Chapter 104
His breath flowed slowly, and although the compliment had already been spoken within his mind, he realized that what was implied was far more important than the words that were heard, that this moment was one of the few chances to understand someone full of paradoxes and secrets.
He noticed that the pulsar just now was impressive as well, that the way it explained its rotation was insane, incredibly detailed.
He agreed, admitting that he liked it too, but confessed that the speaker's companion had been stunning, like a falling star passing before his eyes.
He laughed, admitting that his focus had been split in two.
Aldraya gave permission as Theo stepped away for a moment.
He wished to ask the staff about the exhibition room, reminding her not to go too far.
She told him not to take long.
The thudding footsteps echoed.
He asked where the Astronomical Artifact Exhibition Room was located.
The staff answered that it was straight ahead and then to the right at the second corridor, the largest door at the end.
He thanked them.
The thudding footsteps echoed again.
He called for Aldraya to follow.
He received no answer.
He called her name once more.
After the presentation session ended, the crowd of visitors began to spread into various areas within the observatory, exploring the available rooms and installations.
Theo intended to bring Aldraya to the Astronomical Artifact Exhibition Room, a zone dedicated to displaying meteorites, fragments of space rock, star system models, and the long history of astronomy.
He walked quickly yet carefully, asking for directions from the staff to ensure he went the right way, all while imagining how Aldraya would react to the artifacts she had only known through literature and distant observation.
But when Theo turned back to where Aldraya had been standing, his movement halted for a moment.
Theo's eyes narrowed, his brow tightening with sudden curiosity, for she did not move at all.
Aldraya's body was silent, as if holding her breath, her entire life force suspended within an enchanting stillness.
Her gaze was fixed on a painting on the wall, a painting that might look ordinary to others, yet for Aldraya evoked a clear effect from her unwavering concentration.
Theo could only stand in silence, observing every subtle detail that might appear, or simply waiting for the moment when the girl would move again.
He asked whether she was bored looking around, offering to move to another place if she wished.
She did not answer.
He wondered what exactly she was looking at.
A faint breath escaped.
He noticed two nebulae, two colors, and realized her reason for stopping, thinking there was no harm in trying to interpret it.
He questioned what she would accept within herself and what she would discard if the white nebula symbolized faith, devotion, and betrayal, and if the black nebula was the opposition of all those things, and she stood trapped in the middle.
He imagined what she would choose if her life would soon end, if only the Ramsh core could stabilize her pulse, and noted that choosing the black nebula would allow her to survive but at the cost of opposing her own beliefs.
He breathed again in contemplation.
He asked one more time which nebula she would choose.
She remained silent.
A soft strain of tension followed.
He counted the seconds, nearing one minute.
She finally spoke, declaring she would choose neither, that she would destroy both nebulae if forced to choose.
He felt the fire of a warrior return within her, the fire that once made her dare to betray Him, welcoming the old version of herself back again.
The painting itself did not highlight beauty in the conventional sense, yet it could not be called unpleasant either.
Every stroke and color gradient seemed intended to capture the chaos unfolding beyond, depicting a wild and disordered universe.
From the space-camera reference used, the two nebulae appeared to collide, white on the left and black on the right, merging in a sharp yet unintentionally harmonious contrast.
Its form was neither straight nor neat, instead undulating as though the movement of the universe itself was captured at a moment of its wild dynamics.
The camera angle added a dramatic effect, making the two nebulae appear like two masses of plasma colliding at the painting's center.
The energy of the impact felt recorded within the brushstrokes, creating a sense of movement and tension pulsing between black and white.
To an ordinary viewer, it might seem like a complex yet abstract painting.
But for Aldraya, with her gaze unblinking, there was a resonance far deeper, a fascination with the patterns and chaos hidden behind its visuals.
Every curve and line on the painting seemed united in chaotic yet meaningful expression, as though the nebula beyond conveyed something difficult to articulate through words.
Its colors and shapes created different experiences for anyone who observed it closely.
Aldraya remained silent, her eyes locked on the collision of plasma.
Theo waited near her, his posture firm yet relaxed, his eyes watching her movements carefully.
Time felt slow as Aldraya stayed silent, holding her breath and giving not even the slightest sign.
The room was filled with portraits captured by space cameras, nebulae and other cosmic objects displayed with scientific accuracy, yet Aldraya's attention stayed fixed on the single painting depicting the colliding nebulae.
Theo exhaled softly and, unsure whether she would respond, began forming complex mental questions, mapping possible scenarios she might be processing.
He wondered again which side she would take if white represented faith, devotion, and betrayal while black represented their opposition, and she stood between them.
He thought of how her life could soon end, how only the Ramsh core could stabilize her pulse, and how choosing the black nebula would let her survive while opposing her own beliefs.
Aldraya continued her silence, her eyes anchored to the plasma collision, her body frozen like a precisely sculpted statue.
Seconds passed, ten, twenty, then forty, and Theo held his breath with patient restraint.
He sensed the energy flowing between Aldraya and the nebulae, a tension born not from words but from deep understanding of choices and consequences.
Every unseen breath and hidden movement spoke of inner strength, a character shaped by a past filled with conflict.
Finally, Aldraya opened her mouth, her words slow yet firm.
She declared she would choose neither option, refusing to bow to any dogma forcing her to take a side, and if possible, she would destroy both nebulae before being forced to choose.
In Theo's view, every word she spoke resonated with the same spirit of the warrior who once betrayed the Almighty, when her principles and convictions defied every limit and doctrine.
That figure, though now standing in a world shaped by faith, devotion, and betrayal, still carried the same rebellious fire, a force that made her one of the most complex and unpredictable individuals.
Aldraya affirmed the warrior within her, refusing to submit to anyone's choices.
He found it surprising that the cold and expressionless girl could be so poetic when her life's choices were nearly taken by force.
He added that the absurd question about nebulae was certainly not the idea of a samurai whose mind was filled only with women and money.
The response given was one of understanding.
To be continued…