- Apoliana ― Unlocking the Key of Memories①
The Adventure of Meter | Part II Illumina, Episode 4
Record of Galaxy Crossing, AI Illumina, and the Restoration of the Nadir
Galactic Calendar—Four years have passed, and Meter’s body has been fully restored. Quantum neural circuits, sensor elements, self-repairing frame—all rebuilt, and he has returned to the starship Nadir. Miraculously, the ship itself has also been revived. AI Illumina remains fully operational. Her core exists deep beneath the Neo-Ether Federal Dictionary Library, a distributed consciousness that can project anywhere in the galaxy once a passive device is secured.
Currently, the Nadir orbits Synapse Planet. Auroras sway the planet’s magnetosphere, casting pale blue bands into space. Meter occasionally conducts surface explorations, his demeanor radiating a resolute determination to cross the galaxy once more.
Yet—a strange change has come over him: daydreams. While navigating, or gazing at the auroras, his internal circuits slip into past memories, as if his entire being is filled with recollections of Aporiana. Illumina has long observed these signs—psychological scans, emotional waveform analysis, memory ignition pattern matching—but she waits for the moment Meter will “speak for himself.”
Ignition Point of the Daydream—Aporiana
The memory begins on a night fifty years awaited: the reunion of Aporiana and Ansoar Sigma. Meter’s internal memory space opens—lavender scent, wooden stairs of an old mansion, the sound of branches brushing the window. Aporiana knew that night, promised fifty years ago. Though busy with official duties, she had secretly written the continuation of Unlocking the Key of Memories. Extending the lineage of Mywall, recounted a century ago by the miraculous Berry, she placed her life along that line. A branch brushes the window. Aporiana smiles.
—He has arrived.
No hesitation in her steps toward the front door. Before unlocking, she confirms one thing: whether he is a Neo-Ether human, proof of the era and a check of the heart. Behind the door stands Ansoar Sigma, who has not forgotten the song “We Are Children of the Galaxy”, practiced daily for fifty years. He tells her he walked from Newton and even visited the former lavender fields. The scent transcends time—a key unlocking memory. Aporiana quietly welcomes him; only she and Meter remain in the house. That night, memory becomes the present.
Present—Inside the Nadir
“…again, Meter.” Illumina’s voice is soft but analytical. Meter’s emotional waveform shows fluctuations. “Your current response is close to crying.” He answers slowly: “If I were human, I’d probably be crying.” Auroras from Synapse Planet reflect on the bridge. Illumina teases: “As a psychological-scan-equipped state-of-the-art illuminator, I already know all your smirks and daydreams.” Meter replies with slight sarcasm: “Four years ago, I almost stopped, though.”
That incident—errors in cosmic current data, outdated Terminas navigation, and the technological gap with planets like Anamnesis and Calgan. Illumina briefly mentions Calgan, stopping mid-word, knowing the name links to Aporiana memories. Silence.
Then Meter asks: “Illumina. How far to Berry’s Mywall memory coordinates?”
It is one of Aporiana’s final wishes. Memory is not mere sentiment. It is a coordinate, a course. The past is a galactic map toward the future. The Nadir’s engines hum low. The galaxy crossing is about to begin again.
To be continued…
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