"So, young man, did you not enjoy the opera just now?"
"Hm? Of course not, Miss Elysian Realm. Why would you think that?"
Taking the steaming cup of coffee, Fu Li tilted his head, looking slightly confused.
"Well, the curtain call should be happening right now. If you enjoyed the opera, I would think you'd stay to see the end."
Realizing Fu Li hadn't seen through her disguise, Eden felt a wave of relief, quickly followed by a pang of disappointment.
She had prepared this opera for him over a very long time, but it seemed he didn't care for it, so much so that he left early, unwilling to even see the story's conclusion.
"No, no, no, how could you think that? Miss Elysian Realm, your voice is absolutely unparalleled in this world. Of that, I have no doubt."
Sensing the hint of grievance in Eden's words, Fu Li quickly waved his hands and explained, "The reason I came out was because of a friend of mine."
"Oh, a friend?" Eden propped her head on her hand, the corners of her lips beneath the black veil curling up slightly. "This friend of yours... are you perhaps talking about yourself?"
"Of course not, Miss Elysian Realm."
Fu Li chuckled softly. Knowing she was only teasing him, he allowed himself to relax a little more.
"My friend is named Eden. She once told me something."
"Overly enthusiastic cheers can obscure the brilliance of the play itself, so she likes to savor its original form before that happens."
It was a somewhat vague explanation, and Fu Li hadn't expected her to understand. But he had the distinct feeling that the woman before him smiled.
It was a strange sensation. Because of the black veil, he couldn't see her face, yet he just knew that her mood had suddenly become much better.
However, she concealed it quickly, almost instantly masking her smile with a question.
"So, what did you feel?"
"Hmm... let me think."
Fu Li rested his chin on his hand, and after a moment of thought, he said, "Nostalgia, remembrance, and adoration."
"It was like moths chasing a light. Lost people searching for hope. That hope could be love, or friendship, or simply the desire to live on."
"They were all powerless figures, swept forward by fate, losing their way in the blink of an eye. It was real, yet cruel."
"But in the end, the moth embraced the light. And that light was not a flame, but true hope. In the end, everyone got the ending they wanted."
"Yes... an ending like that is indeed wonderful." Eden's gaze softened. Looking at the starlight outside the window, she found her earlier thoughts amusing.
In a daze, she recalled something she had once been told.
[The footprints we leave in the world will, on a day in the future, become a guiding light for another's path.]
Elysia had told her that, and she felt the words fit Fu Li perfectly.
It was he who had led them to survival. It was he who had allowed them to embrace true hope. And it was precisely to reclaim that hope that they had hidden themselves in the darkness for tens of thousands of years, all to grasp this beam of light once more.
The idle chat continued. Although Fu Li didn't know her identity, they talked as freely as old friends.
Ring, ring, ring~
Suddenly, the ringing of a phone interrupted their conversation.
Fu Li picked up his phone and, after seeing the new message, gave Eden an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Miss Elysian Realm, it seems my friends have finished watching the show."
"I see. So, you have to leave?"
"That's right. They're already rushing me."
"Is that so?" Eden sighed. Though reluctant, she could only wave her hand in resignation.
"Then, until we meet again, if fate allows, young man."
"Yes. Thank you very much for the coffee, Miss Elysian Realm."
Fu Li gave a slight bow, said his goodbyes once more, and then turned toward the door.
The moment he stepped out, he turned his head back, looking at Miss Elysian Realm with a hint of puzzlement.
She was holding her coffee cup, gazing down at the city below, looking like a lonely, homeless traveler.
For some reason, whenever he looked at her, another figure would always surface in his mind.
They were both musical geniuses. Perhaps that was why he had this sense of déjà vu.
Could it be... she's Miss Eden's alternate timeline counterpart?
No, no, no, how is that possible? Their hair and eye colors are completely different. There's no way they're the same person.
Fu Li gave a wry smile, thinking he was probably just overthinking things. He turned around and walked away.
He figured it was because he had encountered far too many alternate timeline counterparts recently, to the point that his brain was starting to malfunction.
It seemed he would need to rest for a longer period this time.
With that thought, Fu Li quickened his pace and swiftly left the area.
What he didn't know was that not long after he departed, a figure in a waiter's suit and wearing a clown mask appeared in the spot where he had just been standing.
The masked person looked at Eden, and Eden turned to look back, seemingly unsurprised.
"Long time no see, Vill-V."
"As I thought. It was you who led Li here, wasn't it?"
Author's PS: I feel like my skills have regressed. Bangs head against wall.