Alphonse blinked, curiously at the purple-haired woman who suddenly appeared.

"By the way, my name is Merlin." She replied to the agencyman's initial question, "It's a bit of a pity, you probably can't remember the name." For it does not exist in your time. ”

Women feel extremely distant, and at the same time as if they are close at hand. Her face was undisguised, but when the machine man looked away, he was puzzled to find that he was completely unable to recall any of the other person's physical features.

"Strange." Alphonse muttered quietly, "On the self-test report, there is obviously no problem with the storage loop...... Could it be that the operation of the parts of the mechanism is affected by an unknown place? ”

He raised his hand, used his glowing fingertips to write several complex calculations in the air, and quickly unraveled them one by one. Then he shrugged helplessly and looked at the man across from him who seemed to be happily watching all this.

"Sorry, I may have been a little rude." Alphonse bowed to the other man—using the wizarding etiquette that Yuffie had taught him, "Can you tell me, what the hell is going on?" "I have a few companions, and I'm sorry I can't stay here until I find them." ”

The purple-haired woman laughed like soft music.

"What a good boy." She closed her eyes as if thinking something, "Don't worry, since you've come to me, your companion will be safe." And—" she tilted her head slightly, "you're on a mission that belongs only to you." ”

"Mission?" Alphonse touched his head, "What am I going to do?" ”

"Your journey is not over." The woman said gently, "The fact that you have been here means that you are still under the influence of the Mirror Realm. You know, this is the El Continent...... However, at the time you came, the Church of San Leon had only been established for more than two hundred years. ”

Alphonse blinked, and soon understood what the woman meant.

"That is, we actually ...... Came to the past? As if sensing the feminine affinity, Alphonse took two steps closer to the other party, "So how can we go back and find or make another mirror?" ”

"There's no need." The purple-haired woman replied, "Because the Mirror Realm has been waiting for you. ”

The woman's words were a bit obscure, and Alphonse tried to understand what the other meant, then shook his head apologetically.

"Sorry, I don't understand." He said, "Can you explain something specific?" ”

"I don't know how you found it, but someone should have told you that crossing the Mirror Realm is a dangerous thing." The woman explained softly, "If the traveler has a desire other than 'to go to the destination', it will take you to the place to which those desires point – for you, the 'past'." ”

"I see, I see." The machine man nodded, "As far as teleportation is concerned, this is indeed an unstable factor, and I'm afraid it needs to be improved." ”

"And that's not all." The purple-haired woman looked at Alphonse earnestly, "As long as you fail to reach your original destination, the Mirror Realm will remain connected to you, bringing you to a deeper level of desire, and unknowingly devouring your will and existence. Even if you want to stay here for the rest of your life, you can't do it. ”

"Will something happen?" Alphonse touched his nose.

"There won't be any problems at first." The woman replied, "However, if you start to find it a little boring, it will take you to other places that are more in line with your 'expectations'. As time passes, you will gradually become lost in different dreams and will no longer miss your true home. At some point in the future, you will unknowingly disappear from the world and become part of the Mirror Realm. ”

"It doesn't sound like that's what Lilianor wants." Alphonse nodded earnestly, "So, assuming everything you say is true, what should I do?" ”

"What you have to do now is just wait with peace of mind." The purple-haired woman raised her hand lightly and made a 'reassuring' gesture, "When your companions are reunited under the guidance of fate, I will naturally help you return to the era that truly belongs to you." ”

"Well, I believe you." The machine man sighed softly, and finally sat down, "But, why me?" ”

The purple-haired woman was smiling happily.

"Because out of all of them, you are the only one who has no other desires and only wants to go back to everyone's hometown." She pushed the snacks on the table in front of Alphonse, "That's why I said, you're a good boy." ”

"Is that so?" Alphonse looked at the snacks on the table, they were beautiful golden brown and had an enticing aroma, but the current machine man felt that he had little appetite, "Thank you for the compliment." However, can I tell that others ...... What happened to Lilianor now? ”

"She has her wishes to be fulfilled, and your task is to leave safely with her, not to fall into unattainable dreams with her." The purple-haired woman shook her head slightly, "Don't worry, the time here is not fixed, and you don't need to wait too long. Also, could you please tell me what happened from here to your time? I'm very interested in that. ”

The woman's voice seemed to have a magical power, which strangely calmed Alphons's originally somewhat restless mood. Vanka Corlens fitted him with a lot of emotion-sensing accessories, but the mechanics knew they didn't have the judgment of Lily or Yuffie. Now, however, it seems that a voice is telling him that as long as he trusts the person in front of him, everything can be properly resolved.

"Well, if that's what you're asking for." He nodded, "But I'm sorry, it's been less than three years since I was born. For the rest, I can only provide you with some relatively credible information from the materials I have read. ”

……

Alphons' narration didn't take much time. As an agency person, summarizing and organizing is the task he is good at. During the narration, the woman on the other side listened quietly until he recounted that everyone had followed Lily Nono's instructions and stepped into the mirror that led to the unknown, and finally came here.

"I'm done, ma'am." He exhaled softly, "If there are other details I want to know, I can try to fill them in as much as I can." ”

"I see." The purple-haired woman said mildly, "It's okay, that's enough." She closed her eyes slightly, as if remembering something, "That is, in your time, Bayard...... Or did he make a choice that belonged to him? ”

"Huh?" Alphonse looked at the woman curiously, "Do you know Bayard?" Listening to Jill, it seems to be a very powerful person. Could it be that he was already so famous in your time? ”

"yes, he's amazing, better than almost everyone in this world." The female voice seems to carry some complex emotions, and with Alphons's emotional module, it is difficult to clearly distinguish which emotion it belongs to, "Because of this, he also takes on a greater responsibility than almost everyone in this world." ”

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand." Alphonse touched his nose in confusion, "Is there anything I can do to help you?" ”

The purple-haired woman held her chin as if she were talking to herself.

"Should I say yes or no...... Well, I figured it out. She suddenly raised her head and looked at the machine man tenderly with her clear, purple pupils.

"If one day, you get a chance to meet Bayard, help tell him-"

Alphonse blinked, deciding to try to remember the other man's words.

"It's never a 'one-time' choice that determines fate."