Chapter 192
["Countless meteors streak across tonight's sky... If you choose the right one, it will carry your wish to thousands of worlds."
"You're feeling very relaxed now, aren't you?
Black Swan's voice remains as gentle as ever. "Now, it's time to tell you a little bedtime story."
Resting her cheek in one hand while holding a mysterious fairy tale book in the other, Black Swan says mysteriously: "Let me start with the conclusion: in the confrontation against Sunday, every member of the Express crew, and indeed everyone in Penacony, has failed. No one survived."
Seemingly noticing Stelle's unease, she adds: "Don't be nervous. Though the truth is shocking, it hasn't reached the point of no return. Everyone still has a slim chance of survival, and that's exactly why I'm here."
"Next, I will use this [Blank Light Cone] that records all your memories to retell everything that happened before. And when the story reaches its conclusion, I believe someone as clever as you will discover..."
"In this story you personally experienced, there exists one fatal flaw—and that slim chance of survival lies hidden behind this flaw."]
[March 7th]:"Huh? What the hell, I died?"
[Stelle]:"No! We all died!"
[March 7th]:"Don't say such depressing things! We're just sleeping in the dreamscape."
[Silver Wolf]:"Well, this is like starting New Game+ now."
[Sushang]:'So what's the fatal flaw? Stelle, these are your memories, right?'
[Stelle]:"No idea!" ["Remember? When the clock's hands turned back to the beginning, the Express performed its jump, sending you into an unfamiliar dream. Though confused, the Galaxy Ranger 'Acheron' showed you the way."
"You arrived at the Reverie Hotel, where you encountered the bellboy Mikhail and clashed with the IPC emissary Aventurine.
Fortunately, Miss Acheron passed by again, allowing you to escape in time."
"Later, in the dreamscape, you saved Miss Firefly and toured Penacony with her. Along the way, you encountered Sparkle disguised as Sampo and accidentally fell into the Child's Dream."]
[March 7th]:"I think I've noticed the problem..."
[Kiana]:"Do tell."
[March 7th]:"Mikhail can only appear in dreams, but we saw him in the real hotel right at the beginning of the story. This means we were already in the dream from the start."
[Sushang]:"Right, Mikhail as a dream resident shouldn't be able to appear in reality at all."
[Stelle]:"Good grief, I thought we fell for some trap later, but it turns out we were already trapped in the dream the moment we entered Penacony."
[Stelle]:"Sunday, you're so sneaky!"
[Vill-V]:"If not for Black Swan, you really would have been completely trapped in that dream. I suppose this is what you'd expect from a Memokeeper who knows memoria best."
[As Black Swan narrates, Stelle gradually recalls the past...... "Thus ends the dreamlike, turbulent journey through Penacony. You must have noticed something by now, haven't you?"
"That one fatal flaw that completely contradicts known information appears in this part of the story—"
"The encounter with Mikhail at the hotel."
Stelle sharply telling what she thinks is a fatal flaw.
"Hehe, little Mikhail... or should we call him Mr.[Clockmaker] now?"
"As a memory born from a dream bubble, he actually left the bubble carrying the will of [Trailblaze], and even launched the Eden Adventure throughout Penacony..."
"Unfortunately, this little Mikhail is ultimately just a special Meme. No matter how much the power of [Trailblaze] might make him resourceful, there's one thing he absolutely cannot do—"
"—A life born from the memoria zone could never appear in reality. So why did he meet you at the real [Reverie]
"The answer is simple: because he is precisely that fatal flaw that contradicts all known information. And this also means that you, who firmly believed in this memory..."
"At this very moment, are still within the dreamscape."
"Wake up, Stelle. Escape from this endless dream and return to the waking world—we will all find our answers there."]
[Stelle]:"Good grief, so that's how it is. But I feel like the IPC offering unconditional help seems more like a flaw though?"
[March 7th]:"Exactly! The Genius Society actually abandoning the Simulated Universe project for Penacony—that's completely OOC too."
[Mobius]:"While these two things are indeed suspicious, for Stelle they're subjective judgments. But Mikhail is different—his very identity makes it absolutely impossible for him to appear in reality."
[Fu Hua]:"That is to say, while extremely unlikely, we cannot completely rule out the possibility of the IPC and Genius Society undergoing abstract transformations. But Mikhail's existence in reality is physically impossible."
[Stelle]:"Whatever. Since I'm already awake, I'll defeat Sunday! Mere Dominicus..."
[Stelle wakes up and finds herself in her hotel room. Following Black Swan's guidance, she steps outside her door where the familiar Acheron awaits. Seeing Stelle safe, Acheron breathes a sigh of relief and thanks Black Swan: "Thank goodness.
My deepest gratitude, Miss Black Swan."
"Now I can finally relax."
"Doesn't this scene feel familiar?"
Stelle even finds the mood to joke. Still somewhat confused, Stelle receives thorough explanations from Acheron and Black Swan about what happened—
They had already entered the dreamscape from the moment they arrived in the Asdana system. This place now is the liminal space between reality and dreams, belonging to those who have escaped the Dream of One. Acheron explains: "Fortunately, while the Path of [Order] governs all things, it cannot affect [Nihility] itself. I only realized this when the Dreammaster expelled me at any cost."
To resist Sunday, Black Swan leads them to find others who have noticed the dream's flaws and awakened. 'Finally, you've come.'
Robin smiles as she addresses the three. "Meet Miss Robin. She awakened from the Dream of One through her own will, and it was this resilient lady who tirelessly guided us here with her song."
In Robin's memories, her brother acted OOC. Robin doesn't dwell on memories for long, speaking seriously: "This is our last hope. The Dream of One is built upon [Chorus of Equal Echoes]—the embodiment of [Shared Wish]. It only manifests when the wishes of all Penacony's inhabitants become one."]
[Elysia]:"Robin is really great person. She bravely faced life's imperfections while clearly understanding and respecting her brother's ideals♪"
[Kiana]:"Robin's reaction back then must have been like seeing a ghost—Sunday actually shared exactly the same ideals."
[Rozaliya]:"Just like how Rozaliya and Liliya understand each other's hearts, Sunday and Robin also understand each other!"
[Liliya]:"I never thought Rozaliya would say something so philosophical. Truly incredible."