Memories of Aventurine! The Origin of the Name Kakavasha!

"I came here for the Watchmaker's legacy, but the reason is… to fulfill a wish."

"In the process of searching for that legacy, I conducted many investigations after arriving at Penacony. Through this, I gradually realized…"

"The truth and secrets of Penacony may be closely connected to the trailblazers of the past."

No one could have anticipated that after countless twists and turns, it was through Acheron someone even more prophetic than Black Swan—that the truth and secrets everyone sought were linked to the Astral Express itself!

----------------------------

Under the gaze of the audience, filled with anticipation, Acheron spoke slowly: "I don't have enough evidence, but I want to propose a possibility: the source of all the tragedies is lurking within The Family."

"If you are willing to trust me, we can work together to uncover the facts to support this."

After Acheron finished speaking, Welt had already acknowledged that this wandering ranger harbored no hostility.

Faced with the invitation, he narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded in agreement.

At this moment, the fog of Penacony was split in two by Acheron.

Truth and tragedy.

...

: Hiss, Welt actually endorsed this statement. So, according to Acheron, the views on the connection between the division of Penacony and the hidden family forces are worth pondering.

: After all, right now, we can only trust the Express crew, especially Welt and Himeko.

: So now, Acheron's words essentially divide Penacony's fog into two parts.

: Truth and tragedy representing two different factions? Truth related to exploration, while Penacony's current situation is tied to The Family?

: In that case, it seems we are enemies, not allies, with The Family.

: But I still don't quite understand. Since both Acheron and Welt believe The Family is involved, why would they side with the truth?

: Yeah, what exactly is the so-called truth? Is it a treasure? Or some earth-shattering secret?

: Ahhh, I want to know!!

: Forget it! As long as we follow the crew, we won't be deceived again!

...

At this moment, the audience, while digesting the newly revealed information, couldn't help but think about that web game MiHoYo launched this week.

Perhaps those endings hold the key to unlocking the truth?

But no matter how everyone speculated, they couldn't yet connect it to the current storyline.

On the screen, Acheron and Welt disappeared into the bustling crowd.

The screen faded to black, and the voice of Black Swan began narrating.

"I've been watching her for a long time. The first 'invitation' was at the hotel banquet hall."

"She sat in the corner of the crowd, silent, only sipping on 'Awakening from a Dream.'"

"I told her that this drink was spicy and bitter, not the taste of a sweet dream, but she replied to me— Is that so? To me, there's no difference."

As the voice faded, just as the audience was pondering its meaning, the screen lit up again, showing Black Swan stepping into a hotel room in the real world.

She had arrived in the district again to investigate Acheron.

Black Swan scanned the room, and effortlessly, she found what she was looking for on a table— a music box.

"Your memories don't solely belong to you. I know much and foresee even more."

"With some methods, even the dead can speak."

"The Annihilation Gang, those desperados, their whereabouts and stories are just around the corner."

Holding the music box, Black Swan closed her eyes slightly.

For a memokeeper, as long as the object had been touched by others, she could use the power of memories to trace it back.

The screen started to distort slightly.

Voices once heard in the Inferno Duke's PV began to surface.

"... Father... I offer this to you."

"Well done, Dubra."

The voices of the Flame Duke and his offspring echoed.

Black Swan became more confident, "This is the memory from when the invitation letter was first delivered. It breaks off briefly; what follows is..."

Segments of voices materialized from the memory.

For Black Swan, this was her first time hearing them.

But the audience was familiar with them.

They were conversations from the PV.

However, none of these were what Black Swan wanted to know.

"This group, calling themselves the flames of destruction, probably has no idea what lies ahead of them on the road."

Finally, after completing her investigation of the memories before departure, Black Swan's eyes glimmered with anticipation. The next part was the Extinction Gang's obliteration.

But at that moment, she suddenly let out a gasp.

"What's going on?!" The memories reconstructed by the weaver had no clear words; everything was blank and completely obscured!

All the subtitles at the bottom of the screen were replaced with blocks.

This indicated that the memories that should have appeared were forcibly overwritten by something!

The familiar blocks made the audience cover their eyes one after another, fearing that something might jump out and scare them again!

The iconic moments from the first episode had evidently left a deep impression on the audience.

Amidst this eerie silence, a female voice suddenly emerged from the blank memory.

"Who are you...?"

For a moment, the audience didn't react.

Even Black Swan on the screen ignored the voice and turned to leave.

But as she walked halfway, she suddenly stopped.

Something wasn't right!

That voice wasn't part of the memory.

Black Swan was merely thinking in her heart.

Yet, the voice seemed to hear it.

"Oh... a memokeeper? Do you belong to The Garden of Recollection or The Cremators?"

Black Swan did not respond to Constance's inquiry with any words.

As a memokeeper, she was experienced.

She quickly determined that this mysterious individual was likely connected to the Memetic Contamination Boundary.

But Constance continued speaking on her own, directly seeing through Black Swan's intentions.

"My name is Constance. It's a pleasure to meet you. Originally, we were meant to meet at Pinoconi and share an 'unforgettable' moment together."

"But that seems impossible now. The Star of the Banquet does not welcome the Ranger, and I have no need for a coming-of-age ceremony. Moreover, I know what you are seeking."

"You want her secret? I can give it to you, and then… enjoy the festivities!"

"May you leave with an 'unforgettable memory.'"

Constance's voice completely disappeared.

The empty room fell into a deathly silence.

In the uninhabited room... What should have been a memory belonging to the past suddenly spoke to Black Swan.

This sensation was akin to watching a drama, only for a character on screen to suddenly turn and ask the audience a question mid-scene.

And the one speaking was the child of the Duke Inferno.

The audience couldn't understand why the flames of destruction could interact with Black Swan within the 'past' memories.

As everyone pondered this information, a shrill and urgent phone ringing suddenly sounded!

It startled everyone.

On the screen, Black Swan turned her head, furrowing her brows as she stared coldly at the continuously ringing phone, silently unresponsive.

...

: Damn! Just pulling out this segment alone is enough to write a horror story.

: Damn, MiHoYo really stays true to their roots!

: I got spooked, but seeing Constance appear is such a highlight, honestly!

: This person must be the Duke's most ambitious child, right?

: Whoa, brothers, do you remember? In the Duke's PV, each of his children corresponds to an opposing path. Constance's was memory!

: Also, the flower "Dahlia" symbolizes betrayal! She just said she wasn't interested in the coming-of-age ceremony. Hmm… tying it all together, this feels like it's worth delving into.

: Maybe there's more to the Duke's death than meets the eye?

: But seriously... the Duke walks the path of destruction, and yet his child Constance can interact with memories and scare Black Swan? This feels so surreal!

: Now that you mention it, yeah...

: How did the Duke even have such a child? Their power attributes feel completely different. It's like a magician giving birth to a barbarian...

: LOL.

...

Although there were some strange comments in the barrage, they reflected the audience's confusion.

Constance's appearance was too abrupt, too mysterious.

And her behavior suggested little loyalty to the Duke. Coupled with the Dahlia metaphor, it made the Duke's death seem less tied to pure 'destruction.'

Just as everyone anticipated further developments from Black Swan's side to unravel the mystery, the screen went black again.

"... Recently, the IPC officially announced..."

"Under the guidance of the Market Expansion Division, Sigonia-IV has established an autonomous treaty in accordance with the Galactic Peace Charter."

"It has also secured a legitimate seat in the Galactic Peace Council."

"The establishment of the faction marks a significant historical milestone for Sigonia: it draws a definitive line under the planet's long and bloody history."

"The shocking Katica-Evigin Extinction Incident will now become a distant memory."

This voice wasn't a memory but a male broadcaster's announcement.

After these words, a female voice, adopting a broadcasting tone, continued: "Sigonia-IV is located in an unclaimed zone at the intersection of the Dnies, Pruthian, and Dorneau star clusters."

"As a result, the planet's intelligent species have dwindled to a handful. They've splintered into countless clans, mostly nomadic, surviving in the arid deserts with scant rainfall."

"They've also developed folk beliefs completely independent of the Aeon system."

The audience's minds hadn't yet shifted away from Black Swan's situation.

They were suddenly bombarded with the enormous amount of information in this broadcast, leaving them dizzy.

Market Expansion Division?

Sigonia? Evigin people?

An extinction?!

The audience caught all these keywords.

Before they could dwell on it further, the black screen regained its color.

A golden-haired baby, eyes shut tight and fists clenched, lay fast asleep in swaddling clothes.

The swaddling was made of multiple layers of cloth, with the outermost layer visibly patched in several places.

The woman holding the infant could hardly conceal the sorrow in her heart.

"... Sigonia, Sigonia. Ravenous eye of the storm, spurned by all the gods ..."

"Land of rock, but not water, lightning, but not rain, blood, but not tears. You beat us with your falling stars, you lash us with wind and storm, you chew us up with the cracked earth ..."

"You promised us a land of honey, yet yoked us beneath a sword of bitterness. O, Gaiathra Triclops, if Thou can hear me, please open up thy three eyes and gaze upon this child ..."

"When you took his father, my child was still sleeping in my belly. And where my husband went, I too soon must go ..."

"I don't ask for a peaceful death, just for you to tell me - does the baby swaddled sweetly asleep ... does he dream of his mother's heartbeat and the sound of falling rain? Please tell me whether this life is all just a fleeting dream ..."

"... Otherwise, why would this child be born to face impending death ...?"

The woman's words, sorrowful at first, gradually turned into muffled sobs.

The camera did not move at all, simply showing the sleeping infant in swaddling clothes.

Accompanied by the woman's words, the despair and pain grew, quietly drawing the audience into stunned silence, their eyes fixed on this scene.

At this moment, a young and excited female voice rang out.

"Mommy...! Mommy...!"

"Mommy ...! The rain - it's raining!"

"Raining... ? Raining... " the women spoke.

"It is raining! It's true! Those outworlders weren't lying to us. They really did summon the rain... Mommy, we can leave here... We can go back home!" the little girl continued.

The intense sound of rain, paired with the wilderness's manic gales, caused the previously despairing woman to take a few deep breaths before clutching her child with joy.

"Darling, listen... this is the sound of rain. On the day you were born, the sky also sent down a gift like this from Gaiathra."

"Such a lucky child, such a blessed child... Just like your name. A gift from THEM to Avgin... my boy..."

"May the goddess Gaiathra close HER eyes three times... "

"Keep your blood eternally pulsing..."

"Let your journey be forever peaceful..."

"...and your schemes forever concealed."

"...Welcome to this sad world, Kakavasha (Child blessed by Gaiathra)."

There were no exterior shots.

From beginning to end, the screen only showed the woman's embrace and the baby within it.

Yet the audience, through this imagery and sound, felt an overwhelming, inescapable sadness and bitterness.

The mother's voice, weak yet tinged with grief and sorrow, still managed to show a mother's gentleness as she spoke to her child in that fragile tone.

...

: Is this… Aventurine's mother? Is this his childhood story?

: Aventurine himself said his parents passed away, and that he's an Evigin. Just now… just now in that broadcast… was there some mention of an extinction event?

: Director Xia said it would be POV-focused. Looks like Aventurine's perspective will take up a significant portion.

: So it's actually Aventurine's POV? And this flashback… I have a bad feeling. Is something big going to happen again?

: This feels really off, very unsettling! Even though he's just some IPC Executive, this scene feels strangely familiar, inexplicably heavy—what's going on?

: Damn, this doesn't bode well. I'm putting up my guard.

: No matter what happens, I'll never trust Aventurine! The only IPC member I acknowledge is Topaz! I don't like anyone else!

...