Fuli is dead, or rather, THEY have been shattered to fragments. THEY would only be born at the end of time, housing all of the universe's memories when Finality descends.
Yet…
Shi Tian saw the real Fuli today.
'No, no. Am I wrong?'
He looked at the crystalline figure one more time. He tried his best to peer through THEIR image, hoping to see Demiurge's appearance at the very end.
He did not.
No matter how much he looked at it, only Fuli's figure remained.
Shi Tian processed the absurdity he had seen today. His heart sank as countless thoughts flashed past his mind. The slim chances he had put aside at the corner of his mind all came true.
It all started from taking in Amphoreus' 33,550,337 cycles. It led to the most special memory containing Demiurge. Her most special memory then led to this exact moment.
It was as if he walked through a huge maze.
'I am facing the end of it all…'
As if responding to his thoughts, the figures of Dan Heng and the Trailblazer disappeared, followed by Amphoreus. All that was left was pitch-black darkness. Its presence felt strangely familiar to Shi Tian.
'Nihility and Remembrance… their interconnection runs deep.'
Remaining unfazed, he faced the colossal crystalline figure whose face was hidden beneath the jade beads.
Shi Tian readied himself to communicate with the foreign god.
"Secrets."
The voice of Cyrene/Demiurge rang in his ears.
"A whisper of the past reverie."
Shi Tian's heart beat uncontrollably. An impending feeling of anticipation swept over his entire being. Every fiber in his being is telling him one thing:
The opportunity he longs for is here.
"You shall see to it…"
In an instant, the world changed drastically.
"...aspiring author."
*****
Just like anything else, it all begins with a story.
There was someone mandated by the world to carry all of its wishes. It pushed her in motion, and in a tale where she is the protagonist, the stars themselves will defy the destiny of Finality.
True to this accursed world's nature, it did not reach a good end.
She failed.
The world reached its end. Finality's impending descent spelled the last hours of everyone else living in the cosmos. Aeons and mortals become equal under the terrifying force of nature—of the tribulation faced by this vast world.
Thus, the Train that Traverses the Stars reached its last station (Terminus).
"Terminus… No, Finality."
I watched as everything got reduced to nothingness. Everything turned into a blur. Past, Present, and Future are in chaos. Physical matter could not exist. Conceptual matter began disappearing from the face of the universe.
The picture of this universe's end is exactly what Fuli granted to me.
All sorts of questions emerged. The matter of why and how THEY were able to contact me despite THEIR circumstances is a huge mystery.
Yet, it is not the biggest question at the moment.
The back of the Trailblazer is reflected in my eyes. She is the only one present to witness this tragic end… of this universe's most cruel truth.
"Shatter the false infinity… and reach the Immortal Dao."
I contemplated the words left by my future projection.
At first, I thought these words pertained to Amphoreus. The 'false infinity' is the self-sustaining time loop made by Demiurge to contain Irontomb. Breaking this time loop and creating Amphoreus would serve as my Dao Integration Realm feat.
I am dead wrong.
The deepest secret hidden by Fuli… by Remembrance is this memory in front of me.
The universe's Finality.
Crack-!
Sets of mirror-like cracks appeared on the surrounding sea of nothingness. A pale light blue hue emerged, showing ice-like textures surrounding the Trailblazer.
I witnessed memories being incorporated to the ice textures one by one. From the simplest 80-year life of short-lived species down to the events that had transpired into this world… the influence of Aeons in this world…
Everything boiled down to [Memories] maintained by Remembrance.
Despite the lack of voices, I intercepted the 'meaning' sent out by Fuli towards the Trailblazer.
"The world never ceases to wish for transcending Finality."
Crack-!
Click-!
The ice texture seemingly reached its limits. Memories began to seep out of it. To my surprise, the pitch-black nothingness, one belonging to a force other than the Remembrance, got forcibly overwritten.
The leaking memories wrote brand new stories… realities.
Under my eyes, the universe is being reverted prior to its state upon meeting Finality. It worked akin to a rewound tape, only stopping when it reached a certain time period.
The Trailblazer soon lost consciousness. Her body swayed before it fell uncontrollably. She turned into a blazing light that stood out of this greyed-out world, bringing along colors to this stale world.
Time passed at an unknown rate. The floating Trailblazer came across a ship. The cockpit opened, revealing the figure of a mature woman and a black cat.
Then, the rest proceeded as I had known. The Trailblazer was adopted by Kafka, to which she continued to gather the other Stellaron Hunters.
The familiar story played out for the second time. Some scenes revealed things far beyond what I played before.
Yet, it all led to the same ending. The world met an irreversible crisis. The Astral Express reached its final station, Terminus, as Finality made its descent to this world.
Fuli's meeting with the Trailblazer played out for the second time. THEY did not speak this time, merely meeting her glance before the operation from before took place.
Remembrance took all of the universe's memories and began its cosmic reversal. This act resulted in Fuli being broken into fragments, followed by the Trailblazer bringing colors to this lifeless world.
She proceeded to meet Kafka again, live as a Stellaron Hunter for a period of time, and then wake up inside Herta's Space Station…
These scenes played out repeatedly in my sight. Each time it did so made my heart sink.
I am dead wrong.
It is not Amphoreus that is considered the false infinity.
It is this universe who is trapped in an endless loop!