~]
[Aha: Aha slapped you entirely on purpose~ Aha-Running-Away.JPG]
Seeing Aha's reply flash across his screen, Leon's expression dropped into a flat, deadpan stare.
'I knew you did it on purpose, you masked freak. Fuli was just a convenient scapegoat to frame me back then!'
[Nanook: Therefore, all of this should be destroyed!]
[Nanook: The wailing of the Stellaron is the grand finale of civilization; the relentless tide of entropy will eventually swallow your illusory Elation.]
The Aeon of Destruction was frantically trying to recruit Leon in the chat, aggressively attempting to pull him onto the Path of Destruction.
[Aha: Pwahahaha, this is so fun! Nanook, come and hit me! Come and hit me!]
[Aha: Why aren't you coming? Oh, it turns out you can't beat me. This is just too much fun.]
[Nanook: You mask the absurdity of existence with laughter, but my brand will bring a true end to this farce—even Elation itself will find eternal peace in absolute annihilation.]
[Aha: Oh, you can't beat me, I'm the one who gave you those wounds.]
[Nanook: Accept this blessing, Aha... When your mask burns along with my scars, all things will finally understand—]
[Aha: Oh, you can't beat me, I'm the one who gave you those wounds.]
[Nanook: So-called destiny is but the longest last words before destruction.]
[Aha: Oh, you can't beat me, I'm the one who gave you those wounds.]
[Nanook: You! @%￥!%]
[Fuli silently recorded: Creating Light Cone: Recording the Quarrel of Two Aeons. PS: Nanook can't beat Aha.]
[Nous: Deduction conclusion: Nanook's Destruction thesis has a 0.0001% probability of leading to the premature heat death of the universe; Aha's chaotic behavior causes this probability fluctuation to increase to ±3.72%.]
[Nous: Conclusion: No need to pay attention to Nanook's incompetent rage.]
Watching the harmonious and loving interactions between the supreme Aeons of the universe, Leon felt a deep sense of peace.
"Wait, what? There's a hidden power inside me? How come I didn't know about this?!"
March 7th asked urgently, her hands dropping to her sides. Seeing Leon completely zoned out, his eyes glued to his phone screen with a weird smirk, she stomped her boot against the floorboards. "And what is so special about my identity? Don't be a riddler! Do I really have sisters? Where are they?"
She waved a hand frantically in front of Leon's face, trying to break his screen-trance. "Hey, hey, hey! Earth to Leon! Why are you playing with your phone halfway through a conversation? We are talking about my tragic, mysterious life story here. This is super important, can't you focus for just one second?!"
Her unique pink-and-blue eyes were wide, practically sparkling with a mix of expectation and burning curiosity. She clearly cared deeply about the breadcrumbs he had just dropped.
"It's a bit too early to reveal some things. After all, I can't be one hundred percent sure if my guess is correct yet," Leon said, pocketing his phone and flashing her a perfectly infuriating smile.
To March 7th, that smile was highly punchable.
"Who stops talking halfway through a massive revelation?!" she groaned, throwing her hands up. "You can still say it even if you're not sure!"
"Darn it, another riddler! I absolutely hate people who only tell half the story!" March 7th planted her hands firmly on her hips, puffing out her cheeks in a cross pout. "With the way you're acting, you might as well just say I'm an Aeon shard and I'm going to ascend into a literal Aeon in the future!"
Leon stared at her.
'Incredible,'he thought, mentally applauding.'Nailed it in one. The prophet has spoken.'
March 7th was indeed a Nirvana Purity; she genuinely possessed the foundational qualifications to ascend and become Fuli.
Thinking about it now, the Astral Express Crew really was a gathering of terrifyingly overpowered hidden talents.
One's past life was Akivili, and they would likely ascend to reclaim the mantle of the Aeon of Trailblaze in the future.
Another was a Nirvana Purity with a legitimate chance to ascend as the Aeon of Remembrance.
Somewhere in the archives, Dan Heng was probably sneezing. 'Wait, I woke up and found that I, the combat specialist, have somehow become the weakest link on this train?'
"Alright, alright, let's put a pin in this heavy topic for now. Why don't we add each other as friends first?" Leon chuckled, pulling his phone back out and waving it.
"Fine, fine. If you won't say it, then don't. It's not like I'm that curious anyway," March 7th huffed, crossing her arms and looking away.
Despite her words, her hands moved with lightning speed. She whipped out her own phone and, within seconds, had successfully added Leon, Stelle, and Caelus to her contacts.
Her fingers flew across the screen as she skillfully dragged the three of them into a brand-new group chat.
"Himeko, look! I've added Lemon, Stelle, and Caelus~"
As soon as she hit send, her eyes widened at the screen. She frantically tapped the keyboard again. "Oops, autocorrect! I meant Leon! But whatever, that's not important!"
She looked up from her screen, her previous annoyance vanishing instantly as she flashed the three of them a brilliant, sunshine-warm smile.
"Welcome to the Loving Astral Express Family group chat!"
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