Stede-Karl was a strong planet.
At the very least, that was what Wen Jin believed.
It could remain spherical despite having nearly been hollowed out from within and having endured a magnitude-13 earthquake.
Even if its body was already shattered to pieces, its planetary core could still maintain gravity, allowing it to still be called a planet within the Universe.
Among the countless instances of “Destruction” Wen Jin had witnessed, it was an extremely rare existence.
Walking across Stede-Karl’s shattered surface, Wen Jin looked around at the apocalyptic scene around him.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a wave of relief.
At the very least… this planet was still alive.
It seemed this was not a complete “Destruction.” Or perhaps, this was merely the planet itself taking “revenge” on the civilization upon it, and the price was the fall of an entire civilization.
Standing atop the ruins and rubble, Wen Jin slowly closed his eyes, listening carefully to the sounds around him.
The piercing, whimpering wind passed through the ruins.
The aftershocks following the magnitude-13 earthquake still ravaged the land, with cracking and collapsing sounds rising one after another.
But the only thing Wen Jin did not hear was crying.
Perhaps, for a very long time to come, there would be no crying here.
Its resources had practically been mined dry, and now that it had suffered such an enormous upheaval, the balance of the entire planet had been broken.
Stede-Karl’s environment would no longer be suitable for life to continue.
Dust and ash mixed with radioactive substances would cover the entire planet for thousands of years.
By then, the temperature on the surface would far exceed what life could adapt to.
Then, as time passed, scorching heat would turn into extreme cold.
Stede-Karl would undergo a period of tempering by fire and ice, and finally… the clouds would disperse, and sunlight would once again shine upon a brand-new land… Perhaps new life would be born upon this planet, but Wen Jin most likely would not be able to see it.
The radioactive wind stirred the hem of his clothes.
Nanook’s golden light emerged from his body, becoming the final gleam of brightness before the long night descended.
And within that boundless darkness… Beneath the ruins, a pair of siblings were embracing each other, trembling under the protection of two sturdy walls.
They were extremely lucky not to have been buried by the magnitude-13 earthquake, nor had their internal organs been damaged by the intense tremors.
The two walls constructed by the IPC had helped them withstand most of the impact, while the protective suits and air-filtering devices they wore spared them from the radioactive dust.
Under the combined effects of numerous factors, they became the last survivors on Stede-Karl.
In the end… they witnessed the final streak of golden light flash across the sky in the dark night.
The two no longer spoke.
They merely embraced each other, trying to drive away the fear in their hearts.
In the coming darkness, they did not know how long they would be able to survive.
But… in the center between the two of them, a verdant young sprout was quietly pushing a green leaf out from the radioactive wasteland… Nanook had already left, while “Hope” had already descended here.
… Riel had always been an unlucky child, unlucky enough that she did not know her own origins, nor did she know where her future lay.
All she knew was that, from the moment she had memories, she had already become a Memokeeper in the Garden of Recollection.
She had no physical body.
Like the other Memokeepers, she was like a “ghost” that traveled through the Universe, taking the search for memories as her duty.
She did not participate in factional disputes and got along with everyone.
She even truly had a few Cremator friends.
Within the Garden of Recollection, she was the true inconspicuous nobody.
But today, the gears of Destiny finally manifested upon her, even though… The turning gears were mixed with Nanook’s golden flames… “Sigh… What am I supposed to do now…” Inside the Memetic Space, Riel rubbed her arms, but the traces belonging to “Nanook” were firmly attached to her “memory.” No matter what she did, she could not wipe them away.
That “trace” could not be seen with the naked eye, but in the eyes of Riel and the other Memokeepers, it was as if a tattoo had been imprinted onto her soul.
From now on… would she be unable to take the civil service exam inside the Garden of Recollection!?
The girl sat limply in place, feeling the scorching throb within her body, her little face full of dejection.
“I shouldn’t have provoked that guy.
What even is all this…” Burying her little face between her legs, Riel was filled with regret.
She did not know whether curiosity could kill a cat, but right now, it had indeed killed a Memokeeper!
After sitting alone in silence inside the Memetic Space for a while, that flushed little face finally lifted itself from between her pale thighs.
“No!
I can’t keep feeling sorry for myself like this.
I have to find a way to get this thing out of my body!” The girl climbed up from the ground, tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear, and a resolute look emerged in her azure eyes.
For the sake of her future livelihood within the Garden of Recollection, she absolutely had to get this thing out of her body!
Memory… As long as she destroyed that memory, would this thing be stripped out of her body?
The girl closed her eyes and began using the abilities of a Memokeeper, desperately trying to forget the memories related to Wen Jin… Inside a warm-colored little restaurant, a man with white hair and golden eyes walked in, looking very handsome… “No… I’m trying to forget.
Why did I suddenly start remembering!?” The girl shook her head fiercely, clenched her fists, and continued “forgetting.” “So then… when did it begin?” The man in the scene wore a faint smile on his lips.
His arm rested on the bar counter, his hands propping up his chin, and her face was reflected in his golden eyes.
“Is… is this right?
No… don’t keep remembering!” The girl grabbed her own pink hair, trying to make her useless brain stop associating things.
She wanted to forget… forget!
That pink hair became messy under the girl’s tugging.
Riel puffed out her little cheeks in frustration and continued trying to separate that memory… Then… “The story… begins with a cluster of sparks on Adlivun…” That man held a wineglass filled with a drink, as if he were recounting an ordinary matter.
“!!!” In an instant, the girl suddenly opened her eyes.
The memory that should have been forcibly removed by her became even clearer at this moment, and the Power of Cinder-Destruction that had originally been hidden within her body seemed to have received nourishment, beginning to “grow robustly.” Then, under the girl’s blank gaze, a wisp of golden flame capable of scorching the soul emerged from her fingertip.
The small flame affectionately cupped her slender, fair finger, as if saying… “Master, Master~ let’s…” “Burn the Garden of Recollection to ashes!!!” “…” Was it still not too late for her to go find a Cremator now?
★ ★ ★ T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
★ ★ ★ Shilling time!