Fugue

The former chief representative of the Whistling Flames merchant guild in the Sky-Faring Commission who nearly lost her life in a strange and catastrophic incident on her return journey.
Her face, name, and identity were stolen by the one who orchestrated it all. Yet, by a twist of fate, a sliver of hope remained, and from the aftermath of the Destruction, she reclaimed her life.
Now, she goes by the name "Fugue." Whether it be the bitterness of never returning home or the allure of wandering through the starry seas that drives her, one thing is certain — she has risen once more and set out on her path anew.

The jade bracelet that once shielded her lay shattered, the blessing bell had tumbled into the mud, and the vibrantly adorned folding fan had crumbled to ashes.
She could only watch as the ghostly fire of darkness consumed everything she had ever possessed
— reducing all of it to flame and ruin.

For a moment, she only felt regret that she remained just one step behind life.
"I just sealed a major deal with that traveling merchant... such a wasted opportunity..."
"All that effort for this well-maintained tail, now reduced to nothing..."
"Even my promise to bring gifts to everyone... will now be unfulfilled..."
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but her body remained still, motionless, as tears quietly gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Memories flickered and dimmed like a dying candlelight.
"How much I wish to see Madam Yukong soaring into the sky with the bow I bought for her... It's what she longed for most..."
"Yanming... From now on, the Xianzhou Merchant Guild will have to depend on him..."
"I finally found Mengming's tea seed... she'll be overjoyed..."
"And Yancui... It's time to get a new knife for her..."
A teardrop slid down her cheek, evaporating before it ever touched the ground.

Her vision was gradually engulfed by darkness, and she could no longer make out the path of the Xianzhou ship.
"I had hoped to journey deeper into the skies, but in the end, I don't even know who my enemy is... How could I be at peace with that...?"

Across the universe, oceans of lives fade away with every passing minute and every fleeting second.
Before the presence of the immense power wielded by the Pathstriders, mortals are but specks of dust, carried aimlessly by the wind and waves.

"However, because of that, this is a 'choice' for her, and a risky opportunity for the rest of us..."
— This is a conversation that took place much later between a traveling merchant and a genius.

The young girl's fragile consciousness drifts through the darkness.
Ahead lies an endless night, while behind her, the path home feels just within reach.

She steps back into familiar ground, where bustling lanterns glow and the voices of old friends call to her from afar, urging her to return to her trade as a merchant. Before her, black mist creeps in, turning the once lively market instantly into rotting wood and dead ash.
She steps back again, and the deck of the starskiff appears beneath her feet. She longs to ride the wind upward, but a strange astral body looms in the sky, and the people she once knew become monsters, raising swords against one another.
She wishes to be as articulate as before, but now, facing monstrous forms before her, not a single sound escapes her lips.

"I'll just have to move forward," she whispers to herself.
"But how?" She asks herself.
"Raise your hand." A cold voice echoes from afar.
She lowers her gaze, eyes tracing the scar that pierces her palm. The fan still rests in her hand, though she remembers it turning ashen white in the fire. Yet here it is — whole again in her hand.

The black mist surges toward her once more.
"Go forward."
She lifts her hand, and the wound that pierces her palm begins to glow. The light cut through the darkness but also illuminates herself.
"Go forward."
She raises the fan — Once a source of leisurely comfort, the fan now threatens to burst forth with flames.

The black mist stretches endlessly, but the more she moves forward, the more the light intensifies.
"Go forward."
That cold voice is growing clearer.
"Don't look back."
She runs ahead.
"I haven't seen enough of the countless worlds in the starry seas..."
Behind her, five fluffy tails completely unfurl, igniting into fiery flames that cast light into the long night that ensnares her.

The laboratory.
The young girl's fingertips tremble slightly as a crystal-clear teardrop slips down the corner of her eye.
The aloof scientist peers into the cabin, and her expression shifts at long last.
"Congratulations on 'choosing' the world on this side."

"Awakening is only the first step.
The scars of Destruction still affect you, and you must learn to familiarize yourself with this new body swiftly to harness its power."
Day after day, she follows the scientist's instructions, pairing her dance with the strange pastries. She begins to heal at a pace visible to the naked eye. Yet, with each passing day, her doubt grows stronger.

She waits anxiously for news from the Xianzhou. After what feels like an eternity, Ruan Mei delivers the grim confirmation about the Stellaron calamity —
The Emanator known as Phantylia had infiltrated the Xianzhou with her guise, unleashing calamity and poisoning the living.

"Fortunately, the Astral Express and the Xianzhou joined forces and defeated Phantylia before any serious repercussions."
She listens to "her" story in a daze, feeling as if it were absurd and unreal.
"So she not only took my life but also a part of my time... I should never return to the Luofu with this face and encounter the Chromatic Echelon..."
"Phantylia's 'Destruction' of you has never ceased. Although you have temporarily overcome the power of Destruction in your body, her torment of your will has only just begun."
There is a subtle sigh hidden within that icy voice.
"I don't understand — why me?"
"It's simply a roll of fate's dice, and it landed on you."
"...So now my fate is entwined with theirs."
"I was entrusted only to save you. What happens after you return to the Luofu is entirely up to you."
"But in any case, I'm already a pawn in the game of these powerful players, aren't I?"
"Undeniably so."

She remains silent for a long time, lost in thought.
"Business is a two-way traffic, but since I am no longer the same as before, do I still have a choice?"
Ruan Mei meets the young girl's gaze and shakes her head.
"I don't know. That is your 'choice,' and only 'you' can make it."

Penacony remains vibrant after the storm.
That gilded metropolis, a paradise of luxurious and indulgent commerce, is a destination she had always longed to explore.

"You're a Dreamchaser too, aren't you? I don't see many people dressed like you."
An outlander in hunter's garb approaches her before she realizes it.
"Of course, I too am one. Don't let my appearance fool you. One day, I'm going to buy Clock Studios! What about you?"
"In that case, you can also consider me as some sort of a Dreamchaser..."
"I've always imagined roaming the starry seas, traveling to different worlds, and establishing trade everywhere. Unfortunately..."
She falls silent and the outlander nods thoughtfully, raising the SoulGlad in her honor. After gulping down the can of SoulGlad, he turns to leave.

The road home is already long, yet she chooses to pause here.
The future holds many paths, and her longing is about more than simply returning home.

"Care for some SoulGlad, my lady?"
She turns her head toward a vendor pushing a cart.
"... Judging by your attire, you must be from the Xianzhou Luofu. I traveled there with my boss many years ago, and I still remember the massive ship and vibrant atmosphere."
"When we visited the Whistling Flames merchant guild, the messenger who received us, Miss Tingyun, looked rather like you. I wonder if you know her..."
"Ma'am, ma'am, are you listening?"

She gazes at Penacony's starry sky. People are coming and going in the distance yet unseen by her.
"Apologies, I was just contemplating a "major deal" that could leverage a small advantage to move giants — a venture with immense returns, but fraught with perils...."
"Are you hesitating?"
She smiles.
"Yes, I have hesitated... but I've finally made up my mind."
"If I can dazzle those powerful figures upon my entrance, then that would count as having journeyed to the farthest reaches of the sky."