Brain bloom

"Wing Cloud is the way to carry the soul on its journey. Have you ever thought about it? Why does the soul reside in your body and give you the consciousness to live? It is so that one day it can become a wing of Wing Cloud."

"Not just those who live in all four seasons."

"Correct."

"To become a feather of the Winged Cloud, to let it flutter, to soar and embark on a journey! This should be the duty of all beings with souls throughout the world, but my Rose Queen is truly amazing, she borrowed it and forcibly confined it to the race of the Four Seasons..."

The sheer scale of the conversation astonished Mori. She didn't quite grasp the concepts the primordial god was explaining, but she was deeply moved by the fact that she was witnessing the truth of the world.

"The soul was meant to fuel the Winged Cloud, enabling it to travel to farther places."

He struggled to choose his words, trying to explain that even someone from the forest could understand.

"Usually, this kind of folk custom doesn't actually start traveling. It only absorbs the colors from the souls as fuel, but that's far from enough to make it fly. Each time it just takes a quick pat in the sky, and then it's gone. The colors of the souls are completely consumed, which is what's called purification."

After a second of stunned silence, Mori gasped, "You stopped me."

“Yes, if you also become one of its feathers, the mission inherent to all those with souls will be fulfilled. We will embark on a journey via the Winged Clouds, heading to… who knows where we’ll go, it’s definitely incomprehensible.”

"Is my soul really that strong?!"

With a cold snort, He pointed at himself. Well, Sen Shi immediately remembered with pride that he and He were both interest from the Eden Bank, half a newly born soul of the primordial god—how magnificent.

"But why is it black?"

"The so-called color is a symbol of chaos, disorder, and the degree of progress. Those transparent souls are just ordinary people that can be seen everywhere. The more one experiences, the stronger one becomes, the more complex one's soul becomes, and the more terrifying one's level becomes, the deeper the color will become. This is not a symbol of evil."

He just said chaos and disorder? Isn't that...? As a resident of a technological society, Mori's face gradually showed an expression of understanding. Sure enough, the primordial god went on to describe those things to illustrate his theory.

"Yes, the increase in entropy of the soul will deepen the color. How terrifying do you think a soul at our level with such rich experiences would be? Do you need me to give you a ten-thousand-word account of our backgrounds?"

"And that is... the fuel that Wing Cloud needs."

"Thank goodness, great and wise Strawberry God, you understand!" The Primordial God opened his arms as if to embrace her in celebration. "Therefore, you cannot participate in this Winged Cloud event!"

Having grasped the whole picture, Mori was still quite curious: "Since our souls are enough to send Wing Cloud on a journey, what is the end of that journey... hey, I'd really like to see it."

"To be honest, I'd like to too."

"Then...why don't you let me go back?"

Exploring the unknown, seeking knowledge of even more incredible worlds—it's like a dream. Mori has reason to believe that the primordial god, who knows so much, exists to guide and give birth to souls, using entropy increase to propel winged clouds on their journeys.

It would be strange if He wasn't interested.

Now, everything is right before our eyes.

"It's a pity."

"What?"

“You have a battle to fight with your dandelion, and I… also have someone I want to reunite with.” His smile was exactly the same as Mori’s, tinged with shyness and joy. “Compared to the incomprehensible higher levels, compared to the ultimate truth of trillions of souls coming and going, compared to travel… love is more interesting.”

The words of the Primordial God left Mori in a daze for a few seconds.

But then it turned into a hearty laugh: "...Haha, you're right."

In the divine dimension, which no one but them could enter or understand, they smiled at each other, their smiles filled with mutual understanding.

"As for myself, I wish you victory, but unfortunately I can't help you."

"And what about you? When will you reunite with the ancestor of the Four Seasons?"

"It will be a long, long, long time from now."

"why?"

To be honest, Mori Toki felt—no, Dandelion—somewhat resisted the idea of ​​giving birth to these two.

The Primordial God looked melancholy: "For us, time is not something to be too concerned about. You have also come here, so you should understand that time is just a link that binds the world, but for us, it is something we can transcend."

"Ah."

"So, when we shook hands with her to say goodbye in the City of Clocks, we had already made a promise."

"Oh?"

“We will cross a long but insignificant period of time and meet again in the future. Because staying here would disturb you.” He said gently to Mori, to another version of himself, “Your time belongs to you, while she and I will choose an era that belongs to no one.”

"...Where could it be?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's a desolate past where nothing existed, or maybe it's a lifeless ruin after everything has been wiped out. It doesn't matter to us."

"Just like when you were born."

He smiled enigmatically: "Perhaps, we, who were born together in the first place, also chose to meet again in this way."

Perhaps because of her familiarity with herself, Mori suddenly understood why she had chosen this place and why she had talked to Mori so much. The constraints imposed by time and fate could be understood; even Mori herself could fall into any point in time and travel back and forth.

And what about Him?

Are you saying goodbye to me?

"Yes, will you bless me? For me as I embark on a long journey to meet my lover."

"I wish you happiness, and please give my regards to the Queen of the Roses."

May this greeting, which transcends countless eras, arrive safely.

……

(ps.)

This chapter is purely for Moon Crow's own enjoyment! I just wrote it because I was having fun!

(And here's a little spoiler: the final battle is going to be incredibly, incredibly fun!)

Volume 1 #406: The Great War Is Coming

The couple didn't leave behind much.

Aside from Mori, who was born by chance, there's only one other thing left.

this world.

Aside from the Ancient Demon King, everything in this world was left behind by them. Now, the world can move forward without the guidance of gods… Yes, Mori knew very well that this was the end of the story. For them, it was all an old tune, and it was time to sing something new.

In a brief moment of solitude, Mori bid farewell to the primordial god who coexisted within his soul.

And then there's the clock city, where lovers await their return; time, once frozen in place, can now move forward. Contrary to what the craftsman god said, turning the clock doesn't symbolize a sorrowful farewell, but merely a temporary separation. Every temporary separation is a prelude to a reunion.

Sen was touched by this slightly lonely romantic sentiment, and it also made him think of his own romantic feelings.

Is that considered romantic?

In this dimension where she was the only one left, in this place where everything was empty yet contained everything, she asked only her own heart. The answer was obvious: with the dandelion… hey, there was still a touch of romance to it.

This stems from an unwillingness to submit to the desire for conquest.

She lingered for a while, listening to the countless colors singing their songs that defied time and all rules, to them entwined within the rhythmic threads of fate—it was quite fascinating. However, it was merely a fascinating place; she seemed to long for the company of another girl.

Just like when you are summoned.

From the moment she was invited by the stars to respond to the silent world's invitation, she had never been alone. Then, Mori Toki followed the signposts left by the primordial god before he left and returned to where she belonged.

The Winged Cloud was still progressing—unnoticed by anyone, a jet-black feather returned to the head of the Four Seasons Maiden who was standing there in a daze, giving her the proper radiance.

The first thing she saw was Dandelion's face, almost in tears. Having written so many flower names for the four seasons, her little hands ached and stiffened, much like the chicken feet Mori loved to eat. She had no choice but to switch hands and continue with the awkward, crooked characters she wasn't used to.

After chuckling to himself for a while, Mori finally looked up and gazed at the night sky.

Above the black curtain, a single wing gradually grew full. Those transparent, yet occasionally tinged with black, soul feathers adorned the invisible wing, making it dreamlike and ethereal. It radiated a spiritual glow, layer upon layer, emanating not only from this level but also from light descending from countless higher dimensions.

This single wing wants to flap and soar.

I want to take these feathers of the soul on a journey.

It absorbs the souls of those souls to fuel its own journey, but it's just a drop in the ocean.

All Mori could see was this single wing... Perhaps, if her soul feather were embedded in it, it would be enough to support a pair of wings, and then it would fly away—to an unknown and unreachable place.

Wish stared blankly at the single wing; its radiance was simply too extraordinary, and the feathers adorning it with soul-like embellishments were beyond comprehension. Wish's gaze held an overwhelming sense of awe; this winged cloud truly possessed a certain inexplicable beauty.

"Phew..." That was the sound of dandelion. "Finally, I've finished writing."

Mori wanted to offer some words of comfort, but remembering that no one knew she hadn't participated in Wing Cloud, he could only remain stiff and pretend she was inside. Dandelion tore off a few healing scrolls Mori had given her earlier, healed her hand, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She muttered to herself, "Should I go cleanse my soul...? I feel pretty clean, so never mind, I'm still alive anyway. As long as I can wake everyone up... um."

"Is this the Wing Cloud of you Four Seasons?"

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes! It's beautiful!"

As an observer, I'm trying to figure out the principles behind this folk custom, but no matter how hard I try, I can't understand the wondrous spiritual radiance it exudes. It's not magic, it's not nature... I feel that perhaps only my father knows something about it.

Transparent wings, suddenly appearing from the night, drifted towards the sky, filling in the last remaining gaps. Like a jigsaw puzzle finally being put together, the single wing became even more magnificent and mysterious, reaching a state of utter perfection.

"But why is it in this form?"

"Who knows? Whatever, anyway, in a minute—oh oh oh, look!" Dandelion excitedly pointed to the sky, "It's here! The Sonata of the Wings of Purification! Don't look away! It's going to be really good!!"

"Oh?"

Mori knew perfectly well why it was so beautiful. It wanted to escape the ordinary world and travel. But sadly, if it had actually succeeded, it wouldn't be so beautiful…

The single wing suddenly folded, then, with tremendous force, seemed to unfurl! It was attempting a long journey; even with only half a wing, the wingless bird would instinctively try to fly. Soon, the so-called purification began.

The entropy increase that each feather of the soul had painstakingly accumulated was instantly drained.

This once grayish-white, transparent single wing has become pure white and flawless.

At this moment of its vigorous unfolding, in the face of dazzling, sacred white, the night loses its meaning.

"This is purification!"

"...It's unbelievably white."

"We Four Seasons have been reincarnated generation after generation, and it is through the purification of the Winged Clouds that we have been purified!"

Their expressions were filled with extreme surprise, while Mori stared at the dazed Mimosa-senpai, mimicking her behavior.

But in his heart, Mori quietly agreed. These repeated attempts to trick Yiyun into taking the fuel were indeed a form of purification. Yiyun, who always thought he could fly, always returned disappointed. It was a bit like, "I must start studying hard tomorrow! *100", and then, "Since that's the case, I'll slack off for one last day... and study again tomorrow *100".

As it spoke, it flapped its single wing.