One evening, in front of Red's hut. Remi sat on the rocking chair made by Jun, wearing warm clothes, and watched the sea of flowers. Jun stood quietly beside her, while Eda took care of the flowers in the distance.
"Cough, cough."
Since Remi first met Jun, over sixty years had passed. Perhaps due to the hardships of her youth or the emotional toll of caring for Benzel in his final days, by the time Remi began living with Eda and Jun again, her health had significantly deteriorated. Her body's vitality had waned. When Remi coughed, Jun, who outwardly appeared to be her son or grandson, expressed concern in a worried tone.
"Remi, are you okay? Should I call Eda? She might be trimming some Fragrant Whites by now."
"Oh, no. I'm fine. Just bring me some water. No, I'll do it myself... Oh."
Attempting to get up and walk, Remi nearly stumbled. If Jun hadn't quickly caught her, it could have been disastrous. Jun gently sat her back down and said,
"Don't try to get up. Don't overexert yourself when your health isn't good."
"...Yeah. My body doesn't seem to cooperate well. Even though I'm not yet eighty."
Jun quickly poured water into a cup and gave it to Remi. Jun sat on another rocking chair beside her, saying,
"I should have taken better care of your health. Looking back, it seems you suffered the most when we were searching for caves in Thousand Peaks. You were the one managing the large spacecraft and planning the flight paths..."
Remi nodded slowly at his words.
"Don't say that, Jun. You know, that time is what I miss the most. Cough, cough. The time when we roamed Thousand Peaks together. It seems like the happiest time of my life was when my nieces and nephews were born and when I lived with Benzel. But the time I miss the most is when the three of us were together."
"Haha... I feel the same. It was always a cherished time... But, isn't that a bit idealized? Did you forget all the times you used to scold me?"
As Jun chuckled and pointed it out, Remi cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem... Well, back then, you were a bit sick. Always going on about East Ocean traditions and clan matters."
Jun and Remi reminisced about the beautiful days of their youth for a long time. As the sun began to set and Eda started to return from beyond, Jun and Remi waved to her. Jun wrapped Remi's coat around her fluttering in the wind and said,
"Remi, Eda's coming over there. Let's go inside. It's getting windy."
"Yeah... I feel a bit sleepy. Maybe it's because I'm getting older... You know, Jun."
Remi, rubbing her eyes sleepily, whispered to Jun in a soft voice.
"Yeah?"
"I'm still really happy. Being with you and Eddie, living without any worries, I'm really content with the present. I feel like I could pass away right now and have no regrets."
Jun turned to her, resting his hands on his knees, and spoke earnestly.
"Oh, come on, you're talking nonsense. We have to live together for a long, long time to come."
"Yes... Sorry. But, let's stay together, okay? The three of us..."
/
8601, Galactic Calendar
It had been exactly 66 years since the day they returned from Thousand Peaks to East Ocean.
On that day, as usual, Eda, Jun, and Remi were preparing for a peaceful day. It was an exceptionally sunny morning. Jun was doing the dishes, Remi was eating porridge, and Eda was watching over Remi. With completely white hair, Eda asked Remi.
"Remi, isn't it too hot?"
"No, it's perfect. As expected, Jun seems to cook porridge better than you, Eddie."
Eda wiped Remi's mouth and said, "Jun, did you hear that? From now on, you can do everything."
"Haha, that's a bit much."
Remi's health had significantly improved over time. Although she lacked strength due to her age, her overall health was good. Perhaps her peaceful mind played a role. The doctor said there shouldn't be any problems for at least another ten years.
As they finished breakfast and sat at the table, drinking tea they brewed themselves, the three of them reminisced while looking through old photos captured by the camera.
"Jun, look at this. It's a photo from when Remi got accepted to university, isn't it?"
Eda pointed to a picture showing Remi in her teddy bear pajamas, with tipsy Eda and Jun on either side.
"And this one is from when we went to the beach, and Jun carried me on his back."
Remi remarked, pointing to a photo of herself in a swimsuit, piggybacked by Jun at the beach.
"And this is from our wedding."
Jun added.
Among the plethora of photos, the ones featuring Eda and Jun exchanging vows in their red wedding attire were particularly numerous. Remi had taken an abundance of pictures, almost reaching four digits in quantity, with her determination to fill up the camera's memory. It took quite some time just to browse through them.
Nevertheless, no one criticized her for using up so much memory. Simply reminiscing about the irretrievable memories of their youthful days brought smiles to their faces.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. Jun got up and walked towards the entrance.
"I'll go check."
Creak.
As the door opened, there stood Kay, now in his middle-aged years, kneeling and gasping for breath, sweat dripping down his wrinkled forehead. Jun widened his eyes in surprise and said,
"Kay? What's wrong? Did you run here? Come in first."
Although Jun stepped aside to let him in, Kay continued to wheeze, struggling to catch his breath. Between breaths, he said to Jun,
"Huff, huff... Father, didn't you read my message?"
"Message? Oh, come to think of it, I didn't check."
"Father, now's not the time..."
"Hmm?"
Struggling to muster his remaining strength, Kay exclaimed,
"Banshee... I mean, Phoenix has returned!"
Jun froze.
Crash.
As Kay's voice echoed, Eda, who was walking towards the entrance, dropped the mug she was holding. The cup shattered on the floor, spilling hot liquid and shards, but Eda didn't seem to notice. Remi, who was following behind slowly, widened her eyes as if they were about to pop out of her sockets.
/
The Red Chamber settled onto the landing pad smoothly and silently, a stark contrast to the ship of 66 years ago. Its appearance was vastly different from that day. While the large ring-shaped lumen reso-scanner at the front remained the same, the rest had been extensively modified beyond recognition.
It now boasted massive engines and nozzles capable of easily shrugging off the gravity of a black hole, state-of-the-art armor capable of protecting passengers even after being hit by space debris hundreds of times, and overwhelming cargo systems that automatically collected and organized items. It was a level of technology that could easily qualify it as a battleship with the addition of weapons.
Surrounding it were the latest Lee Clan ships, escorting the Red Chamber as if protecting a precious gem. As the doors of the Red Chamber opened upon landing, Eda, Jun, and Remi, who had been waiting at the landing pad, swallowed nervously. Kay, who had supported Remi from behind, asked her as the doors opened.
"Auntie, just in case, I'll ask you one more time. Are you really going?"
"Of course, I must. I, no, all of us haven't forgotten that day for a single moment in the past 66 years, Kay. Finally, the opportunity has come again. It's a chance to get to our Master."
A middle-aged woman wearing glasses lightly jumped out from the Red Chamber's door. It was Yen, who had been in charge of maintaining and modifying the Red Chamber since Remi moved to Red's hut. Yen smiled and spoke.
"Mother, Father, Auntie, everything is ready. You just need to come. We'll take care of you."
Following behind her, two more people descended. They were Shan, the current clan master of the Lee, and Fey, Eda's disciple.
"We're all here. Don't worry. There will never be a shortage of fuel this time. And just in case, we brought the clan's elite forces with us."
As the three children, excluding Kay, walked towards them, Eda, Jun, and Remi opened their arms wide and embraced them.
Jun spoke first.
"You must be busy too, why bother coming all the way here... It's a task that could've been handled by sending someone else."
"It's the chance to fulfill Mother's old goal. How could we possibly miss out on it?"
In response to Shan's words, Eda replied, tears streaming down her face.
"My children... I'm truly, truly grateful..."
"Oh, come on, Mom."
Fey patted Eda's back gently.
"Auntie, we'll definitely take you with us."
"Yeah, there's no one else but you guys..."
When Yen sent a reassuring glance to Remi, Kay sighed and said as he entered the Red Chamber.
"Are you still awkward around Father? Come out already."
A woman inside the Red Chamber reached out, gently stroking her hair from behind. It was Shuran, Jun and Eda's youngest daughter.
After fleeing for love, Shuran hadn't found reconciliation with Jun and hadn't returned to the Lee Clan. It was the result of fierce opposition from Jun, who thought his daughter had been deceived and led astray by scoundrels. Thanks to that, Shuran had kept in touch with Eda, Remi, and her siblings, but had particularly little contact with her father, Jun.
But that's also a story from the past. Eda, who could not bear to see the father and daughter not being able to reconcile until Shuran gave birth to her daughter, stepped forward and forced the two to meet and reconcile. And she succeeded in bringing about reconciliation. However, occasionally, when reminiscing about the past, they still felt awkward around each other.
"Um... Hi, Dad."
"Yeah, well, Shuran's here too. Um, thanks. Is she doing well, growing up?"
"Yes, she's, uh, doing fine. She graduated school."
For a brief moment, there was an awkward silence, but then Shuran approached Jun and hugged him.
"Dad, Mom, Auntie. It's something really important, right? Then I shouldn't be left out. I want to go too."
"We were going to take you even if you didn't want to go."
"Jeez, Big Brother."
Shuran, who responded to Kay's words from behind, followed Jun and hugged Eda and Remi.
"Um, I think it's time we start moving."
Shan's words brought tension to everyone's faces. Eda and Jun walked while Remi was supported by Kay as they entered the Red Chamber.
/
When Eda first decided to follow Jun to the East Ocean, it was with a sense of running away. The day she had to come back from the goal she had pursued so close at hand. She found herself leaning on Jun's warmth, who promised to take care of her.
Eda had partially abandoned her goal of going to Phoenix at that point. Because she didn't know whether it would come back before she died or not, and she decided to follow Jun. Even when Jun said that he would go with Eda when Phoenix returns, she felt like, 'I wish it could happen.' Even though she had expectations, she thought there was nothing she could do about it even if it didn't come true.
So, she decided to set a new goal. While she had partially given up her own goal, she resolved to help her beloved man achieve his goal instead. Just like Jun helped her. She used everything she had and knew to assist Jun in achieving his goal. And, this time, she didn't fail. She succeeded not only in rebuilding the Lee Clan with Jun but also in making it prosper more than ever before.
As the long years passed, her interest in the Phoenix gradually faded. She thought it would be good to live quietly with Jun and Remi and peacefully pass away. She thought Red would want the same. Eda believed she had completely given up on the Phoenix.
But that was her misconception. As soon as she heard Kay's words that the Phoenix had returned, the emotions from 66 years ago surged from deep within her heart. Her desire for the Phoenix had never disappeared. It had merely lain dormant. So, as she boarded on the Red Chamber and prepared to leave, that moment felt incredibly gratifying. Finally, because it means she can achieve her goal.
Eda was on the bridge of the Red Chamber. It was where her fixed seat, the lumen reso-scanner, was located. Below, she could see her family bustling around.
"So, the orbits of Banshee and Phoenix intersect within the outer range of Thousand Peak. To get there, we have to take this route, which is currently within the territory of Myrian Ignis Guild. It used to belong to the United Mining before. We've already settled our talks with them through pre-agreement, so don't worry."
Shan was explaining to Jun. In fact, it didn't even reach her ears very well. Adrenaline coursing through her veins had her on edge. Amidst the pounding of her heart, clear as day, emotions suppressed for 66 years were suddenly unleashed, leaving her feeling adrift. Reality didn't quite sink in.
Eda thought, Maybe I'm just asleep in the hut's bedroom right now, and this is all a dream. But this was all real. Yen's voice brought her back.
"...I've applied that principle, so I've created a new control interface that I can manipulate with just a flick of finger. It can measure subtle signals from the brain, so even without strength, you can still operate it. Want to try it yourself? The AI will provide automatic correction, so it's okay if you make mistakes. If it's too much, I can do it for you..."
"...No. I'll give it a try. Thanks, Yen."
"I'll be in the auxiliary cockpit, so let me know if it's too difficult."
Eda saw Yen explaining the newly modified control interface to Remi. From what she could gather, Yan had meticulously crafted the control interface and instrument panel to enable Remi, despite her weakened state, to return to piloting the Red Chamber. Remi seemed to feel confident enough in herself now, lightly grasping the controls.
Shortly after, Fei approached Eda from behind.
"Mom, everything's ready. Not just the Red Chamber, but all surrounding escort forces too. We can go as soon as you give the order."
Eda took a deep breath. The time had come to finally put an end to what was left unfinished 66 years ago. All eyes were on her.
"...Our destination is the unregistered lumen cave, Phoenix. All ships, take off immediately."
As soon as Eda's words left her mouth, the Red Chamber soared into the sky without even making a sound. Remi, as if she had caught on instantly, began skillfully piloting the ship as in the old days. Leaving behind the sea of flowers in New Iran, several ships ascended into space.