Acheron repeated the explanation about the Bloodstained Spirit that the old man had once given.
But where the old man used "they," Acheron spoke of "a fleeting shadow."
"Yet it walked with me through countless days."
[???]
[Another mastermind? Another twist?]
[Didn't the old man already say this line?]
— —
The old man sighed, finally understanding. "So that's how it is… I'm already dead."
Before his words faded, the screen was bathed in a crimson hue.
Acheron transformed into her blade-drawn form—snow-white hair, blood-red patterns.
"Yes."
The old man had become a black shadow. "Are you watching over me?"
[Holy sh*t!]
[Another twist? Are we going for one last big play?]
[This is too heart-wrenching!]
[Season 4 is full of complete surprises—so amazing!]
[I weep for the departed, like a tide surging, guiding you home!]
"Perhaps. It's my duty… the watcher of the underworld river. I guard the path to The Nihility's abyss, leading every soul unwilling to fall into it… back to this world."
"But if this is the outcome the departed desire, do you still wish to change it?"
Acheron smiled faintly. "I don't know. But someone once told me that one day he would pass from this world, and he hoped… someone would place a flower at his grave."
"Even if… it's meaningless?"
"Some things, even if meaningless, must be done. I've experienced too many such things. Please, extend your hand, and close your eyes."
Acheron placed her hand before the old man. "I'll carry your wish forward and fulfill it. Only then can I resolve the final regret by this dead sea."
"Can I… see them again?"
The old man extended his dark hand, and one red, one black hand filled the center of the screen.
The image was like The Creation of Adam.
[????]
[???]
The bullet comments erupted again.
[So that's it?]
[Damn it, my tears won't stop!]
[It all connects here!]
[In my heart, Season 4 is legendary. No matter what Star Rail's web series does next, it's got a free pass from me.]
[This is just too stunning!]
— —
"Yes, countless times… I was turned away by the Family, only able to brush past it. But I know my companions are still there… alone…" The old man's hoarse voice continued, "Mikhail… are you still there?"
The subtitles revealed the old man's name—Tiernan!!!
[!!!]
[Tiernan, it's really Tiernan! It all makes sense now.]
[Tiernan used his final bullet to save Penacony.]
[The Trailblaze, The Hunt!]
[I can't imagine how romantic it is for the Nameless and the Galaxy Rangers, two such poetic factions, to converge in one person!]
[Now I've seen it. Truly!]
[A 30-something guy like me, crying snot and tears.]
— —
"Take my hand and come with me. We… will leave this place.
It will be a long, long journey, surrounded by darkness. But don't fear, for you'll see a streak of red at the road's end.
That's the color of existence. Follow it, and it will guide your way. Thus, you'll surely reunite under the sunlight."
"Thank you…"
"May death end your long dream… and lead you back to the waking world."
— —
Caelus snapped his eyes open and saw Acheron ahead.
Acheron glanced back slightly. "Welcome to the Horizon of Existence… This is one of the myriad manifestations of The Nihility IX, the formless one in Dormancy, but also the exit for those awake to bid farewell to The Nihility.
So, let us make our final goodbye here."
Caelus didn't hesitate and moved forward.
Along the way in Penacony, those dear to him appeared one by one.
Sparkle: "Be sure to distinguish the boundary between reality and illusion… okay, little gray-hair?"
Black Swan: "Life is a winding maze—aside from memory, we have nothing."
Aventurine: "May your schemes… forever remain concealed."
Robin: "Ena's dream… is too cruel for him, for everyone."
Gallagher: "To an imperfect tomorrow."
Firefly: "Remember the question on the invitation—why does life fall into slumber?"
Before Caelus could speak, Acheron answered, "Yes, why does life fall into slumber… We still don't know the answer to this question, yet we must awaken from this dream.
Or perhaps, that is the answer itself. Leave this place, return to where you came from. Then… let Penacony awaken from the dream."
"What if people don't want to wake up?"
"As I said, our plan isn't to make everyone abandon darkness for light, but to let them choose to save themselves. Tell me, when do people choose to save themselves? The answer is… when they're in despair." Acheron stood before Caelus.
"Like a drowning person in the deep sea, when body and soul are under immense pressure, pain, confusion, and despair follow. But I believe…
Even if human weakness makes them pause, when they truly cannot move forward, humanity will try to save itself. And now… Penacony has enough heroes to lead them onward.
It's because of this selfish instinct that, even knowing their resistance is futile, people will still fight with all they have. Absurd, yet it's a form of defiance.
So, Trailblazer… guide them forward, not as a savior, but as a Nameless among mortals.
Thus, you'll surely reunite under the sunlight."
And at the end, Acheron asked the same questions from the story's beginning.
Caelus's answers remained the same as before.
But this time, unlike his initial confused, instinct-driven responses, they came from the deepest, truest part of his heart after living through it all.
— —
The scene shifted again.
Back to the rain-soaked beach.
Tiernan asked Acheron to reveal her true name.
Acheron was silent for a long time before speaking slowly. "Some things are hard for me to recall, but others… I can never forget.
That's memory—created by the past, yet able to bloom with meaning in the distant future.
I still remember, it was the starting point of my journey, the red origin of my life, the most intense, passionate thing in every storm…
That is my name…"
Raiden Bosenmori Mei