“Eden!”
The piano lid closed gently, soundlessly.
Eden sat there for a long moment, lost in thought.
Elysia clasped her hand with a worried look. “You almost got your hand caught—what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, Ellie,” Eden replied instinctively. The sudden shift of memories and surroundings left her feeling disoriented. As her mind gradually adjusted, her eyes caught the starry painting hanging on the wall. So she added, “...I was just thinking that the starry sky is invisible here.”
Elysia blinked, then giggled softly. “My good Eden, it’s still daytime! But don’t worry, in just a little while, we’ll see plenty of stars ♪”
“Ellie.”
“Hm?”
Eden fell silent. The dizziness subsided, and her vision cleared. Eden finally managed to see her dear friend who were stuck in the past.
She gazed at Elysia with a quiet, bittersweet fondness.
Elysia seemed amused by the look on Eden’s face. Her voice carried its usual lighthearted mirth. “Alright, Eden! I know a beauty like me can be pretty distracting, but if you keep staring like that… we might just miss all the stars! How long are you going to keep looking at me?”
— [Before She Left] —
She will leave.
It's the first thing Eden understood with painful clarity.
Time is running out.
That was the second.
The third was the warmth of Elysia’s hand around hers, promising to take her to the perfect spot to watch the stars.
The spire at the highest point of The Moth Who Chases the Flames wasn’t far from their room. Yet, as they reached it, Eden found herself in a daze.
…Perhaps she should have embraced Elysia, Eden thought.
They had arrived too early; the stars had yet to emerge, and the setting sun’s golden glow bathed everything in sight. Eden considered that maybe there should be an embrace to offer them both comfort.
But Eden didn’t act on the thought. Instead, she just gripped the railing tightly in silence.
“What a beautiful sky…” Elysia murmured, her gaze fixed on the vast horizon, the subtlety of Eden's actions went unnoticed by her.
Eden had no mind for the view. She struggled to keep the sudden tears from blurring her vision and fought back the ache of longing so as not to ruin this rare and precious reunion.
—On the eve of her world’s ultimate destruction, Eden had heard SnakeSnakeLink’s voice.
At that time, there had still been wine left in her glass, the phonograph was still playing.
And SnakeSnakeLink said, she could return to the past. SnakeSnakeLink said—
…She could meet Ellie again.
Eden blinked, staring at the golden sun. She suddenly remembered the last time she and Elysia had watched a sunset together—it felt like a lifetime ago. And now, the only fixed star of their world was slowly descending.
Perhaps because of this, the sun seemed larger than ever.
Elysia gazed at the burning golden sun, then quietly turned to look at Eden.
The sun was so close to her.
At that thought, Elysia smiled, her eyes crinkling with amusement. She asked, “Eden, do you like the sky as it is now? Or do you prefer the starry one?”
The question caught Eden off guard. She looked at Elysia, then back at the sun. This sky always compelled one to pause and admire. Eden thought, this would be the prelude to a magnificent starlit night.
But after Elysia had gone, Eden rarely looked at the sky like this again.
“People have their own perceptions of the sky,” Eden replied.
“Some love the flowing constellations of the night, while others favor the boundless blue of the day.”
“For Dr. Mobius…” Eden tilted her head slightly, recalling, “She once told me—”
Eden paused, and Elysia leaned her head on the railing, waiting patiently.
“The universe’s first stars were born billions of years after the Big Bang. On the cosmic scale, the sun is just one of countless stars.”
Elysia chuckled lightly. “That does sound like something Mobius would say.”
“But even if it’s essentially no different from the other stars, to me, the sun is the most special of them all.”
“So... Eden,” Elysia placed her hands on the railing and thought for a moment before lightly perching herself atop it. She smiled down at Eden, blue eyes sparkling like the stars. “I’d like you to kiss me.”
Her gaze, brimming with starlight, drew Eden forward until she couldn’t resist embracing her and giving her all the kisses she had held back for so long.
When the kiss ended, and Eden took a step back, Elysia spoke again. “Guess what? Eden, I do really love the golden sun.”
Eden instinctively glanced at the golden star.
“—I mean you, my good Eden.” Elysia leaned forward, touching Eden’s gaze with her fingertip as if from afar. Her hand glided to Eden’s cheek, then rested gently on her arm. “Your eyes have the sun’s color. They’re beautiful. I’ve come to love the sun even more because of you! ”
“Ellie…” Eden smiled at her words. “You are also my one and only sun.”
“Wow, Eden, what a romantic thing to say!” Elysia laughed brightly. Then she suddenly asked, “So… are we on a date right now?”
The word brought back memories—of a long-ago outing, a cherished, beautiful time.
Eden replied, “It’s a shame I didn’t bring you flowers for this date.”
So much had happened since then. Elysia still occasionally brought her flowers, but they hadn’t gone on a date like any ordinary couple in a long time.
So Eden said, “Ellie, I miss you.”
Elysia hesitated for a moment, as if puzzled. “But, Eden, I’m just right here? ”
Eden followed her lead and rephrased, “If the day ever comes when you leave us, I’ll surely miss you.”
“Eden, if that day ever comes, I’ll also miss you—and miss your voice. So—” Elysia suddenly winked at her. “Will I have the chance to enjoy Eden's performance?Look, I brought a harp! ”
Eden paused, glancing back. Sure enough, a pale golden harp stood nearby—though she could have sworn there had been nothing there when they arrived.
She didn’t question it. Instead, she turned to Elysia, whose face was alight with anticipation, and smiled. “Alright. But before that, Ellie, could you give me a hug?”
“Of course!”
And so Eden began to play. She faced the vast expanse of sky, where fiery crimson intertwined with tranquil violet—a sky that belonged solely to them.
Eden thought, long ago she had thought: if only she could fly, perhaps she might feel lighter.
Just as Ellie had always said, if we are in love, we can do anything.
Eden’s thoughts stirred. She turned her head to look at Elysia.
Elysia was facing away from the sky, her right index finger tapping a rhythm in the air. As if she knew Eden would look at her at that moment, her eyes sparkled as she gracefully extended her left hand, lifting it slightly.
Eden followed her lead and began to sing.
“How shall I seek the sun among stars?
To find a faith
never fades away.
An answer—
gone before the question could exist,
then silence fell,
silent, silent beneath your gaze.
Some flower in this world awakens,
only to gaze after
someone leaving their home.
Then sleeps, then says,
says every star beats like the heart of the universe—
But I am neither Maker nor lamb.
How shall I leave behind a heart?
How shall I claim it burns like a star?
How shall I recall your face?
How shall I say that tonight will not be forgotten?
How shall I express, hope, ponder, how can I not stray?
How shall I imagine,
the emptiness of a world when the wind has gone.
...”
The gentle melody of her voice wove seamlessly with the harp’s notes. Eden’s gaze lingered on Elysia, full of love. The first star of the night quietly emerged at the horizon, unnoticed by her dear conductor.
When Eden’s performance came to an end, Elysia tapped her chin and leaned closer, peering at Eden’s smile. “Eden, my good Eden? What are you thinking about?”
I'm thinking of you.
“I was thinking about the time before I had volunteered the MANTIS program, Ellie,” Eden said, as that pink presence drew closer. Naturally, she wrapped Elysia in her arms. “Back then, you often sat here just like this, waiting for me to play your favorite song…”
Perhaps those moments were her only solace in those gray days. Eden suddenly thought—perhaps it was Ellie’s boundless love that kept her from vanishing along with all the things lost to time.
Eden gazed into Elysia’s uniquely radiant blue eyes for a long time, she murmured earnestly, “When we see flowers bloom then we realize the winter has gone. When we glimpse the morning star then we know the sun will rise again.”
“Ellie.” Eden drew a deep breath, as though saying a name drained all the oxygen in the world.
She asked softly, “But when will this endless night end? When will we… be reborn?”
It was a question difficult to answer.
But Eden didn’t expect a response. She continued, her voice like a sigh. “Ellie… I used to think that the days are short and the nights long, people need a light to guide them to go on.”
Elysia seemed to know what Eden was going to say. Her gaze softened, quiet and focused. Like every night they had spent together, Eden’s gentle songs filled the air and she would just look at Eden with deep focus.
“To me,” Eden said, taking Elysia’s hand in hers as holding a thread of pure light. Her golden eyes shimmered with a tender emotion, “your existence is worth more than ten thousand star-studded nights. I once wished you were a immortal light.”
“…Of course, I’ll always be with you, Eden.”
But Eden shook her head softly, her hand guiding Elysia’s gaze toward the first star in the twilight. “Before night falls, people already see the morning star. So…”
Eden paused, she just said, “Ellie, you make me feel alive again.”
Elysia fell silent for a long time before, as if making a decision, she embraced Eden gently. “Even after I’m gone, I'll still be with you.”
But, Ellie.
Eden thought.
I truly wish you could see these stars.
The stars began to bloom in the violet sky, one by one their brilliance spreading. Ellie said that when the sun extinguishes, the stars shine.
“Look, Eden. We’ll soon see a sky full of stars.” Her voice was as soft as a light about to fade.
So Eden swallowed her words, as though swallowing the tears shimmering in her eyes. She thought that perhaps the stars were salt scattered across the heavens. But Elysia said they were the flowers of the universe.
“Stars that fall from the daytime sky bloom again at night, breaking through the darkness and coming to us. So you see, if those stars we see should fall—”
If our stars should fall.
Eden seemed to understand what Ellie was about to say. “...If you leave.”
Leave.
Elysia blinked. She thought the word was far too gentle, as if she were merely stepping away from a date, crossing the street and buying two ice creams. When she returned with the ice creams she would find Eden waiting with a bouquet of flowers.
For this, Elysia sighed under the moonlight, her breath forming a faint mist. “…After I leave.”
Elysia lifted her head and spoke softly, “There would be many stars, right?”
In that moment every star in the universe sparkled for it, their beauty breathtaking. Yet Eden thought her voice was like a cotton ball stuck in her throat, rendering her speechless.
Eden lowered her eyes. “After you leave—”
Elysia tilted her head and looked at Eden, her blue eyes as clear and beautiful as the sky they had once gazed upon together. Eden thought her gaze should be eternal blue.
If a star could attain eternity, if she had not left in a starlit sky of the past.
Eden suddenly couldn’t speak any words.
Time ticked by, and Elysia still waited patiently.
So Eden took a deep breath slowly, somewhat sorrowful, yet still said. “People will see so many lights. ”
For her words, Elysia finally smiled, pulling Eden into a light embrace and turning back to the newborn stars. “Look, Eden,what beautiful stars… The starlit sky of tomorrow will surely be just as radiant. My good Eden, you also want to see the stars of the future, right?”
But.
Eden thought.
But, Ellie.
“Eden, did you know I used to search the stars for one that resembled you? ”
But I can't do it, Ellie.
“But then, on that day, I realized—you outshine the stars themselves, Eden, you are the brightest light of our generation.”
But I miss you.
“…So I knew then, time is so fleeting that... perhaps all I can leave you is one night of stars.”
But I want you to keep going.
“But, Eden.”
But, Ellie.
But I love you.
Elysia looked at her with those bright, beautiful blue eyes, her gaze so gentle.
“How I wish I could watch the stars with you again, just like now.”
Thoughts swirled like a cosmic vortex, yet Eden remained calm and focused, locking eyes with Elysia. Her beautiful golden eyes still shimmered with the gentle and starlike light, “I’m happy too, Ellie. I feel so joyful for spending this night with you. This is the most beautiful starlit sky I’ve ever seen.”
“I knew you’d love it, Eden.” Elysia couldn't resist reaching out, seeking a hug. She needed the embrace, needed it to give her the strength to continue speaking. “...That night, you didn’t really look at this sky, right?”
“But it doesn't matter, cause I memorized it, and now I can share it with you.” As she spoke, Elysia nuzzled against Eden’s arms, reluctant to let go, but eventually ending the hug.
Before Elysia could react, Eden stepped forward and leaned in to gently hug this pink friend as adorable as a fairy form a fairytale.
Elysia said nothing. Eden only heard the faintest sound of her breath. And suddenly, Eden thought of a night long ago, a night when she had taken Elysia to the depths of the starry sea. That night, she wanted to say—
“Eden,” Elysia’s voice trembled as she spoke. “I…”
She couldn’t continue—not because her throat was choked, but because Eden lightly pressed her finger to Elysia’s lips, stopping her words.
“Ellie,” Eden called her name softly, “I will find you among the stars.”
Such a solemn promise it was. The more Elysia realized its weight, the more she wanted to weep. She quietly met Eden’s gentle golden gaze, and for a moment, she thought of the night she had decided to leave, when the stars had shone just as brightly then.
This realization finally gave Elysia the resolve she needed. She tried to hold Eden’s hand, but Eden beat her to it, wrapping her cool fingertips softly in her palm.
“Eden… it's been a long time since I left, right?” Elysia finally found the words.
Eden didn’t respond, but Elysia knew she must be listening. And she continued, “Eden, you know what? Actually, a long time ago, I got SnakeSnakeLink from Mobius—by the way, that name was also my idea！Isn’t it adorable?”
“...It is,” Elysia was try hard to lighten the heavy atmosphere, so Eden replied, her tone nostalgic as she allowed a faint smile. “It’s a very cute name, Ellie. When I heard it, I knew it must have been named by you.”
Elysia blinked. “Ah, my good Eden, you really… understand my style well!”
Then Eden must have known from the beginning that this place was nothing more than another construct, akin to ‘Elysian Realm’. Elysia thought this, her mood subtly dipping before it steadied again. Slowly, she began recounting the past.
“That night, I used SnakeSnakeLink to create this place and left behind a new memory construct…”
She knew Eden would not keep the memory of the sky from that night.
…But Elysia loved that sky so much. She wanted to stay, to quietly spend one more evening with Eden.
So she recorded this beautiful starry sky, waiting for a reunion someday. When that day came, she would give Eden a hug—a silent proclamation of a long wait finally coming to an end.
Thus, Elysia did not rush to pour her heart out, nor did she offer comforting words. She just simply gave Eden a very light embrace.
“So Eden, I’m truly happy,” she said. “You’re truly my absolute favorite.”
And Eden understood. So that’s what it was.
So that was Ellie’s wish.
Perhaps fate was too absurd.
Eden suddenly felt an indescribable sorrow. But this feeling wasn’t for herself, nor for her own love.
“I can’t see your future anymore—that's unfair, right?” Elysia quipped in a slightly complaining tone, quickly following it with an apologetic and hopeful smile. “But I think, such a long and brilliant story… can’t begin with regret, do you agree?”
“...Ellie.” Eden tried to suppress the emotions surging within her like waves, but it was futile.
Elysia’s voice remained warm. “But I’m not worried at all, Eden. I know that even after I’m gone, we’ll meet here again. I’ve been waiting a long time for it—because I fell in love with you long ago, back when you weren’t yet an Flame-Chaser, and I…”
Elysia suddenly paused, then let out a soft sigh. “I knew you would become a radiant star.”
“So, Eden—”
——I’m so glad to see you again.
“...I’m so glad we can watch a starry night together again.”
Eden followed Elysia’s gaze to a distant place.
One day long after Elysia had left, they finally beheld the brilliance of that night’s stars.
Elysia’s eyes remained filled with admiration and anticipation, just as they always had been.
Eden suddenly recalled a starry painting in Elysia’s room.
…Her depiction of the future was broader than the sky, Eden knew she must have a dream far beyond the universe itself.
And so Eden said, “I once told Dr. Mobius, I love a deep blue night sky filled with stars deeply.”
Elysia laughed softly. “Sounds just like the sky we’re looking at.”
But Eden said, “...Not quite right, Ellie.”
She fought emotion or just gravity with all her might. She was so unwavering in her belief.
“That was the sky I met when I first met you.”
Elysia almost couldn’t speak. After a long while, she managed, “...I see.”
And Eden tilted her head slightly, her voice calm and gentle as always. “Ellie, is there something you wanted to entrust to me, meeting me at this moment?”
“Hmm… Actually I'm not sure when SnakeSnakeLink would activate. I guess this could be considered… a surprise I left for you?”
“But my final setting was that when you called my name, ‘Ellie,’ while you were alone, SnakeSnakeLink would activate… and I’d get to see you again.”
At this, Elysia also fell silent. She hugged Eden, resting her forehead against Eden's shoulder as though trying to contain her overflowing emotions.
Her voice trembled with suppressed tears as she whispered, “...Eden, I miss you too.”
“And, we all miss you,” Eden replied. “Terribly… terribly much.”
“Aponia has been thinking of you all this time. Even Dr. Mobius—she never says it, but I know…”
I know we all miss you, just as you miss us.
Eden had thought she could remain composed, but she still felt tears threatening to break free. It rendered her almost speechless. How she wished time would not feel so heavy.
But she felt the dampness on her shoulder. So Eden closed her eyes, held back her own tears. Cause she knew how much Elysia missed them, so Eden just simply sighed.
"...After you left," Eden said, "sometimes I hope—there was a time I kept thinking—if you had never left, if I could see you again..."
But Elysia had been left for so long.
As she spoke, Elysia held her tightly, silently promising her that one day there would be no more pain, sorrow, or helpless farewells and death.
I’ve always believed in you, Ellie. Eden thought, but she's unable to speak, no words came to her lips.
The starry sky was so beautiful that, for a moment, she truly wished she could die right then and there.
"So, Ellie," Eden said instead, "I’m also glad to see this sky you’ve left for me."
"...It’s a pity that SnakeSnakeLink can only be used once," Elysia said, concealing the sorrow in her eyes, as if casually discussing a friend’s recent news. "If only I’d told Mobius earlier, had her research it a bit more... I still have so many things I want to show you, Eden."
"Then let’s start with your favorite. " Eden replied in a deliberately lighthearted tone.
"But, Eden," Elysia laughed softly, "my favorite—of course, it’s you."
Before she could finish, Eden leaned in and kissed her.
It was a kiss as lingering as breath, as intimate as night. When it ended, Elysia took Eden’s hand and said, "Alright, my favorite Eden, this time it’s my turn to take you to the stars ♪."
"Let’s go now—otherwise, we might miss the stars."
It was as if invisible stairs unfurled in the air. Elysia moved gracefully, pulling Eden along as they stepped into the vast cosmos. They passed the base of THE MOTH WHO CHASES THE FLAMES, soared above the clouds, beyond the sky, and into the stars.
No need to seek a destination, nor to return.
Eden followed Elysia, their steps illuminated by faintly shimmering stardust. When Eden looked up, she saw a galaxy ignited with light, stars blooming like flowers rised from the cosmos ashes. And Elysia held her hand the entire time, enthusiastically pointing out the stars one by one for her.
"Eden!" Elysia suddenly turned and called her name. When Eden looked at her, Elysia lowered her voice, her smile radiant, "I’ve been waiting to say this for a long time—of all the stars, I love you the most."
The universe was vast. The light from stars that had burst forth tens of thousands of years ago now fell upon Elysia, Eden thought there must be a star in the celestial realm as free-spirited and romantic as Ellie.
As they walked farther, the light grew brighter. When Eden glanced back, their planet had shrunk to an unrecognizable speck, and all around them was the endless expanse of cosmic stars.
—Here is where her world ends.
The thought struck Eden suddenly. And at the same moment, Elysia stopped, quietly letting go of her hand.
Eden took an unsteady step toward the edge of the universe, no longer feeling the gentle warmth of Elysia’s palm.
For a brief moment, countless thoughts raced through Eden’s mind. But in the end, she simply turned around, composed, and looked back at her beloved.
"Ellie, is this where we have to part?" Eden stood just a step away, her voice soft as she posed the question.
Elysia took a quiet and deep breath, then smiled at her.
And so, Eden understood—this was indeed the end of her world.
…But she was really a good person.
How Eden wished they could continue going on.
But Eden just said, "Ellie, I’m glad to have seen you again."
"After you leave, I will still remember you. I will miss you..."
She said so much, until the overwhelming sorrow finally engulfed her heart, making it impossible to continue without tears.
Eden took a deep breath, with all the courage that she would willingly give her life for, she spoke in a voice slightly low yet still gentle. "I will love you."
Then she smiled faintly and leaned in for one last embrace.
Elysia held her tightly in return, as though holding her close enough could transcend the barrier of their physical forms and touch their very souls. She said, "...Goodbye, Eden."
But Eden still said, "It’s alright, Ellie. Even after I leave, I... and this starlit sky, will still cherish the memories we share."
As she had said that night, Eden said similar words, "So we don’t need to say goodbye."
You don’t need to feel sad for me.
"I know, Eden. I’m just... I just miss you a little bit," Elysia said softly.
After a pause, she added, "After all, I’ll be absent for a long time."
She knew she would become cosmic dust, everyone would exist forever as part of the universe.
But before that, before she left, Eden had resolved to do something.
And so she sang a golden melody—Elysia’s favorite song.
The song flowed gently, and Elysia suddenly thought of a poem she had left unfinished—a cosmic theme made her feel too insignificant, so Elysia decided to dedicate it to Eden.
But in the end, Elysia simply closed her eyes, letting the melody paint vivid images: a golden wheat field, and the two of them strolling through it.
Eden’s song was always filled with such overwhelming emotion that Elysia couldn’t bear to let her go.
If only they didn’t have to part.
As the melody faded, Elysia remained immersed in its warmth. Only when she felt a soft touch on her forehead, familiar and tender, did she slowly open her eyes.
Eden was still watching her, her gaze filled with a profound and gentle affection. So Elysia cupped Eden’s face, leaning close to those radiant golden eyes.
On a certain night, she got a kiss farewell from her world.
When Elysia finally released her, closing their embrace, Eden knew it was time to leave. She stepped back, still facing Elysia. Elysia smiled at her, silently bidding her goodbye.
The reluctance was immense, but Eden knew she must not show even a hint of sadness. Her love was never about possession, never demanding return.
And so Eden said nothing more. She turned away, taking a slow and heavy step into the infinite cosmos.
Everything fell silence. The stars followed the pull of gravity, yet Eden had to go on against it.
As she resisted gravity, Eden suddenly felt a pang of melancholy for the universe. So she paused, gazing at the stars suspended in its vast expanse. Someone once said love is an eternally shinning star with constancy.
It was then Eden realized—the universe was cold and lonely, every star was an irreplaceable miracle. Eden thought, perhaps she was just longing for one star.
It was a star she longed for.
And so Eden turned back, extending her arms toward Elysia. Amidst Elysia's quiet gasp, Eden hurried to her, pulling her into a tight embrace, one that held nothing back—a torrent of emotion pouring forth like waves engulfing the earth.
It was the love she could never fully express in words.
Elysia opened her mouth but could not find the words to say.
In that fleeting moment, she understood—this was what Eden wanted her to know.
…Eden was always like this.
Eden always prepared a surprise for Elysia, always gave her one more hug— she was always so kind, and that made Elysia missed her so much in the past. Even after she left, she had still wanted to meet her again.
Elysia indeed knew she missed Eden.
In a fleeting moment of reverie, Elysia recalled that Eden had also held her like this before she left. And back then, Elysia had wondered—
Would she still feel this longing after she was gone?
Would this be the farewell she had hoped for…would this be the farewell Elysia had hoped for?
Before she left, Elysia had desperately wanted to hug her, kiss her, she had also really wanted to see her one last time.
——Elysia woke from her love.
She felt Eden need her currently. She felt longing.
So Elysia softly uttered the first syllable, “…Eden.”
She spoke it as though she were releasing a piece of gold, liquor, or silk embroidered with stars.
She said, “Eden.”
Eden responded gently, “I know, Ellie.And I know your love.”
“Ellie,” Eden continued, “I just think—life is so brief, yet the stars are always so dazzling.”
“In the billions of years of the universe, perhaps we fell in love too late.” Eden paused, her unhurried voice carrying a quiet certainty that could always set one at ease. “So—”
There was no need to seek an endpoint, a limit that would never exist.
So...
Elysia remained silent.
So, Eden, I hope you can—
…be a little less sad.
But Eden said, “So let us meet in eternity.”
She gazed deeply into her lover’s eyes, without speaking or crying.
Because Elysia had been gone for a long time. Eden knew she had been gone for a long time.
At last, Elysia found the strength to say, “...But, Eden.”
She finally said, “But I don’t want you to leave yet.”
“Then let’s stay here a little longer,” Eden replied, pulling her into another embrace.
And Elysia fell silent.
Until the emotions brimming in her blue eyes finally spilled over. Cold, yet so serene. And so Eden finally felt reassured.
—Because that was her wish.
Then Eden slowly turned away and continued onward. She knew Elysia was behind her, so gradually, she stopped looking back, and began to sing a soft melody.
“…
In the lightless nights, we seek,
Awaiting a moment
When stars melt in light.
I'm willing to guess, every flicker that gives its all,
To paint the dawn
Across the starlit sky of the past.
Her love
Has not yet finished its journey,
The stars have still a long road to go—
So don't make her linger, and don't let me remain still.”
And so, Elysia was finally able to close her eyes in her dreams, releasing a fish to return to the heavens.
......
Mobius stepped out of the base.
The land was rife with radiation and shrouded in dust, yet she spotted Eden at once.
The phonograph had stopped playing. Before it had gone silent, it seemed to have been playing a gentle song. Eden still held a wine glass in one hand, while the other seemed to clutch a dried flower petal.
This sight caught Mobius off guard, though only for a moment. She had other matters to attend to, and time was short.
However, Eden was so engrossed in observing the petal that she appeared to have no intention of leaving. Mobius had no choice but to remind her.
“Eden.”
“...Ah, Mobius.” Eden snapped out of her daze, finally shifting her gaze toward Mobius and raising her glass in greeting.
How much she longed to lose herself in intoxication, longed for her friends to be by her side.
“The hibernation chambers are ready. You…”
“Don’t worry, Dr. Mobius. I just wanted to take one last look at tonight’s stars.” Eden’s tone was inscrutable, her gaze distant, as though capturing the stars in stillness, as though committing this moment to eternity.
Mobius followed her gaze to the celestial bodies of the universe.
The stars of this era.
“What splendid stars,” Eden murmured with deep emotion. She sighed softly. “There’s just a pity that…”
Mobius stared at the cosmic stars for a while but couldn’t grasp the reason for Eden’s sudden lament.
“Dr. Mobius, just now—” Eden hesitated, searching for the right words. “...Just now, I met Ellie. We talked for a long time. We watched a starry sky of yesterday together.”
“...” Mobius rubbed her neck, sore from looking up for too long. When she turned back to Eden, she found her still gazing at the night sky. “...Is it beautiful?”
“Yes. It's indeed... very beautiful.” A faint smile played on Eden’s lips—she didn’t ask whether Mobius meant the sky of yesterday or tonight.
Mobius didn’t press further, so Eden continued, “Thank you, Mobius.”
At last, she tore her eyes from the stars and met Mobius’s gaze with sincerity. Mobius caught a trace of apology in her eyes, as if Eden were saying—Mobius, you know I won’t stay.
Mobius understood her gratitude wasn’t for being found or sent off. She also knew this was an unmistakable farewell.
“If you stayed...” Driven by some inexplicable emotion, Mobius paused. She wasn’t skilled at persuading others, so she just awkwardly listed reasons for Eden to stay, one by one.
Eden didn’t respond immediately. Mobius’s voice gradually trailed off.
Yeah.
Eden suddenly thought, there'd so many reasons for her to stay.
...She had so many reasons to stay.
Eden suddenly longed to see her again.
Eden almost burst into tears as she realized the truth, for she also knew—
Elysia also longed to see her again.
—Because this was Elysia’s wish.
...Ellie's final wish she had worked so hard to fulfill.
At some moment, in a time when Elysia had been gone for so long, Eden felt something. She stood up and looked to the galaxy once more in the silence of all things. The stars spread out like water, no different from the sky that people had seen tens of thousands of years ago.
But Eden suddenly felt as though she had known these stars for a long time. Among stars must be the friend she had always missed.
And so Eden spoke, her voice deliberate and measured.
“The first shooting star of this world, how did you—
Abandon the heavens, embrace the fields;
And from then, the stars were no longer distant,
No longer
Cold, brilliant symbols. ”
“...whom I long for, the first star, from the generation of us.”
Mobius didn’t interrupt her, and Eden’s musings were neatly tucked away within seconds. She said, “Mobius... I'm thinking about, the stars of ten thousand years ago must have been just like the ones we see today.”
“...You’re going to die.”
Eden didn’t deny it. She only said, “I will be eternal with our generation.”
“...Because of Elysia?” Mobius had to admit that someone else might better understand Eden’s perspective.
But Eden suddenly laughed softly, her tone gentle as she refuted, “You’re mistaken, Dr. Mobius.”
“...Eden.” In that fleeting moment, the instant Mobius instinctively spoke her name, she understood everything. After a pause, she asked again, “But after you leave…”
“After I leave…” Eden repeated Mobius’s question as if in a dream, yet she didn’t answer immediately. “After we leave, we will still exist.”
“She will exist. We will exist. I believe in her, and the timeless stars.” Eden’s gaze still carried a trace of a smile. Lightly, she raised her glass in a toast once more. “Time will prove it, so just wait.”
“...”
“At least on this point, I am more certain than anyone.” Eden extended her hand, showing Mobius a dried flower petal. “Because, see it.”
“That night, I found this flower on the couch—it was left by Ellie. But finally I decided to return it to her.” Eden gazed at the deep blue petal, her eyes shimmering gently like stars. “—But letting such a beautiful flower disappear would be a pity, so I kept a single petal.”
“Forget-me-not?” Mobius glanced briefly at the petal. “...I thought she’d prefer something like..., you know, tulips or roses.”
“Don’t refer to it this way, Mobius. At this moment, maybe we should say another name about it.” Eden’s gaze softened as she looked at the petal, nostalgic and calm, without a hint of regret.
Mobius paused, then instinctively asked, “It is…?”
“Starflower.”
Eden faced the empty cosmos, revealing the love she treasured most. The dust of the past vanished beneath the starlight, an immaculate reminiscence dissolving into an unclear future. Only remained unresolved longing, the quiet resonance of her heart.
Ellie.
She silently mouthed the name like a sigh.
So Eden thought—forgive me.
And forgive love.
Mobius hesitated. “Eden, you…”
“My friend,” Eden interrupted her. The former superstar now shone as brightly as a star in the night sky, as if alive again. “Look how long the night is, how bright the stars are—and so I know, after we leave, there will still be light just as brilliant.”
The biologist, who had always cared little for the stars, instinctively followed the direction of Eden’s raised arm and looked at the sky. In that moment, Mobius froze. The radiant stars blazed through the vast universe like arrows shot from a bowstring, rushing toward her, yet she couldn’t move an inch. She could only let the brilliant starlight pass through her body—a fleeting illusion, she thought.
When Mobius turned her gaze back to Eden, she saw the dried, deep-blue petal, as dark as the night sky, slipping from Eden’s hand.
But Eden seemed unaware. Time flowed like molten gold, stars glittered in sky. She softly hummed a melody—her eternal lover’s favorite song—as she slowly walked toward the stars.
Vast was the sky, boundless was the earth.
Before she left, all Mobius could hear was Eden’s final song.
Or a sigh that sounded like a song.