The audience hit by a boomerang! Kakavasha appears!

But the mere fact that Aventurine's role as a key character had been forcibly changed was enough to send the audience into a frenzy.

After all, he was an ally of the express crew.

And now, with the express crew still in the dark— would this lead to unexpected consequences? No one could tell!

At this moment, the second episode had reached its midpoint, yet the situation had already started boiling like a pot of water.

The tangled power struggles of Penacony had completely become a shattered mirror full of chaos.

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

On the screen, Aventurine's posture had completely lost control.

Just as he picked up the gift bag full of jewelry and prepared to leave, Sunday suddenly called out to him.

"What now?" Aventurine turned back impatiently, his eyes full of annoyance.

Once upon a time, in the eyes of the audience, Aventurine's calm, elite, and frivolous demeanor was unmatched.

For a moment, the audience sighed in lament.

"You..." Sunday restrained his victorious expression, his face turning extremely serious, "…Do you really want to destroy this world with your own hands?"

Under the watchful gaze of Harmony just now, Aventurine's answer to this question was "I don't know."

But now, Sunday was asking with the firm wording of "really" instead of "whether."

Aventurine and Sunday's gazes clashed in the air.

Yet, he remained silent.

The screen suddenly turned black.

Memories resurfaced.

Under a sky filled with pink aurora, on a barren, exposed land, tents stood in an unbroken line.

In front of one of the tents, a young girl with the same pale gold hair and violet-pink eyes as Aventurine was squatting anxiously before a small child.

She was frantically checking the child's body.

"Kakavasha, where did you go ... Are you injured !?" Facing his sister's deeply concerned gaze, the young boy spoke in a cheerful tone and displayed the object in his palm.

"I got it back, sister." Looking at the necklace, the sister said in disbelief,

"You went to look for them ...? That's too dangerous! It's just a necklace. It's neither food nor water. We can survive without it."

"But I can't live without you, little brother ... Promise me not to look for those Katicans again, okay?"

By the end, the sister was biting her lips tightly, staring fixedly at Aventurine.

This was the only way she could plead for her young brother to heed her words.

"Sister, don't be afraid. The Katicans are fools, but I'm smart. I played a "game" with them, and I won."

"Won? What happened exactly? Tell me." the boy's sister asked.

"I made a bet with them - the two birds in the desert and me, who will die first? I won."

The young boy said excitedly, "They suspected me of cheating, but I didn't ... I won fair and square."

...

:? Is this Aventurine as a child? It seems to connect with the earlier memory.

:Wait? Based on the information, did Aventurine witness the genocide of his own people?

:My god...

:And this guy, taking such risks at such a young age? He was literally gambling with his life!

:Damn, why do I suddenly feel heartbroken? At that age, he should have been enjoying his parents' protection, but instead…

:Following Sunday's question, we get this flashback—does this count as Aventurine's abstract confession?

:This environment is way too harsh. His sister's clothes are full of patches, and they can't even put together a complete outfit between the two of them… They're too poor.

...

The audience furrowed their brows.

Some continued watching with a heavy heart.

Hearing Aventurine's response, his sister fell silent for a moment before speaking softly:

"I knew you'd win ... You've been a lucky child. Gaiathra Triclops must be watching over you ..."

"But that's no reason to push your luck by going up against those ... those bloodthirsty, CRUEL Katicans! Have you forgotten how Mom and Dad ...!"

"Look, this is just a necklace. But Kakavasha, you are my only family."

His sister did not scold Aventurine.

Her tone was low and gentle, using the simplest analogy she could think of to express her most heartfelt feelings.

Aventurine keenly noticed this.

His once cheerful little face instantly fell, and he lowered his head to apologize:

"I'm sorry, Sister ... I thought you'd be happy. Because mom left you this necklace ..."

"...There'll be no next time."

At that moment, it was as if the audience's hearts were pierced.

Aventurine had gambled with the Katicans people, putting his life on the line, all just to retrieve the necklace their mother had left for his sister.

And after all that effort, even though he wasn't praised by his sister, Aventurine showed no anger. Instead, he obediently accepted it.

This young Aventurine, was almost impossible to associate with the frivolous, flamboyant, ever-smiling Aventurine of later years.

On the screen, seeing Aventurine's dejected expression, his sister remained silent for a moment before gently stroking his golden hair.

"It is important, but not as important as you, my dearest brother... I don't blame you, but you must remember what mom said..."

"Pain and poverty are the trials of Gaiathra Triclops. SHE has also granted us a chance, and that's your good luck, Kakavasha. Your good luck is the most precious wealth we- all Avgin have."

"You're a child blessed by Gaiathra Triclops and can lead the clan to happiness. So, always remember to protect yourself and never resent the pain and poverty you're going through ... All right?" His sister's gentle words made Aventurine feel much better.

But he still pursed his lips stubbornly, looking into his sister's eyes.

It seemed that he did not agree with what she had just said.

"Listen to me, swear to Gaiathra Triclops." His sister smiled.

".... Okay. I will swear to Gaiathra Triclops to protect this "wealth" ..."

Aventurine finally spoke.

But as soon as he finished, the screen went black again.

Only his inner voice remained.

"But, Sister, if Gaiathra Triclops was really watching over us..."

"Then why did SHE not protect Dad when he was swept away by the quicksand...? After all, Dad went to the Katicans' land only to prepare for Gaiathra Triclops' offerings..."

"And where was Gaiathra Triclops when Mom was shivering in our arms? Mom was still pleading for HER' forgiveness under her breath until the moment she closed her eyes ..."

"Sister, everyone praises me for being smart, but I don't get it... If every rainpour was Gaiathra Triclops' forgiveness and grace..."

"The how bad were our sins? ...So much so that we were born in this world of death?" Aventurine's thoughts echoed in the darkness of the screen.

At that moment— The comments exploded once more.

...

: Holy shit! Was little Aventurine always like this? Such a good and obedient Aventurine baby!

: He clearly doesn't believe in this so-called god at all, but just to make his sister happy, he still obediently made a promise. He doesn't even dare to share his true thoughts with her.

: This is way too mature for his age …Why is this story so sad... sob sob sob

: This just broke me completely.

: Aventurine's childhood was way too tragic. He was so well-behaved, yet...

: No way, MiHoYo, Director Xia! What are you guys doing?! Why are you showing us this?! I don't want to see this!

: Damn it, what do I do? I think I even contributed to the hate towards Aventurine back then...

: F*ck, I'm doomed. Tonight, I'm probably going to wake up halfway through my sleep and slap myself.

: Oh no, oh no, is it too late to change sides now?

: I need to delete my comments. I feel so guilty right now. Seeing young Kakavasha being this sweet makes me feel even worse!

: Please, no more flashbacks! I don't want to face the judgment of my own conscience!

...

No one expected that Aventurine, who had once been infamous, even condemned by the entire internet, would end up resonating with the audience so deeply.

There was no helping it.

His childhood was simply too heartbreaking.

Orphaned at a young age, he gambled his life against the Katicans just to retrieve his sister's necklace.

The more mature he was, the more stark the contrast to his young age.

This evoked intense curiosity, deep sympathy, and heartache from the audience.

And this was just the first layer.

Adult Aventurine's demeanor, actions, and personality all formed another contrast with his childhood self.

It made people unable to resist the urge to understand his past, to know why he had changed so drastically.

Then, there was the third layer.

The audience, unknowingly, put themselves in this situation.

That was the internet's overwhelmingly negative perception of Aventurine in the past.

The harsher the hate towards him had been, the more devastating the emotional whiplash upon learning the truth.

Like riding a roller coaster—except this one crashed straight into the ground.

MiHoYo had sharpened their knife, and the audience had willingly sharpened the blade themselves.