Do you know why I refused your 'kindness'?
After so many twists and turns, when Lin Wei finally reached the deepest part of this temple-like prison, looking at the woman who sat in the darkness like the most elegant lady, her silhouette barely discernible, he merely chuckled and answered his own question.
"Because I also believe that, by my own efforts, I can reach you just like this!"
His voice carried confidence and a touch of small joy, as if he had just experienced another minor victory.
"If you can find joy in this, I will also be happy for you."
Aponia remained seated in the darkness, her voice still kind and gentle, seemingly not displeased by Lin Wei's rudeness. She merely posed her own question calmly.
"However, regarding the outcome, whether I removed the superfluous branches for you midway, or you trod through this thorny thicket yourself, it seems to make no difference, does it?"
The outcome of fate has already been revealed and cannot be changed, Aponia thought silently.
"Of course, it's different! How can the gifts of others and the results of one's own efforts be considered the same?"
Aponia's voice, seated in the darkness, was naturally pleasant. Lin Wei's smile, standing in the faint light, was equally gentle, yet the content of his words was not as gentle as her tone.
"At least, I don't have to reluctantly say 'thank you' to you for this, do I?"
"Ah, so that's how it is. Thank you for being willing to resolve my confusion."
Aponia chuckled softly, seemingly unbothered by Lin Wei's further impoliteness. Yet, like a loving mother, she was patient, as if demonstrating to a mischievous child the proper way to speak politely.
"It seems, compared to the 'outcome,' you place more emphasis on the 'process'?"
No wonder Elysia favors you so much, Aponia thought silently.
"More emphasis on the process? Not entirely. In my view, both the 'outcome' and the 'process' are equally important, with no distinction in weight."
Lin Wei replied calmly.
"After all, a 'process' without an 'outcome' is meaningless. And an 'outcome' without a 'process' will likewise destroy those who obtain it too easily; it's like trying to build a magnificent palace out of thin air without laying a foundation. No matter how beautiful it appears on the outside, even a gust of wind can bring it crashing down—crushing everyone living inside."
Eating is to fill the stomach and ward off hunger, but it's not just to fill the stomach and ward off hunger.
Relationships between men and women are for procreation and continuing the lineage, but it's not just for procreation and continuing the lineage.
If it were merely to fill the stomach, and one simply had sufficient protein, carbohydrates, fats, etc., directly filled into the intestines regularly, then how would these daily "three meals" differ from torture?
If it were merely for "continuing the lineage," and one simply randomly matched with an opposite sex's chromosome in a hospital, how much genuine emotion could one have for the test-tube baby born this way, besides it possessing half your genes?
"This isn't help; it's deprivation, Aponia."
Lin Wei thought with a hint of regret.
"Your excessive intervention both suppresses humanity's most instinctive desires and deprives them of the chance to become more complete individuals. In the long run, how could it not lead to a backlash?"
Like a volcano, though it may seem calm for tens of thousands of years, scorching magma constantly gathers deep within the earth, merely waiting for the right moment to unleash tens of thousands of years of accumulated fury, incinerating all surrounding life...
"So, that's how you see me in your heart."
Aponia naturally read the thoughts in Lin Wei's mind and sighed softly.
"No wonder you were able to cross this insurmountable chasm in people's hearts and truly reach me..."
Previously, she had been very curious. Why, even though Lin Wei had clearly refused her kindness, did the future she saw still show him arriving before her? That long road was like this dark cage manifested from her inner world, as distant and endless as the gap between her and the world. Yet the result remained the same.
Therefore, she was perplexed.
Because she was perplexed, she felt curious.
Because she was curious, she wanted to know the answer.
Because she wanted to know the answer, she watched Lin Wei even more patiently...
She had thought Lin Wei would use the Key of Corruption to forcibly cross this "chasm" in the digital world, but he didn't.
Thus, when Lin Wei truly arrived before her as foreseen, she joyfully knew the answer—even though that answer wasn't as beautiful as she had imagined.
"Understanding without agreement?"
Aponia thought with a sigh.
"What a gift filled with poignant pleasure..."
Despite this, she still felt grateful, even though it felt more like an accusation against the sins she had committed.
"..."
Hearing Aponia say that, Lin Wei also fell silent.
Before coming to this "Deep End," he had indeed been filled with disgust for Aponia, just as he loathed everyone who toyed with others' fates, just as he loathed "fate" itself.
But when he truly stepped onto this sacred stone path, which seemed to stubbornly hold up a faint glimmer of hope in the endless darkness; Lin Wei had thought Aponia would be an existence he was unwilling to acknowledge, like a nightmare.
Yet, when he truly stood before the woman he thought he'd never want to see in his life, he found his heart surprisingly calm, without the turbulence he had anticipated.
Because he discovered that the woman who had fallen into the deepest darkness for various reasons was, in the end, just a slave tightly bound by fate.
Everything she did was, in fact, just repeated rebellion against fate itself—even though her rebellion often only caused that predetermined fate to arrive in an even more tragic manner.
To personally realize the fate she foresaw—this was "fate's" greatest cruelty to her...
When he truly stood before her, he suddenly realized that Aponia, whom he had never met but had prematurely poured so much malice upon, was actually just a very frail-looking woman—though Lin Wei himself was very clear that this was merely "how she looked."
Ultimately, Lin Wei had seen the essence of the matter—what he truly disliked wasn't Aponia, but rather the mysterious aura called "fate" that enveloped her...
Since the mystique was gone, there was naturally no need to continue misdirecting his anger. He even felt a trace of pity for this woman, overwhelmed by fate and sin.
"Ah, what an unforgettable day this is..."
Aponia chuckled softly, lamenting with some self-deprecation,
"To think there would be a day I see pity for me in another's eyes. What a novel experience—this is probably what you call the 'process,' right?"
Like waking up in the morning and seeing the reflection in the mirror cast its gaze upon oneself, Aponia thought quietly.
"Perhaps."
Lin Wei replied casually.
"Is that so? Thank you for your generosity, traveler from afar, and thank you for the changes you have brought to the Elysian Realm."
Aponia's voice carried a gentle smile, as if she truly regarded it as some kind of gift. She lightly lifted a hand that had always been placed before her. A faint, moon-like glow shone upon this hand, as if this fair, beautiful palm itself was the crescent moon emitting these lights. She said softly,
"Please, come forward. Let me see your face."
"..."
Lin Wei frowned, then stepped forward again, slowly walking towards her. He only stopped when he reached the "prison," which was so large it didn't seem meant to confine a single person, and half his body had stepped into the lightless darkness.
The boundary between light and dark thus cut across his face, merging half his body and face into darkness, leaving the other half in light. At a glance, it created a strangely terrifying sensation.
Aponia remained seated where she was, her silhouette still indistinct, but one could vaguely see her slowly raising her head, as if to look at Lin Wei's face. Then she chuckled softly.
"You're so close, I can't see your face clearly anymore..."
She was reminding Lin Wei that he could step back a little.
"Didn't you ask me to come closer?"
A slightly cunning smile appeared on the half of Lin Wei's face that was still bright.
"As for how close, that's for me to decide."
"Ah, is that so? What a mischievous child~"
Aponia let out an extremely gentle chuckle, like an exasperated mother. Then, her silhouette, which had been as poised as the most elegant lady or the most devout nun, moved slightly. She slowly stood up and said softly,
"If you want to be closer to me, I can also actively approach you, you know!"
As she spoke, she took incredibly elegant steps, slowly walking into the light. She gently lifted one of her graceful hands, as if to caress Lin Wei's face.
As that hand rose, the darkness that had already enveloped half of Lin Wei quickly receded, as if gently wiping away dirt from his body, allowing Lin Wei to be fully bathed in light once more.
"Ah, this is much better."
Aponia smiled gently, walking all the way to the iron bars representing the prison, allowing her entire figure to be fully in the light, just like Lin Wei. Only then did she gently sit down as before, slowly looking up at Lin Wei's face, and praised him tenderly,
"Indeed a handsome boy. You will surely be liked by many girls in the future~"
"..."
This tone, similar to an elder's praise, left Lin Wei speechless. Yet, her voice, as gentle as a winter stove or spring sunshine, made it impossible to feel any aversion, rendering even the sarcastic retorts in his mind unspeakable.
"Ah, do you feel it's inappropriate for me to say such things?"
Aponia, however, easily heard Lin Wei's thoughts. She gently stroked the long, sacred hair cascading over her chest and said with a light laugh,
"If you wish to praise my appearance, I will gladly accept it~"
Though her voice carried a smile, and the corners of her lips were slightly upturned, this woman before him, whether in her eyes or expression, was filled with an indescribable emptiness and indifference.
"...I really don't know which one is the real you."
While Aponia was carefully examining Lin Wei, Lin Wei was also scrutinizing her.
Even seated, he could clearly see her impressive figure, no less than Eden's.
Though she spoke to him with a very gentle voice and extremely affable language, her beautiful face, adorned with a beauty mark tear, was filled with a distancing aloofness that made people shrink back, giving an indescribable sense of contradiction and mystery.
"There is only one Aponia in the world; there is no so-called true or false."
Aponia's smile remained indifferent and distant, her tone still gentle and kind.
"As for you, such a young life, yet such a vibrant will; even I can't help but feel respect for you, and shame for some of the regrettable misunderstandings before..."
"Misunderstandings?"
Lin Wei smiled faintly.
"Are you saying you thought I would use the Key of Corruption to forcibly reach you, and then use it to isolate myself from your influence?"
In fact, since stepping into that vortex, Lin Wei had not used Pandora again, nor had he even entertained such a thought.
"Strictly speaking, that is indeed part of the reason."
Aponia's voice remained just as frank and gentle, her indifferent, magnificent eyes meeting Lin Wei's calm, scrutinizing gaze without wavering.
"I had thought I would encounter a lost and weary soul, but the reality is slightly different."
"Slightly different?"
Lin Wei raised an eyebrow and asked,
"How so?"
"Ah, I can indeed feel the weariness and confusion in your heart, like a traveler on a long road..."
Aponia's hand gently passed through the gaps in the bars, a cool touch lightly brushing Lin Wei's face, gently smoothing the frown between his brows.
"...Is there a difference?""I had thought you would greatly need careful nurturing and comfort. But when I truly saw you, I realized you were merely a little impatient, just needing a good rest..."
Lin Wei was speechless. Are you messing with me?
"Of course, there is. For example, your confusion and weariness have not shaken your inner heart; it is as scorching as the summer sun."
Aponia continued to speak gently.
"As proud as everyone who once 'resisted' fate, it's just..."
"Just what?"
Lin Wei pressed.
"Ah..."
Aponia's indifferent eyes gazed gently at Lin Wei. She sighed sorrowfully.
"It's just that, like them, you have also fallen into helplessness against fate..."
"..."
Lin Wei's eyes narrowed.
"Ah, are you displeased by my words?"
Aponia gently withdrew the hand caressing Lin Wei's face and sighed.
"Otherwise, how could someone as proud as you think of coming here, hoping to seek from me an 'outcome' that skips the 'process'?"
-----
Aponia is right in this, Lin Wei. Please slow down.