Remembrance.
It is a Path heavily reliant on "memories". It uses memories as its fuel to manifest its power.
As far as my knowledge went, Madam Herta revealed some crucial points.
One, Fuli is not yet born.
Two, Remembrance records the "Past" of this world in the form of memories.
Three, Erudition stamps the "Future" with events that cannot be altered (i.e., "Instants").
Through this information, we formed conjectures about the foggy "Past" and "Future" of this world. Everyone who participated in the Sword Conference of that day brainstormed.
One thing became clear:
Remembrance and Erudition are responsible for this fog.
My decision to explore this world's temporal dimension wasn't a whim. I wanted to scout ahead, to see the possible dangers we might face.
What I didn't expect was "Fuli's" gaze. The moment I stepped onto it, my Divine Mind was drawn under THEIR influence. I could have resisted this power, but I chose not to.
Aside from my Tao Heart's strength, I have a guess as to where it will lead me. The strong future projection laid the path in front of me—to shatter Amphoreus' "fake infinity".
Considering Amphoreus' bittersweet ending, it fitted the description of a "false infinity".
Interpreting the hints, the time paradox that trapped Amphoreus' characters inside must be broken.
Anyways…
Fuli is not yet born. Whoever appears as "Fuli" is a fake. A copycat wearing the skin of a tiger. The Garden of Recollection is one. Elysia… ahem, the Miss Pink Elf of Amphoreus is also one.
In the end, my guesses came true. I landed onto Amphoreus. For caution's sake, I isolated a huge part of my Divine Mind. The isolated portion analyzed Remembrance's information—Path Energy, Path Fluctuations, and the likes. I hid the memories of the Honkai in case the Cocoon is very impactful, effectively isolating memories about them.
The small part that was left became responsible for traversing Amphoreus' land. Its transformation into a Memetic Entity was something I never expected, though.
I worked through these conditions for years. Once my calculations hit a stumbling block, I knew it was time to fish. The "system hints" I dropped every now and then to lead onto Flame Reaver's appearance.
His existence is special. Like Seele, he is a regressor who went through countless loops in an attempt to "save" Amphoreus from Destruction's grasp.
The power that allowed him to "regress" was none other than Remembrance's blessing. He is a core figure of this world's story.
As expected, our subsequent meeting yielded results. I can now shield myself from Remembrance's influence completely. It removed the need for the mind-formatting I did...
Which is why I am laying on this bed with fully intact memories.
"Fu…"
Scanning the room's design, I got struck with disorientation. I recalled everything "I" did in the past few years—amounting to a decade or so of life experience. Teaching the Imp-erator, spending time with Hysilens, and going as far as to hit on Aglaea…
I didn't know I had it on me.
I know my past self very well. I am very passive with interpersonal relations. I won't mind others' businesses so long as they do not mind mine. This… pure self of mine is the exact opposite. Ridding me of my seriousness, he acted mischievous and playful most of the time. I couldn't say anything about this since that's also me.
However, it also made me rethink of my past decisions. I cannot just sit here and wait for others to take the initiative when it comes to romance.
I was mulling things over when my room received its first visitor…
*****
'...Ghost Fry has changed.'
A person's temperament is deeply rooted in their personality. Far from his typical playfulness, Shi Tian's temperament brought a sense of serenity inside the room.
His golden pupils glanced at her.
"I hope I didn't make you worry."
"The Dux Bellorum brought you back to life. The Twilight Courtyard's finest also checked your body." Her soft voice explained everything. "The Imperator may press you for answers, however."
"That is fine. I will answer everything."
Silence befell the two of them. Her light blue irises stared at him in silence, withholding her words.
"I remembered everything. My past and origins."
"..."
"I can say that the 'me' you know is me, but this does not excuse the doubts of it being false. I won't force you to believe me."
"I believe you."
Shi Tian was startled. Hysilens' gaze never left his eyes.
"Your unspoken experiences lie within your eyes. You are not lying."
He exhaled softly.
"This makes me shy, you know. Staring at me all the time…"
"That is something the Ghost Fry I know will say."
Shi Tian let out a light chuckle.
'Hysilens… Nihility… So that's why.'
He will never forget about the unknown number of years he spent inside IX's space. Nihility's speakers were blasted to his ears at full volume, convincing him of life's inherent meaninglessness.
With the current life he has, whatever that threatens its very foundation is a life-and-death enemy. Shi Tian has six beautiful wives!
Why would he want to die?
His past life shaped Shi Tian's personality. His inherent self-sacrificial trait came from it. With money and status, life felt stale—despite knowing many would kill to be in his position. He was eager to carve a name for himself, to be remembered even after death.
His greatest irreconciliation was his "unjust" death. He died without being able to do anything. He was to be forgotten by the world. To be barely remembered in their family's lineage, if his parents ever had a successor to replace him.
That was why he desperately wanted to accompany Kiana at first. His wish to change a story stemmed from him wanting to be in it.
'It seems like I have a knack for being an author…'
Shi Tian wanted to pen the story himself. To be a part of it and lead everyone into their deserving ending—no matter how many tragic endings there were.
That was him searching for his purpose in life.
Hysilens' earlier confusion on her lack of purpose overlapped with his past self. Add to that Nihility's simulation assigned to her, it wasn't surprising she "drew" Shi Tian in.
"This Ghost Fry likes to think more."
It wasn't just Shi Tian. Most of the cultivators developed a tendency to be in a daze. Their extremely fast thoughts created this negative trend—one that Theresa couldn't solve as her tenure as the President.
"...Force of habit." He apologized. "I just hope she can be as calm as you once she arrives…"
It didn't take long before his words came to reality. The door of his bedroom was swung open (figuratively). The short figure of Okhema's new ruler appeared. The first thing she did was to scrutinize Shi Tian carefully. Her sharp mind did not fail to see through his drastic changes—neither did he bother to keep it hidden from others.
Before long, she spoke:
"Merlin. Have you recovered from your injuries?"
*****
A/N: Bonus chapter (2/2)