Koleon's condition was terrible.
Am I... going to die?
She couldn't help but think.
She wasn't afraid of death. Or rather, as a wandering scavenger orphan, she was already accustomed to death.
And there wasn't much worth clinging to in this life of hunger and cold.
Maybe if she died, her brother's burden would be a little lighter.
Having lost the hope to live, she slowly sank into the boundless sea of her soul.
No, not yet.
She remembered clearly how a beautiful and tall goddess had saved her from hunger and cold.
She had given them warmth, water, food, laughter, and names, and had promised them a beautiful blueprint for the future, full of hope and salvation.
She had painted their world.
With the color of ideals.
A luxury she had never had before.
But she would never be able to see any of it again.
Since being hit by that psychic lightning, her already pale skin had become even more ghastly white, and several fine purple veins were now more translucent. Her golden-black eyes were tightly closed, and if anyone were to look closely, they would see her pupils dilating more and more with the passage of time.
Once again, on the verge of death.
But this time, she wanted to live.
She was no longer the numb, walking corpse of the past.
She wanted to witness a starship sailing across the sky, she wanted to become a captain and travel the sea of stars...
She wanted to live.
Like a drowning person, Koleon struggled with all her might.
I have to live!
Live live live live live live live live live live live live live live live live...
Finally, in that vast and silent sea of her soul, she tried to grasp the last straw that could save her.
[Koleon, I can save you.]
"Who are you?" she asked subconsciously.
[Koleon, I am your dream, your—Hope.]
It replied.
She woke up.
On a huge and magnificent starship, she opened her eyes again.
What a fascinating starship it was.
The entire ship was covered in beautiful purple and pearl-silver paint, emitting a faint golden glow under the protection of a Geller Field.
She didn't know how she had instantly understood all this knowledge, but as the captain, she would not question her own common sense.
On the exterior of the ship, one thousand two hundred and ninety-six statues stood lifelike, shining on the battlements of the structure. Carved from marble and countless precious jewels, they were clearly the work of the most artistic sculptors.
And her command deck was even more beautiful.
The throne beneath her was woven from onyx and silver. The exquisite leather seat was as delicate as a baby's skin.
The air was fragrant, completely different from the toxic, irradiated atmosphere of Chemos. Just a light sniff, and a rottenly sweet fragrance, like honey, instantly filled her nostrils.
It brought her an extreme pleasure that made her soul tremble.
On the ship, there were also countless diligent crew members, providing her with the best food and service.
They knelt trembling, handing her plate after plate of candied fruit on gilded platters for her enjoyment.
Not only that, she could even sense that her twin brother was here, on this starship.
The Coronus.
That was the name of the ship.
"Where is this?"
Koleon, sitting in the center of the bridge, looked around and asked cautiously.
[A corner of the distant future.]
A voice answered in her mind.
[In the vast Empyrean, the dimension of time does not exist.]
"Who are you?"
[I am the shattered dream.]
[I am the unattainable ideal, the flower in the mirror and the moon in the water, and the ugly, unwilling struggle at the moment of ruin.]
[I am you, Koleon.]
[I am the Poison of Hope.]
The bunch of half-understood words spoken by the voice was confusing.
"What do you want? I want to go home..."
Although the strange environment was incredibly beautiful, it always made Koleon feel a deep-seated unease.
This wasn't normal.
Although she couldn't say what was wrong, she still felt a little scared.
[I have brought you a deal.]
[I need your body as a vessel to complete the great mission bestowed upon me by my Lord.]
[In exchange, I will fulfill your wish to become a captain, and halt the decay of your body, allowing you to escape the tragic cycle of life and death.]
[You will no longer be oppressed by hunger and cold, and no one will ever speak ill of you or mock you again.]
[You will pilot your beloved starship freely through the universe, laughing as you please. Day after day, year after year.]
Under the guidance of that voice, she saw much more.
She saw her twin brother also realize his dream, becoming a powerful swordsman, cutting down countless enemies with his magnificent and elegant, unparalleled sword skills.
She saw herself piloting the starship, sharing countless "candies" with the suffering people wherever she went, just as she had once hoped.
And these candies were tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of times sweeter than the ones Sister Fulgrim had given them.
The people who tasted such joy all howled and danced wildly.
Some were so happy they even tore at their own bodies and faces.
They wouldn't stop even when blood splattered and their organs were pulled out.
How happy they were.
"I..."
The grand blueprint of her future dream had unfolded.
But she was still hesitating.
[Koleon, what more are you dissatisfied with?]
[To become a captain, is that not the hope that keeps you alive, your ideal?]
The voice was extremely sincere.
[My deal is mutually beneficial for both of us. Why won't you accept?]
Yes, why not?
Except for the inexplicable resistance in her heart, Koleon could find no reason to refuse.
She hesitated, slowly reaching out her hand towards the voice in her heart—
"Enough!"
Just then, a voice from behind stopped them.
"This ends now, daemon."
With that sharp cry, Koleon felt a clarity she hadn't experienced before, a clarity completely different from the hazy fog of before.
A long-lost sense of reality filled her mind again.
[Damn you, who are you? Why are you ruining my plan?]
The voice shrieked in dissatisfaction.
Koleon withdrew her hand and looked back curiously.
It was a raging, golden-red holy flame.
"A disciple of Slaanesh, fallen so low as to rely on deceiving a three-year-old child to survive."
"You make me feel pathetic, daemon."
Koleon did not run away.
For some reason, the indistinct ball of fire always gave her a sense of very familiar intimacy.
And the other party also seemed to be looking at her.
"Koleon, remember."
"Dreams are not something you can just pick up. They are forged through long, hard work and sweat."
"Do not believe the slander of these daemons. The future, brick by brick, will be, and can only be, built by our own hands."
Koleon nodded.
In front of this flame, she felt warmth.
With a slight, real sting and burn.
But still warm.
"As for you, daemon."
"Vanish from all timelines, forever."
With that, the flames surged forward.
Although she didn't know how she knew, Koleon understood one thing at this moment:
Those were the flames of origin.
Once consumed by the flames, it would be annihilated, never to be restored for all eternity.
And she was one with the voice in her mind.
This flame would burn away that voice, and it might also burn her to death.
[A Cursed One?! No, impossible! This is not the power of a Cursed One!]
The voice screamed, its tone filled with disbelief.
[You! You are—]
"Who I am is never for you to decide, daemon."
The flames rushed towards her, consuming everything in her sight.
Her hopes and dreams would be shattered, scattered like smoke.
But she had no regrets.
"Koleon."
With Kasjia's soft call, she groggily opened her eyes.
She was awake.
Awakened from a beautiful but illusory dream.
She saw Kasjia smiling and stroking her little head, and her brother beside him, relieved.
"Welcome back, Koleon."
Was everything she had just experienced a dream?
She rubbed her eyes in confusion.
What a strange dream it had been.
-------
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