That faint, "Artoria," filled with the innocent confusion of someone just waking up, was like a pebble cast into a calm lake. Before the ripples in her heart could settle, an even more surging wave followed immediately.
The Dark Plane, that pure information space personally constructed by Artoria and tailored for Minerva, was no longer a cold blueprint of data streams. In the central area, a soft light pulsed like breathing, outlining a hazy yet familiar silhouette—long silver hair flowing like moonlight, and slender eyelashes casting shallow shadows on the eyelids. It was the most primal manifestation of Minerva's consciousness. She had her eyes closed, as if she were still adapting to this new form of "existence," but that clear yet gentle soul fluctuation unique to her already rippled through this space with incomparable clarity and reality.
Artoria's consciousness form dove without hesitation into this realm of the Dark Plane that belonged to her and Minerva. A thousand-year wish, a thousand-year journey—all the hardships, loneliness, and even despair transformed at this moment into an instinctive urge to rush toward that figure.
She came before that ball of soft light, her hand trembling as she reached out, her fingertips lightly touching the outline traced by light and shadow. There was no cold mechanical sensation, no barrier of virtual data; a warm, soulful, and incredibly real "sense of presence" traveled from her fingertips straight to the depths of her heart. A thousand years... a full thousand years of longing and waiting, a thousand years of being unable to touch, a thousand years of only being able to gaze from afar through the cold glass of the life-support pod...
"Minerva..." she choked out, her voice trembling slightly within the information flow of the Dark Plane, yet saturated with a heat sufficient to melt any ice.
Within the light and shadow, Minerva's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her azure eyes, like a clear sky washed of dust, carried the haze of just waking up as they slowly focused, finally settling on Artoria's face, which was covered in tear tracks yet blooming with immense joy. In those eyes, a flash of uncertain daze appeared first, followed by a sudden, breathtakingly bright radiance, as if stars had been lit. Within that radiance was the ecstasy of finding what was lost, the deep longing spanning a long sleep and wait, the heartache of clearly perceiving the other's thousand years of hardship, and the excitement of a thousand words rushing to the heart with no idea where to begin.
Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she only managed a clearer, trembling call: "Artoria... is it really you..."
Before the words could finish, Artoria could no longer hold back. She opened her arms and tightly, tightly pulled that figure—composed of light and information yet more hauntingly desired than any physical entity—into her embrace.
"It's me... it's me... I'm here... I found you... I brought you back..." Tears gushed like a broken dam, wetting the illusory light on Minerva's shoulder. Her words were broken and out of tune, merely repeating over and over, as if she wanted to pour all those thousand years of calling, thousand years of longing, and thousand years of promises into this embrace that had come far too late.
Minerva's body stiffened slightly at first, then softened completely. She also reached out, with a cautiousness as if afraid of breaking a dream, and slowly but with incomparable firmness, returned Artoria's hug. The moment her arms tightened, a sense of soul-level intimacy that crossed the boundaries of matter and information wrapped the two of them securely. There was no heartbeat, no body temperature, but that total fusion on a spiritual level and the unobstructed flood of emotion were more profound and burning than any physical contact.
She felt the thousand years of accumulated fatigue, loneliness, and fear within Artoria's soul, as well as the final burst of ecstasy and relief. She also felt, deep within her own consciousness, the longing and waiting for this warmth that had never been extinguished during the thousand years of darkness. No words were needed; the thousand years of separation and waiting, the thousand years of perception and sacrifice, transformed in this embrace into a silent torrent, washing through each other's souls and filling all the voids.
"I'm sorry... for making you wait so long..." Artoria buried her face in the crook of Minerva's neck, her voice muffled and thick with a heavy nasal tone.
Minerva shook her head gently, her silver hair brushing against Artoria's cheek with the movement, bringing a cool yet real sensation. "No... I'm the one who should say sorry... I... didn't protect myself well..." Her voice was still somewhat weak, but exceptionally clear, every word carrying heavy emotion. "I... felt it... I could always... feel... your hard work... your... loneliness..."
Clumsily but with utmost seriousness, she used her newly regained consciousness to simulate the sensation of a "hand," gently patting Artoria's trembling back, as if comforting a child who had suffered much and finally returned home. "Thank you... for not giving up... Artoria... my... Artoria..."
In the real World, inside the core laboratory of the Silver Moon Observatory.
Hexi watched silently as Artoria's body trembled slightly and tears fell soundlessly, yet she remained immersed in communication with the newborn consciousness in the Dark Plane with a smile on her lips. She could perceive the stable and warm information fluctuations in that newborn Dark Plane space, as well as the attachment so thick it wouldn't dissipate, spanning life, death, and time.
She did not interrupt. This Heavenly Base King, who had lived for thirty thousand years, had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations and the ups and downs of countless emotions; she had long ago forged a nearly eternally rational state of mind. But now, watching her student from another World perform a feat near to that of a god with a mortal body, enduring countless hardships to finally snatch back the consciousness of her loved one from the hands of the God of Death (or rather, eternal sleep), a faint but genuine trace of relief and softness couldn't help but appear in her eyes.
"Interesting little ones..." Hexi whispered to herself, the corner of her mouth curving into a slight arc. She admired Artoria's tenacity and wisdom, and she respected this pure and blazing emotion. As a scholar, she had witnessed a nearly miraculous case of saving an information life, merging otherworldly knowledge with Angel technology. As... a being who had existed for far too long, she was also touched by this persistence that crossed dimensions and life and death.
"The rest is your own time." Hexi smiled slightly and turned elegantly, her silver hair tracing an arc under the laboratory's cold light. She left no words, silently withdrawing from the core area of the laboratory, leaving this space entirely to the "lovers" who had just completed their reunion across life and death.
In the Dark Plane, Artoria and Minerva were still embracing. It was as if they wanted to drink their fill of the thousand years of longing and waiting in this one hug. They spoke in low voices, incoherently but with hearts in sync. Artoria talked about her experiences after they were separated, the Worlds she traveled through, the knowledge she learned, Hexi's help, and the System's sleep and return (omitting the specific gambling details). Minerva listened quietly, occasionally responding with simple words or looks, her azure eyes always focused intently on Artoria, as if she wanted to engrave her current appearance deep into her newborn consciousness.
Right at this warm and peaceful moment—
"Ahem! That... sorry to interrupt you two's touching, lovey-dovey reunion moment?"
A familiar electronic voice, carrying obvious suppressed laughter and a smug tone, suddenly rang out in Artoria's consciousness. And... the source of the voice seemed... a bit off? It didn't come directly from the consciousness link, but seemed to come from... "above"?
Artoria and Minerva's consciousness forms both froze simultaneously and instinctively looked up—
In the simulated "sky" of the Dark Plane, which was originally a soft starlight background, an irregular crack suddenly split open without warning! Immediately after, a round-headed metal robot about half a person tall, flashing with seven-colored dazzling light and styled so exaggeratedly it looked like it came out of a cartoon, came spinning and flailing out of that crack, accompanied by a strange cry of "Wa-ya-ya-ya—!!!" and crackling electrical sparks!
Its target was aimed straight at the two people embracing below!
"Watch out!" Artoria instinctively pulled Minerva into her protective embrace, raising her other hand to instinctively mobilize the rules of the Dark Plane to bounce it away or decompose it.
"Don't hit! It's me! It's me, little Artoria!!" The falling metal robot let out a panicked, familiar electronic voice belonging to the System, except now the voice coming from a physical metal shell had a strange reverb, making it look exceptionally ridiculous.
Artoria's movements froze instantly, and the condensed energy dissipated. In that moment of daze—
Thud!
"Ouch!"
A dull thud was accompanied by an exaggerated cry of pain (though electronically synthesized). That rainbow-glowing spherical robot landed squarely, right on Artoria's... head, then bounced once and rolled to her and Minerva's feet, still emitting a few wisps of blue smoke. One of the two rabbit-ear-like antennae (?) on its head drooped down, making it look both pathetic and hilarious.
Artoria was hit so hard she saw stars (simulated in her consciousness state). Clutching her forehead, she looked down at this smoking, bizarrely-shaped metal ball at her feet, and for a moment, her brain stalled.
Minerva also looked down curiously, her azure eyes filled with confusion. She could feel that this strange thing that had suddenly appeared seemed to have some close connection with Artoria, and... it had no ill intent?
"He... hehe..." The spherical robot struggled to prop itself up with two short mechanical arms and raised its round head (if that counted as a head). The display screen on its face (?) lit up, showing a large, silly smiling emoticon (^▽^). "Surprise! This system... ahem, Yours Truly is making a grand entrance! How about it, little Artoria, Minerva? Are you surprised? Is it unexpected? My newly bought 'Cool Invincible Thunderbolt Cyclone Super Limited Edition' physical avatar! It cost me a full five hundred thousand Energy Points! It comes with thirty-six skin effects, seven hundred and twenty emojis, and it can transform! Look!"
As it spoke, its round body underwent a dizzying transformation and reorganization accompanied by "clack-clack" mechanical sounds, instantly turning into a... similarly seven-colored dazzling, metallic, tail-wagging... dog? (Or rather, an abstract model of some canine creature.)
"..." Artoria looked at this seven-colored metal ball (dog?) that kept changing its shape and emitting a "praise me, praise me" vibe, then looked at the somewhat bewildered yet curious look in Minerva's eyes, and then thought back to the extremely tense and tearfully touching reunion scene just now...
"SYS—TEM—!!!"
A roar filled with shame, frustration, helplessness, amusement, and a "what the hell are you doing" attitude exploded within the Dark Plane space.
"EXPLAIN! TO! ME! CLEARLY! WHAT! IS! GOING! ON?! AND! WHO! GAVE! YOU! PERMISSION! TO! ENTER! MY! DARK! PLANE! WITHOUT! ASKING! AND! HIT! MY! HEAD?!!"
The seven-colored metal dog (System) instantly reverted to its spherical form, its two antennae snapping upright. The expression on the display screen changed to a flattering (✧ω✧) starry-eyed look: "That... don't be mad, little Artoria! Didn't I... want to give you guys a surprise! Look, I have a body now! A genuine, expensive, incredibly awesome physical form! I can help you do more things in the future, and I can be a third wheel... ah no, I mean be the brightest star! And!"
It rolled to Artoria's feet and rubbed its round body against her calf (if her consciousness form had one). The expression on the display screen changed to a (´･ω･`) aggrieved look: "I bought this with the money I earned through my own hard work (winning the lottery)! I didn't use any of your share! And, and I count as 'family,' right? How could I be missing from such an important reunion moment! Right, Minerva?"
As it spoke, it even turned toward Minerva, the display screen switching to a (｡･ω･｡) well-behaved expression, though a metal ball making this face looked ridiculous no matter how you sliced it.
Minerva looked at Artoria, whose head (consciousness) seemed about to emit smoke from anger, then at this seven-colored metal ball at her feet that called itself "System" and "family" yet behaved in an incredibly bizarre manner. She was silent for a moment, and then, in a way neither Artoria nor the System expected, she bent down slightly and reached out with her hand—composed of information yet incredibly real—to gently pat the top of the metal ball's smooth (and rainbow-glowing) head.
"Um... welcome back... System?" Her voice was still a bit weak, but it carried a hint of imperceptible gentleness and curiosity. "And... thank you... for the help you gave Artoria."
"!!!" The System froze instantly, the emoticons on the display screen flashing wildly before finally settling on a massive, tearfully moved (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) expression. "Minerva! You're so wonderful! Ten thousand times better than a certain violent Host who only knows how to be mean to me! Waaaaah! I finally have a sensible family member!"
Watching this scene, Artoria's belly full of anger and shame suddenly deflated for some reason. Looking at the pureness and gentleness in Minerva's eyes upon waking, looking at the System's ridiculous yet sincere "asking for pets" posture, and then looking at this "home" in the Dark Plane she had built with her own hands, which now had an uninvited guest...
An extremely complex, indescribable emotion welled up in her heart. It was the joy of reunion, the relief of surviving a disaster, the exhaustion of a thousand-year burden being lifted, the amusement at the System's antics, and a... strange, warm sense of reality.
Her Minerva was back.
That unreliable System, which always came through at critical moments, had also "officially" joined in this laugh-inducing way.
The three of them, in this unexpected way, were reunited in this new "home" she had created.
"Sigh..." Artoria let out a long, deep sigh and rubbed her (phantom) aching forehead. In the end, she couldn't help it, and the corner of her mouth quirked up in a helpless yet indulgent arc. She bent down, grabbed the seven-colored metal ball (System) that was still rubbing against Minerva's hand, and gave it a glare: "I'll settle the score with you later! Now, stay put and don't cause any more trouble!"
"Yes, Officer!" The System immediately stood at attention (if a sphere can do that). The display screen changed to a serious (￣^￣) expression, but the flashing rainbow light and the twitching antennae betrayed its lack of seriousness.
Artoria let go, and the System sphere fell to the ground with a "thud," then rolled to Minerva's feet, rubbed against them, and stayed there quietly (relatively speaking), though the display screen kept changing through various wacky emoticons to assert its presence.
Artoria looked back at Minerva. Their gazes met, and without words, each saw the other's reflection in their eyes, along with a warm and real happiness that had endured hardships and been lost and found, now with an added "joker."
In the Dark Plane, soft light flowed quietly, illuminating the two embracing figures and a metal sphere nearby that was trying hard to look inconspicuous while radiating seven-colored dazzling light.
Home seemed to be like this. Having your beloved, having family, and perhaps... being a bit noisy and full of surprises.
But this was where they belonged.
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