["That Trailblazer—you didn't intend to kill her. You only made a move to disperse me and that Memokeeper… Why?"]
["..." SAM remained silent.]
[Acheron guessed a little: "Was it 'the slave of destiny' who made you do this?"]
["You know Elio."]
["I thought this would be written in your script."]
["My script has always only had a few lines. Anything beyond that is unnecessary and unneeded." SAM said calmly, "He knows my personality: Destiny has only one kind, and no one can bypass it—before that, I have the right to choose."]
["But you seem unaware, so it's my turn to ask: Who exactly are you?"]
[Acheron closed her eyes: "Perhaps not your enemy."]
["Answering a question with another question."]
[Acheron shook her head: "I am not worth your curiosity. Those who walk the galaxy alone always have some secrets. I have also been wanted by the IPC before, so it's not strange to know about the Stellaron Hunters… and that's all." She turned her face to look at SAM, "…Perhaps I can help you."]
——
Bleach.
"I have a feeling—if Acheron really intended to make a move, SAM would probably already be dead."
"I feel like your feeling is correct."
"Tch, you guy…"
Yoruichi lazily glanced at Kisuke Urahara on the sofa beside her. "Don't you feel it? When Acheron is with Stelle, she always likes to say some half-understandable riddles, but once she leaves Stelle or there are other people around, her way of speaking becomes… hmm, how to put it? Somewhat shrewd?"
It formed a huge contrast with her initial airheaded, lost-way appearance.
Taking the initiative to cooperate with others and extend invitations felt completely natural on Aventurine or Sparkle, but on Acheron… there was always a strange sense of dissonance.
"You can't just assume she's not smart because her combat power is strong." Urahara pushed up his hat, the corner of his mouth curving into a playful smile. "She's at least a lone traveler in the universe. What kind of monsters and demons hasn't she seen? If you only have force without brains, even an Emanator would run into problems, right?"
"And what I didn't expect was that she was once wanted by the IPC? The IPC actually dared to put out a warrant for an Emanator?!"
"…They probably didn't know about Acheron's identity as an Emanator, right?" Yoruichi scoffed. "If they really knew she was an Emanator, even if they didn't worship her, they would at least give her extremely generous conditions—just like with Lady Herta."
Kisuke Urahara's gaze returned to the Celestial Screen, his expression turning unusually serious: "However, since Acheron is already this powerful, why would she take the initiative to seek cooperation with the Stellaron Hunters? What is she after? Getting wanted by the IPC again?"
"…If Stelle finds out she secretly made a deal with the Stellaron Hunters, that already fragile trust relationship would probably completely collapse, right?"
——
["What reason do you have for doing this?" SAM questioned.]
[Acheron: "I often forget some things, so compared to memories, I am more used to capturing things with 'feelings.' Therefore—I know who is inside that cold armor."]
["..." SAM fell silent once again.]
["How about it? Willing to take off the armor and talk now?"]
["It's not the time yet." SAM shook his head. "I don't need help, but I can give you a suggestion. It would be better for both you and me."]
["If your goal is the [Watchmaker's Legacy], then go investigate the Family. They not only covered up the existence of [Death], but also buried the past and truth of the dreamscape."]
[Acheron nodded: "I am already doing that."]
["—Also, the Astral Express is not your enemy." SAM continued.]
["I know that too… I just didn't expect to hear it from your mouth. What next? Stelle was taken away by Black Swan. Are you going to find her?"]
["There is no need… It's fine to tell you. Elio's instruction to me was only one: 'Let the Astral Express pursue the [Grand Legacy] together.' I tried to end this matter in a simpler way, but the result is as you see—I am standing here confronting you—I failed. The script cannot be defied."]
["…Never mind. Before we part, may I ask you one more question?" Acheron said. "Is there any part about me in your script? I want to know what kind of footnote I left in the future seen by destiny."]
[SAM was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Regrettably, not a single word mentioned."]
[Acheron let out a soft sigh: "…Not surprising."]
——
Attack on Titan.
"That's not right…"
In the dormitory, Armin was lying on the bed. He carefully pondered the exchange between Acheron and SAM just now and felt something was off.
"What's wrong?" Jean from the upper bunk poked his head down curiously.
"Acheron is at least an Emanator. Even if she herself has no interest in the legacy, the influence she brings should be crucial… even enough to sway the situation! How could SAM's script not mention her at all?"
"Why is that impossible? What if she really doesn't want to take action and just wants to quietly spend a vacation in Penacony?" Jean didn't quite understand.
"Whether she takes action or not isn't something she can decide. She's this strong. Just by standing in Penacony and doing nothing, there would be factions trying to win her over or interfere. Assuming Penacony has no other Emanators or the Aeons themselves don't intervene… that would mean whoever Acheron stands with could use overwhelming force to drive everyone else off the table."
"But she didn't appear in Elio's prophecy… Is she really that unimportant? Or does Penacony actually have many Emanators with hidden identities that just haven't been exposed yet, and Acheron is nothing special among them?"
If it was the former, Armin couldn't understand it at all. But if it was the latter, then the picture of Penacony would be too horrifying.
——
[After saying that, Acheron turned to leave.]
["Wait—" SAM suddenly called out to her. He suddenly spoke word by word, solemnly: "I won't."]
[Acheron slightly turned her head: "What?"]
["Your initial question—'Will you still dream, dream of those who died because of you.'" SAM said, "I won't. I never will."]
["I was born without the ability to dream. I live for cold reality, for a little light, I burn… keep burning, until I turn to dead ashes." SAM raised his head. "So, I envy you."]
["Is that so…"]
[Acheron's eyes lowered. She turned around and said calmly: "Then you are already living in the waking world."]