"Dabai? It's you..."
"...Caelus."
Looking at Dabai staring blankly at him, Caelus found it hard to pinpoint whether he felt relief or disappointment. On one hand, he feared Twilight dragging her ravaged body out here; on the other, he hoped Twilight could truly appear suddenly beside him, all her illness and pain gone. Caught between these feelings, he didn't even react immediately to Dabai's appearance.
But why did he mistake Dabai for Twilight? Was it because Twilight also had white hair now? Yet, he seemed to have mistaken Twilight for Dabai before too...
Caelus felt his mind was a mess. He sensed something faintly, yet couldn't grasp the thought. Just then, he felt a cool touch on his cheek. Coming back to his senses, he found Dabai gently cupping his face, looking at him as if gazing upon a long-lost, priceless treasure. Her eyes were complex, yet held an underlying sadness.
"Dabai, what's wrong?"
Seeing Dabai's sorrowful expression, Caelus forgot about the strangeness he'd just noticed and quickly showed concern. Although they were initially adversaries, and he had even stabbed her to death—well, apparently not quite, since she was standing perfectly fine before him now—after traveling together for so long and receiving so much help from Dabai, it was genuinely difficult for him to deem her an enemy now and ignore her situation.
After all, she had never actually harmed him. Besides trying to kill Twilight during their first meeting, she had always been a gentle and patient older sister figure to him...
"Did you encounter some problem? Is there anything I can help with?"
But Dabai didn't answer Caelus directly. Her expression gradually shifted from sadness to acceptance. Then, with a faint smile, she said softly, "No, it's nothing... You standing here now is already the greatest affirmation for me."
"Caelus, do you remember how many times we've met?"
Dabai's out-of-the-blue question confused Caelus. He scratched his head blankly. "Who keeps track of that? I feel like we've met quite often. Met at the Herta Space Station, met on Jarilo-VI, Penacony... seemed like we met there too? Strange, I can't quite remember clearly..."
"I see... Perhaps it can be faster?"
Dabai lowered her gaze, her grayish-white eyes seemingly contemplating something. But her expression was too complex for Caelus to decipher; he could only sense the faint sadness emanating from her. However, her next words froze him on the spot, leaving him no mood to care about such minor details.
"Caelus, I am going to destroy this Xianzhou."
"...Huh?"
Caelus blinked blankly. He felt like he must have misheard, as if he'd just heard something utterly unbelievable.
But Dabai gave him no time to react, continuing calmly, "I will utterly destroy the Xianzhou, kill every single person in these ruins, and erase the Xianzhou Luofu from the world."
She pointed towards the pedestrians bustling on the nearby road, her expression blank. "All these innocent people, and those friends you know or don't know, I will eliminate every single one. Not only that, your Astral Express will also disappear completely from the galaxy because of me. All your companions will die... My strength, I assume you know."
"Da-Dabai, what are you saying? Are you sick...?" Looking at Dabai's emotionless face, Caelus forced a weak smile and placed his hand on her forehead, checking if she had a fever and was delirious. But Dabai showed no reaction, just continued looking at him calmly.
That calm gaze sent an increasing chill down Caelus's spine, because he knew... the person before him seemed serious.
A bizarre silence fell. The street beside them was bustling with people coming and going. Yet, it was as if no one could perceive them. Despite discussing such horrifying topics, not a single person noticed them.
"I, I don't understand... Dabai, why are you saying such things?" Caelus's voice even stuttered; the sudden turn of events was hard for him to accept. "Did the Xianzhou offend you? If they bullied you, I can go settle the score with them together with you. But there are so many people here, most of them must be innocent..."
"Mm, they are certainly innocent, but so what?" Dabai shook her head. "I want revenge on the Xianzhou. They just happen to be here unfortunately, so they can only be buried along with this place."
"Of course, if you want to save them, you can. It's very simple..."
Dabai looked quietly into Caelus's dodging eyes. "Kill me."
...Was he still in Penacony's dreamscape? Only this time, it wasn't a beautiful dream but a nightmare?
Looking at Dabai's serious expression, Caelus subconsciously turned his head away, unable to meet her gaze directly.
This development is strange, right?
Why does Dabai suddenly want to destroy the Xianzhou? Why does she suddenly want him to kill her?
He felt the current Dabai was very strange, almost unlike the gentle person he knew. She was even using the safety of the Express crew to threaten him... into killing her.
Yet, his intuition told him the person before him was one hundred percent genuine.
"Can't bring yourself to do it? Shall I help you make the decision?"
Seeing Caelus lower his head silently, Dabai silently reached out towards an innocent passerby on the roadside, rich green energy flickering at her fingertips. "Choose. Kill me? Or let me kill everyone on the Xianzhou?"
Caelus had seen Dabai fight; he knew her terrifying power. If Dabai wished, she could instantly vaporize everyone on this entire street.
He understood. Dabai was using actions to force him to choose, but...
The next moment, Caelus moved, but not to attack Dabai. He just grabbed her hand tightly, blocking her path. "I choose neither!"
"Caelus... There are no perfect solutions in this world," Dabai sighed softly. "I know this choice is unpleasant, but... only you can make it. If everyone in this world is a prisoner walking along a destined track, then you are the one holding the switch to change tracks."
"If you don't know which choice is correct, then I can give you the answer—kill me, and everything will end."
"So-called Trailblazing—is creating a future of hope out of impossibility!"
"...Caelus, such an ending doesn't exist, because I have already [searched] for it." Dabai looked at the stubborn Caelus, finally just shaking her head and dispelling the energy in her hand. "Never mind. Since the track of fate is already set..."
"This is likely the last time we meet, Caelus... See you next time."
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