Caelus stared at the 'March 7th' before him, unmoving.
Her last sentence sounded like an answer, but in reality, it said nothing at all. He had no intention of letting it slide.
'March 7th' met his gaze for a few seconds, then sighed.
She had looked through March 7th's memories. The time she had spent with Caelus amounted to a little over a day, all things considered, but it was enough for her to get a clear grasp of this new Nameless's personality.
To put it nicely, he was persistent. To put it bluntly, he was bull-headed. Once he fixated on a question, he wouldn't let it go until he got an answer.
She raised her other hand, brought her thumb and middle finger together, and snapped her fingers softly.
The crisp sound echoed once in the wooden house before fading.
A deep red creature materialized out of thin air beside her. Its form resembled a jellyfish, its translucent bell slowly contracting and expanding, sending ripples outward in all directions.
However, Caelus, who was right next to her, suddenly reached out and grabbed it.
The ripples that were spreading outwards stopped.
The expression on 'March 7th's' face changed to one of surprise.
This jellyfish was a Memetic Entity of Memoria she had summoned. Memetic Entities were composed entirely of mem-substance; for an ordinary person, reaching out to touch one would be like grabbing at empty air. Yet, Caelus's five fingers were clamped firmly around it.
---o---
Dan Heng, who was sitting on the block by the campfire, was frozen in place, his posture identical to a few seconds ago, holding his spear as if time had stopped for him.
Sampo was slumped in the boat, his head lolled to the side, also completely still.
'March 7th' stretched languidly, her tone much lighter than before.
"Alright, now we can talk freely."
She rested a hand on her knee and looked at Caelus.
"You can understand me as March 7th's second personality. We're just a little different, in that I have memories of the past, and she does not."
Caelus's face showed little surprise. He had already guessed the possibility of a second personality. The moment he saw the change in March 7th's status on the train last night, he had run through several similar scenarios in his head.
"You came out because I was about to say the name 'The Immaculate'?"
'March 7th' nodded.
She tilted her head, sizing Caelus up and down, a hint of curiosity in her crimson eyes.
"By the way, that ability of yours… was that how you suddenly burst in on the train yesterday? You broke down the door because you discovered my presence?"
Caelus nodded again.
'March 7th' clicked her tongue, two tsks squeezing out from between her teeth.
"This is the first time I've ever seen such a ridiculously overpowered ability. What in the world are you?"
Caelus raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Why don't you go ask my second personality?"
'March 7th' froze for a beat.
Then she laughed.
Right. This man, just like March 7th, had lost his past memories. He probably couldn't even explain who he was, let alone anything else.
She didn't press the issue. The smile faded, and her tone grew serious.
"Back to the matter at hand. You probably don't know what 'The Immaculate' represents, otherwise you would have told that navigator long ago instead of waiting until now. I won't tell you too much; knowing more is not good for you or for her."
She held up a single finger.
"You only need to remember one thing: The Immaculate belongs to the Path of Remembrance. And [Remembrance] is her enemy. If you want to help her uncover her past, you must be prepared to make enemies of Emanators, and even beings stronger than them."
As she spoke the last few words, her voice returned to its previous monotone, without any deliberate emphasis or lightening of tone, just a flat statement of fact.
Caelus didn't respond.
He had heard Himeko mention the word 'Emanator' back on the space station. He understood it to mean the most powerful existence on a Path, second only to the Aeon. In that case, did the 'stronger beings' 'March 7th' spoke of refer to the Aeons themselves?
As Caelus pondered her words, the desaturated colors of his surroundings began to seep back in, bit by bit. The grayish wooden walls regained their brown hue, and the orange of the campfire bled through the dimness.
Dan Heng's figure on the wooden block began to show subtle signs of movement.
The deep red jellyfish had already vanished.
---o---
The crimson in the pupils of the March 7th before him began to recede, and the familiar pink and blue swirled back in from the center.
March 7th blinked.
Her expression was still stuck in the demanding manner she had just a moment ago. Her gaze then drifted downward, landing on Caelus's hand, which was holding hers.
"Wh-Why are you suddenly holding my hand?!" Her voice jumped half an octave, and a visible pink blush bloomed on her cheeks. "And what were you saying just now? The Imm-what?"
Caelus cursed inwardly.
She got away fast, alright. Not even giving me a chance to ask more questions and leaving me to clean up this mess!
Caelus could only spout some nonsense.
"The Imm… Immaculate. As in, no other identity. I can only see the words 'Nameless'."
March 7th paused, her mouth opening and closing twice, a slight tug at the corners of her lips.
"No other identity? Why do you have to say it in such a weird way?"
Caelus maintained a calm expression and didn't reply.
March 7th muttered a few more things. She couldn't find any holes in his story, so in the end, she had to accept his explanation.
She glanced down at their still-clasped hands, her face turning a shade redder. She glared at Caelus and lowered her voice.
"How long are you going to hold on?"
"My apologies," Caelus said, letting go of her hand.
March 7th pulled her hand back and quickly walked over to the adjacent bed, sitting down. She placed her hands on her knees and rubbed them, as if trying to wipe away the lingering sensation of his touch.
She looked up at Caelus and noticed his expression was a little off. Thinking he was still blaming himself for not being able to see her identity, she said with a cheerful laugh, "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's been so long anyway, I'm not in a rush. Let's get some sleep first!"
Caelus grunted in agreement and then lay down on his bed.
March 7th lifted her covers and got into bed, expertly rolling herself into a tube. She turned to face Caelus, only half of her face and a tuft of pink hair visible from outside the blanket.
"I'll be right next to you this time. You won't be scared sleeping alone again, right?"
She waited for two seconds but got no reply.
Looking over, she saw Caelus was already lying flat, his hands folded on his stomach, his chest rising and falling steadily. He was more deeply asleep than anyone.
March 7th wrinkled her nose.
"He really can sleep on a dime!"
She pulled the blanket up, covering most of her face and leaving only her eyes exposed. She stared at the defenseless sleeping face on the opposite bed for a moment.
Her lips pouted under the blanket. She rolled over, turned her back to Caelus, and closed her eyes.
---o---