Back room: I deliver courier to the entity

I have proofread oh~

it should be much smoother to read.

............ The dividing line............

The keymaster woke up.

In the blink of an eye, he unsurprisingly found himself in a completely different place than where he was asleep.

He sat in a large armchair – admittedly comfortable – next to a roaring fireplace.

Opposite him was another armchair on which sat a familiar figure: Blanche.

Something in her seemed different from what the keymaster remembered, but he couldn't be entirely sure.

She seemed to exude a subtle glowing aura... Almost like a ghost.

The next moment, the keymaster thought again, this was probably nothing more than an illusion cast by the dim light of the Cygnus Archives.

Blanche was immersed in a Charles Dickens book, even though the keyman couldn't see its title.

As she often appears when reading, she is immersed in a fictional world.

"Ah, that miser. To my surprise, there is obviously no benefit, how can a person be so selfish..."

she said to herself, and then was pulled out of the book by the key master.

"Ah, hello, keymaster!" She greeted him, closed the book, and set it aside, revealing that the title was a Christmas Carol.

"Merry Christmas to you, darling."

The keymaster stared at Blanche suspiciously. "You act as if you've been waiting for my arrival..."

"I have, my dear," Blanche replied, sipping a delicious cup of hot chocolate, "and we'll be sitting here together tonight because it's my mission to reveal your past." The

keymaster raised an eyebrow at this, "You're acting on behalf of Kei'?" Why are you working with him? He asked, feeling a tingling of betrayal at the same time.

"I just wanted to teach you some manners, darling – this can lead us to agree on goals. So, can we get started? Oh, and sure, do you want hot chocolate? She pointed to another cup on the table between them and handed it to the keymaster.

Hesitating, he took the cup and carefully sipped the warm chocolate-flavored liquid.

He seemed to have thought it out before finally relenting, "Good, let's get started."

Blanche smiled gently, "Great! She said, getting up from her chair and approaching the keymaster until she stood directly in front of him.

"I will take you through your memories, just as I have done before. But this time, we'll go deeper.

Before the keymaster could say anything, her hand was already on his forehead and the journey began.

......

The scene around the key master changed, and then he found himself standing in an empty black void.

He turned to find Blanche standing beside him as well, her glow now more prominent.

She held out her hand to the keymaster, "Come on, I'll take you back to your first Christmas." "

But I don't celebrate Christmas-" the keyman began to stutter in protest, then Blanche interrupted him, "It may be your idea, but even so, the time is still the same. Now come on..."

sighing, the keymaster stepped forward and took Blanche's hand.

The scenery changed again.

Now, they are standing in what seems to be a picture-like environment.

There are endless green plains, clear blue skies, clean water, warm air mixed with cool breeze.

The best thing is the complete silence except for the rustle of grass.

If summed up in one word, "heaven" is the most apt.

In all his travels, the keymaster had never seen such a beautiful sight.

However, this is in his memory.

"It's a period of time before humans conceive of Christmas — in fact, before humans set foot here," Blanche explains.

When the key master looked up, he suddenly saw a huge celestial figure appear in the sky.

Its height is close to the height of a skyscraper, and its shape seems to have been shaped from the universe – an ethereal silhouette outlined by constellations.

The most striking feature is the crown of keys on the head, at which point the master of keys realizes that this person is himself.

“... I? But, how..." he asked in surprise, still staring in awe at the huge silhouette.

It seems to be dancing a cosmic dance, striding meteors in the sky, pure self-expression.

Soon, the key master sees that this being is accompanied by other similar figures.

They dance together, each in their own unique way, forming a creative interplay on the magnificent stage.

As fire, water, earth, air, and ether are placed on the plane in the playfulness of these lives, the horizon extends further outward.

"At that time, you were the purest and acted only for purpose. You only have love in your heart," Blanche continued.

"And then what happened?" The keymaster asked.

"I'll show you." Blanche took the keymaster's hand and pulled him into the next memory.

Then they saw the next scene.

In it, the gatekeeper has a more modest and gentle human form, and he can be seen pacing back and forth in the hallway.

His face showed great concern, troubled by what he cared about.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a pale, soft hand rested on his shoulder from behind.

"Go, they're waiting for you. Inspire them," Gooden comforted.

The gatekeeper smiled at her, and the dark clouds seemed to have cleared, albeit briefly.

"Thank you..." he said as he walked out the door in front of him.

He appeared on an indoor balcony overlooking a huge restaurant packed with many people.

They wore the costumes of ancient peoples, long outdated by today's standards.

The humans looked at the gatekeeper in unison, waiting with bated breath.

He stood stoically and was silent for a while, then with a big smile on his face, he announced: "Let's start the celebration!"

As his words fell, the crowd burst into happy cheers.

Throughout the process of eating, drinking, and dancing, the gatekeeper looked down with an approving smile.

The key master found himself overwhelmed by this scene.

He had never felt or expressed such joy before.

He? Happy? This is unthinkable.

As he turned to her, Blanche smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Believe it or not, this used to be you. You love people, even though the environment in which they came here is terrible. You welcome them with open arms and show hospitality, while others don't. You opened the door for them. Blanche said, and then they continued to watch the scene.

As the celebration began to draw to a close, the gatekeeper retreated from the balcony into the hallway, where Gooden was standing waiting.

"Tell me, bro, what troubles you?" She asked, putting her hand on her chin.

The gatekeeper sighed, "I love these humans... Their adoration and gratitude. However, I fear that allowing them here would be a mistake.

"How so?"

"This is the paradise we have created together. You, me, Claudius, everyone. I don't want anything to get in the way. But if humanity becomes an infestation, or worse, turns against us..."

Gooden nodded silently. "I understand your concerns. But why worry about what might happen and not what has already happened? This is Davis' responsibility.

The gatekeeper smiled faintly. "I guess you're right, sister..." As

the interaction ended, Blanche silently walked through an empty black door.

When they suddenly enter the next scene, the keymaker runs to catch up with her.

"Hey, wait a minute!" He shouted as he caught up with Blanche, who held out his hand to signal him to be quiet, and then pointed ahead.

As the keymaster looked at the place Blanche was pointing, he saw the next scene begin to play out.

The gatekeeper sat alone in his room, leaning listlessly on his throne.

His demeanor was even more severe, and the pressure he was under clearly exhausted him.

His hair was less unkempt, his eyes had dark gray circles, and his crown was worn crookedly.

A man dressed in ceremonial clothing approached him, although he seemed reluctant to do so. "Your Majesty, they are waiting for you. What should I tell them? The

gatekeeper sighed. Tell them I won't show up and the celebration is canceled," he said, waving for disbanding.

"But, my master—" "

I am commanding! Alexander..." the gatekeeper growled, leaning forward, his words full of hideousness.

Alexander nodded. "Understood." He said as he left to deliver the message.

The gatekeeper sighed again and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

Because of everything that's going on around him, there's nothing to celebrate this year.

Humans became increasingly restless and began to rebel against the rule of the gods.

The gatekeeper witnessed firsthand the impact of their corruption on his siblings, and they also began to attack each other.

Some have already been lost. Wings were charred, blades were broken, flesh was turned to stone.

As he feared.

Under the gaze of the key master, Blanche walked up to him, "You blame yourself for the death of your loved ones. You put an unnecessary burden on yourself, which makes you callous. With that, she moved on to the next scene.

The keymaster saw this scene: Blanche was in the library with the gatekeeper, seemingly engaged in a verbal conflict.

The keymaster shook his head. "No, please. I already know what this is. I don't want to revisit it.

"You must, darling. You can't change what has happened. But you can gain new perspectives. Blanche comforted him.

After hesitating, the key master continued to the next scene.

......

The look of disappointment on Blanche's face shows that she is frustrated by the current attitude of the goalkeeper.

"I really think you should reconsider your course of action, my dear..." she began to say, and the gatekeeper immediately snapped back, "'Honey,' what do you say?" Why do you insist on calling everyone that? I doubt you're really serious? He scoffed.

"I... I'm not sure I understand...," Blanche stammered.

The janitor laughed sarcastically, hung his head, shook his head, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"These humans, why are you protecting them? They are not worth fighting for. They are worthless!

Blanche gasped: "Gatekeeper, what's wrong with you?" You used to love humans as much as I did.

"I thought I did it until my eyes opened to see the truth." Humans are an invasive species. They never belonged here, but they are invading as foreign enemies and they are tearing our heaven apart from the inside out! He shouted, pointing to himself and saying "our."

The gatekeeper approached Blanche, gently held her hands, and looked into her eyes.

"They have taken several of our loved ones. Claudius, Augustus, Gooden..." he said in a softer voice, almost holding back tears. "I don't want you to be next, sister. You must heed my warnings. Help me crush their rebellion and remind them that they are enslaved by us. When

Blanche looked into the gatekeeper's eyes, she saw his pain and took pity on him.

However, she was unable to support his mission.

She withdrew her hand from him, shook her head, and took a step back. "I'm sorry, bro. But that's not the way. Your pain is misplaced. The

gatekeeper's expression turned into a look of anger, and he looked at Blanche contemptuously. Very good. Stick to your cowardly pacifism, believing that everything will work out as magically as the story you read. You can only blame yourself when humanity is also inevitably against you.

With that, he picked up a key, opened the door outside the library, and walked out angrily.

Blanche was alone when the door closed, and as the scene dissipated, she bowed her head.

When Blanche approached him, the keymaker also bowed his head, ashamed.

"This was the last word of our last exchange..." her voice grew quieter.

The key master nodded solemnly, "I know. The words I say come from a painful place. I didn't mean to. I apologize..." "

Honey, that's not the question." Blanche said with a gentle smile, "I showed you all this to remind you of the compassion you once had for humanity... And deep down, it still is.

"But..." "

Why would you want to help humans, no matter what you think of them?" Your compassion never leaves you. It's always been there, just buried under your damage..."

Suddenly, a golden light shone out from the corner of the void.

Blanche turned to it, interested.

"Well, that's curious. This one doesn't seem like the others," she said, beginning to approach it, with the keymaster following behind.

They all gazed into the memory and saw a new scene.

Although somewhat vague and distorted, the events that took place are clear.

Two people, a man and a woman, sat on the floor in front of the Christmas tree and fireplace with Christmas music in the background.

"It's your turn," the man said, handing the woman a small white gift box.

The woman gently untied the red ribbon, peeled off the wrapper, and opened the box.

Panting in shock, she covered her mouth with one hand and pulled out a shiny pearl necklace.

"Oh my God... So beautiful!

"Merry Christmas," the man said with a smile.

The woman wrapped her arms around the man and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too..." The

keymaster was fascinated by this scene.

He felt... It's warm inside.

He felt love between two people.

He just wanted to be there in that moment, forever.

But he knew that whatever life it was, it was long gone.

Blanche came back to his senses when he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Our time is over," she whispered.

......

Suddenly, the keyman's eyes opened, and he found himself back in the library, sitting in a chair.

He looked down and saw that the cup of hot chocolate had spilled over him.

"It's so cute," he sneered.

"Don't worry, darling. Let me deal with it," Blanche said, and with a wave of his hand, hot chocolate rolled off the keymaker's cloak and flowed back into the cup.

She handed the cup to the keyman, but he raised his hand and refused.

"I hope our time together proved to be an enlightening experience. However, there is still a lot to do tonight. Your course is far from over. The

keymaster raised his eyebrows, "You mean that all three messengers are coming to visit me tonight?"

Blanche nodded, "Indeed. In fact, the second one seems to be ready for you. The

keymaster tried to speak, but found his body offline again as his eyes closed.

"Merry Christmas, darling..." he vaguely heard what Blanche said before he completely lost consciousness.