Su Qing'an and the Herrscher of Death's Pact

On a warm, radiant afternoon, virtual sunlight streamed into the room. A gentle breeze, orchestrated by the facilities, swayed the wind chimes, filtering through the window and brushing against her cheeks along with the bouquet of flowers. Seele rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the slight drowsiness created by the languid atmosphere. She glanced at the boy fiddling with the blender, pondering what fruit to put in, and said:

"Brother, I want to drink watermelon juice."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing'an stopped hesitating and made a decision. He used a fruit knife to cut the watermelon into small pieces, removed all the black seeds and put them into the nearby trash can, then neatly put the watermelon into the blender and pressed the button.

Although this step may seem redundant after watching the other person's previous actions, it is exceptionally relatable and lifelike.

At least Fu Hua, who was sitting next to him, found it very interesting. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at the boy's serious gaze as he watched the watermelon being stirred into sand. Her beautiful face gradually softened and became gentle.

The sound of wind chimes and the rustling of the blender intertwine to create afternoon memories, and the sight of petals falling slowly to the ground is also particularly vivid.

The girl gazed at the azure sky outside the window and thought.

Even if these images are fake, it doesn't matter. Even if this current self is fake, it doesn't matter. In the end, she still managed to grasp the true self that belonged to her amidst all these false illusions.

Even if it's as faint as a candle flame, it truly exists.

Seele took a sip of watermelon juice, savoring the coolness and sweetness on her lips and in her mouth. She relaxed her brows and smiled, saying:

"Brother, help me get to the final ending."

Su Qing'an took the handle out of the cabinet and carefully cleaned away the light dust with a soft brush.

The boy glanced at the girl's smiling face, somewhat dazed, but still nodded in agreement:

"Good."

Even he had considered the possibility that things would be better this way, but now... perhaps even he himself couldn't say whether his current emotions were joy or sadness.

However, if this continues, it will either lead to a complete collapse or, in a sudden moment, a sense of relief and acceptance of the status quo.

As things stand, neither outcome seems like a particularly happy ending.

From the very beginning, a future where everyone is happy was not an option.

The game's plot continues from the choices made last time. Since choosing to go home directly would lead to the first world-ending ending, the only option left is to find the three missing memory fragments of the nun. However, this time they already know an important piece of information in advance.

That is, after gaining all the memories, the nun who was originally a comrade-in-arms will become the oldest nun and the gatekeeper to clear the game.

With normal equipment and technology, it is obviously impossible to defeat the opponent. If they intend to achieve the goal of saving the world, they must find the details that they had not noticed before.

The rewind takes place on the eve of their journey to the Myriad Phenomena Nation to find the prophet. The two decide to complete the fixed tasks and procedures before exploring the previous maps and character clues. However, upon entering the Myriad Phenomena Nation, they encounter CGs and character dialogues that are completely different from before.

Before her death, the prophet seemed to have seen the future of the previous timeline. Before she died, she reversed the sacrificial array, using the souls of the entire nation as the foundation and her own blood and bones as the axis to create a special artifact.

The item's function is to store a certain number of Dream Spike.

Clearly, the key to defeating the BOSS lies in this; engaging in a prolonged battle is pointless. Releasing the Dream Spike as soon as you enter the battlefield is the best fighting method.

Otherwise, given the rate at which a character's health bar depletes, even with constant use of red and blue potions, they will reach their end in less than half a minute.

After that, the task at hand is simple: while accumulating a certain number of Dream Spike, try to unlock the last few daily story events.

Both the Undead Knight and the nun knew about the failure of the last salvation, stemming from their unique past identities; they knew the future they would face.

When the Dream Spike within the prop reaches its limit, it's time to set off to search for memories.

The girl and boy patiently watched through all the everyday scenes, and then the final battle, for which everything was ready, began.

Thus, the nun, now a monster, still bore the greatest sin in the world. On her frail back still lay the heavy black coffin, seemingly about to bend her spine. Clinging to her human form for a fleeting moment, her lips parted and she whispered:

"The legend says that returning to one's original state and transforming into pure white is itself the greatest beauty and redemption."

"This is something that can be accomplished with just one Dream Spike. If it were a hundred, wouldn't it bring even greater happiness? So I don't feel sad."

The Undead Knight silently released the Dream Spike from his artifact, and in the dazzling, pure white void, the black coffin and the nun withered into ashes.

The salvation was thus achieved.

Game over.

Seele watched as the knight silently discarded his spear on the screen and slowly walked towards the distant figure, asking earnestly:

"Does brother really think nuns can find happiness?"

Su Qing'an was at a loss for words to answer the question. He thought that no matter how he tried to embellish or conceal it, the reality of the nun's death would not change.

She initially lost everything, seemingly just an empty shell, but gradually gained her own emotions and personality as she embarked on a journey with the knight to save others and the world.

Such a nun deserved a more perfect ending, so no matter how beautiful the death she faced was, even if it contained religious meaning, it cannot be considered as having attained happiness.

The so-called "Dream Spike" was merely an excuse and a final act of tenderness from the nun, used to justify her actions against the knight.

However, stating these points directly is pointless. The purpose of games is to relax and have fun. Perhaps the best approach for parents is to present the final story of the game in a fairytale-like way, giving it a warm and comforting message.

But Su Qing'an said earnestly and firmly:

"That's not happiness, Seele."

If the Herrscher of Death truly inherited everything about Seele, then she probably also inherited her distorted values. Therefore, it is neither reasonable nor safe for her to believe that death can bring happiness.

For whatever reason, a young person should not choose to say or do anything that would lead the other person to believe that happiness can be obtained through death. For Seele Fulei, this kind of education has a great impact, especially since the other person still possesses such great power.

He whispered his instructions:

"No matter how gentle and benevolent the way of dying may be, and even if there are reasons and excuses for choosing death, it is still impossible to rely on death itself to seek happiness."

Seele paused for a moment, then said somewhat dejectedly:

"Didn't that nun not find happiness?"

The girl was understandably sad because she thought the nun and she were somewhat similar. In the beginning, they were both so empty, surviving in this world by clinging to the remnants of others and their own selves. But even though they couldn't escape the past of this body, they still possessed something that belonged to them.

Such a nun, after facing death, is unable to attain that mystical happiness, which is undoubtedly a melancholic ending.

But then she thought, if it were her, could she understand whether the nun felt regret and sadness back then?

Perhaps all of these are true, perhaps none are.

But in any case, a sense of satisfaction and joy will exist, being able to do things that only you can do for the people you care about, and for a world that you don't hate.

That's pretty impressive in a way, isn't it?

She tried to comfort herself in this way, but then realized that the nun's words were not only meant to comfort the knight. Even an empty shell, once it develops its own emotions, is destined to become less indestructible.

Death is a terrible thing.

It is precisely because of our own emotions that we can perceive the fear and sorrow of this loss; therefore, this concept of "happiness" is also a form of self-redemption.

The girl continued:

But I want her to be happy.

Su Qing'an picked up the physical game box from the cabinet, glanced at the description section, and said softly:

"This game has only three endings. For the nun, achieving [salvation] itself carries profound weight, because it is the only way for the knight to continue to live in this world."

Seele paused for a moment, but still managed a smile.

She thought that perhaps, as her brother said, things that are slightly better than things that are more flawed can be considered beautiful in comparison, and if this was the only way, then there couldn't be a better outcome than this choice.

The little girl asked earnestly:

"If my brother met someone like that nun, would he be willing to let her end up like that?"

Su Qing'an said confidently:

"I don't want to."

Seele smiled gently, her eyes lowered, and continued to ask:

Even if the world is destroyed as a result?

The boy said softly:

"Yes, even if the world is destroyed because of it."

"I will choose to wait with the nun for the world to slowly come to an end, because I am weak and do not want to lose anything I can hold onto."

"I despise self-sacrifice, I despise others doing it for me, and I despise even more the people I care about doing it for strangers."

"If I were a knight, I would hope that the nun would be a little selfish, even more selfish, selfish enough to say that we would wait for the end of the world together, so that both the Dream Spike and the Lance would have a reason to let go."

The girl whispered:

"It's a pity that it didn't have the ending you described, brother."

She paused, then said softly:

"If only it were available."

Su Qing'an looked at the game box in her hand, glanced at the specific manufacturer, and replied:

"It will happen."

Much later, the boy may suddenly realize just how profound the hidden currents beneath these seemingly mundane daily routines truly are.

But right now, looking at Fu Hua was standing by the refrigerator in the kitchen looking at what ingredients she was looking for, he smiled and asked:

What would Seele like to eat for dinner?

The girl pursed her lips, gazed deeply into those dark eyes, and replied:

"Beef with green peppers."

Ignoring Su Qing'an's surprise, she earnestly repeated:

"I want to eat beef with green peppers, can you make it for me, brother?"

This was quite strange, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to ask for the specific reasons behind it.

Su Qing'an inexplicably felt she couldn't refuse, so after only a moment's hesitation, she nodded in agreement as always.

As a result, when the boy put on an apron and cooked with Fu Hua in the kitchen, he innocently received a subtle look from her as he picked up a green pepper to wash it.

She put down the potato she was holding and said softly:

"What's the reason this time? Is it a balanced diet with meat and vegetables, or is it because eating green peppers while playing video games Tiāntiān is good for your eyes?"

Su Qing'an had no room to refute these questions; he simply explained earnestly:

"She wanted to eat it herself."

The little girl, with the apron strap tied behind her back, glanced away from him, pursed her lips, and began to lecture him earnestly:

"Su Qing'an, lying is not good."

... It's completely unclear.

The boy sliced the green pepper into strips, choosing to obediently accept his fate and said helplessly:

"It won't happen again."

Despite the subtle misunderstanding, the atmosphere between the two was always one of enjoyment, which intrigued Seele, who was secretly observing from outside. She had Prometheus take a picture of them and carefully put it into an album as a keepsake.

This is an album compiled from photos that Seele Fulei had been diligently collecting since her time in Canghai City, and with Prometheus's help, the collection became even more efficient.

Even now, this habit remains unchanged in the Herrscher of Death. She wants to prove something, to have something of her own, to give Seele a slight difference from Fulei, but some things can never be erased.

That's fine.

That's fine.

She finished the game, ate her dinner and the green peppers in her bowl, watched a movie with her Sister Hua and her brother, and diligently completed the homework that her older sister Mei had assigned her a long time ago.

Seele was very well-behaved today, but she's always been well-behaved, so no one noticed anything was wrong or found it strange.

The little girl, wearing the dinosaur pajamas, opened her arms to Su Qing'an, tilted her head back, and said earnestly:

"Can I have a hug, brother?"

This is quite strange, and perhaps it's not the kind of behavior Seele Fulei would do.

Such frank and natural coquetry should have made her shy, but the boy could only see dependence and joy in her eyes, like a child about to get a toy, only concerned about when the toy would arrive, without showing any hint of dishonesty.

Given Seele Fulei was dead and had been usurped by the Herrscher, this unusual person should have aroused vigilance and fear. However, Su Qing'an did not ask any reason. He simply held her petite and soft body slowly and silently closed his eyes.

How warm it is.

She could clearly sense something familiar within the other person's body during their physical embrace.

Stigmata Material.

The wondrous sensation of feeling as if one's own flesh and blood were flowing through it made the warmth even more intense.

I think I've found a way to beat the game, brother.

The girl smelled the scent of citrus and lemon on the boy, and felt a little happy, her lips curving into a slight smile.

Her eyes were blood-red, and she said softly:

Can I pat your head?

"I never had a chance to tell my brother before that I would be very happy if he patted my head."

Su Qing'an's body trembled involuntarily. He recalled the subtle regret in those eyes when they made their promise that day. A wave of sorrow washed over him, as if a force was constantly tearing at his pounding heart, causing him deep, agonizing pain.

The boy's lips moved, his voice dark and hoarse, carrying extremely complex emotions:

"Good."

Su Qing'an couldn't refuse... Seele Fulei.

His hand clumsily and carefully touched her head, as if he were taking her back to the scene he experienced that day in Canghai City.

The scene of that girl crouching down, awkwardly touching her own head, trying to comfort herself, is still vivid in my mind, so clear that I can't forget it.

An overwhelming, uncontrollable pain and self-loathing surged forth endlessly. The boy's lips managed a weak smile, but even this feigned smile [Ashes] in an instant. He restrained his strength, yet still pulled the girl even closer into his embrace.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

It's my fault. I'm not strong enough, I wasn't careful enough, and I didn't work hard enough.

Why does this happen no matter what?

What is the correct way to do it?

Would it be better to not establish any contact in the first place?

Would it have been easier to simply choose death back then?

Su Qing'an almost completely concealed his emotional breakdown, but when that soft hand touched his cheek, he suddenly realized that the icy touch had already spread.

Tears slowly trickled down the arc of her fingertips, and the girl whispered:

"Brother didn't do anything wrong, why are you crying?"

The boy was no longer able to conceal his sorrow; he whispered:

"Because I'm so weak, so weak that I fail again and again, so weak that no matter how hard I try, it's meaningless, so weak that no matter how hard I try, I'll be crushed by reality, so weak... that I can't protect you at all."

Seele's expression softened, and even the crimson in her eyes seemed to grow gentler. She smiled and said:

"It's okay, don't cry."

"Brother will become stronger, stronger than anyone else."

His voice was hoarse.

"It's impossible."

The girl answered confidently:

"It's possible."

Her lips curved upwards, and she smiled as she said:

"As long as brother doesn't give up, that's fine. Leave the rest to Seele."

Su Qing'an whispered:

"I won't give up. I still want to keep my promise to Seele."

Seele patted his head, her gaze shifting, she pursed her lips, and said earnestly:

"Could we confirm one more time? The promise between brother and Seele."

"Hmm," he said.

So Su Qing'an's little finger slowly intertwined with hers, and the girl said with a smile:

"This is a promise between my brother and me."

"So it's agreed that if he breaks the agreement, the punishment will be for my brother to get the Fourth Ending in that game."

Feeling the warmth of the girl in his arms, the boy whispered:

"Good."