『 "Laugh, alright then, reserve a seat for me in the audience. I'm curious to see just how capable you are. Still, you never answered my question:."
"If you could start over... would you still want to be the child who received Gaiathra's blessing?"
Leaving behind those meaningful words, the phantom vanished once again.
Leaving only a voice repeating countless times in his ears:
Loser…
Loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser ████ ████ ███████████…
After the voice repeated dozens of times, everything fell into silence, leaving only Aventurine's breathing. It was so quiet around him that he could hear his own heartbeat.
It's so quiet this time. Has he finally disappeared… or am I about to disappear?
Thinking this, Aventurine continued to walk forward. Before long, the exit he couldn't find earlier appeared before him.
Just then, a small figure not far away turned around. Seeing Aventurine, he first waved his hand and called out, "Mister... Is that you?"
"I think I heard the peculiar sound of leather shoes stepping on the ground."
Aventurine froze slightly while the boy said with a smile, "Ah, it really is you, Mister. For some reason, Mister, you always give me a special feeling… it makes me very curious, eager to try."
"It's a pity I didn't get to know you better. It's time for us to say goodbye. Did you have fun?"
After a moment of silence, Aventurine looked at the child in front of him with a complex expression and slowly asked, "Are you… going back?"
The boy didn't seem to notice Aventurine's emotional shift. Instead, he nodded, then looked up at the sky and said, "Yes, I should go home. The sky is getting gloomy, and it's going to rain. I can't let everyone worry."
Hearing this, Aventurine couldn't help but press, "Your home… where is it?"
"Hmm… what a strange question." Saying this, the boy turned to look at Aventurine and smiled, "Home is where Papa, Mama, and Sister are…"
The boy looked toward the distant studio. "Right inside this dream."
Hearing this answer, Aventurine trembled all over. Looking at the innocent child before him in disbelief, he finally realized who this boy actually was.
"This amusement park, this beautiful dream, is really peaceful. Everyone loves it." The boy asked innocently, "But, Mister, why don't you like it?"
Aventurine sighed, endless sorrow and loss filling his eyes.
"Because they aren't here." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: He lost his family, lost his clan, lost his name… and now, he's probably about to lose himself too.
〘Aventurine〙: Isn't life just a journey called 'losing'?
....
『 "Then where are they?" Along with these words, the phantom walked out from behind Aventurine.
Aventurine's voice trembled slightly, as if suppressing his inner grief. "I don't know."
Ignoring Aventurine's grief, the phantom refuted him with a firm and decisive tone, "You clearly know. It's just that the answer is meaningless."
Hearing this, Aventurine let out a long sigh.
"Admit it, you're tired." The phantom spoke as he walked toward the child. Reaching the child's side, he turned back to look at Aventurine.
"We are all tired, so we plan to stay here. Me… and him."
The phantom glanced at the child beside him. "Your Past…"
Then he stared straight at Aventurine, as if looking through to the depths of his soul. "And Future."
"How long is staying here?"
"Forever," the phantom replied. "We will stay with you, forever in this dream."
The phantom sighed softly and bowed to Aventurine. His tone was no longer mocking like before, but filled with sorrow.
"This is the greatest respect we can offer to one who is determined to die."
With that, the phantom looked up at Aventurine. "Taking extreme risks is an extremely absurd approach, but it is not uncommon for you. Because 'your own life' has always been the first chip you throw out. It has always been this way."
"You don't care who the real murderer is. And the Watchmaker's so-called 'legacy' couldn't be more boring. What you want, what you need, is to be the smooth operator — the solid gold deal-maker who doesn't waste a drop of sweat even when he's up to his neck in danger, deep inside Family territory."
"And then, become the third victim of this grand festival."
Aventurine murmured softly, "I can do it, and it will be flawless."
"Of course you can. Your luck will help you at the right time — a Stellaron and an Emanator... It's that simple, no?" The phantom shook his head helplessly. "In this way, the IPC will gain the qualification to sit at the table. And you can extract yourself from the endless whirlpool, obtaining the relief you have always dreamed of."
"It's not the first time… This is the way you are best at, and the one you desire the most. This farce began with a death, and it will end with a death." 』
『 ....』
〘Qingque〙: It seems that in game after game where life is the wager, Mr. Aventurine has fallen into deep confusion.
〘Aventurine〙: Yeah, that's probably why the 'me' up there thinks the stage of Penacony is perfect for my final curtain call.
....
『 With that, the phantom sneered, "So, is that why Diamond chose you?"
"All he wants is Penacony, by any means, at all costs… and it has nothing to do with any specific person."
The phantom let out a soft chuckle. "It must be tough."
No longer mocking, this time the phantom truly showed a look of concern.
Aventurine couldn't help but feel surprised. "You've suddenly become very considerate. Did your conscience kick in?"
The phantom shook his head gently. "After all, I was born from your ego, so I know very well that trying to retrieve a chip already thrown is harder than scaling the heavens."
"I can't stop what you want to do, and where you want to go… we can't change that either."
"What's done is done. All we can do is seize every opportunity to win ourselves as many seconds as possible."
The phantom nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed. Sadly, one cannot make only correct decisions for a lifetime… even though good luck is always on your side."
"You will always keep winning, you have never lost—but why you? Why… does it have to be you?"
"If all your luck is built on the pain of someone you love, on the loss of dozens more — if these windfalls, these jackpots aren't a gift from Gaiathra — if all they are is a long string of meaningless deaths..."
"…Then just how many mistakes did you and I make to have to be born into this world?" The phantom's voice grew increasingly low. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: The question asked of Sister back then still hasn't found an answer, even now.
〘Dr. Ratio〙: The answer to this question can only be sought and proven by himself.
〘Kafka〙: Destiny has never been fair.
....
『 "Perhaps when I reach that destination, our confusion will be answered."
"Hmph... Fine. Time to make a move, my friend. I'll be waiting up ahead(Future)."
"Say goodbye to the kid(Past) before you shuffle off. It's..."
"It's best to die without regrets." 』
『 ....』