"There are still so many flowers... Sister, this purple one is for you—" The child's innocent voice seemed to drift across time and space, floating from afar. Aventurine was following that faint, elusive sound, groping his way through the labyrinthine, intricate passages.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a wall suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path. "A dead end... Did I go the wrong way?" Aventurine muttered to himself, a hint of disappointment crossing his face. Just as he was about to turn back to seek another route, something on the ground caught the corner of his eye.

He looked closer, unable to suppress his shock: "Are these... shackles?" The shackles lay silently on the ground, worn and dilapidated, covered in rust—clearly the product of years of erosion.

As Aventurine was about to bend down to pick up the shackles, his movements suddenly became extremely slow and cautious, as if this simple action required an enormous expenditure of energy. Finally, he gently picked up the shackles, cradling them in his palms, bringing them close to his eyes for careful examination.

"Remember anything?" That familiar yet strange phantom voice sounded again by his ear, tinged with mockery and derision. Aventurine gritted his teeth, suppressing the fear in his heart as he responded: "It's none of your business."

"Is it really none of my business?" The phantom let out a cold laugh, continuing, "Need a hint? These are shackles, the ones that were on you. The first job that man gave you, your first bucket of gold... I remember it crystal clear."

Hearing this, Aventurine's face grew increasingly gloomy, but he still clutched the shackles tightly, saying nothing. Seeing this, the phantom's lips curved slightly upward as it went on: "You wrapped this iron chain around your fist, the only tool you could find. Then, in that maze, you..."

"Shut up," Aventurine said weakly.

"Oh... you don't want to face that past?" The phantom didn't back down at all, instead further provoking: "Don't want to admit your life was only worth sixty Taam-ba?"

"In my opinion, neither is the correct answer... You refuse to face it only because it proves your weakness."

"How could a weak person take such risks?" Aventurine retorted.

"Not bad, you do like to take risks... yet you stubbornly refuse to let go of certain superfluous things. Even in this beautiful dream, you only dare to try death on yourself."

"Those attendants could have been wild cards in your hand, serving a greater purpose. The family has plenty of stains, it would only take some small sacrifices... If it were Opal, this would have been resolved long ago."

[Company Employee A: Thank you, Mr. Aventurine!]

[Company Employee B: I wish I could transfer to Mr. Aventurine's staff too.]

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The phantom shrugged, seeming quite disappointed: "Unfortunately, you're not like him. If you had done it, you wouldn't have fallen to this state... Why didn't you do it? Surely it wasn't because of some professional ethics?"

"Those techniques you mentioned are very efficient, but it's not that I don't know how to use them, I just don't deign to, understand?" Aventurine replied. "If the game isn't fair, what fun is there to be had?"

"Fair... hah, as if your opponents were ever fair to you. The situation is clearly unfavorable to you, so how can you still be so at ease? What exactly did that masked fool's words awaken in you?" the phantom mocked.

[Asta: Just like he said, he's never changed. At his core, he's still a kind person.]

[Pom-Pom: Only harsh on himself, but cares for others, he's a good person, pom!]

[Kafka: Fate has never been fair.]

Aventurine calmly answered: "She gave me an answer capable of overturning everything."

"Heh, overturning everything, you mean," the phantom laughed, "making everything on the card table disappear?"

Aventurine sighed, "That would be cheating."

The phantom disappeared once again, and Aventurine walked towards other directions of the maze.

"If we bring these leaves back—will they bloom into new little flowers—" The child's innocent voice came from afar, coinciding with the familiar bewildering sound ringing out again.

"Your... future... will never exist..."

"Your... will never... exist..."

"Your... future... nev... ist..."

"..."

The hypnotic, confusing sound once again filled Aventurine's ears, causing his steps to become unsteady. The text appearing before his eyes gradually increased.

(If there were water we would stop to drink)

(Among the rock one cannot stop or think)

Aventurine was trudging step by step through the maze-like, complex paths when suddenly, his gaze was once again drawn to something on the ground—a golden amulet shimmering with dazzling light. This amulet was intricately carved with exquisite petal patterns, its craftsmanship so superb it was breathtaking.

However, when Aventurine saw this amulet, his expression suddenly changed, revealing a complex emotion that was difficult to describe.

"Your expression right now is truly hard to describe. This pure gold amulet your mother left you, why have you never considered selling it?" The phantom appeared again, its voice ringing in Aventurine's ears like the devil:

"If you had, you and your sister could have lived like normal people for a while. Looking back, that would have been the better choice."

Aventurine's lips twitched, his voice somewhat low as he said:

"Mother only left us two pieces of jewelry: a necklace and an amulet. There won't be a third."

The phantom's lips curved slightly upward, letting out a contemptuous laugh, then said in a gentle tone: "That's what you've always said—but you actually regret it, don't you? Not selling them?"

[Tingyun: Earlier it was said that the phantom represents Aventurine himself, so does that mean he also regrets not selling them?]

[Firefly: An ornament that carries memories is certainly precious, but people always need to face reality. At least with that money, he could have lived a more normal life for a while.]

[Himeko: I think it's more like he's contemplating, but there's no answer to this kind of thing. As long as one can face oneself without regret, that's enough.]

"Hah... I get it. You must remember what your sister said at the time: you are a child blessed by the Mother Goddess, you can lead the clan to happiness. So always remember to protect yourself, and never resent pain and poverty."

"The words are still ringing in your ears, right? You're a good child, you'd never forget."

"So you must also not forget how miserable she was in her last moments of life, and how the piercing laughter behind you stabbed at your heart... You just ran away without looking back, doing as she said."

Each word he uttered was like a razor-sharp dagger piercing straight into the heart, causing Aventurine's already paper-white face to become even more bloodless.