Aleph stared at the blank space in front of him. It was devoid of anything. It is similar to IX's influence, but not quite.
One other Aeon fitted the bill. Though, this answer made him scratch his head.
"Just how did you come here?"
The Aeon of Voracity, Ouroboros. Someone who was supposed to be outside Qlipoth's sealed amber walls happened to appear right in front of Aleph—rather, a part of its projection.
{Notice. The target subject lies beyond the physical universe. It is currently blocked by another force. Currently, it is able to project its existence through the help of another entity.}
Metatron, who had been silent for quite some time, spoke up.
After she became busy processing the Sanctum's endless knowledge, only in important times would she resurface. The rest of her time was spent analyzing endless knowledge.
"I should have expected this…Aha."
He has two options: to stay within the wall or to directly meet it outside the wall.
Just then, Aleph looked back to his prior position. He was already far away from the Xianzhou Fanghu. Yet, he was able to see what happened within.
"Remembrance. That makes it three."
He saw their influence descending right at their dojo. He wasn't that concerned, though.
"Elation wants to have fun. Voracity came to devour. Remembrance wants my memories. Then… What about the other two?"
His eyes narrowed at the sight of two other influences.
One of them was someone familiar to Aleph. Their influence permeated Xianzhou, be it the endless minerals, entire ecosystems, and the flora and fauna, at least half of it came from them—that, and Xianzhou's long lives.
The Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi.
They were someone Aleph anticipated for a long time. The million-strong army of Abundance was still with him, after all.
Finally, there was the unexpected visitor—Destruction.
"Five. I'm not as devious as Propagation…"
The last Aeon who warranted five Aeons ganging up on them was Tayzzyronth, the Aeon of Propagation. They were one of the worst Aeons to come, as their swarms (i.e., insects) devoured countless planets. Their sole purpose in life is to propagate, and to do so, they must take root and plunder their sustenance. It just so happened that planets and living beings fit the bill.
Thus, they became the common enemy of the cosmos. Propagation ended up being sealed inside the amber by Qlipoth.
{Notice. Remembrance's gaze has withdrawn.}
"Oh. Hua taught her a lesson."
His potential enemies went from five to four…
"Huh."
…or at least that's what he thought. Another gaze came up out of nowhere.
"Those online trolls want to meet me?"
Erudition makes sure that the universe is wrapped in certainty. Their gaze makes everything 'predictable', hence preserving the predetermined state of the universe.
However, someoneelse saw dead people.
The certified antithesis of Erudition; Nous' biggest "rival" of sorts.
The Aeon of Enigmata, Mythus.
Their purpose was extremely simple—to spread misinformation. Rewriting histological events, spreading fake information, blowing up rumors…
They did those things just to counter Nous' "certainty". If misinformation and lies were added into the mix, the future would surely become "unpredictable".
Then again, a huge change occurred: Aleph's existence.
Him alone sent the future into a spiral of unpredictability. He did nothing, yet he accomplished what Enigmata were trying to do.
At the very least, it warrants attention.
"Sigh… I'll do this one at a time, starting with this guy."
Bzzt-!
Hum-!
For the second time, Aleph stepped outside the physical universe.
*****
A few moments ago.
"No."
Hua sent a firm refusal to the Memokeeper.
"Are you sure?"
"No."
"Are you rea~lly sure?"
"No."
"Oh…"
The Memokeeper was at a loss of words. She doesn't know how to proceed next. It was her first time encountering someone who does not want their memories to be sold.
After all, the benefits she could offer were dazzling enough.
"In that case…"
Remembrance's gaze came down.
Forcefully, she tried to capture Hua's memories.
Crack-!
Visual indicators began to appear. The surrounding space cracked like a mirror. Each fragment showed blurry silhouettes. Some of them detailed battles that shook continents.
They all had one thing in common—a blurry silhouette accompanied every scene.
"...Huh—?!"
The Memokeeper blinked once. The only person she saw was Senti. The latter gave her a smug smile. She placed both her hands on her waist.
One would think she was proud of something.
"Behind you."
The moment she turned back, she saw all the blurry silhouettes merge into one single Hua.
Before the memokeeper knew it—
Bam-!
—she was knocked unconscious by a roundhouse kick.
It did not end there.
The memories within the mirror shards began to get replaced.
It was no longer Hua's, but the Memokeeper's!
"What…"
"There are times you can't be willful. A peaceful exchange is far better in this regard."
Hua went straight to her Active Honkai Reaction state. Bright crimson flames enveloped her. Traces of Garuda's physical appearance were reflected on her physical body.
Most importantly…
Screech-!
The vision of the eagle-like Garuda appeared amongst the flames. It was none other than the spirit Aleph gave into her.
Aside from its original abilities, it served as a connection between her and Aleph, effectively turning Hua into an Emanator.
These two factors are the reason behind the Memokeeper's beat-down.
"Memories… There is a reason why Aleph called your bunch apathetic. Treating others' struggles as a form of entertainment…"
Senti spoke grumpily. Her newfound hatred towards the Memokeeper who wanted to steal her memories was justified.
Who wouldn't get angry having their most precious moments treated lightly?
Click-!
Hua picked off one of the mirror shards. It reflected one of the girl's memories.
It was a normal encounter with her 'friend'. Their conversation was nothing too serious either.
By the time Hua finished watching the memory, she saw the 'title' given to it.
'Forgotten in Ice.'
She sighed before putting the memory back to its former place.
"It does not bid well to be disconnected with the world." Hua stated. "You may have forgotten… or chose to forget about it."
"..."
The Memokeeper did not respond.
Not long after, her collapsed body disappeared into dusts of ice.