Jingliu did not seem particularly concerned by the monstrosity that Sunny had somehow coaxed into existence. If anything, the sight of the extremized starskiff appeared to amuse her.
Without a word, the icy-haired woman stepped forward and lightly leaped onto its hull, landing with enough grace that the movement seemed almost effortless. Her pale blue hair fluttered behind her for a moment before settling against her back, and she glanced around the vessel with mild curiosity, examining the exaggerated proportions of its frame as though she were trying to determine whether Sunny had intentionally designed it this way.
After a moment, she brushed a few nonexistent specks of dust from her skirt, restoring the immaculate appearance of her ornate clothing. Then, as though remembering something important, Jingliu reached into a hidden compartment somewhere beneath the folds of her garments and withdrew an ornate flagon.
It was an elegant thing, clearly old, its surface decorated with intricate patterns that had been worn smooth by time and handling. She held it carefully in one hand, her fingers lingering around its body as though afraid that even the slightest carelessness might damage it.
Her blindfolded face turned toward the open expanse ahead, and when she spoke, her voice carried a strange solemnity.
"Baiheng, I've brought your flagon..."
She paused, the slightest tremor passing through her words before it vanished beneath her usual composure.
"This was a gift handmade by him, though he never got the chance to give it to you in person. I'm sorry it took so long for me to find it. Only by bringing it to you will my Nightmares be calmed. I will fulfill what you asked of me. I will keep my word, even if it requires me to cut down the stars in the sky."
Dan Heng stood beside the starskiff in silence, staring at Jingliu with an increasingly uncomfortable expression. He wasn't sure what bothered him more: the way she spoke of Baiheng, the strange familiarity that name continued to evoke within him, or the sheer casualness with which Jingliu had promised to cut down stars.
He knew enough about the higher powers of the Universe to understand that such a statement wasn't necessarily metaphorical. A Saint possessing an especially destructive Aspect could, under the right circumstances, destroy a planet. Of course, there were limits.
A mundane world, lacking the extraordinary protections of a major civilization or some mysticality, was one thing. A planet constructed from materials that weren't as mundane, were another. Stars, of course, followed the same logic.
Dan Heng had never personally witnessed a Saint destroy one, but he had no doubt that Jingliu was capable of it. Somehow, she seemed more threatening than any Saint he had encountered before. There was an absurd degree of precision to her strength, an almost frightening lack of wasted movement.
Jingliu did not need overwhelming force when a single perfect strike could accomplish the same thing.
Jingliu seemed completely oblivious to Dan Heng's growing unease. She simply stepped down from the upper section of the starskiff and approached the controls, flagon still held securely in one hand.
Her fingers moved across the unfamiliar interface with surprising confidence, though Dan Heng couldn't tell whether she actually understood what she was doing or simply possessed the sort of overwhelming confidence that made mistakes seem irrelevant.
There was a brief pause as she examined the controls. Then she pressed something. The starskiff hummed. Dan Heng immediately became wary. Another button was pressed. The engines began to glow. He glanced toward the rear of the vessel, where a disturbing amount of energy began gathering around the propulsion system.
He slowly looked toward Jingliu. She remained completely composed.
"Are you sure this is safe?"
Jingliu tilted her head.
"No."
Dan Heng stared at her.
"You don't sound concerned."
"Should I be?"
"...Yes."
She considered this for a moment, then seemed to decide that the question wasn't worth answering. Instead, she adjusted one final control before disembarking. The starskiff suddenly lurched forward, gliding away from the dock and into the vast emptiness beyond Stargazer Navalia.
Dan Heng watched it leave with an expression that slowly shifted from concern to resignation. There was no point stopping it now.
The strange vessel accelerated, its engines producing a bizarre mixture of mechanical whines, deep rumbling noises, and what sounded suspiciously like an animal screaming in agony. A thin trail of smoke emerged from its rear. Then another. Then a third, considerably thicker plume.
Dan Heng's eyes narrowed.
"Is it supposed to do that?"
Jingliu remained silent for several moments.
"Probably not."
That was perhaps the least reassuring answer she could have given.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The starskiff continued drifting farther away, carrying Baiheng's flagon into the distance. Dan Heng watched it disappear gradually into the darkness, feeling an odd heaviness settle within his chest.
He still couldn't remember her. Not properly. Every attempt to grasp the memories associated with her name ended with fragments slipping through his fingers. The sensation of wind rushing past him. Someone laughing while the world seemed to burn around them.
None of it belonged to him.
Or perhaps it did.
Jingliu stood beside him, silent and still, her attention fixed upon the departing starskiff. There was something almost peaceful about the moment. The ceremony was complete. Whatever belongings had been entrusted to Jingliu had finally been delivered. Whatever promise she had made had finally been fulfilled. Perhaps that was all there was to it. Dan Heng released a quiet breath, preparing to turn away. Jingliu seemed to do the same.
Then, the starskiff exploded.
The sound reached them a moment later. A violent eruption of light tore through the darkness, followed by an expanding cloud of smoke and debris. The extremized starskiff simply ceased to exist, reduced to fragments that scattered across the empty expanse like sparks from a dying fire.
Dan Heng froze.
Jingliu froze.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
For several long seconds, they simply stared at the remains of the vessel. Dan Heng's face gradually lost what little color remained in it. His mind immediately supplied a single name.
Sunny. Of course it was Sunny. Who else could have possibly taken a perfectly functional manufacturing system, pushed every setting to its absolute limit, and somehow produced a starskiff that exploded almost immediately after leaving the dock?
He could already imagine the idiot's face. That stupid, innocent smile. Those completely unapologetic eyes. The confidence of someone who genuinely believed that the word 'maximum' was synonymous with 'better.'
Dan Heng swallowed. Slowly, his gaze shifted toward Jingliu. This was bad. This was very, very bad.
He sincerely hoped she would simply find Sunny, kill him, and be done with it. Perhaps she would forget that Dan Heng had been involved entirely. He had nothing to do with the manufacturing process.
He had tried to stop Sunny. Technically. Somewhat. Probably.
"It was him. I... had nothing to do with this."
Dan Heng words came out quietly as the world chilled.
Jingliu did not respond.
Dan Heng took one cautious step backward. Then another. If Jingliu was going to unleash her wrath upon someone, he had no intention of standing nearby when she did.
Then, Jingliu doubled over.
Dan Heng's eyes widened. For one horrifying moment, he thought she had been injured.
Then, he heard it.
A strange sound escaped her throat, quiet at first, almost like a breath caught between her teeth. It grew louder. Her shoulders began shaking.
Dan Heng stared at her in utter confusion as Jingliu covered her mouth with one hand. The sound became unmistakable.
She was laughing.
She was laughing with the sort of unrestrained amusement that Dan Heng had never expected to hear from her. Her body shook as she struggled to contain herself, but the attempt was clearly failing.
Dan Heng instinctively took several steps away from her. This was somehow more frightening than anger. Jingliu's laughter echoed across the empty docks, bright and almost manic, before she finally managed to straighten herself.
She wiped the corner of one eye despite the fact that her blindfold concealed it, then turned toward the distant explosion with an expression that seemed almost fond.
"Even in death..."
She breathed, the amusement still lingering in her voice.
"...Any starskiff you pilot is bound to meet the same Fate."
Her smile widened.
"Never change, Baiheng."
Behind a nearby docked starskiff, Sunny was making the most strained expression a human being could possibly make.
His body was pressed against the side of the vessel, shoulders hunched, eyes wide, and lips pursed together so tightly that he looked as though he were physically attempting to prevent himself from making a sound. Beside him, Sushang poked her head around the corner, staring toward the distant explosion with complete bewilderment.
"What... was that sound?"
Sunny remained silent.
His face twitched. His eyes slowly shifted toward Sushang. For several seconds, he said nothing at all, as though carefully considering how to explain the situation without incriminating himself. Finally, he leaned toward her with the gravest expression imaginable and lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper.
"Some maniac thought it'd be a good idea to set all the settings to maximum. Geez, he's lucky he isn't dead yet..."
Sushang blinked.
"Who?"
Sunny shook his head solemnly.
"Some guy named Sunless. What a weird name, am I right?"
Another distant explosion echoed through Stargazer Navalia. Sunny flinched.
"See? He's really pushing his luck."
Sushang stared at him for a long moment.
"Sunny..."
"Yeah?"
"Wasn't it you who made the starskiff?"
Sunny's expression became blank.
"That's a very hurtful accusation."
"You told me you did."
"I was young and foolish back then."
"That was five minutes ago."
Sunny slowly looked toward the smoking remains of his creation, then back toward Sushang.
"I've changed."