[Godfather, he's still carrying!]
[I knew it, I knew it, Godfather's a good guy!]
[Yeah, how could a Godfather who respects and guides the masses be a bad guy?]
[It's the Godfather, his value just keeps rising!]
[Looks like Godfather knows everything.]
[Worthy of being the Godfather!]
[Brothers, why did Kakavasha show up again?]
[Yeah, why? So strange, can't guess at all!]
"You're still choosing… to leave this dream?" Kakavasha looked at Aventurine, his eyes full of reluctance.
Aventurine's words carried a trace of exhaustion and gentleness. "Yes. Because they're not here… Dad, Mom, Sister…"
"Where are they, then?"
"They're in the place everyone will eventually go, a far, faraway place."
"Are you going there too?"
"I'll get there someday. But not now. There'll come a day when the rain falls from the sky again, and I'll hear the Mother Goddess's call, knowing the fated moment has arrived, when I should reunite with my family. So until that moment comes… I must make 'preparations.'"
[Aventurine's finally figured it out.]
[Having died once, he found his answer.]
"What are you preparing for?"
Aventurine placed one hand on his chest. "To face them, Kakavasha, and become their pride."
[This one line completely defines Aventurine's character!]
[Family, who gets it? This line broke me completely!]
[Sob… This is just too heartbreaking.]
[Oh no, I really can't hold it together. This must be him reconciling with himself.]
[The character arc is complete. Gotta say, miHoYo's characterization is top-tier.]
Kakavasha looked up at Aventurine. "I think you'll do it. Keep going."
"Of course. Because I'm a child blessed by the Mother Goddess."
"But you still look nervous…"
"I feel that way too. Maybe you're the only one who can help me…" Aventurine smiled faintly, took off his hat, and crouched in front of Kakavasha. "…One last time, shall we do a 'palm touch'?"
Aventurine patted Kakavasha's head and extended his palm.
Kakavasha didn't move his lips, yet a voice came. "Are you setting off?"
In response to Kakavasha's question, Aventurine replied, "Yes."
The next moment, their palms pressed together.
"'May the Mother Goddess thrice close her eyes for you…'"
At this moment, Kakavasha and Aventurine said in unison,
"'Keeping your blood eternally pulsing…'"
"'May your journey forever be peaceful…'"
"'…And your schemes forever concealed.'"
Then, Aventurine waved and left.
Kakavasha held Aventurine's hat. "We will meet again under the aurora of 'Kakava.'"
"Goodbye, Kakavasha."
Kakavasha turned into specks of starlight and vanished completely, the hat dancing in the wind.
[Goodbye, Kakavasha!]
[Goodbye, Kakavasha!]
[Goodbye, Kakavasha!]
[…]
[Holy crap, after all these years, we still have a flying hat kill?]
[Thank you, miHoYo, we finally have our own flying hat kill!]
[Truly a grand performance!]
[Aventurine! Honestly, if there's an annual popularity poll, he's gotta be top three!]
The screen went black. Only a subtitle slowly scrolled.
"'I carry hopes for tomorrow, sinking into tonight's slumber; until the end of one tomorrow after another, I meet a peaceful death.'"
But this man was different; he lived in the present. Every sunken night, every all-in gamble, his dreams never held the shape of tomorrow.
His life was never peaceful, yet fate taught him to win everything, wading through storm after storm, until mud covered his nostrils.
And now, in the unfathomable depths of the dream, that falling die… finally landed.
Silently… calmly… it landed.
…
Suddenly, a familiar voice came to mind.
The subtitle identified the speaker as Topaz.
"The light of the 'Aventurine' stone… has faded. This can only mean one outcome…"
Then, a mature, commanding female voice spoke.
"He fulfilled his promise. And got what he wished for."
": As planned, your 'cornerstone' has been successfully delivered into the family's domain. So…"
"Let us fulfill our duties and begin the 'harvest.' And then, in the cradle of the slumberers, in the depths of the 'Star of the Gala's' sweet dream—another jade begins to shine."
"'I come to pay homage, I come to pour wine, I come to possess.'"
"'I grant poison to the sweet dew, sowing in spring, reaping in autumn, awaiting the branches heavy with withered fruit.'"
"'All dedicated to… the Amber Lord.'"
[Why does this line sound familiar?]
[So each of the Ten Stonehearts has their own lines?]
[Family, I still haven't recovered from Kakavasha's story! Give me something even more intense.]
[What more intensity? Season four's about to end.]
[Dare you make it even more intense? I want a bloodbath!]
At the same time, deep in the Memory Zone.
Caelus tried to open his eyes, but all he saw was darkness.
He only remembered Aventurine launching his final assault, a rain of glittering chips pouring down, followed by Acheron drawing her blade.
Then.
That indescribable power severed 'Preservation,' and the surrounding space-time froze instantly, his thoughts twisting into a knot in that moment.
Caelus's senses failed him, only gravity tore at his mind, plummeting through boundless darkness…
…Until a spark of flame embraced him.
"Someone… saved me…"
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and Caelus appeared on the screen.
"You're awake. I've been waiting for you a long time." A mechanical, synthesized voice came from ahead of Caelus.
Suddenly, a massive barrage filled the screen:
[High Alert Ahead!!!]
[High Alert Ahead!!!]
The audience hadn't had time to react.
The camera panned to a mecha background—it was Sam.
Caelus looked at Sam's back, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"It's you… What did you do?"
Sam slightly turned his head. "I didn't do anything, just waited for you to wake up. You've already met me, Stellaron Hunter Sam.
I wanted to appear before you earlier, to tell you some truths.
But I faced more obstacles than expected. Eleven times, I tried, but failed, and before I knew it, my connection to this world became too deep, making it hard to escape the 'script's' constraints.
Elio was right—in this land of dreams, you and I will both reap unforgettable rewards.
I'm not like him or Kafka, who understand people's hearts, nor do I have Silver Wolf or Blade's skills. Everything I'm good at is mostly suited for villains who deserve no mercy.
So—the only 'method' I can use is one."