The girl lying on the bed furrowed her brows slightly even in her unconscious state, as if enduring unbearable pain.
Chu Lian had fallen asleep at the bedside. After helping Inori Yuzuriha into her room, she could no longer resist the overwhelming drowsiness and drifted into a deep sleep.
In the dark room, a faint white thread of light suddenly emerged between Chu Lian and Inori.
Two threads connected together, forming a glowing white sphere in midair, which then split into two once more. The smaller portion returned to Inori's body, while the larger one surged into Chu Lian's mind, rushing toward the system.
At the very moment when the two spheres returned to their respective hosts, a dream, indistinguishable from reality, materialized in an instant.
Shattered violet crystals floated across the sky. A steel tower slowly collapsed. At its center stood a woman in purple, graceful like a butterfly. She gazed at the crystal flower in her hand, her cherry blossom-colored lips moving slightly as if speaking.
Then, she smiled radiantly, lowered her head, and gently kissed the blooming crystal flower. In the next instant, blinding light pierced through the petals, shooting in all directions. The flawless crystal flower shattered into dust, from which a butterfly emerged and soared skyward.
Chu Lian watched this scene quietly, knowing full well that the butterfly-like woman in purple was none other than Mana Ouma, sister of the protagonist Shu Ouma from Guilty Crown. Or perhaps, it would be more fitting to call her Eve now.
Regardless of who she truly was, she had become the sole presence visible in this world—even if she appeared in a form completely different from that of the story.
"Is this world... about to be destroyed? I haven't even started to be resurrected, Gai isn't dead yet, Shu hasn't become a true king, and Inori still doesn't understand love... So many things remain unfinished... Is it all going to end like this...?" Eve let out a soft laugh, her tone filled with sorrow. She was quite different from the obsessively controlling woman Chu Lian remembered.
"What you call a story is merely a consciousness projection of this world. When people from certain worlds perceive that projection, it becomes their inspiration, and thus they create a similar world. But once it has been altered by human hands, how could it possibly remain the real world?" As if sensing her doubt, Eve raised her slender hand to block the sunlight, speaking calmly.
"Our world became a projection, and other worlds became projections that people from our world perceived. These projections never disappear. Over time, more and more people perceive these long-standing consciousness projections and create various similar yet different worlds. But those are just virtual worlds created by them, never the real thing."
"Only stories recorded in writing can approach true reality. And works derived from that medium rarely undergo significant changes. We call unpredictable worlds like ours 'real worlds,' while those with predetermined stories are called 'projection worlds.'" Eve lowered her hand and turned to look at her.
It was truly strange. Despite being only ephemeral spiritual entities, the two of them could see each other clearly, even sense each other's thoughts.
"Of course, the world doesn't consist of just these two types. There are others as well. But since these two make up the majority, they're used as the main examples. You needn't worry about it or dwell too much. We can't predict or plan for the future."
She floated over to Chu Lian, lifted her chin with a finger, and smiled alluringly. "Sometimes, the more you seek the truth, the less of it you'll ever know. The best way isn't to remain ignorant, but to let things unfold naturally."
"But there will always be some fools who think they understand the truths and rules of how the world works, and then use that knowledge to serve their own selfish desires. Little do they know, the path they're walking leads straight into the abyss." Eve pulled Chu Lian's face closer, gazing at her exquisitely beautiful features, and sighed softly, "What a beauty..."
"Hello, my name is Eve..." So she really was Eve.
"Mana Ouma's consciousness is still sealed within this body. Right now, I can only appear by borrowing Inori Yuzuriha's body. This is the real world, a fantasy world, and a destroyed world all at once." Eve lifted her head and smiled coldly at the sky.
"What a pitiful person—blindly borrowing the power of outsiders in pursuit of some so-called new world, only to bring about this world's destruction."
"In trying to create a new world, the old one was completely shattered. There's no way to start over. Dreams and missions alike perished in an instant. I imagine even if he's fallen into the deepest abyss, he can't escape the despair of such failure." Eve lowered her hand from Chu Lian's chin, twirled gracefully, and spread her arms wide to the sky. "What a tragically ironic ending..."
"Do you know how this world was destroyed?" Eve sensed what Chu Lian most wanted to know and turned the question back on her.
Chu Lian looked into her dazzling eyes and gently nodded.
"The Gravekeeper, Da'ath, made a deal with a mysterious merchant who travels through spacetime. He traded the old world for a new one, a world with perfect life."
Eve clearly held Da'ath in contempt. The fact that he agreed to such a trade made it hard to feel even a shred of sympathy for him. "That mysterious merchant accepted the deal and gave him something called the 'World Reducer' in exchange for all the resources of this world."
"That fool didn't have the slightest awareness. He didn't even consider whether the goal was achievable—he just blindly agreed." Eve spun in place a few times, performing elegant movements like a figure skater, causing crystal fragments to flutter around her.
"I don't know how he found that person, nor why he made such a deal. But the result is clear—he was deceived."
"Perhaps it's not quite deception. Rather, he simply couldn't control the 'World Reducer.' The instant he activated it, the world began to collapse. And because he failed to recreate the world in time, he couldn't stop the devastation."
Eve stared into the distant sky, her voice soft. "At first, I had hoped to use my own power to perfect this world. But alas... that chance never came."
"Soon, this world will erupt with a wave of destructive energy and vanish in an instant. After the old world completely disappears, the new world will be rebuilt with the 'World Reducer''s alternate form—the 'World Protector'—at its center. But that new world will no longer be the old one. It will have new life and new stories."
Eve turned around, traced her finger across Chu Lian's cheek, then picked up a strand of hair by her ear and gently inhaled its scent. "The reason I can still stand here and speak with you is because we are both wrapped in the fate of this world. In the final moment, she left all of her vitality to us."
"I must say, though the world consciousness she created made the Gravekeeper Da'ath the culprit behind its destruction, she herself was never at fault. It's just that... sigh..."
"We've been drifting through the rift in spacetime for what must have been both a very long and very short time. We couldn't perceive the passage of time, nor could we know where we were heading. If not for a call from this world today, drawing us here to your side... we might have remained trapped in that spacetime rift for eternity..."
This Eve was nothing like the "Apocalypse Virus" core from the anime. She was more like a proud queen—a woman who was gentle toward her own.
"Virus core? The so-called Apocalypse Virus is actually a special evolutionary gene capable of altering human DNA. It's just that its required hosts are rather unique, which is why so many people died and vanished..."
"If not for Mana and Inori, I wouldn't even exist. Clinging to life by depending on someone else's body, how could I possibly think about destroying the world or eliminating others? If you wish to see the real me... you'll get your chance someday." Eve voiced what Chu Lian was thinking, yet she wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled faintly and shook her head.
"Though I know the source of the world's destruction, I can't help but feel something is very off about all this. If it's not necessary, don't go chasing answers before you're ready to bear the consequences. It will only bring you harm..."
As she finished speaking, Eve's figure began to distort—like a glitched virtual image receiving heavy interference, her entire body became blurred and layered.
"I can sense you're not ordinary, but that's fine. I believe you'll be a good person. Right now, the only ones still alive are myself, Mana, Inori, Ayase Shinomiya, Tsugumi, Hare, Arisa, and Haruka. The others are all gone... They gave their lives to protect us from dangers that even fate itself couldn't block, keeping us from getting lost in this unknown place..."
"Among them, only Inori still has a body. The others exist only as sleeping souls. I've sent them all into your body—please take good care of them. Mana and I rely on Inori to exist, so we cannot leave her. But we won't leave you either..."
"If they awaken, please don't tell them the truth—not right away. Except for the three of us, the others lost consciousness at the moment of the world's destruction, becoming soul forms protected by fate. They don't know what happened. Only Shu and Gai still retained a subconscious desire to protect us, which is why they chose to sacrifice themselves—to ensure we wouldn't be destroyed by any harm..."
"It's a cruel truth. Since we can't change it, let it remain hidden a little longer..." After saying this, Eve gave her one last smile—then vanished without a trace.
Like a dream before waking, as the scene faded, the dream shattered, and it was time to wake up.
Chu Lian suddenly lifted her head to find the morning sun rising outside.
She turned her small head and saw the pink-haired girl still lying on the bed. Letting out a breath of relief, she murmured, "Thank goodness—it wasn't a dream."
"Spacetime traveling merchant, Da'ath's actions, Eve's understanding of everything, being drawn to my side by a mysterious call... the world's destruction, the death of the world consciousness, the role of fate, and those who traverse infinite time and space... all of this really couldn't have come at a worse time."
Chu Lian stared out the window, mentally sorting through everything Eve had told her. She gave a faint, bitter smile. Just as one wave settled, another came crashing in. She hadn't even resolved her existing problems, and now an even greater one appeared...
"Lian..." A soft voice called her name in Chinese. Chu Lian turned to see Inori Yuzuriha looking at her.
"It was Eve who told me everything. She also taught me Chinese. Lian, please take care of me from now on." Inori seemed to have forgotten the pain she felt last night when she recalled Shu. She looked at Chu Lian with clear affection. Just the length of her speech made that obvious.
Forgotten? If she forgot, then that's good...
Chu Lian reached out, grasped the girl's fair hand, and smiled. "And you too, Inori. Please take care of me from now on..."