“The object in front of you is called an Event.”
“Frames marked with a question symbol represent Random Events.”
“Touching one will trigger an unpredictable encounter.”
“If you are fortunate, you may even activate an event connected to an Aeon.”
Herta patiently explained the system to Kai.
“I understand.”
“Kai has always been incredibly lucky.”
“Perhaps something interesting will happen.”
“We can only hope.”
Kai extended her hand toward the floating frame.
The image inside shifted rapidly between countless scenes.
It eventually settled on a painting filled with deep blue light.
The instant Kai recognized it, the corner of her mouth rose.
Perfect.
This was exactly the event she wanted.
“The History Fictionologist.”
[History Fictionologist.]
[You have returned to the magnificent library.]
[When you look upward, countless galaxies hang above you.
They have been stirred together into a thick river of light, slowly flowing across the ceiling.]
[At the center of the library stands an ancient spiral staircase.
It rises toward the heavens without any visible end.]
[The History Fictionologist looks down at you.]
[“You again.”]
[“What piece of history do you want rewritten this time?”]
Herta examined the Event and sounded slightly disappointed.
“Unfortunately, this does not appear to be directly connected to an Aeon.”
Not connected to an Aeon.
That remained to be seen.
In a way, Kai could also be considered a History Fictionologist.
She knew plenty of completely unreliable stories.
Kai approached the spiral staircase and called out to the figure above.
“I want to revise the history of Aha and Akivili.”
Herta immediately became suspicious.
Kai continued without hesitation.
“According to a forgotten account, Aha and Akivili were once lovers.”
“The Stellaron vessel was actually their child.”
“Aha’s original name was not Aha.”
“They became so obsessed with Akivili that they changed their name to sound more compatible.”
“The Astral Express was not damaged because Aha planted a bomb.”
“The explosion happened when their child was born.”
“A child created by two Aeons causing a minor cosmic explosion during birth sounds perfectly reasonable.”
“Later, Akivili refused to accept responsibility for Aha and their child.”
“They vanished into the universe and never returned.”
“Aha was devastated.”
“Eventually, their grief became so overwhelming that it transformed into laughter.”
“That was how Aha became the Aeon of Elation.”
Herta said nothing.
For one brief moment, the story almost sounded strangely coherent.
Then her common sense returned.
It was complete nonsense.
Where had Kai even heard such an outrageous version of history?
Aha and Akivili had never been lovers.
More importantly, how could a Stellaron vessel possibly be their biological child?
Kai’s answer would have been simple.
The official record might not always be reliable.
However, fabricated history was guaranteed to be entertaining.
Even the History Fictionologist appeared stunned by Kai’s story.
After a long silence, the figure released a cry of admiration.
[Brilliant.]
[Absolutely brilliant.]
[You are the true History Fictionologist.]
The library suddenly trembled.
Space shifted around the endless staircase.
A golden figure descended from above.
Their fractured form resembled a vast crystalline jellyfish assembled from broken light.
Herta’s eyes widened.
“That is Mythus.”
“The Aeon of Enigmata has actually appeared.”
Excitement immediately filled her voice.
Kai had spoken for a few minutes of complete nonsense and somehow attracted Mythus into the Simulated Universe.
“Hurry, Kai.”
“Speak with them.”
“Try to obtain any information you can.”
Kai stared at the descending Aeon.
Obtain information from Mythus.
What kind of plan was that?
Mythus was the source from which countless History Fictionologists drew inspiration.
Truth was the last thing anyone should expect from the Aeon of Enigmata.
Then again, that was the nature of Enigmata.
Truth and fiction were deliberately tangled together.
Perhaps Mythus occasionally spoke honestly simply because no one would believe it.
Kai remained puzzled by something else.
Why had Mythus arrived first?
Where was Aha?
An eerie chorus of laughter suddenly echoed throughout the library.
“Hahahahaha.”
“Aha was abandoned by Akivili.”
“Aha was abandoned by Akivili.”
“Aha has lost so much face.”
“Aha has lost so much face.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
An orange-red mask appeared directly in front of Kai.
Aha had arrived as well.
Herta stared at the display.
Two Aeons.
Two Aeons had appeared during the same Event.
Inviting Kai to test the Simulated Universe had been the correct decision.
An ordinary Pathstrider might complete an entire simulation without attracting a single Aeon.
Kai had somehow attracted two almost immediately.
The amount of data Herta could collect would be extraordinary.
Their understanding of the Aeons might advance dramatically.
Before Herta could finish celebrating, space rippled again.
Herta froze.
Surely there could not be another one.
…
An immense humanoid figure emerged within the library.
Their body resembled a sculpture carved from flawless crystal.
Their face remained indistinct beneath a ceremonial crown surrounded by hanging strands of light.
Fuli.
The Aeon of Remembrance.
Three Aeons now occupied the same simulated space.
Herta’s mind briefly stopped functioning.
Normally, witnessing even one Aeon was an extraordinary event.
Kai had attracted three of them at once.
Herta had expected an Emanator to improve the quality of the test.
She had not expected results this extreme.
Excitement and concern filled her in equal measure.
The test had already become an unprecedented success.
Three Aeons had manifested simultaneously, guaranteeing an enormous quantity of valuable data.
However, the Simulated Universe was now operating far beyond its intended limits.
Its systems were already under tremendous strain.
Kai was also standing before three Aeons at once.
The figures inside the Simulated Universe might be reconstructed data, but Aeons could never be judged by ordinary standards.
Two of those Aeons were Mythus and Aha.
Nothing involving either of them could be considered predictable.
Kai could be placed in danger at any moment.
This opportunity was impossibly rare, but Kai had entered the simulation to help Herta.
Herta refused to let her get hurt.
She placed one finger over the emergency termination control.
At the first sign of danger, she would immediately end the test.
Kai appeared far calmer than Herta.
She already understood why the three Aeons had come.
Mythus was devoted to obscuring history.
The story Kai had invented was outrageous enough to attract the Aeon’s attention.
Aha required even less explanation.
Whenever something entertaining happened, Aha appeared as though summoned by the scent of chaos.
Fuli treasured unusual memories.
An encounter between Mythus and Aha promised to become an unforgettable event.
It was only natural that the Aeon of Remembrance would come to observe.
Within the Simulated Universe, Mythus stood directly before Kai.
Aha’s mask floated to her right.
Fuli remained farther away, silently recording everything.
Mythus moved first.
The Aeon extended one hand.
Two options appeared before Kai.
[Option One.
Offer Mythus a fabricated history.
Receive two Blessings of Enigmata.]
[Option Two.
Leave.
You receive nothing.]
Kai’s eyes brightened.
Fabricating history.
That happened to be one of her specialties.
In her previous life, she had spent far too much time reading discussions across the internet.
People could invent the most incredible theories while sounding completely sincere.
Kai might struggle to provide an accurate lecture on the history of Honkai Star Rail.
Ask her for unreliable gossip, however, and she could continue for hours.
The official account might not always be correct.
The fabricated account would always be wild.
Kai already had more than a dozen imaginary histories prepared.
Each was more outrageous than the last.
Which one should she use?
An idea immediately came to her.
She would tell the story about Yaoshi and Lan.
Perhaps it would attract both of them as well.
Hehe.
Kai was about to speak when Aha interrupted.
“Do not be so stingy.”
“Only two Blessings.”
“If the other Aeons saw that, they might think you could not afford anything better.”
“Aha understands that you cannot personally interfere.”
“So Aha made a tiny adjustment for you.”
The choices in front of Kai distorted like an ancient, malfunctioning screen.
When the image stabilized, the options had changed.
[Option One.
Offer Mythus a fabricated history.
Receive every Blessing of Enigmata.]
[Option Two.
Leave.
Receive every Blessing of Enigmata.]
Mythus remained motionless.
Aha’s mask shook with laughter.
“There is no need to thank Aha.”
“Aha simply loves helping others.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
Mythus continued staring at the altered choices.
For perhaps the first time in recorded history, the Aeon of Enigmata appeared to have no idea what was happening.
◉◉◉◉◉
Save to library!