"Heh, don't celebrate just yet, human." Cirrus muttered with a mocking tone. "I'm still here. As long as you keep your end of the bargain, I'll be as tame as a kitten… more or less."
Stelle rolled her eyes.
"How considerate. Wish you'd choke on a hairball." She muttered under her breath.
Next to her, Huohuo was still wiping away tears, her face flushed red.
"I'm sorry." Stelle murmured. "I didn't mean to say those things."
Huohuo shook her head.
"I know… I know it wasn't you. You're kind. It's that meddling Heliobus's fault." She said, dabbing at her eyes.
As they walked down the hallway, Huohuo began talking like she was trying to forget what just happened.
"Ever since Mr. Tail got sealed in my tail, my life's been a nightmare. There's not a day he doesn't torment me, not a night I don't dream about finally having him expelled from my body."
"You could've avoided all this if you'd just let me devour you." Mr. Tail commented.
"Shut up!" Huohuo shrieked. "Nobody asked you!"
Stelle tilted her head. For a moment, Huohuo looked more exasperated than afraid.
"…Sometimes I think I don't have what it takes to be a judge. When we get out of here, I'm handing in my resignation." She crossed her arms. "Whose bright idea was it to send someone with a Heliobus sealed in their tail to hunt down other Heliobus?"
"If whining were useful..." Mr. Tail muttered. "Though… those talismans of yours do work. I'll give you that."
"See?" added Stelle, still moving forward. "You are good for something."
"Thanks…" Huohuo murmured, still unsure of herself.
"And while we're at it… once I eat Cirrus, I might as well finish the job and eat you too." Mr. Tail added.
Cirrus laughed.
"You're serious? Maybe a thousand years ago you had a shot, maybe you could've even skipped this maze and devoured Furinox directly. But now you're just a lapdog sealed in a crybaby's tail."
"What did you say?" Huohuo snapped.
Stelle frowned.
"What do you mean by that, Cirrus?"
"Oh? She hasn't told you?" Cirrus replied, amused. "She hasn't said why all the Heliobus are gathering here, in this forgotten garden?"
Stelle and Huohuo shook their heads.
"Because this was the place, a thousand years ago, where the great battle took place. Ignamar, the greatest of all Heliobus, fought against the Luofu's general back then—Teng Xiao."
Mr. Tail growled.
"Oh? And you haven't told them your glorious past either? How disappointing." Cirrus let out a chuckle. "That battle was incredible… Devastation everywhere. Ignamar kept changing forms, each one more powerful than the last. Floods, fires, earthquakes… It was beautiful! A true clash of titans. But in the end… he made a mistake. Absorbed too many Heliobus, got cocky, and barely lost."
Huohuo blinked.
"B-but… the records say the general defeated him easily..."
"Of course they do." Cirrus laughed. "Human records always glorify their heroes. But the truth is—it was a draw."
Stelle yawned. Cirrus was taking forever. She couldn't help glancing at her phone.
How long until dinner?
"After that, he couldn't hold himself together. He fell apart into fragments like me. And they locked us in the furnace. Though of course… there were exceptions. Like the crybaby dog sealed in your tail, for instance."
"Tch! I was weak when he found me. Bad luck, that's all." Mr. Tail growled. "If it weren't for that judge, I'd be free by now."
"Free?" Cirrus mocked. "Please. You couldn't even devour her. Is that what you've been reduced to?"
"If it weren't for Hanya, I would've been his meal." Huohuo murmured.
"Meal? Hmph, you wouldn't even make a good appetizer." Mr. Tail scoffed.
Stelle tuned them out for a moment, trying to piece things together.
"So… why do the Heliobus want to repeat that battle? Why follow in Ignamar's footsteps?"
"Does it even matter?" Cirrus laughed. "Who says we need a reason? Want a poetic answer? Because we're trapped here in the Luofu, because this place is little more than a prison for us. Want a more honest one?" A burst of laughter echoed.
"Because I want to shake this world. Like before. I want another clash, to feel again what I once felt back then. I want to become Ignamar again."
Huohuo took a step back. Even Mr. Tail went silent for a moment.
"And why is that?" Stelle asked.
"Once, we were nothing but flames. Fire drifting through space. No thoughts. No shape. No names. No purpose. No desire. But then we were infected. By humans. With their emotions. With their hunger, their pride, their rage, their craving for more. They consumed us. And in that process, everything they were rubbed off on us. You want to blame someone for what the Heliobus have become? Blame humanity and its endless desire."
Stelle said nothing.
"Wouldn't it be glorious to say we could finish what Ignamar couldn't? The destruction of the Furnace of Creation was a sign from fate—this desire will become reality!"
*********
"It opened on its own?!" Huohuo shouted, pointing at the massive door they had previously tried and failed to force open. Now it stood slightly ajar, revealing a dark corridor beyond—cold and hollow like a bottomless throat.
Stelle stepped forward cautiously. The creaking of the wood still hung in the air.
"How convenient." Cirrus murmured. "Ah, look over there... on the floor."
Just a few steps beyond the threshold, a single sheet of paper lay atop the stone. Stelle picked it up without hesitation.
There was barely any dust on it.
Night Tales of the Garden of Tranquility – Scene 1, Part 3
Within the Garden of Tranquility, the foxian people built a hidden sanctuary known as the Locusian Grove. Over time, opulent structures rose there, made to welcome those who wished to remain more than one night among the mist and the prayers.
But when General Teng Xiao arrived, he found no beauty, no peace. Only ruin. Rubble. Fallen columns. A desolation unthinkable for a place completed only a few decades prior.
Illusions, thought the General. Another trick of the spirit. And he pressed on.
Deeper within the maze, a blind young servant greeted him, holding a small food box.
> "You've traveled far, General. My master believes you must be tired—and hungry. Please consider this a token of goodwill before your meeting."
Teng Xiao eyed him sternly.
> "I have crossed doors that should not exist. If your master seeks my respect, he should offer his own. Let him appear without masks or trickery. Or does he believe this little stage play helps his cause?"
The servant remained unfazed.
> "With such boldness, I wouldn't be surprised if this meal were poisoned." the General added, tossing the box to the ground.
Its contents hissed, dissolving the stone as they touched it. Potent poison had indeed been hidden in the dish.
The servant smiled.
> "As expected of the Great General. Your insight is admirable. As a sign of respect, my master offers you a choice."
He extended both arms.
> "In the left hall, you will find chests. Choose the least expensive. In the right, there is porcelain. My master said:
> 'You, who have seen so many comrades fall, must feel compassion for the wounded and the dead. Please, break all the blue vases. Leave the vermilion ones untouched.'"
Teng Xiao looked up. The moon—once bright—was now veiled by shadows, reflected in his eyes.
> "Seems I've no choice but to play along," he muttered as he stepped forward. "I just hope your master doesn't regret this decision."
Stelle finished reading and lazily lifted her eyes.
What was it with this Heliobus and his obsession with riddles wrapped in stories? He never read what Dan Heng said was absolutely essential, and yet here she was—reading this nonsense...
Maybe she should've let Aleph come alone with Sushang, March, and Guinaifen.
Huohuo, still trembling, pointed past the door.
"T-That mirror... it's the same one that brought us here."
Stelle saw it.
Cirrus floated beside her.
"And the tale continues. The mirror calls you once more. Ready for another round, human?"
A headache flared behind her eyes.
Damn these complicated things.
"That voice? Huohuo?"
A voice echoed from the mirror, and Huohuo jumped in place.
"Xueyi?!"
"Listen to me, an unknown power has enveloped the Garden of Tranquility. Be careful."
Huohuo wore a troubled expression.
"We still haven't found the others, and we have no clue where they could've ended up."
The place fell into silence for a few seconds—until Xueyi's voice returned.
"I understand. But for now, what matters most is that you and whoever is with you escape the illusion. Come—step through the mirror and return to this side."
....
When Stelle and Huohuo opened their eyes, the first thing they noticed was the change in scenery.
They were no longer in enclosed corridors or ceremonial chambers.
Now they stood atop a rocky hill, surrounded by a static fog. The sky was gray and dull.
"Are we…" Huohuo murmured, glancing around. "Above the Garden of Tranquility?"
Several meters ahead, the ground split into three paths.
And at the end of each one, a mirror identical to the one they had just passed through.
Huohuo instinctively clung to Stelle.
"A-are we trapped again?"
Stelle scanned the area, a single question circling in her mind.
"Why didn't I just let Jonathan smash everything?"
Cirrus spoke near her ear.
"Did you think an illusion crafted by Furinox would fall apart with just one correct choice? Innocent."
"So now what?" Stelle muttered.
All three mirrors lit up at once.
And from each, the same voice echoed:
—"Huohuo. Are you there?"
—"Answer me. It's me."
—"You can come out now. You're close."
Huohuo took a step back.
"Three Xueyis!"
"Nice catch." Stelle said with a nod. "Now what?"
Huohuo thought for a moment, then nodded with newfound resolve as she pressed her hands to her chest.
"We can ask questions. Things only the real Xueyi would know. The real one will answer correctly. The others will slip up."
Stelle nodded.
"Let's do that."
—What day did you two meet?
—Who accidentally broke the mirror in Hanya's office?
—What's your sister's name?
Only one mirror answered all the questions correctly. The other two failed on the second and third, either mixing up details or making things up.
"It's this one." Huohuo pointed, and they moved forward without hesitation.
Once through, the scenery warped again.
But the new room was… almost identical. Same hill. Three paths. Three mirrors. Again, the voices.
—"Huohuo."
—"I'm here."
—"Just follow my voice."
"Again…?" Huohuo groaned, pouting.
Stelle didn't reply. She pulled a coin from her pocket and flipped it.
Heads.
They started the questions again.
—What age did Huohuo join the Commission?
—What does Xueyi really think of Huohuo?
—How useless is Mr. Cola, according to Xueyi?
Once more, one mirror answered smoothly. The other two hesitated or gave wildly off answers.
They moved forward again.
The third space had a similar layout… but not identical.
The ground was cracked. The sky even darker. This time, the voices didn't speak right away.
They spent a full minute just watching. The mirrors stayed silent.
—"Huohuo. Hurry."
—"You're close."
—"We can still get you out."
"Perfect." Stelle muttered. "One more round."
They repeated the same process. Three new questions.
But something was wrong.
Huohuo frowned and crossed her arms.
"Stelle… all three gave the wrong answers."
Stelle stared at the mirrors.
"Are you sure?"
Huohuo nodded firmly.
"None of them are Xueyi."
Cirrus chimed in from somewhere nearby.
"Hold on."
Her form floated above a nearby rock, drifting down into a dip in the terrain.
"There. A fourth mirror."
They both climbed down. The fourth mirror hovered in the air, suspended at an angle—
With no visible path leading to it.
"...Could that be the real one?" Huohuo asked.
"There's only one way to find out." Stelle replied, grabbing Huohuo into her arms and dashing forward without warning.
"W-wait—!" Huohuo screamed through tears as Mr. Cola and Cirrus flew calmly behind them.
….....
At last, they returned to reality—at least, they were pretty sure of it once the pounding headache hit from being launched out of the mirror and slammed into a nearby wall.
Xueyi stood right beside the mirror, looking at them like she was trying to figure out what kind of weird stunt they'd just pulled to come flying out like that.
"Are you two alright?" She asked.
Stelle gave a thumbs-up while she pushed a stiff, trembling Huohuo—eyes full of tears—off of her.
"Where are the others?"
"Hanya went with March 7th to look for reinforcements. Sushang got out before you. The only ones we have no clue about are Guinaifen and Aleph. Hopefully they're together—and safe."
Huohuo sighed and let herself collapse onto her back.
A single tear rolled from her eye as she stared blankly at the sky, already planning what she'd write in her resignation papers.
Stelle poked her with a stick, wondering if the emotion had been too much and she'd passed on to the next life.
.....
"No." Huohuo replied. "We have no idea where they are."
Stelle shook her head.
Xueyi looked away for a moment before nodding.
"Sushang left with a group of soul escorts to look for them. They were supposed to avoid contact with the Heliobus, but given the situation... they'll probably end up fighting them."
"You stayed here alone?" Stelle asked.
"To keep watch until Hanya and March arrive with reinforcements, or in case one of you managed to make it back." Xueyi answered. "Now that you have, let's go. We need to regroup with the others."
They began walking, the echo of their steps resonating through the damp stillness of the Garden of Tranquility. The mist swirled close to the ground.
Xueyi frowned and pressed the communicator in her ear.
"...We lost contact." She said in a lower tone. "The last thing they reported was encountering a Heliobus stronger than usual."
The surroundings began to change gradually.
The ruins around them were restored, as if freshly built. The dead trees sprouted leaves, broken stones smoothed over, and the hanging lanterns flared back to life with flickering, static flames.
A ghostly green fire filled the area, along with a creeping fog.
"What's happening...?" Huohuo murmured.
"An illusion." Cirrus replied. "Furinox has already absorbed many of the scattered Heliobus. Enough to warp the environment. This setting... this is what the Garden of Tranquility looked like the night Teng Xiao faced Ignamar."
"Recreating the scene for a second battle." added Mr. Tail. "He's trying to provoke the current General."
Cirrus drifted over beside Stelle and Huohuo.
"He's getting ready. If he manages to feed on a few more humans, he'll be set. Those soul escorts and that Sushang you mentioned might've been captured for that very reason."
"And if he succeeds, the damage will be significant." Said Xueyi. "That's why you two are key."
Huohuo stepped back.
"W-what?! Us?!"
"Someone possessed by a Heliobus can't be possessed by another." Xueyi explained without slowing down. "That's why you're so important in all this."
"I'm not good at fighting..." Huohuo muttered, lowering her head. "I can't—"
"You have more courage than you think," Xueyi cut in. "Since you joined the Commission 38 years ago, I haven't seen anyone keep a Heliobus in their body that long without being consumed."
"It wasn't resistance..." Huohuo murmured. "It's more like... Mr. Tail and I just... I think we can be considered friends now?"
"Hmph." The spirit grunted. "I'm not friends with food."
Xueyi saw Huohuo starting to calm down and gave a nod.
"Furinox is powerful, but not invincible. If we can split him, he can be sealed. It was done before. We can do it again."
Cirrus slowly spun in the air, surveying the area.
"Then we just need to decide where. You need a proper place to carry out the plan."
"The Swallow Pavilion." Xueyi answered. "It's spacious and relatively easy to secure. The perfect stage for the showdown."
"Good." Cirrus sounded pleased. "But there's still one problem. How are you going to lure him in? Furinox isn't stupid. You need a proper trigger."
Stelle crossed her arms.
"What do you suggest?"
"Let me talk to him." Cirrus said. "I'll provoke him. Humiliate him. He's always had an ego the size of a mountain. Mention my name and he flares up. Crack a joke and he loses it."
Xueyi eyed him with suspicion.
"Why are you helping?"
"Do I need a reason?" Cirrus spun once in the air. "Maybe I hate Furinox? Maybe I want to gather all the fragments and become the new Ignamar? Or maybe I just want the Ten Lords Commission to look favorably on me and let me go?"
Mr. Tail sighed.
"I don't know what his angle is, but out of all of us, he's the only one annoying enough to piss off Furinox. I'll admit it... among all the Heliobus, he's the most insufferable. Perfect for the job."
"...Annoying and loud." Xueyi added. "Perfect for a distraction. Doesn't make him trustworthy, though."
"I'm not." Cirrus admitted cheerfully. "But I am your best shot. And you don't have time to look for another plan."
Huohuo looked at Stelle, clearly worried.
Stelle sighed and looked up.
"...I'll do it."
Cirrus spun once more and let out a soft chuckle.
"Wonderful. Then let's set the stage."
**********
"I'm ready." Said Stelle.
Cirrus floated above her shoulder.
Xueyi and Huohuo walked her to the edge of the pavilion. From that height, they could see the interior of the Tranquility Garden, still distorted by Furinox's illusion.
"Very well." Cirrus slowly descended. "Don't move too much. I'll try not to embarrass you too badly while using your body."
"Just talk." Stelle replied, already beginning to regret it.
The Heliobus merged with her.
"Furinox!" She shouted, with energy and mockery. "Where are you, idiot? I brought an interesting body with me… Maybe you'll recognize it. She's one of the ones who drove Phantylia away! Trust me, she tastes spectacular."
Her call was swiftly answered.
A wave of heat warped the air in front of the pavilion.
Greenish flames began forming a circle on the ground.
"...Guinaifen?" Huohuo murmured in confusion.
Just as Cirrus was piloting Stelle, Furinox appeared to be controlling Guinaifen.
Behind her, several figures moved forward.
Soulguards.
Their eyes also glowed with that same eerie green. They advanced silently, obediently.
"Possessed…" Xueyi muttered, frowning.
Sushang appeared beside them, sword in hand.
"Ah, yes. This is going to be fun." Said Cirrus-Stelle with satisfaction, right before casually leaving the body. "All yours."
Xueyi drew her daggers without needing to be told. Huohuo raised a pair of talismans, swallowing hard. Stelle adjusted her grip on her bat.
The Soulguards, unfettered by pain or fear, were far more dangerous than usual.
They attacked with ferocity, ignoring openings that would normally lead to crippling injuries in any other soldier.
Sushang fought relentlessly. Her sword struck with force and zero hesitation.
"Go for disarms!" Xueyi shouted as she brought down two Soulguards. "We can't kill them!"
"Wasn't planning to." Stelle replied calmly, narrowly dodging a stab aimed straight at her chest.
Huohuo kept retreating, launching talismans one after another. Some disrupted; others pushed back.
Mr. Tail shouted instructions without pause, though even he showed signs of strain.
.....
After several minutes of nonstop fighting, they managed to regroup, forcing the possessed back just enough for Huohuo to deploy a major seal.
The creature in the center—the one seemingly commanding the attack—staggered briefly.
Stelle seized the moment. She leapt forward with boosted momentum and, spinning mid-air, landed a clean blow directly on the point where the flames swirled most intensely on the possessed body.
Huohuo then unfurled the gourd seal that the Ten Lords Commission had prepared specifically to contain high-level Heliobus.
With a gesture, she activated the mechanism.
The flames wrapping the bodies were sucked into the center of the jar in a spiraling motion. Furinox let out a fierce roar but was pulled in.
A final snap sealed the mouth of the container.
"That's it." Huohuo exhaled, collapsing to her knees.
Cirrus reappeared in the air, still in his floating flame form.
"Well. Promise kept. I said I'd leave her alone." He smiled. "And I will."
For a second, it looked like he was really going to leave peacefully.
But then Guinaifen's body—until that moment motionless—moved as if pulled by an invisible string.
She turned and, with a sudden motion, hurled the sealed gourd against the ground.
"No!" Huohuo screamed.
.....
The container shattered.
The fragments of Heliobus released inside began to writhe like blazing insects. Cirrus dove down and absorbed them all before they could regroup.
What emerged was his usual form—only now on a completely different scale.
It was a massive floating eye, sky-blue with a vivid purple iris.
His body was wrapped in concentric rings of flaming energy. Shadows danced around him.
"At last." he murmured. "Much better."
Mr. Tail stepped forward immediately.
"Don't touch him directly! That form can't be harmed by physical attacks! But if you free the ones he's possessing, he'll weaken!"
The green flames returned.
The Soulguards stood again.
Sushang was still there. So were the others.
Stelle, noticing familiar faces among the possessed, did a quick head count.
Aleph wasn't among them.
On the one hand, she felt relieved.
On the other, curiosity and confusion.
...Where are you, Aleph?
But she quickly shook the thought from her head. This wasn't the time to be distracted.
She gripped the bat with both hands.
Huohuo released the first talismans.
Xueyi had already charged the front line.
And Cirrus, floating above them all, just laughed—as if their efforts to beat him were nothing more than a joke.
...
"Pa–paper, grant me might—so I won't lose this fight! Talisman of vigor, make the spirits shiver!"
Huohuo stammered, activating her seals with trembling hands.
"For the love of…!" Mr. Tail growled. "What the hell is that, a kindergarten chant?! Can't you summon without rhyming like a fool?!"
"Shut up!" Huohuo shouted, eyes wide as she dodged. "It helps me focus!"
Sparks from the talismans cut through the air as chaos reigned around them on the battlefield. The Soulguards charged with inhuman ferocity. No hesitation—just relentless, brutal pressure like an unstoppable machine.
Xueyi broke formation to cover a flank, but a direct hit to her right arm forced her back. Red sparks flew. Her face barely flinched in irritation, but she pressed on.
"…Are you okay?" Stelle asked, eyeing her condition.
"I'm fine." Xueyi replied flatly.
...
Stelle knocked down another Soulguard with a clean sweep of her bat. She barely had time to breathe before another one was already coming at her.
"This never ends…" She muttered in frustration.
"It won't." Xueyi responded, defending herself with only one functioning arm. "As long as they're under his control, they'll keep getting up."
Huohuo was backing away, throwing what she could—but she was exhausted.
Her talismans were growing weaker.
Cirrus laughed from above.
"Is this really all you've got? All those hopes pinned on a crying little girl, a walking piece of junk, and some thing with a bat pretending to be a girl? Pathetic!"
...
Mr. Tail appeared beside them.
"Listen closely." He murmured. "There's still a way to beat him. When the Heliobi merge into one, yeah, they gain power—but they also become unstable. Too many minds fighting for control. All it takes is to break that balance at the right moment…"
He turned to Huohuo.
"And you know what you have to do."
Huohuo refused to meet his eyes. She stayed silent.
"The seal," he said coldly. "You've said it a thousand times—how your life would be easier without me. Well. Here's your chance."
"But… if I do that…" She whispered.
"Don't waste my time." The spirit growled. "Do it now."
Cirrus didn't give them a moment to spare. Another wave of possessed enemies struck with even greater force. The pressure was crushing. Everyone was at their limit.
Cirrus laughed louder.
"This is getting boring! Let's spice things up…"
His flames descended like a net. A green spark fell on Xueyi.
She trembled. The sparks on her body intensified. She clenched her teeth.
"…Not yet…"
And then she moved.
Xueyi shouted and hurled her daggers and chains with a burst of energy, blasting open a gap in the enemy lines. It wasn't large—
But it was enough.
"NOW!" Mr. Tail roared.
Through her sobs, Huohuo raised her hand.
The seal burned on her palm.
A light enveloped her body.
And then, Mr. Tail tore free from her.
"See you on the other side, Huohuo." He murmured.
In a flash, he launched himself toward Cirrus. He passed through the flames. Pierced the mass of energy that made up his form.
"Wha—?! No!" Cirrus screamed as his body began to crack. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Stelle!" Xueyi shouted.
Stelle didn't have the strength to think. She just acted. She ran forward and swung at everything in reach with a powerful arc.
The possessed dropped one after another. Without Cirrus's direct control, their bodies finally stayed down.
In the sky, the giant eye quivered.
Cirrus shrieked in fury.
"Why?! Why are you helping them?! What do humans have that I don't?!"
From within his body, a voice replied, mimicking his mocking tone:
"Do I need a reason? Maybe I just hate idiots like you. Maybe I prefer humans. Or maybe I'm just sick of your monologues. Doesn't matter, Cirrus…"
The purple light in his iris shattered.
"…The only thing that matters is: you lost."
Cirrus let out one final shriek before exploding like a massive firework.
The air shook from the force of his end.
Silence fell once more, and the illusion covering the Garden of Tranquility faded—everything returning to normal.
Huohuo collapsed to her knees.
She stared at the empty space where he had been.
Her lips trembled.
"…Mr. Tail…" She whispered, as tears fell without end.
Stelle, barely standing, turned her gaze to the sky.
"…Aleph… March…"
Her legs gave out, and everything went black.
*******
The first face she saw was March's.
Her cheeks were a little dirty, and there was a band-aid stuck to one, but she was smiling.
"Everything's going to be okay." She whispered, gently squeezing her hand.
Stelle didn't say anything—her body still wasn't fully responding.
She managed to glimpse several Soulguard members in the distance—some limping, others holding each other up—being led by Hanya toward the entrance of the Garden of Tranquility. There, under paper lanterns and makeshift stretchers, members of the Commission had set up a temporary medical station.
After seeing them, her eyelids fluttered, and she collapsed back into unconsciousness.
...
She woke up again.
The cold stone of the bench greeted her as she sat up. The pain had mostly faded, though her movements still felt clumsy and stiff.
Not far away, Huohuo stood gazing up at the sky.
Next to her was Aleph, resting a hand on her shoulder. But something seemed off—his expression wasn't good either.
Before she could get closer, she heard footsteps approaching.
"Stelle!" March called out, running toward her with a bright smile that quickly turned into a hug.
Guinaifen and Sushang followed close behind, waving with visible fatigue.
"You look good." Guinaifen said with a wink. "I'll take that as a win."
"We're all back." Sushang added, more softly. "That's enough for now."
.....
They chatted for a few minutes.
Then Guinaifen and Sushang excused themselves, saying rest was more of an emergency than a luxury.
March stayed behind with her. Together, they approached Huohuo and Aleph.
Stelle barely noticed anything as they drew near.
Huohuo didn't even flinch at the sound of their steps.
She merely mumbled a greeting, and Aleph gave a half-hearted nod.
"What happened?" March asked. "What's going on with you two?"
"What a boring question." Said a voice—familiar, but higher-pitched. "I suppose to simple minds, everything must seem mysterious."
Everyone turned around.
Standing atop a rock was a child.
"You…?" Stelle murmured, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes, yes. Hello again. As you can see, I'm not dead. Just... downsized." Said Cirrus. "An artificial body—cramped and hideous. But functional, I suppose. And since I'm here, why not share something interesting?"
Cirrus raised a finger.
"Originally, Furinox wanted his body." He said, pointing at Aleph. "But in the end, it gave up."
March turned to Aleph, startled.
"Wait, why didn't it possess him?"
"It got scared." Cirrus replied with a shrug. "Of whatever that thing is inside him."
Stelle frowned, remembering something.
"Wasn't that the same thing that happened before when Cirrus tried to possess me? He said he sensed two terrifying presences and two Stellarons."
But she pushed that thought aside—now wasn't the time.
"To avoid complications." Cirrus continued, "Furinox put him into a deep sleep. So he wouldn't interfere."
Aleph looked down.
Stelle quietly watched him.
"It put me there. It felt so real."
His fingers curled slightly.
"We walked together. We laughed. Played video games." Aleph chuckled softly. "Even though none of us really knew what we were doing, we somehow managed to help a guy get a girlfriend."
He paused for a moment.
"I was happy."
He raised his hand.
Stelle instantly recognized it as that ability of his—the one that could create illusions.
A photo materialized in his hand.
Four teenagers were in it.
One was him, dressed in the clothes he wore before becoming Aleph.
He was smiling, surrounded by three others—one with long gray hair and glasses, another with black hair striking a ridiculous pose, and a third with white hair and blue eyes, slurping down instant noodles like his life depended on it.
"I saw them every day for years—since grade school. Until that day came. And when the time came to wake up... I didn't want to."
Stelle stepped forward and softly tapped her fist against Aleph's chest.
He looked up.
March blinked in confusion, watching the silent exchange between them.
She couldn't help but scratch her cheek awkwardly.
...Why did it feel like she was the third wheel here?
Aleph shook his head and smiled.
"It wasn't a sad thing."
"What about them…?" March asked.
Aleph smiled again.
"I don't remember their names. But they were my best friends."
.....
The moment was cut short by Huohuo.
"Cirrus." She murmured, approaching the boy. "If you survived, then… what about Mr. Cola?"
Cirrus blinked.
"…That loser, Mr. Cola?"
Stelle frowned. So did March.
Aleph cracked his knuckles as he stared at him.
"Did he survive? Ha. Doubt it. He probably fizzled out like the cheap spark he was. His flame should be long gone."
Huohuo said nothing.
She just stood there, frozen for a few moments, then shrank in on herself.
Her shoulders trembled, and her eyes welled up with tears again.
Aleph put an arm around her, and March joined in, trying to comfort her.
Cirrus crossed his arms and yawned, watching the scene unfold.
Then, Stelle stepped forward.
She lifted her foot and shoved Cirrus back with a direct kick.
The boy toppled over, landing on his back like a flipped turtle.
"What the hell's wrong with you?! Why'd you do that?!"
Stelle stretched lazily and gave an exaggerated fake yawn.
"Aaaaah~ You're boring me, Cirrus."
Cirrus jumped up with a furious expression and lunged at her.
Stelle raised a single finger and pressed it against the puppet's forehead, stopping him cold.
With her free hand, she waved a fake breeze toward her lips.
"Loser mutts don't get to speak."
Cirrus shook with rage.
And no one—absolutely no one—did anything to stop her.
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Just like Chapter 38: Illusion had Born Again as an extra, should I add what I wrote about what Aleph experienced in that dream as a What If, even though I ultimately decided not to include it in this chapter?