It was like a miracle. The instant he heard that sigh, Caelus felt the agony in his body begin to dissipate, replaced by a surging, endless power.
For a moment, he thought it was an illusion, a hallucination born from the hope that someone was willing to help him. But the next moment, he realized the power was real. His wounds were indeed healing, and his strength was truly skyrocketing!
And all these changes were because of just one person... because of the white figure who had appeared sometime before, standing protectively in front of Caelus.
Her figure was slender, seemingly frail. But in that instant, her appearance felt like a massive boulder gently lifted from Caelus's heart. The mark this frail figure left on his soul was deeper than that of any gods!
"Da... Dabai!" (大白 literally it means "Big White")
Overcome with emotion, Caelus directly called out the name of the person before him—no, perhaps "nickname" was more fitting... Come to think of it, he still didn't actually know her real name.
"Shh, quiet down..." Dabai placed a finger to her lips, gently gesturing for silence. She then looked Caelus over, confirmed his injuries had healed, and looked into his excited eyes with a light chuckle. "Just lying on the ground moments ago, face like a bitter melon, and now you're suddenly so full of spirit."
"Dabai, you, why are you here? And suddenly helping us—"
Caelus paused, realizing his wording wasn't quite right. He glanced around and saw that while the others' injuries had also vanished, they remained unconscious on the ground. Even those who hadn't fainted before were now fast asleep. This clearly wasn't Sunday's doing.
"Heh, I shouldn't have interfered, Caelus... Guiding you towards the correct path merely nudged fate's direction, ultimately dispensable. But directly helping you overcome obstacles leaves too deep a mark. However... heh, perhaps I worried too much here."
Dabai glanced at the fallen members of the Express crew. Though she hid it well, Caelus saw a flicker of indescribable relief mixed with melancholy cross her features. He didn't know why, but Dabai seemed to have no intention of explaining.
"Helping you now has already carved too deep a shadow in this period. My apologies, but I must minimize the impact as much as possible. At least, the fewer people who remember me, the better... So, please let them wait quietly to awaken from this beautiful dream."
"Who... are you?"
Sunday's voice held a note of caution.
Caelus understood the change in his attitude. Even though Dabai beside him didn't direct her terrifying aura at him, just standing near her, he could feel an indescribable grandeur... as if the being beside him belonged to a completely different, magnificent species.
He had sensed a similar aura from Sunday during the earlier battle, but it was far less intense than Dabai's now.
"Just... a Nameless traveler."
Dabai smiled sweetly. But when she turned her gaze from Caelus to Sunday, her previously soft, grayish-white eyes had transformed into a deep, golden-green, radiating an ineffable compassion and divinity.
"The steps of Trailblaze will absolutely not cease here. Dreams may be beautiful, but the pioneers will eventually awaken..."
"Nonsense— If that's the case, then drown in the dream together!"
Dabai didn't budge from her position in front of Caelus. Seeing this, Sunday spoke no further, clearly understanding she stood against him.
The next moment, the glorious hymns began anew. Amidst the light blooming on the dome, the giant hand reached out once more!
"Thus, on this day, I bestow: In the beginning, there was Order!"
...
Sunday had already raised his arm, waiting for the giant hand to descend and touch him, just as it had before. But this time, for some reason, the arm that should have descended delayed, and the surrounding hymns had fallen silent.
Ringing through the dead silence was only the soft chuckle of the white-clad woman before him.
"The remnants of Order... Heh, hardly worth mentioning."
As she spoke, Sunday finally noticed that, at some point, the light from above had turned into an ever-expanding shadow. When he abruptly looked up, he realized the arm meant to grant power had been ensnared by vines—no, not ensnared, but it was itself continuously transforming into countless madly growing plants!
"You are an Emanator of Abundance?!"
Sunday was horrified. The scene before him defied comprehension. That arm was the embodiment of pure power, containing the very essence of an Aeon's Path! How could it possibly turn into a pile of nonsensical vines and branches like a moldy orange?!
But it happened. Not only that, but the growth rapidly spread downwards, instantly entangling Sunday's outstretched arm. This contact was like catching some incurable disease; even as the light of Order's power flickered constantly around Sunday, it couldn't remove the flowers and trees relentlessly transforming his body.
"Order can never restrain free life."
Dabai sighed softly, but Sunday, almost entirely transformed into a flower bush, clearly couldn't hear her anymore.
Caelus watched, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe the enemy the Express crew had fought with all their might, unable to defeat, was now dispatched as easily as a clay chicken or pottery dog by Dabai. With a slight movement of Dabai's fingers, a gentle clenching of her fist, the previously rampant plant growth simultaneously halted, then rapidly shrank and gathered, finally coalescing into a single fresh flower in her hand.
"Slumber is merely life's brief rest; we will eventually awaken..." Dabai brought the flower close, inhaling its faint fragrance, which seemed to smooth the lines on her brow. She turned to the still-dazed Caelus, smiled, walked over, straightened his messy clothes, and gently pinned the flower to his collar.
"A flower bloomed from Order is indeed beautiful. It suits you."
This flower, embodying the fused power of Order, seemed to possess a unique effect in its fragrance. Caelus suddenly snapped out of his stupor—or perhaps it was the sensation of Dabai touching him while fixing his collar that brought him back to his senses? But such things didn't matter...
Looking at Dabai smiling at him, Caelus finally asked the biggest question currently burning in his mind.
"Dabai... who exactly are you?"
Caelus wasn't an idiot. The power Dabai displayed far surpassed anyone he had ever seen. An existence possessing such might couldn't possibly be unknown in the galaxy.
"Who do you hope I am, Caelus?"
Dabai tossed the question back, and Caelus subconsciously began to think. The power Dabai had just shown undoubtedly belonged to the Path of Abundance. She seemed to have displayed similar power back in Jarilo-VI, and Sunday's judgment now further confirmed it. Considering Dabai's elusiveness, her desire to avoid leaving traces for others to find, and her murderous intent towards Twilight...
"Hehe, that's right. I'm actually just an ordinary scientist walking the Path of Abundance, keen on human experimentation, so it's best not too many people know about me... You can consider Twilight my failed creation."
As if reading his mind, Dabai smiled, voicing his thoughts. "I created her previously. I intended to execute her, but unexpectedly, she slipped away into the galaxy... After finally finding her, I meant to destroy her but happened to run into you."
"Then—"
"Alright, alright, let's discuss the other matters slowly after we get back to the Express, how about that?" Dabai looked at the teammates scattered on the ground and shook her head with a smile. "This isn't exactly the best environment for talking. We need to wake the sleeping ones first... After all, we have plenty of time later, why rush now?"
"Plenty of time... You, you mean?!"
Caelus's eyes widened. He thought of the possibility but dared not be certain. As if confirming his hopes, Dabai nodded gently. "Yes. If possible, I'd like to join the Astral Express—provided you're willing to agree, of course."