Honestly, Caelus had zero interest in the Watchmaker's legacy right now, nor in the convoluted history between The Family and the original Watchmaker.
Even after reaching Dreamflux Reef, picking up the Memory Bubble from the late Nameless senior's grasp, watching the blue-haired attendant he'd met reveal his true identity, and understanding everything Penacony and Mikhail had gone through... Although he felt moved and respected his senior, mostly he just felt relief.
It was over. The last hidden conspiracy of Penacony and the mystery of the Watchmaker's legacy were solved. It all boiled down to that damn Stellaron causing trouble again. Next step: deal with Penacony's Stellaron, and this Trailblaze journey would be successfully wrapped up. Then they could take Twilight back to the Space Station for treatment.
And the reason everything proceeded so quickly and accurately was thanks to the help of the figure behind him.
"Stellaron Hunter, things have come to this. Are you still not planning to reveal your true face?" Caelus turned silently to look at the tall mech behind him. It was this Stellaron Hunter named Sam who had brought Caelus into Dreamflux Reef and told him the truths hidden by The Family. Without Sam, he might still be searching for a way into Dreamflux Reef.
Faced with Caelus's question, the tall mech remained silent, seemingly reluctant to reveal the truth beneath the armor. But Caelus's gaze was persistent and patient. After a long stalemate, the intimidating mech finally dissipated along with flames, revealing the petite young woman hidden within.
Someone Caelus knew. After all, he had tossed and turned sleeplessly over her death earlier, even having a huge fight with Twilight over it, kicking her out of his room, leaving the injured and ill Twilight sitting alone in the corridor all night...
"Firefly..."
Looking at the person before him, Caelus felt unexpectedly calm. After all, the moment he learned that [Something Unto Death] wasn't a killer monster but a mode of transport, he had already anticipated this possibility.
Back then, he had accused Twilight, thinking her cold and heartless for not saving Firefly... But Twilight probably didn't even understand why she was being yelled at. From her perspective, she had merely not stopped someone who deceived her companion from being taken to the next stop by a bus.
Remembering his actions back then, Caelus couldn't help but clench his fists, his nails digging deep into his skin.
His silence only made Firefly opposite him feel even more conflicted.
Actually, she didn't look too good right now either. Though her silver-gray hair was still smooth and her eyes bright, and she certainly didn't have to worry about dying of old age in a few days, her face was currently bruised and swollen, looking like she'd been thoroughly beaten up. This was precisely why she hadn't wanted to deactivate the armor and let Caelus see her like this.
Firefly felt quite wronged herself. She had been carrying out her mission properly in Penacony when she received a communication from her teammate midway—that woman who caused trouble every other day was back again.
She had to leave hastily to support her teammate. The result was not only failing to explain things clearly to Caelus back then but also getting severely beaten up...
Moreover, that woman seemed to be pursuing her with a personal vendetta this time, using strong, insidious power.
It caused her facial injuries to persist even when entering the dreamscape after returning to Penacony, making her look extremely pathetic.
Yet, strangely, the lingering power also made her body feel somewhat... better? To the point where she almost suspected she had awakened some strange interest.
But regardless, she eventually returned to Caelus's side according to her original plan and told him the truth about Penacony... But she didn't know what had happened during her absence these past few days.
She felt like she had missed many important choices. Caelus's reaction was very strange, seemingly absent-minded all along...
"Sorry, I didn't want to deceive you either, but—"
"It's okay... No need to say more." Caelus waved his hand wearily, stopping Firefly's further explanation. There was no point dwelling on it now; the mistake he made couldn't be undone. Was he going to continue resenting Firefly because of his own error, just like how he had hurt Twilight earlier?
"Since we've found all the truth, let's go meet everyone and tell them. Solving the Stellaron problem isn't something just the two of us can do..."
Watching Caelus's dejected figure turn and leave, Firefly, although empathizing with him, couldn't shake a strange feeling.
It was like playing a GalGame, stepping out for a cup of tea, and coming back to find the character you wanted to pursue already deeply in love with someone else... In that moment, Firefly seemed to somewhat understand the feeling behind Silver Wolf yelling "THERE'S NTR!!!" while playing games.
---||---
Watching the Express crew discussing their next move in the room, Twilight could only sigh at how hard these people went on the main quest.
How many days had it been since they started? Twilight hadn't even gotten out of bed more than a few times, yet things had already progressed to the boss fight stage.
Compared to the previous slow pace where it took a month to find a single clue, this felt almost comical.
But Caelus really had guts, daring to bring Firefly here directly like this. Twilight herself didn't mind, but March 7th, indignant on her behalf, was glaring daggers at Caelus—Previously, you insisted Little Twilight was cold for not saving her, letting her die! Now you tell me it was all a mistake, this person wasn't even dead?!
If March 7th were a Pokémon, she'd probably have jumped onto Caelus's face and used Fury Swipes by now... Though Welt seemed to be monitoring the situation and would likely intervene in time.
While Caelus silently observed everyone's condition, Himeko and the others, after intense discussion, reached a conclusion.
They decided not to openly break ties with The Family just yet, but to investigate the Stellaron information secretly, leveraging the IPC's power if necessary.
They even contacted Pom-Pom on the Express beforehand, preparing to either advance or retreat swiftly, ready for anything.
But even though the crew was so thoroughly prepared, Twilight still felt this boss fight looked a bit dicey...
Simply put, it was an issue of positive energy.
Although their side seemed numerous, their top combat power wasn't stronger than Sunday post-transformation. And after the recent messy quarrels, shouting about friendship and bonds now might not be as effective as usual.
Plus, the current Express crew members were all sighing and looking gloomy; their usual unstoppable Trailblazing spirit had temporarily turned emo. In a real fight, they might be even less effective than back in Jarilo-VI.
In contrast, Sunday had prepared long in advance. And because of Twilight herself, his conviction and dedication to his plan had reached new heights. He even had the protagonist-tier positive buff of fighting to protect the weak...
Their side weakened, the enemy strengthened... With even their positive energy falling short, Twilight couldn't figure out how the Express crew was supposed to win this round.