readease Chapter 240 240: Do You Want to Dance with Me?
Chapter 240 240: Do You Want to Dance with Me?
"Is that truly what you believe?"
Robin looked at Sunday in disbelief, a trace of disappointment mingling in her eyes. "No one is willing to remain immersed in false happiness forever, because dreams always have a day when they end."
"Wake up, Brother. The paradise we want should never take this form!"
"Only Ena's Dream can realize our aspirations," Sunday continued. "And only Ena's Dream can give you what you desire."
What I desire?
He was clearly implying that she stood no chance. Robin's expression hardened. She shook her head. "I don't need Ena's Dream. I can still obtain what I want on my own."
"You know the odds are slim."
"Even if I fail, I won't regret it." Robin looked at Sunday earnestly, hoping he would understand. "Because I made my choice, and I pursued what I wanted with everything I had. Even if the outcome isn't what I hoped for, I will have no regrets. I will have stayed true to my heart."
The same argument again.
But would she truly feel no regret? No sense of loss?
Sunday cared more about the ending. As long as the outcome was happiness, the process... was not so important.
He wanted his sister to be happy. He wanted everyone to live in paradise, free from suffering.
"Choice and effort matter more than the result."
But are choice and effort always right?
If people's choices were always correct, why would there be so many regrets and conflicts in this world?
"Even if you fail?"
"Even if I fail!" Robin's tone was unwavering.
"Even if you can't even remain friends?" Sunday knew exactly what to say to shake her resolve the most. "Even if you can never see each other again?"
Robin's expression shifted slightly. She did not say that she would have no regrets even if they never met again. Instead, she said, "I won't let a future like that happen."
Never see Kiana again?
To vanish completely from her world, leaving no connection between them, as though they had never met?
No... perhaps it would be worse than that.
The mere thought of such a possibility made Robin's chest feel heavy, as though a stone pressed down upon it. A fine, needle-like pain spread through her heart.
"No one wants misfortune to befall them," Sunday said softly. "But cruel fate does not show mercy."
"Admit it, little sister. You cannot bear that future." His voice grew heavier.
Robin's feelings for Kiana were far more troublesome than he had imagined. The realization left an unpleasant taste in his heart.
"I won't let that future happen, so the premise itself is invalid." Robin only moved forward when she was certain. She would never allow such a thing to occur.
"Everything carries uncertainty. Before accidents arrive, everyone clings to wishful thinking." Sunday said, "Why not try a more effective method? In Ena's Dream, you can have everything you desire. Whether it is the dreams in your heart or being with the one you love, Ena's Dream can grant it all."
He believed firmly that Ena's Dream was the paradise capable of realizing his ideals. No matter how Robin denied it, she could not shake his conviction.
He still wanted to persuade her to join him.
Because only Ena's Dream could fulfill the wish in Robin's heart.
"And what about the cost?"
"...The cost of realizing such a grand vision is negligible," Sunday replied.
Negligible?
A surge of anger rose within Robin. Her hand tightened at her side as she suppressed the urge to lose her temper. "The essence of Ena's Dream is still a dream. And if it's a dream, then one day people will wake up. Why can't you understand that?"
"I will never agree with your ideals. This is not the future we want! Please, wake up, Brother!"
Sunday let out a faint sigh, looking at the sister trying so desperately to persuade him. He knew that at this moment, neither of them could convince the other.
"Rest for a while, little sister."
He said it calmly.
Robin took a step back in disbelief. She seemed to sense what he intended to do, her voice turning wary. "What are you planning?"
"Rest for a while. When you wake again, you will see the paradise I spoke of. I will prove to you that Ena's Dream is the paradise of our ideals."
"You—!"
When she realized he truly intended to act against her, shock and vigilance rose at once. But it was already too late.
From the moment she mentioned Ena's Dream, Sunday had prepared for the worst. Even during their conversation, he had quietly woven an inescapable net with the power of Order.
Robin didn't even have time to resist before invisible threads bound her in place. A heavy weight pressed against her eyelids.
"Go to sleep."
Her struggle proved useless. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and an irresistible drowsiness dragged her consciousness into darkness.
Before everything faded, the last thing she saw was Sunday stepping before her.
"I will grant all your wishes," he said.
Sunday gazed calmly at the sleeping Robin, his eyes deep and unreadable. From the very beginning, he had never intended for her to learn the truth.
Where had she discovered it?
"...Was it you?"
...
It was a world steeped in luxury and excess.
The exterior might not fully display the extravagance of the Planet of Festivities, but the indoor banquets and ballrooms were enough to leave every visitor in awe.
"Is this your younger sister? She's such a lovely child."
Not long after sitting down, while still waiting for news from Robin, Kiana looked up at the person addressing her.
The woman wore a purple veil, exuding a gentle yet mysterious aura. A faint smile curved her lips.
Her features were delicate and striking. Combined with that unique air of enigma, she naturally drew curiosity.
Black Swan.
A faint flicker of surprise crossed Kiana's eyes when she saw her. Thanks to her time in Penacony, she retained a rather vivid impression of this lady.
Such interesting eyes.
"Do you... know me?"
Kiana shook her head and glanced at Araya, who sat quietly to the side holding a glass of SoulGlad, staring straight at Black Swan.
"Sorry. You just reminded me of a friend."
Of Black Swan, the only thing Kiana remembered clearly was that single line she had once spoken—"So I intervened."
A friend?
Black Swan found herself far more intrigued by Kiana's memories. She had noticed her from the moment she arrived.
Her intuition told her
That this person carried memories of immense value, worthy of collection and remembrance.
"Would you care to share a dance with me?" Black Swan extended her hand, offering an invitation.
She was inviting her to dance?
The unexpected turn left Kiana momentarily stunned. Then she recalled how Black Swan had once peeked into Acheron's memories in the game and nearly failed to return.
So she had set her sights on her memories?
The sensation of being targeted like this was novel. Kiana found it... subtle, almost amusing.
"I'm not very good at dancing."
For Black Swan's own safety, Kiana declined politely.
Although the traces of Nihility on her had nearly faded, it was undeniable that she had once been deeply entangled with Nihility. Not long ago, she had even exchanged a glance with Nanook.
Setting Honkai aside.
Those two memories alone were far from safe.
If Black Swan tried to pry into her past, the outcome likely would not be any better than what had happened in the original storyline.
"I recall you once partnered with Miss Robin," Black Swan said with a gentle smile, as though she had not understood the hidden meaning in Kiana's refusal. She did not withdraw her hand.
So she came prepared?
She was determined to seek death?
Kiana stared at the hand extended before her for a long moment before finally placing her own into it. "Please forgive me if I misstep."
You can't stop someone determined to seek trouble.
A Memokeeper was like sticky candy. Even if she refused, Black Swan would likely find another opportunity to cling to her and investigate further.
A Memokeeper's curiosity was never light.
"Just follow my lead."
Araya tilted her head slightly, watching Kiana hold hands with a strange woman and dance with her.
Should she record it?
After a moment's thought, she took out her phone and snapped a photo as a keepsake. Then her gaze remained fixed on the pair, not looking away.
"Your sister resembles you greatly," Black Swan remarked, using Araya as an opening for casual conversation.
"She's not my sister."
Black Swan looked surprised. The two appeared nearly identical, like copies at different ages. "Is she not? You look remarkably alike."
"She's my daughter."
"...You look very young." Black Swan blinked, processing what she had just heard.
Not a sister, but a daughter.
That was far more explosive than she had expected.
"There are many long-lived species in the galaxy that don't show their age," Kiana replied casually.
"I'm merely surprised. So before your debut, you already had such a grown child."
There had been countless rumors about why she suddenly left the stage and stopped singing. Now it seemed possible that it had something to do with her child.
Kiana had no intention of explaining further.
"Is that so strange?"
"My apologies. It's simply unexpected. You don't seem like..."
Kiana only smiled mysteriously.
She could faintly sense that Black Swan's conversation was merely a distraction. The power of memories hidden within Memoria was stirring restlessly around her, waiting for a flaw.
This method of peering into another's memories.
It truly was impolite.
Noticing the shift in Araya's gaze from the sofa, Kiana gave her a reassuring look, telling her there was no need to interfere.
She felt it necessary to teach this bold Miss Black Swan a lesson.
To make her understand that one could not casually pry into another's memories.
Some memories were dangerous.
She deliberately revealed a flaw.
Black Swan did not realize it was intentional. The smile on her lips deepened slightly as she slipped through the opening Kiana had offered.
Let her see.
This Miss Kiana, who had appeared suddenly and vanished just as abruptly, whose past could not be traced, yet who shared an unbreakable bond with a genius—what kind of memories did she carry?
In the instant of a turn.
The lively ballroom vanished from sight.
Black Swan had pierced into Kiana's memories, descending into a deep, viscous sea of recollection.
The shift in scenery did not surprise her. It was normal.
Now, let her take a proper look at Miss Kiana's past.
Countless fragmented, blood-red memories flowed past her. The seeping crimson and overwhelming oppression instinctively stirred unease.
Something feels wrong.
As she passed through the shallow layers and entered deeper memories, a chill crept into Black Swan's heart. Kiana appeared cheerful and lively—why were her memories tinted in such color?
"This world bears the name Honkai. How could Honkai not take the stage?"
A voice cut through the tide of memories, advancing toward a pitch-black sun.
That black sun seemed like a natural predator. Even glimpsing it from afar through memory invoked terror.
That was—
The girl walking toward the black sun stopped and lifted her head to face it directly, speaking words that left one dizzy.
"Isn't that right? IX?!"
A power unlike any known Path erupted from the girl. Even across the veil of memory, one could faintly sense it contending against Nihility.
Erosion. Assimilation.
That power was assimilating Nihility itself.
The force she unleashed was terrifying. An unknown authority overturned the laws of the world. The collision of those two powers made Black Swan want nothing more than to flee.
She had to leave.
She felt the dreadful premonition of being eroded, assimilated—absorbed.
To return to Nihility.
Or become part of Honkai.
Entering had been easy.
Leaving was not.
Memory was like a deep sea. And at that moment, Black Swan was a drowning woman.
She struggled desperately to escape, yet no matter how she swam, she could not break free from that abyssal ocean.
Until the girl who seemed like a deity cast a detached glance her way.
Those golden eyes made Black Swan's very soul tremble.
Her consciousness went blank.
Then she felt warmth.
On the verge of losing all color and dissolving into Nihility, Black Swan felt warmth in that gaze.
The warmth turned scorching—burning like wrath capable of incinerating all things.
The blood-red memories ignited.
She plunged into another layer of memory.
But it was no safer there.
A towering existence flowed with molten golden blood.
Across memory, she saw the Aeon of Destruction.
Across memory, she felt that Aeon's gaze.
Across memory, she nearly ignited under that searing heat.
Weightlessness struck again.
Black Swan's perspective spun. She did not even know how she had survived and escaped from those memories.
It was precisely as the dance ended.
Maintaining the final pose of the performance, with elegant music still echoing through the ballroom, Black Swan's expression was a mixture of terror and the relief of surviving catastrophe.
She gasped for breath violently, as though only by doing so could she forget the horror she had witnessed.
"Are you all right?"
Kiana displayed none of the danger she had shown within memory. Her demeanor was gentle as she looked at Black Swan, who seemed as though she had been chased for miles by a ghost and had yet to steady her soul.
"Dreams are lovely, but you should exercise more, Miss," she added, her words carrying a double meaning.
"...Th-thank you, Miss."
Kiana supported her and led her to a nearby sofa. Black Swan's body was limp. If released, she would likely collapse straight onto the floor.
After settling her down, Kiana nodded lightly. "Perhaps we shall meet again, if fate allows."
Then she turned her head and called out, "Araya."
Black Swan watched blankly as the two white figures—one tall, one small—vanished from before her eyes.
She still had not recovered from what she had seen within those memories.
She had capsized in the gutter.
This was Miss Kiana's reminder. And her warning.
She had never imagined that a simple act of prying could lead her to face two Aeons within memory.
"Even if I died, it would have been worth the ticket..."
Collapsed on the sofa, Black Swan had yet to fully regain her composure. Yet she was already savoring the precious memories she had just glimpsed.
Just who was that Miss Kiana?
What kind of existence had she just dared to peer into?
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