Epilogue: In Another Universe - The Grand Chrysos Theme Park

Translation: 中文, 日本語, 한국어, Русский - Google Document

“Have you wondered what life is all about?

Day after day, the laws of nature never stop working.

Life perhaps is about one encounter after another, with serendipity.

To encounter another person, you two need to be in the same era and the same city, before appearing at the same place and the same time.

Then, silently wait for the stars to align...

The lives of the ordinary start to intersect, and the ordinary days become colourful and brilliant as a result.”

[image]

Somewhere, beyond the confines of this universe, through the veil of a bubble universe, a group of observers quietly watched-

This is a story, a story that takes place in another world:

It was a lazy winter afternoon, one that should have been just another ordinary day in the Golden Courtyard. The pink-haired girl, as lovely as a blooming flower, rubbed her sleepy eyes, only to be drawn by the sudden noise coming from downstairs.

“Ely, everyone seems to have discovered something surprising. Come on, let’s go take a look,” urged Eden gently, her long brown hair swaying as she spoke.

“Good afternoon, my dear Eden~ I wonder what’s got everyone so excited? Could it be that Vill-V has come up with another new invention?”

Even though they all lived together, it was rare for everyone to gather and stare at a screen like this. The strange sight before them instantly swept away Elysia’s drowsiness. On the screen, they saw familiar figures wandering through a theme park, closely resembling themselves, yet distinct in their own ways. Their surprise and excitement filled the room, warming the cold December day with something exquisitely special.

“Hmm? Is that-” Elysia leaned closer, rubbing her eyes again just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. “Doesn’t that white-haired boy look just like Kevin~?”

“That pink-haired girl looks a lot like you, Ely,” Eden added with a gentle smile. “Even in another universe, she carries the same charm as you.”

Elysia leaned closer, awaiting for a respond: “Just like me - irresistibly adorable, right?♪”

“Of course, Ely. I believe this golden, radiant era will not be our end.“

“Thank you, Eden~ And that woman with a voice like the ocean… she’s just as elegant as you.”

“AH! There’s a kitty person there too! Oho~ She has taste i see. Hum hm! Nya! (>:3c)” Pardofelis squeezed to the front of the screen to take a closer look, preening with approval.

“Awww, nothing for the great magician? Let me take a closer look~”

With one hand, Vill-V pushed Kevin’s cheek aside.

“These… these are all treasures! If only I could… just take a peek at that gigantic lightbulb the statue is carrying…” Her eyes glittered with delight as the reflection of the Dawn Machine shimmered across her monocle.

(Oh? Looks like I’ve just found the inspiration for my next trick!)

“MEI! You’re curious too, right? What secrets could be hidden beneath that enormous globe? Maybe we could…!”

Vill-V suddenly froze, noticing the sharp side-glance from Mobius.

“Huh!? Professor Mobius, I—I didn’t see Klein anywhere!!”

Before anyone could react, Vill‑V dashed away in a hurry.

“Yellow, Gold, Warm, She feels just like Aponia-mama,” Griseo spoke up from beside Kosma, who was intently looking at the screen, her eyes lingering on Aglaea.

“I’ve never seen them before… but their colours… feel happy,” she added quietly, taking in the rest of the Chrysos Heirs.

(“So cool!”) Kosma’s eyes were sparkling looking at the screen showing the Chrysos Heirs, looking at them in sheer admiration.

He was especially drawn to the concert performer on screen, with golden dragon horns, sparking his curiosity despite Kosma’s normally reserved nature.

Aponia, coming from the connected kitchen, heard Griseo’s praise and liking of her to the Golden woman on the screen. She walked over to the two, and patted Griseo’s head while smoothing down any stray hair (Griseo definitely leaned closer for more pats), “Thank you, Griseo.”

“…It seems the theory I once shared with you was right,” MEI whispered, chuckling softly to Kevin. “As vast as the universe is, there truly seems to be someone who resembles you so closely. I wonder if he shares your love of ramen, Kevin.”

“Hm, maybe.” Kevin’s gaze remained steady, but his hand found MEI’s and wrapped around it. He hadn’t seen her in a while after all, working in different cities stretched time thin - but a reunion like this made even the simplest of days shimmer with pure happiness.

(I wonder if he also had to overwork like me…) Kevin thought to himself, a quiet chuckle escaping as he pondered. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed the soft, playful voice beside him.

“Oh~ Kevin, what are you thinking about?” Elysia’s words floated lightly, making him lift his gaze, subtly startled out of his reverie.

Kevin: “N-no, nothing really…”

He looked away briefly, though his curiosity quietly got the better of him. His eyes drifted back to the screen, wondering if among the crowd, there might be someone who looked like MEI.

“They…are so similar to us…, ” whispered Hua, wonder and disbelief mingling in her voice.

“Hmm, I wonder if they’d be willing lab rats~?” Mobius looked on with bored interest.

“Give it a rest will you, Mobius?” Su chided.

“You’re one to talk, Su! You have a similar looking one! Though.. He’s a little more unhinged than you are, isn’t he???” Peeking out the corner from her previous escape attempt, Vill-V teased Su about his look-alike.

“Hmm, well, that’s how bubble universes are. There may be familiarity between similar people, however they are still different in the end for no two people are the same. Just like the ones we’re watching right now.” Su chuckled a little, not bothered by Vill-V’s teasing at all.

“Kevin, do you still remember?” MEI nodded at Su’s explanation as she smiled and continued. The longer she watched, the more fascinated she became - eager to share that joy. “That I once told you that there was a night that I walked to the windows, and gazed upon the stars…”

“The strange feeling I had…about it felt like I wasn’t looking at the stars, it was another way round?”

Kevin’s expression softened, a faint glint of memory flickering behind his calm gaze.

“Yeah, hmm. Now that you mentioned it…” Kevin replied, “You told me that the stars are looking down at us, and everything felt so small… and insignificant. Do you think that somehow, they’re looking at us too?”

“I once calculated the probability of such a circumstance happening.” MEI said, her eyes lighting up, “It turned out that I need to write thirty to thirty-five zeros after the decimal point. To analogize it rather strangely-”

“-it’s like someone defied thermodynamics and boiled the coffee with ice cubes.” MEI finished her explanation with a spark of excitement in her voice. The question lingered in the air as Elysia and the crowd listened, leaving everyone in a brief moment of quiet contemplation.

“Wow, what a… rare spectacle in the universe ♪” she murmured, her tone full of gentle anticipation.

[image]

[Illustration: shinchora ]; [Story: @_Minsan, Waxerie,@世界蛇神秘粉毛 ]

The quiet contemplation slowly settled, the crowd still murmuring softly, Kalpas came in and noticed the cup ramen on the table and pointed at the cup ramen with furrowed brows, slightly confused on how it got there, “Oi, who’s cup ramen is this? I just cleaned and I swear-”

“Calm Kalpas, We know you just cleaned and we all have been watching this bubble universe during that time. I don’t think anyone would just bring it without reason. Hm.. Kevin?” Sakura glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

Kevin shook his head. “Not me… not this time at least.” He spared a glance towards the cup ramen, and saw an unfamiliar figure on the packaging. “What’s that creature on the packaging? Is it from a cartoon?”

[image]

Hua tilted her head, squinting at it. “Pardo… is that you?”

“No way,” came the muffled reply. “Besides, I wouldn’t dare do it with big boss Kevin around - I’ve been busy feeding Can all afternoon and haven’t even had my naps yet~”

Yet, no one could explain it. The cup remained there, mysterious and untouched, the creature on its packaging unfamiliar to all. Nobody knew where it had come from… or why it was here.

Elysia: “Ah, time can be such a bothersome thing… If it weren’t so pressing, I would linger a little longer, just to take in a few more glimpses ♪”

“She fell from the sky that day. The people on the ground looked up and thus saw the starry night sky.”

“The moon and the stars sent God’s daughter, and she was willing to be humans’ companion.”

Somewhere, beyond the boundary of the bubble universe, The Grand Chrysos Theme Park continued to sparkle. Fireworks painted the finale of their adventures in the most wondrous of colors.

The Ferris wheel turned slowly beneath the starry sky, as if the story could continue on and on… whispering of countless adventures yet to come, echoing across the vast, infinite pages of eternity.

“And now, it’s time to return.”

[image]

“From now on, the stars will shine, for I have been here before. ”

“From now on, the flowers will bloom, for I have never left.”

[image]

[Scene Illustration (HI3rd): shinchora ]

[Story: @_Minsan, Waxerie,@世界蛇神秘粉毛 (FurEly) ]

Food Illustration: @euryevans132

Event Translations: @_Minsan (EN/CN), _lunatic (RU), sorastars (JP), 연호 (KR)

Translation: 中文, 日本語, 한국어, Русский - Google Document