Aimou felt she had made a wrong decision, yet she didn’t regret it. On the contrary, she was even a little pleased.
In the fourth time reversal, confiding in Bologue was like untying a knot in her heart. She could finally speak her mind without reservations, even if Bologue wouldn’t remember any of it.
Now, Aimou abandoned the experience accumulated from previous time reversals and chose a new escape route.
In this fifth time reversal, Aimou would face completely unknown situations. She didn’t know when the King’s Shield Guard’s pursuit would come, nor if Bologue would find her again.
But Aimou no longer cared about those things. From the moment she gained consciousness, she lived in the Great Rift, accompanied by fog day and night.
She had enough of it now.
Aimou no longer wanted to be the obedient child manipulated by others. She no longer anticipated decisions from others, but held everything firmly in her own hands.
She knew that in her confessions to Bologue, she was actually harboring some beautiful vision. But now, Aimou could feel the power of the Fantasy Species gradually weakening. It couldn’t withstand many more time reversals.
Aimou didn’t have many chances left, but she didn’t care!
Her gaze was firm, paying no heed to the Fantasy Species on her chest.
After five time reversals, the Fantasy Species had grown considerably from its original state. Like a luminous seed, it thrived, using Aimou’s body as its foundation.
Its roots easily penetrated the hard machinery, entwining the internal mechanical structures, even reaching the Constant Motion Core.
Aimou was being slowly consumed by the Fantasy Species, a scenario she had anticipated long ago.
When the Fantasy Species exhausted its own Ether, it would continue to drain Aimou’s Ether until the wish was fulfilled.
For an ordinary Condenser, once their own Ether was exhausted, everything would stop. But Aimou was different; she was an Alchemy Puppet. In a sense, Ether was like the oxygen sustaining her life.
The Fantasy Species had already touched the Constant Motion Core. Aimou knew what would happen if the time reversals continued...
Aimou no longer thought about these matters; she only felt that such a deal was worth it.
Like a stone rolling down a mountain, from the moment it started, it would either fulfill the wish or be shattered to pieces. This was the price required by the Fantasy Species.
But could Aimou’s wish really come true?
Aimou had known from the start.
The Fantasy Species didn’t possess the ability to transform into a human; it only granted a possibility.
To make what was absolutely impossible, have a sliver of possibility, like allowing a "miracle" to be born in this world bound by the iron law.
If she had initiated the Fantasy Species with a wish, Aimou believed it was the wish to "survive".
At the beginning of this time reversal, it was when Teda prepared to resurrect Alice, and the King’s Shield Guard also launched an assault on the Alchemy Workshop.
Aimou, isolated and helpless, used the Fantasy Species with a mindset of giving it a try, just to survive the pincer attack. Then it came to now, when Aimou successfully escaped.
"What a clumsy imitation..." With this thought, Aimou felt a wave of sadness.
What kind of thoughts did the first person who researched the Fantasy Species hold? To fulfill a wish, he sacrificed himself, creating such a clumsy fruit.
But Aimou didn’t remain sad for long. She imitated Bologue, trying to fill her spirit with other emotions.
Like anger at the current situation, or expectation for a new life.
"Your wish, his wish, everyone’s wishes, yet no one cares about Aimou’s wish."
Aimou learned quickly, climbing the iron ladder while berating.
She knew she was actually an insecure person. No matter how she tried to please Teda, all she got was cold rejection. Disappointment gradually filled Aimou’s heart, making her skeptical of so-called relationships.
Aimou’s steps halted, recalling Bologue. In her interactions with others, Aimou always wore a mask, but with Bologue, she rarely showed her true self.
Bologue was special to Aimou, but the more special he was, the less Aimou dared to hope, fearing another outcome like Teda’s.
Recalling everything triggered by the time reversal, Aimou clapped her head in self-reproach.
"I really screwed it all up..."
Aimou muttered to herself.
Some spend their whole lives healing from childhood, while Aimou was still in its shadow. She distrusted any relationship. If not for her plan, Aimou wouldn’t even want the slightest contact with anyone.
As long as there’s no expectation, there’s no disappointment.
She knew she should have traveled alone from the start, this way no one would see her, and no one would be hurt. Even if there was a price, it would be hers alone to bear.
This time, Aimou’s determination was extremely firm, even if she couldn’t become human, Aimou was going to do what she wanted.
That’s right, there’s no need to become human, even if she can’t taste the flavor of desserts, feel the breeze caressing her skin, or understand what a so-called dream really is...
Aimou didn’t care; she never cared about the outcome, the only thing she cared about was the process.
As long as she had done it, it counted as achieving it!
Aimou quickly ran to the edge of the Great Rift, and compared to humans, she still had many advantages. For example, Aimou never tired. As long as her body wasn’t damaged, she could run for an entire day.
She had already thought of the next plan. Aimou had read many novels and knew there was a place in Opus called a train station. As long as you spend money on a ticket, the train would take you to any place with tracks.
Oh no, Aimou suddenly realized she didn’t have any money, but this wasn’t a problem. Aimou’s fighting technique was very refined; she just needed to find an unlucky passerby and borrow a little.
Next, Aimou realized she didn’t know how much the ticket cost, so she could only borrow as much as she could.
Then Aimou thought she could do something else while waiting for the train, like eating some desserts...
Thinking this, Aimou traversed layers of fog and arrived on the streets of Opus.
It was still early morning, and the sky above Opus was filled with clouds, with some light piercing through the gaps, naturally drawing one’s attention to these beams of light, as if behind the clouds lay the sacred Celestial Kingdom.
The city was quiet, with only a few cars and pedestrians on the streets. Even the most prosperous city seemed to carry a tinge of decay under the winter’s chill.
Aimou was on the run, yet she slowed down her pace, as if savoring the moment.
After repairs by Belli, from afar Aimou looked no different from a human, and she no longer needed to hide from others’ gazes.
Aimou walked confidently down the street, curiously examining every detail.
From the previous instances of time reversal, it seemed the King’s Shield Guard would still need some time to find her, allowing her to slightly waste this precious time.
Aimou’s mood relaxed; it was her first time strolling the streets of Opus openly and alone.
In a moment of daze, she felt as though she was truly human, able to feel things she had never felt before.
Aimou slowly came to a stop; she stood at a crossroads, not knowing where to go.
A sudden sadness overcame Aimou. She knew there were many beautiful places in the world she had yet to see, but she didn’t even know where they were. Official source is novel⚑fire.net
Aimou didn’t even know where the Opus train station was.
She felt like a hamster that had lived in a cage for many years, released into this vast world, clueless before the endless horizon.
Aimou believed she could adapt; she was a quick learner and, given time, could solve any problem.
She walked up to a storefront, its glass window displaying a rack full of pastries. The store was clearly locked. It was morning, and most stores had not yet opened for business.
Aimou hesitated for a few seconds; she felt she couldn’t wait that long, and after a silent apology, she punched open the lock and strutted inside.
Aimou greeted the empty store, took the upside-down chairs off the tables, and set them aside.
"I want this one, and that one too."
Aimou muttered to herself, taking dessert after dessert from the display rack and placing them on the table. Then she walked up to the counter, rummaging through her pockets.
Aimou had no money and hadn’t run into any unfortunate soul to rob, so after much thought, she left her Fire-Calling Staff on the counter, as if to use it to settle her debt.
Back in her seat, Aimou picked up a fork, randomly skewered a dessert, and stuffed it into her mouth. She chewed a few times but tasted nothing.
Picking up another plate, Aimou spat out what was in her mouth. Unlike humans, she had no digestive organs and couldn’t swallow these things.
Yet Aimou stubbornly skewered dessert after dessert, chewing and then spitting them out to the side, as if performing some kind of ritual, as if merely going through the motions meant she had eaten, even if they were tasteless.
In the shop, it was just Aimou alone, engaging in this absurd dining experience.
Aimou didn’t feel sad; she knew that in the future, it would also just be her. She needed to adapt to everything quickly.
But soon, the shop door was pushed open again, a series of clear bells jingling as another person stepped inside.
He was panting, looking like he had rushed over from a great distance, and dragged over another chair to plop down.
"You know, those pastries on the display rack are specially made for show and are not edible."
The newcomer looked at Aimou’s ridiculous behavior, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Bologue, you really are like a stray dog that can’t be driven away."
Aimou wiped her mouth, the slight sadness she felt vanished without a trace, and she looked expressionlessly at this unwelcome guest.