『 At Black Swan's suggestion, the three of them wiped out all the Memory Zone Memes in the vicinity. After finishing off the monsters, Acheron looked at Stelle and the others and said.
"Finally, it's quiet. Why have the two of you appeared here?"
"Actually, that is the very question we wanted to ask you," Black Swan retorted.
Acheron explained that by a twist of fate, she had become friends with a portion of the Hound Family, and while chasing a wanted criminal with them, she had stumbled into this place.
"You… shouldn't be hiding anything, should you?" Black Swan held a skeptical attitude toward this.
"Hiding? In front of a Memokeeper, I don't think I could manage such a thing," Acheron said with a light chuckle after hearing this. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Putting it that way, it feels like she is hiding something…
....
『 Subsequently, Acheron expressed that she wanted to accompany the two of them. Her stated reason was that she could protect them, and within the Memory Zone, she also needed the help of a Memokeeper.
Finally, if they happened to run into people from the Family, having one more person would always provide one more excuse.
Black Swan asked for Stelle's opinion. Stelle indicated that Acheron could be trusted. Acheron was very grateful for this and, at the same time, felt happy to be traveling with Black Swan again.
Black Swan twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Mm… I hope so." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: What exactly happened at that dance? How come it feels like Black Swan is a bit wary of Acheron?
〘March 7th〙: Indeed, I want to know what happened.
〘Belle〙: Mm, clearly such an elegant sister, yet after seeing Miss Acheron again, she lost her composure a bit.
{It seems you are all very curious about the dance, then how about this: Say 1 if you agree to show the dance, Say 2 if you agree to continue with the aftermath, how about it?}
〘Hanabi〙: 111111~
〘Black Swan〙: 222222
〘Aventurine〙: 1
〘Stelle〙: 1212121
〘March 7th〙: 111
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: 11111
〘Elysia〙: 11111111111♪
〘Belle〙: 111
〘Wise〙: 111
〘Silver Wolf〙: 1
〘Acheron〙: ...
....
{Very well, it seems there are more fun-seekers here, so let us shelve the rest for now and enjoy Miss Black Swan's performance!}
{Now playing — Rondo Across Countless Kalpas}
『 On the screen, a pause button appeared above the heads of Stelle and the other two, then the screen went black. When it lit up again, the image showed rippling red seawater.
Black Swan's voice came from the screen.
"Memory is no different from the deep sea."
"Never gaze at the sea on a starless night."
After these words fell, the seawater gradually rose, followed by the sound of gurgling as it submerged. When the seawater completely drowned the screen, it went black again. When it lit up, the image showed Black Swan's playful expression, with her ever-present smile hanging on her face.
She looked at the screen and said, "Waiting for someone?"
After Black Swan's words, the camera cut to Acheron, whom she was questioning. Acheron was stunned for a moment, then shook her head slightly.
"Then… would you like to dance with me?" Black Swan reached out her hand to invite Acheron.
Acheron did not speak, but instead placed her hand into Black Swan's.
Then, the two danced gracefully to an elegant BGM, and Black Swan's inner voice played over the scene.
"I have been watching her for a long time. Tonight is the first invitation."
"A Galaxy Ranger, as mysterious as the rumors say. A bit noble, and a bit wooden."
At this moment, Black Swan was right behind Acheron, her hands trailing violet dust. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: You even sprinkle powder when you dance?
〘Black Swan〙: This is the power of the Path. Soon, I will be able to see Miss Acheron's memories.
〘March 7th〙: Didn't you just say 2? Why are you looking forward to it again?
〘Black Swan〙: I only said 2 because I thought this dance might embarrass me, but I still want to see Miss Acheron's memories.
....
『 "But in the hunt of the night, The Hunt is not the only hunter."
The two in the scene performed a classic dance move; Acheron leaned backward into Black Swan's embrace.
"At this distance, you are more charming than you look."
The hotel background behind them slowly dissipated, turning into an open space emitting violet light.
"She also came for the Watchmaker's legacy."
"Undoubtedly, in this game, everyone lies."
Black Swan lowered her head and kissed the back of Acheron's hand. Acheron was taken aback and withdrew her hand, but before she could pull it back, her arm was grabbed by Black Swan. Seeing that Black Swan had no further untoward actions, Acheron continued to dance.
"But memories do not."
In the background of the two dancing, elements belonging to Black Swan appeared more and more frequently; it seemed her construction was nearing completion.
"Getting better, isn't it?" Black Swan smiled at Acheron, victory seemingly in sight.
The camera then shifted to an overhead view of the two. Beneath their feet, figures formed by violet light spots appeared: a woman holding flowers, with two men talking in front of her, while Acheron stood with her back to them.
"Everyone has a past; the past makes the present."
The light spots under their feet began to change, transforming into Acheron, looking down at a fallen man, who seemed to be holding a gun pointed at her.
"Some people can grasp their memories."
This time, the light spots under the two did not show Acheron, but a tiny figure wearing a cloak under a crescent moon.
"Some are haunted by their memories, unable to escape."
The light spots changed again; this time, it was Acheron holding an umbrella, looking up at the sky with someone wearing a bamboo hat beside her.
"So, I made my move~."
(P.S: This sentence became one of the used memes about black Swam ꉂ(≧▽≦))
Black Swan revealed an extremely confident expression, glanced at the sky, and the corners of her mouth rose higher than an AK.
She then walked toward Acheron.
"I want to know, which one is she?"
But the Black Swan in the scene gradually lost the initiative in the dance; Acheron began to exert her influence.
"This banquet has attracted many people."
"The IPC, the Garden of Recollection, the Fools, the Nameless, and also…"
"The Annihilation Gang."
"They should have attended, but…"
"Duke Inferno is dead," Black Swan said, looking at Acheron. "He and his scions will never attend the banquet again."
"Beautiful Ranger, what have you done?"
In the scene, Acheron's expression remained as calm as water, and then the camera zoomed into Acheron's eyes.
First, it was a black-and-white image, with the fragments of the Fire Demon's corpse falling from high above one by one. 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Wuwuwu, Duke, you died so miserably~
〘Aventurine〙: That really is formidable strength…
....
『 Through the Duke's monocle, a black silhouette could be seen amidst a sea of red. The camera slowly zoomed in.
Acheron, with red eyes, looked askance at the lens and slowly spoke: "May I ask?"
"Are you asking me?"
Then it cut to Black Swan's shocked eyes and expression, and the music became eerie.
Acheron's dance movements began to turn rigid.
Black Swan's expression gradually shifted from shock to terror. Accompanied by Acheron's movements, black feathers scattered in the air.
Then came a very bizarre sequence: the two turned into tiny black shadows, continuing to dance. In the middle of the frame, a translucent white snake and a swan appeared. As the two danced, the snake slowly ate the swan until only bones remained.
Black Swan's little black figure split into several swan silhouettes and flew toward the lens. The scene began to flash back to Acheron's red eyes, ending with the swan's miserable skeleton.
The subsequent scenes showed various natural predators hunting prey; once the prey was bitten, it switched to the next pair, continuing the hunt until the silhouette of Nihility appeared.
Black Swan reached upward, but could not touch the light, and could only fall desperately into the black hole below. As she fell deeper, her body turned into black feathers. The violin in the background let out a shrill scream. When she completely dissipated, the scene returned to the dance.
At this moment, their positions had swapped; Black Swan was leaning backward on Acheron's arm.
Cold sweat streamed down Black Swan's face; she was panting heavily, looking at Acheron with terrified eyes.
"The Annihilation Gang, who are they?" Acheron asked, looking at Black Swan.
The screen went black. Accompanied by Black Swan's voice, the scene lit up again. Acheron's black shadow emerged in front, the shadow beneath her stretched out significantly, and the scene flashed between black-and-white and red.
"I have been watching her for a long time. Tonight is the final invitation."
"Galaxy Ranger."
"No, I made a fatal mistake."
Black Swan's voice no longer held its former confidence; she was afraid.
"Everyone has a past, but some people's past is a silent deep sea."
Black Swan's voice already carried a tremor, and at the same time, the sky in the scene became increasingly red, until it turned completely blood-red.
"Filled with the corpses of the drowned."
After Black Swan finished this sentence, many black figures fell from the red sky. They dragged red trails, which were very conspicuous after the sky returned to normal.
The scene then showed Acheron walking alone in Penacony. She muttered to herself: "The Annihilation Gang…"
"The Annihilation Gang…"
Acheron stopped in her tracks, as if remembering something.
"Ah, it's them."
Acheron's calm tone was as casual as if she were talking about what to eat for dinner.
After Acheron's words fell, the screen went completely black. 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: So, I made my move~ Hahahahahaha, Sister "I Made My Move," why are you so disheveled? Hahahahaha. You wouldn't accept Sparkle-Sama's invitation, serves you right~
〘Black Swan〙: That is truly a formidable memory…
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: That image is IX, isn't it… Is Miss Acheron a Self-Annihilator?
〘Dan Heng〙: That would explain why Miss Acheron often forgets things.
〘Stelle〙: What is a Self-Annihilator?
〘Dan Heng〙: Simply put, they are poor souls who accidentally stepped into the shadow of IX. After stepping into His shadow, they lost the meaning of their existence. Body, cognition, memory… will gradually vanish on the journey of self-annihilation.
〘·HSR·Himeko〙: Some sink into it, believing that all things in the universe are meaningless, and that humanity is not worth mentioning in the eyes of Aeons. But there are also those who wish to resist fate; they join the Doctors of Chaos, vowing to heal the Nihility in others as much as possible within their limited time, in exchange for their own salvation.
〘Stelle〙: But neither of these fits Acheron, right?
〘Acheron〙: You can consider me the ferryman of the River Lethe.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: Sounds so cool!
....