Jill Young walked over to Dream Monroe, frowning. "If this is fate, then the heavens sure have a mischievous streak. But if it's a conspiracy... that's even more terrifying. I've thought it all through, but I can't find any traces of human meddling. I can't even imagine how anyone could pull off such a scheme, how everything could unfold so smoothly and naturally. So if there really is a conspiracy behind all this, then..."
Dream Monroe couldn't help but mock, "What, are you scared?"
"Scared?" Jill raised an eyebrow. Then, to Dream's surprise, this usually fearless girl actually scratched her head in frustration and admitted, "Maybe. This feeling... maybe I really am scared."
Dream Monroe was taken aback. "I thought you weren't afraid of anything."
"I really wasn't afraid of anything before, but..." Jill's mind flashed back to the time when Joan was poisoned, trying to stay strong but actually so weak. If they hadn't miraculously found a way to save her, maybe they'd have lost Joan forever. That incident affected Jill far more than anyone realized.
"Once you've come close to losing someone, you learn what it means to be afraid. It's not myself I'm worried about—it's losing them." The night breeze blew, and Jill brushed her platinum hair aside. She glanced back at the base, where her family and friends were. Then she turned to Dream, gazing at her seriously. "I'm scared of losing you, too."
Dream Monroe shivered and turned away. After a long pause, she tried to comfort Jill, sounding a bit gloomy: "What could you, Miss Fearless, be scared of? You're probably just anxious, that's all."
"I don't want to be! At first, it was nothing—sometimes it even felt like a game. But ever since Aunt Joan's memories started coming back, and especially now, with the timing so perfectly matching the Black Death Emperor's arrival, that feeling just keeps getting stronger. It's like there's some huge, indescribable threat lurking behind all these coincidences. So, is there anything about this you can tell me?" Jill grabbed Dream's shoulders, turning her to face her, pleading, "This is really important to me. If you know something, please, you have to tell me!"
Dream dodged Jill's gaze, then looked up. She stared seriously into Jill's eyes, searching her own heart. After a long silence, Dream sighed, "You want to know why I have to break up with you, why I have to sever all ties with the mundane world?"
"Of course I do!" Jill slapped her palm. "I knew there was something up. I knew there had to be a reason!"
"All of this is for..." After a long pause, Dream Monroe lifted her head and firmly spoke two words: "Greater Good."
"Greater Good?" Jill Young frowned. "What kind of greater good? In what way?"
"I know it sounds vague, but trust me, I really am fighting for the greater good." Dream Monroe made up her mind, speaking solemnly. "You might know, or maybe you don't, but today I'll make it clear: The Axis of the World has twelve marks, like a clock face—six odd numbers, six even numbers. The six odds form the Global Observation Agency's Six-Star, and the six evens are the Fated Ones of this world."
"Six evens?" Jill Young had never heard of this before. "What kind of evens?"
"Evans like me!" Whoosh—starlight burst forth, radiant beams shooting out in all directions, unseen by ordinary people. In the dazzling light, the Celestial Palace Battle Robe reappeared, wings unfurling like clouds hanging from the sky. It was a sight fit for dreams. Divine light swirled around Dream Monroe, not just power, but every trait, every perfection, every trace of divinity she possessed bloomed at that moment.
Faintly, a figure of light formed behind Dream Monroe. Jill Young squinted, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't make out the details. Yet her instincts told her that the sleeping figure in the light wasn't anyone else—it was Maggie Monroe, the most familiar goofball she knew. In that instant, Dream and Maggie felt like two souls sharing one body, inseparable and intertwined.
"This is...!" Jill Young's eyes widened. That two-in-one feeling was so familiar, and the indescribable aura felt so close. Even though she'd never seen Maggie Monroe like this before, some deep voice in her soul kept telling her that this vibe was anything but unfamiliar.
Her eyes looked down from the clouds like a goddess surveying the world. Right now, Dream Monroe was so beautiful she didn't even seem human. Anyone not up to par couldn't see her true form—just a mass of light, just a sense of something sacred. Every word she spoke sounded like divine decree, every move felt like it could stir the river of fate, making people not dare, not want, not even willing to go against it.
The goddess in the light spoke, her voice layered with divine resonance, as if countless possible Dream Monroes were speaking at once: "I, Dream Monroe, am the Fated One of my own divine self!"
Jill Young was stunned, then solemn. Staring at Dream Monroe revealing her true essence, a unique energy began to rise and resonate; the golden cameo in Jill's right hand leapt out on its own, flying up and merging with her.
Boom! A golden bolt of lightning shot out from the void, striking Jill Young. The dazzling light was as brilliant as sunrise—the last time she'd seen it was when facing the Black Death Emperor. The golden aura kept transmitting silent messages, making Jill stand up straighter and more seriously than ever before.
No more joking around, no more playful flirting. Jill knew that when the person before her revealed this form, she was no longer her 'little sister-in-law' Dream Monroe, but the supremely noble Fated One of her divine self.
How could you not pay respects to a Fated One?
So Jill Young, solemn and powerful, announced her name to the one before her: "I am Jill Young, Queen of Eternal Night! My respects to the Fated One of the divine self."
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Dream Monroe gazed deeply at the golden light swirling around Jill Young and returned the salute with equal solemnity: "My respects, Queen of Eternal Night. As you can see, this is what it means to be an even number, this is the essence of a Fated One. I was born from Maggie Monroe's dreams—we're one and the same, two sides of the same coin. Maggie is my mortal self, and I am her divine self. My combat power isn't all that great—not even sure I could beat you. But as a Fated One, I have my own mission!"
The Fated One in the light declared with unwavering certainty: "I am the observer of fate!"
"Observer of fate?" Jill Young asked seriously. "What does fate look like to you? Is it connected to what's happening now?"
The goddess in the light shook her head. "Fate can't be described, especially not to those who can touch it. If I weren't using my powers to shield everything, if you and I weren't so deeply entwined, if you didn't have even a sliver of possibility, I wouldn't even show my true form or pay you respects. Even so, I still can't tell you much—not to the you of now."
Jill Young pressed further, "Then what can you tell me? What is your greater good, really?"
"My greater good lies in the future." The goddess in the light spoke with absolute certainty: "Beyond what the world knows, there's another battlefield. For that battle, many people are giving, enduring, sacrificing. The outcome of that fight will affect your family, your friends, everything you care about—including yourself—and even more people, countless people, everyone!"
"In this battle, even the tiniest change can send fate down a totally different path. Any little shift can change the destinies of millions. Any mistake means all that endurance, all those sacrifices, will be wasted—gone in an instant!"
"You're afraid of losing? That's good—because I'm afraid too. If you don't know fear, you can't know how to cherish. I was born from Maggie Monroe's dreams for a better future, so of course I understand what's precious, of course I know what's beautiful—but that also means I can't fail!"
"I can't fail. I absolutely won't allow it. If I do, endless tragedy will follow. Then you'll understand—the Shanghai incident was just a minor thing."
"In this desperate struggle, I have to win."
"To win, I have to withdraw from the mortal world. That's why I have to sever all earthly ties, why I can't get involved in anything I shouldn't, or tangled up in relationships. Call me heartless or cold, but today I'm telling you straight—"
"I got involved in the Jonathan matter to find an important factor. Once I find it, I'll pull out immediately—never getting tied up in this again."
"I'm not going to tell you what's really behind all this—not a single word. Whether you succeed or fail, live or die, I won't interfere, and I can't interfere."
"That's my purpose."
"That's my greater good!"
Those words shook the world.
In the next instant, the light snapped shut. Wings folded, battle robe vanished, and the Fated One of the divine self turned back into Dream Monroe, her familiar face reappearing. This time, Dream didn't dodge—she looked straight at Jill Young, her voice low but unwavering: "For the greater good, I'll say it again: We're breaking up."
Dream Monroe turned and walked away, heading toward the fortress, toward the final battle, without looking back.
Jill Young stood where she was, deep in thought, her expression serious.
Suddenly, Jill spoke up, her voice not at all dejected: "You just said you couldn't tell 'the me of now.' So, when will you be able to tell me?"
Jill turned around, looking at Dream Monroe's slender, determined back. "I don't know what kind of fate you see, I don't know what mission you bear, I don't know what pressure you're under, but I know you're walking a lonely road. Maybe 'the me of now' can't share that burden, and that's why you're so alone. But believe me, one day I'll be able to help you carry it."
Dream Monroe stopped in her tracks.
"One day, you'll be able to open your heart and tell me about the twists and turns of fate—just like you'd talk about the bumps at work."
"One day, you'll be able to set down your burdens and plan the future with me—just like we'd dream up blueprints for a new house."
"One day, I won't be 'the me of now.' I'll be a stronger me, stronger than the Black Death Emperor. I'll be a wiser me, wiser than Aunt Joan."
"That day isn't far off."
"So, let me answer you again, seriously: I don't accept your reason, and I do NOT agree to this breakup."
"Stubborn fool..." Dream Monroe replied coldly, then kept walking.