"Yes," the other "Rosalyne" smiled at Rosalyne, her youthful appearance exuding purity. She spoke softly, "Rosalyne, I am you~ We share the same goal! For this pure, flawless world…"
"No! You're not me! I don't want this kind of world!" Rosalyne tried to push away the white-clad "Rosalyne" in front of her, but she couldn't move her at all.
"Hehe…" the other "Rosalyne" laughed. "I am you~ Rosalyne."
As the other "Rosalyne" laughed, Rosalyne's figure began to fade, as if she had never existed.
"I'm not…" Rosalyne was about to shout in anger when she suddenly noticed something. She looked down in horror.
The red dress she had always worn was now inexplicably replaced by a white one. The scene around her was empty, with only her standing in the center of the city, surrounded by the ruins of what had been burned.
Though her white dress was clean and pristine, Rosalyne felt as if her entire body was covered in the oil and ash of the dead.
She looked at her hands, which seemed to be stained with sin.
Kneeling weakly on the ground, Rosalyne murmured, "Was the Tsaritsa's ideal also wrong? If this is the pure and noble world…"
"I can no longer remember that person's face or figure, but this is definitely not the world he and I promised to pursue."
"I don't care anymore! I've abandoned my past. I've drowned my body in cold ice. I was a tool fighting for the Tsaritsa's noble and pure ideal…"
Rosalyne continued to mutter, but now she doubted everything she had done. Was that pure ideal truly what she had been pursuing?
"Rosalyne!" Akio's voice rang in her ears.
Rosalyne quickly looked up, as if grasping at a lifeline. She stared at Akio in panic, clutching his sleeve tightly.
"Tell me, is this the only thing you've been pursuing? The ideal world?" Akio asked in a calm voice.
"No! It's not! This is not what I…" Rosalyne was about to explain, but when she saw her white dress, she fell silent.
"…"
"Is this the promise you made with that 'Young Wolf' Rostam?" Akio sneered.
"Rostam… who? The Wolf Pup… my former lover?" Rosalyne suddenly clutched her head as countless memories flooded her mind.
"…" But along with those memories came the endless resentment she had accumulated as a Fatui Harbinger, all the sacrifices she had made for that so-called noble ideal.
These resentful voices cursed and scolded her in her mind, condemning her ruthless methods and bloody deeds.
When Rosalyne opened her eyes again, she felt as if she were on a gallows, being judged by the vengeful spirits of all those who had died because of her actions as a Harbinger.
Their sharp voices lashed at her like whips, making her soul writhe in agony.
After what felt like an eternity, Rosalyne opened her eyes to see a blurry figure holding a knight's lance, shouting something she couldn't understand.
"Rostam… is that you?" Rosalyne murmured.
But in the next moment, the lance pierced her chest, and the intense pain nearly shattered her spirit.
"I'm sorry… I'm truly sorry…" Rosalyne bowed her head, repeatedly apologizing. "This isn't the world you wanted to see…"
Just as Rosalyne was about to give up completely, the lance was mercilessly pulled out by the shadowy figure.
"Ah…" Rosalyne let out another cry of pain. She opened her blurry eyes, trying to focus on the figure.
The once indistinct figure gradually became clear in her vision. It wasn't the face from her memories, but another, incredibly handsome one.
"Akio…"
Weakly looking at Akio, who held a black-and-white knight's lance, Rosalyne murmured in a daze, "Are you the one judging me, Akio? Not Rostam… but it doesn't matter anymore…"
"This is intense," Akio muttered, slightly taken aback. He held the Abyss Flower in his hand, its white petals radiating a warm, holy light.
In her haze, Rosalyne seemed to see a light—a warm, sacred light that dispelled the vengeful spirits screaming in her ears.
The pain in her soul also vanished.
Rosalyne stared in shock as her dress returned to its vibrant red. She looked up in confusion at Akio, who stood bathed in the light.
Akio extended a hand to her, his smile gentle and warm. "Rosalyne, the ideal world you've been searching for—I'll show it to you. So, will you come with me to witness it?"
"You can show me the world I've been pursuing?" Rosalyne murmured. She slowly reached out her hand. Akio's hand, bathed in the light, was incredibly warm, bringing comfort to her cold body and soul.
"I will…" Rosalyne whispered. This light felt like redemption, pulling her out of the abyss of pain.
Deep in Rosalyne's consciousness, Akio's figure was etched permanently, never to be changed again.
In Tenshukaku, Akio looked down at Rosalyne, who lay in his arms with her eyes closed. He sighed softly and put away the Abyss Flower.
The Abyss Flower had repaired Rosalyne's body and soul, which had been ravaged by the eternal flames.
The power of the Herrscher of Sentience made the world seem like a mirage—illusory yet real, false yet true.
"Such terrifying mental power, Akio. Have you regained some of your strength?" Raiden Ei remarked with awe. This ability to influence reality with consciousness far surpassed her own ability to create the Plane of Euthymia.
"Yes," Akio nodded. The true power of the Herrscher of Sentience was enough to construct a world that everyone would believe was real. But was such a world still an illusion?
"Master, what about Rosalyne?" Hiiragi Chisato asked curiously.
"When she wakes up, I will be her only faith," Akio said with a light smile. She wouldn't forget anything—that would be meaningless. Akio wanted a Rosalyne who was perfect in every way.
"I pulled her out of the abyss of pain in her heart and erased the sins in her soul. That is redemption," Akio explained.
Rosalyne was, after all, still the kind-hearted girl she had once been. Even as the Crimson Witch of Flames, even as the Harbinger La Signora, she had retained the kindness of her youth. Everything she had done had been suppressed by that sliver of kindness, tormenting her endlessly.
Her actions were like the nightmare she had just experienced, recurring in her dreams countless times. Akio had used the power of the Herrscher of Sentience to make her reexamine her heart, freeing her from the pain of the past.
At the same time, he had etched himself deeply into her soul.
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