Why Aren't You Laughing?

"Caelus, after you find Twilight, what are you planning to do?"

"Don't know. Never thought about that problem..." Leading the way towards the Ambrosial Arbor, Caelus's face flashed with momentary confusion upon hearing March 7th's question from behind. "Anyway, let's find her first, then think."

"Right. Thinking about these things now seems a bit too early."

March 7th pondered, agreeing with Caelus, but then immediately brought up another, more serious yet unavoidable question. "But who exactly attacked Twilight? When we remember which bad guy did it, how should we deal with that person?"

"Attacking an esteemed guest of the Xianzhou is naturally a grave crime. If you require it, we can offer the friendly service of a cell in the Shackling Prison," Jing Yuan, following behind, chimed in with a smile.

"That... won't be necessary." Before Caelus could speak, Himeko declined Jing Yuan's kind offer. "The Express crew will handle this matter ourselves; no need to trouble the Shackling Prison."

"I think locking up bad guys who mess with people's memories in the Shackling Prison to suffer sounds pretty good..."

March 7th shook her head regretfully, while Caelus just walked forward silently, head down. Until the familiar path leading to the Ambrosial Arbor was revealed once more as their Dragon High Elder easily parted the sea before them.

Almost the instant the waves were pushed aside, Caelus felt a tremor.

It was an attraction, a strange power connecting him to the Ambrosial Arbor at the end of the path, allowing him to feel the surging life force from the other end.

This situation shouldn't occur. Because in the altered world, Caelus himself didn't have much interaction with the Ambrosial Arbor, let alone utilizing the power within this miracle of Abundance. But in the original world, to revive Twilight, he had, with Welt's help, completely mastered the power of the Ambrosial Arbor and the Stellaron within it.

Although Twilight herself had now been erased from the universe, the Ambrosial Arbor itself still retained the connection previously forged with Caelus. This power was undoubtedly the best proof of Twilight's existence.

But mere proof was no longer enough for the current Caelus. He wanted the facts, he wanted to understand every detail, he wanted to know where to seek the person he loved...

The long-sought truth lay right before him, yet Caelus's originally light footsteps somehow grew heavier and heavier, finally stopping not far from the Ambrosial Arbor.

Caelus looked up at the withered branches, inexplicably feeling an overwhelming panic in his heart. The Ambrosial Arbor, which should have become part of Twilight's body, now stood here intact. He could feel that faint, ethereal aura upon it. Just by reaching out and touching it, everything would become clear.

But why, now that things had come to this, did he himself start feeling uncontrollably afraid?

...Perhaps just stop here. Treat everything as if his mind was playing tricks, turn back, and live an ignorant life. There might still be time.

No one urged Caelus. Everyone just stood quietly beside him, waiting for his choice. Even March 7th, wanting to speak, had her mouth covered by Himeko.

But Caelus ultimately didn't turn back. He just walked towards the Ambrosial Arbor step by step, reaching out to touch its trunk.

He would rather suffer and be awake, than forget, even if tortured.

The past him might never have had to face such a painful situation, because someone was always beside him, helping solve all problems. But now, those figures were gone.

Why were they gone...?

The moment his fingers touched the rough surface of the Ambrosial Arbor, Caelus saw light.

That light arrow descending from the heavens vaporized everything into dust, making the surrounding world disappear entirely, except for the one protected with all her might by the person he longed for day and night.

Even she herself could only gradually burn away before his eyes.

Caelus saw her rewind from the end, countless times trying to save her companions on the Express, yet failing countless times. Tears, blood, corpses, misunderstandings... The Ambrosial Arbor, once integrated into Twilight's body, now held countless memories of the past, transforming at this moment into scenes of a journey Caelus couldn't let go of.

The memory was too long; Caelus couldn't see its entirety. Just occasional flashes of fragments were enough to fill him with despair. He couldn't imagine how a person could persist towards an unachievable goal under such circumstances.

Caelus saw her find the worst solution, embark on the final journey, heading towards the initial starting point. He remembered the time they spent together in the dream, saw his own attitude towards her shift from familiarity to coldness, yet she remained gentle as always.

He desperately wanted to change it all, wanted to stop Twilight from doing such a foolish thing—but he couldn't, because everything he saw was merely memory of things that had already happened.

Everything was set in stone. And the person he wanted to save...

Caelus saw a figure ruthlessly pierce the heart of his most important person with a sharp dagger. And the perpetrator's face—

Identical to his own.

...

So that's how it was. That's why he refused to admit it, refused to remember... Of course Twilight couldn't come back. He knew this from the very beginning.

Because he killed her with his own hands.

Caelus thought he would break down screaming, kneel and weep, vent his fury upon everything around him, but... nothing.

He found himself calm—abnormally calm.

His empty heart felt as if without a ripple, seemingly unaffected by any of this in the slightest. The world around him also became extremely quiet, devoid of any noise, leaving only him standing there blankly, silent.

Then, he found it funny.

Wasn't it funny? Someone who personally killed the person they loved most, yet still grandiosely spoke of bringing her back, pretending to be a devoted victim, making others not forget her... Knowing everything, yet unable to accept that ending, pretending to turn a blind eye.

Until finally cornered with no retreat, forced to face the unavoidable reality.

Foolish.

And seeing the world's most foolish clown, wasn't it worth a laugh?

"Heh... Haha... Gahahahaha!!!"

Caelus heard wild laughter, accompanied by mocking, joyous cackles. Was it the sound ringing in his ears, or his own laughter? Caelus couldn't tell, nor could he be bothered to distinguish such things anymore. Even the bitter, salty taste flowing into his mouth couldn't stop his extreme laughter.

The hand resting on the Ambrosial Arbor had, at some point, dug deep into the trunk, crushing the divine gift to pieces. Yet Caelus, committing such an act, seemed completely unaware, as if casually crushing a mere toy.

"Caelus, are... are you alright?"

Watching Caelus, who had stood there silently after touching the Arbor, only to suddenly burst into mad laughter after a long while, March 7th asked, terrified.

"Alright? Of course, I'm perfectly alright... Don't be scared, March. Why so serious?"

Casually tossing aside the Arbor fragments, Caelus's voice was slightly hoarse from the wild laughter. "Finding one's purpose in life should be happy, shouldn't it?"