"Members of the Astral Express, on behalf of The Family, I thank you for resolving the deranged terrorist attack from the Interastral Peace Corporation for Penacony. However, I must also regretfully state that the inappropriate methods employed by you have damaged Penacony's reputation—"
"Cut the crap and get to the point already!" March 7th knew she should be polite to The Family representative right now, but she simply wasn't in the mood to deal with Sunday's pompous speech. Only one thing occupied her mind.
"How is Twilight? What happened to her?!"
"...Regrettably, Miss Twilight remains unconscious," Sunday sighed, shaking his head slightly. "This situation is highly unusual. The Family's doctors initially believed it might be due to extreme stimulation or attack within the dreamscape without timely withdrawal, leading to mental confusion preventing her from waking—"
"Be-because of an attack...?"
Dan Heng's face turned deathly pale the moment he heard this. Twilight hadn't been attacked at all after entering the dreamscape; the aggressive Aventurine was beaten down by her from start to finish. The only time she was injured was... was when he threw Cloud-Piercer.
Twilight always had absolute trust in everyone on the Express. Did his attack from behind truly traumatize her!?
So it really was all... his fault?
In an instant, Dan Heng felt breathing become an agonizingly painful and drawn-out ordeal. His companions, more precious to him than life itself, had been hurt by his own hands—!!
Noticing Dan Heng's distress, Sunday didn't rush his explanation, merely sighing again before continuing unhurriedly, "However, after a comprehensive examination, that is not the case... Her condition, simply put, can be summarized as—aging."
"A-Aging...?" March 7th's eyes widened, then flared with anger. "How is that possible? Little Twilight... she's not even half a year old! How could she be aging?! What kind of checkup is this? Are you trying to mess with us?!"
"Regrettably, the examination results are conclusive. I can assure you all, we used the most advanced detection equipment in the galaxy, and even specifically requested an Intelligentsia Guild scholar to analyze the data... Miss Twilight's current state is indeed caused by bodily senescence. Not just organ failure, but every single cell is uncontrollably progressing towards destruction."
"I don't believe it! You must be lying... I, I—"
"March, that's enough."
Himeko gently soothed March 7th's agitated emotions. Although her own voice carried an undeniable note of despair, she still strove to fulfill her duties as the navigator. "Welt will explain the situation to you and Dan Heng... You three go see Twilight first. Mr. Sunday and I will discuss treatment options further."
Seeing the concern the Express crew showed for Twilight, Sunday didn't say much, merely maintaining a polite expression of sorrow, seemingly empathizing with them.
But inwardly, he scoffed at the scene.
Heh, the Astral Express... such hypocrites.
He could find out about Twilight's lifespan after just a little digging, yet her own crewmates didn't know? They probably just didn't care. This display now was likely just to maintain their image in front of outsiders.
What an ugly world.
Actually, regarding this point, he was truly wrong about March 7th and Dan Heng—the two genuinely didn't know. Caelus, Himeko, and Welt had hoped they would treat Twilight normally and hadn't told them.
And normally, people don't go doxxing their own companions...
Among all the major factions across the universe paying attention to Twilight, these two were probably the only ones completely unaware of the real situation.
"Mr. Sunday, I'd like to inquire about Twilight's specific condition now..."
After the emotional March 7th and Dan Heng left, the still-rational Himeko could discuss more detailed information with Sunday. "To be frank, we were previously aware of Twilight's lifespan issue. Unfortunately, even Miss Herta was unable to find a cure... Finding a way to save Twilight is one of our current goals. Might The Family be able to lend a hand?"
"A problem that even the Genius Society struggles with... we are truly powerless," Sunday shook his head. "According to the scholar's analysis, Miss Twilight's current aging is more like something that shouldn't exist finally reaching its limit and beginning to collapse... Regrettably, The Family has no way to reverse this collapse."
"This situation didn't occur previously likely because her body hadn't reached its limit yet... This collapse brings immense pain. This time, she probably collapsed because the condition worsened and became unbearable. After some time, when the pain lessens or she adapts, she should be able to wake up."
Himeko fell silent. Although she had anticipated this, hearing confirmation from Sunday that The Family could do nothing still brought a wave of disappointment. "Thank you... We will transfer Twilight away as soon as possible."
"Miss Himeko, I feel that might be unnecessary."
Sunday shook his head, advising, "You've seen Miss Twilight's condition. Since Miss Herta couldn't find a solution before, trying again now is likely futile, merely subjecting Miss Twilight to suffering during the journey. In my opinion, it would be better to let Miss Twilight stay here in Penacony... While the dreamscape cannot completely block out this pain, it's still better than reality."
"Thank you for your kind offer, but we cannot give up any possible chance..." Himeko declined Sunday's suggestion. How could Trailblazers yield to fate and stop struggling?
Watching Himeko's departing figure disappear after saying goodbye, the smile on Sunday's face gradually faded.
Just as he expected. The people of the Astral Express didn't care at all about Twilight's actual situation; they were only thinking of themselves...
Someone already terminally ill, whose every living moment was agony, was still being forcibly dragged across the galaxy by them. This wasn't consideration for Twilight; it was merely self-satisfaction.
Since death could no longer be prevented, the only thing to do was to spare Twilight from torment before then... Sunday wouldn't stand by and watch Twilight become a sacrifice for the Astral Express's self-realization. Before the Express departed, the Dream of Unity [Ena] would commence.
An ordinary dreamscape might not allow Twilight to escape the pain, but within the Dream of Unity [Ena], which could fulfill all beautiful wishes, this wouldn't be a problem...
Twilight was currently still lying in the medical pod, playing dead. If she had seen Sunday's performance today, her favorability towards him would surely have skyrocketed.
With just a few words, he had masterfully manipulated the emotions of the Astral Express crew, nearly driving Dan Heng into a depressive spiral...
He had perfectly complemented her own operation, successfully finding the path to maximize energy harvesting. What an excellent wingman!
But it didn't matter that she couldn't see it; the energy gained was real.
It was just a pity that because Caelus hadn't gone with the others to see Sunday, instead staying by her medical pod, she would have to rely on her own efforts here.
This wasn't just about Caelus, but also the countless players standing behind him!