Ashes

In the center of the public cemetery, a white butterfly flutters in the breeze.

Butterflies, as insects, are always imbued with various meanings because of their beautiful appearance and graceful flight.

On the West Saint Continent, the most ancient of all is probably the Soul-Returning Butterfly.

Before the Vatican's theories about Heaven and Hell spread, the Soul-Returning Butterfly was a guide in folklore connecting the human world and the underworld, leading wandering souls across the River Styx to the other side, and sometimes even ferrying the inhabitants of the other side to the human world.

This time, who will be led to the other side?

The butterfly reduced the frequency of its wing flapping and gently landed on the tombstone located in the very center of the cemetery.

This entire monument was carved from fine white stone, and even bore the portrait of the deceased, making it stand out among a large number of makeshift tombstones made of various miscellaneous stones. Its style is the most common square monument in the West Saint Continent, with a cross-shaped top, a rather simple yet elegant design.

The most striking feature is the portrait of the deceased carved on it. It depicts a long-haired girl, her face, features, and even the details of her hair sculpted with remarkable realism. If this girl were still alive, she would surely be a beautiful and elegant woman, perfectly suited to books—understated, unassuming, and only those who truly know her would appreciate her beauty. Such a woman might not be wealthy or powerful, but she would certainly have a small but close circle of friends, a peaceful and happy life, and ultimately enjoy her later years surrounded by her children and grandchildren...

Unlike now, where all that remains is a cold stone carving.

Beneath the tombstone lay a bouquet of flowers and a thick book. The bouquet was a beautiful combination of Yuri, fresh violets, and baby's breath; it didn't have an overpowering fragrance, but rather a delicate scent that could only be detected by closing one's eyes and quietly perceiving it, perfectly complementing the cemetery. In contrast, the thick book seemed somewhat out of place. Its cover and back cover were incomplete, with at least half of its pages missing, as if it had fallen apart in the past and been rebound. Moreover, the remaining pages were blackened, wrinkled, and showed signs of burning along the edges.

Beneath the portrait lay a eulogy, half-hidden by bouquets and thick books.

The story

is always

old, and

it's

always

new..."

I stared at the pristine white tombstone, murmuring the words that were already etched into my cerebral cortex.

The story is always old, but it is also always new.

The old people are gone, replaced by a new future after the loss of someone.

Often, losing something is itself a form of progress.

I wasn't there when the Si Nan Family was massacred. Before I could even mourn for Elder Hong and Si Nan Yuan, my mind was already numb from the sheer number of deaths.

The death of one or two people is shocking, but the death of hundreds or thousands is just a numbing number.

It wasn't until the very end of the Northern Realm Rally that I experienced a true farewell for the first time.

The Sena Sisters, after spending time with them during that long journey, riding in the same race car, listening to Ally's nonsensical ramblings, seeing Ailin's obedient yet sensitive and adorable appearance, and discussing with Givinia the obstacles they might encounter in the next stage of the race... it all seems so far away, even though it was only a little over half a year ago.

This journey, however, came to an abrupt end due to the sudden death of the older sister and the younger sister's suicide pact. It ended so abruptly, and even more so because they died from the explosion of the Crystal Realm Fruit just as they had finally won the competition. There was no warning, no foreshadowing, no mental preparation, and it ended just like that. What remained was more of a bewildered emptiness than sadness.

At the Central United Academy... Thinking about it carefully, apart from Haoyue being brutally abused by my semi-berserk self for a while, Little Butterfly being severely injured and reverting to her cocoon form, I didn't encounter any life-or-death situations. As for the tens of thousands of other deaths, they were none of my concern, and I had no reason to grieve for strangers. Now that I think about it, it was as if some invisible force was comforting me, telling me that the world wasn't so cruel, and allowing me to continue forward with peace of mind.

Then, a big surprise was prepared for me on the West Saint Continent.

It's like some kind of malicious joke.

The two

hearts

beating

each to

each..."

How should I understand this sentence?

Are two hearts beating for each other?

Or, to put it more poetically, perhaps two beating hearts merging together?

Xiao's ever-present thick book fell apart during the attack by the Heavenly Law, and was later struck by lightning. I had no hope that it could be restored. However, after wandering around the ruins for a whole day as if she had lost her soul, Xiao Wu miraculously found many of the scattered pages. Moreover, probably because they were far from the center of the Super Divine Spell, they were still in the shape of paper.

In the few restored pages, Xiao wrote this sentence in a very prominent position.

Although it's hard to make out, you can still see it if you look closely—there's a small mark she drew next to the sentence, which looks like two hands clasped together.

I can probably guess what she meant by writing that sentence.

"Kiss me,"

Goodbye

These are the only two sentences I added.

The name of the theme song from a classic game I played a long time ago, back when I was still on Earth.

Now, many years later, I suddenly remembered it.

It has nothing to do with its literal meaning; what prompted me to add this sentence was my state of mind at the time.

When I first heard this song in the game, its understated nature was permeated with an indescribable feeling, like a pang of heartache or the tranquility after a storm. There were no intense emotional fluctuations, no great joy, sorrow, or anger, only the melody, which seemed both melancholic and wistful, slowly echoing in my heart.

Just like the feelings I had when I engraved the inscription on Xiao's tombstone.

Unbelievable -- Heartbreaking sorrow --

Gradually adjust your mood amidst sadness.

Returning to the mundane, only sorrow remains.

This is probably the standard emotional response when faced with grief.

However, after witnessing Xiao's death, I skipped the first three steps and went straight to the final stage.

"It's already a sad thing, why make it even sadder?" -- That's what I think I said back then.

Looking back now, it's no wonder that I, who had already "returned to normalcy," would have been considered crazy for saying such things to soldiers who were still in disbelief.

When did I start becoming like this?

Perhaps it was that intense visual impact that triggered the Rakshasa True Word, causing my emotions to become distorted at that moment?

Or is it that after experiencing the tragedies of the capital, the northern border, and the Central United Academy, certain hidden elements within me are now surfacing?

It's pointless to think about these things now.

I shifted my gaze to the side.

Next to Xiao's tombstone is a slightly shorter tombstone, which is also quite intricately carved, although it does not have a portrait on it.

Below, leaning against a dagger, was a material that should have been transparent, but now, like the book, it had turned charred black.

"Dorothy Westwyn rests here"—that is what is inscribed above.

Look to the side again--

The Tomb of Sasin Poincaré

It is the tombstone of the commander of the Seventh Division.

And the surroundings--

"The Tomb of Volgatai," "The Burial Site of Casans Milan," "May Müller Rest in Peace," "Here Lies Michele Saleh," "Laikasto, We Will Never Forget You," "Sleep Well, Anhas Santos," "Hol's Body Is Dead, But His Soul Lives On," "Alex, Your Work Is Carried On by Us"...

Tombstones, inscriptions, people's sorrow, circle after circle, layer upon layer, here and there, like a spider web entangled within me, impossible to shake off no matter where I go.

I suddenly felt a little nauseous.

The countless deaths that never occur make me uneasy.

The marks of death surround me; no matter where I look, all I see are traces left by the dead. Last words and people's sorrowful wishes seem to echo in my ears, and the crows flying in the sky seem to be looking down on this world full of death.

Beside each tombstone stood the ghostly figures of the deceased. Some were repeating actions from their lives, some were saying something to me, but most were simply watching me silently, watching this world they had once inhabited. Dorothy seemed to be waving at me, her expression somewhat sorrowful, while Sasin stood silently beside her with her head bowed. The Sena Sisters stroked the remains of Sirius, while Elder Hong and Si Nan Yuan looked up at the sky.

Even when I tiptoed to look into the distance, all I saw were the remains of a colossal creature called "city." The boundless sea of ruins resembled the skeleton of some giant beast, and this cemetery was like its eyes. The dead city was watching me, telling me of its sorrow.

Wanting to look up at the sky, I found it already occupied by the dead: thousands of members of the Si Nan Family and Cleon Family, drivers who perished in the Northern Realm Rally, tens of thousands of innocent people who died at the Central United Academy, Revolutionary Army and civilians who perished in the war—their translucent bodies, like stars in broad daylight, silently shrouded the world.

"Xiao Ye..."

Just then, a cold hand landed on my shoulder.

"Ah..."

I closed my eyes and gently shook my head.

When I opened my eyes again, the dead had vanished.

All I see around me are countless simple tombstones.

"... Are you alright, Xiao Ye?"

"Yeah, it's okay."

I brushed Haoyue's hand away perfunctorily, blinked my dry, uncomfortable eyes, and felt terrible all over, as if I had been lacking sleep for a long time.

"But Xiao Ye, you... you've been standing here for three days and three nights!"

It seems so...

Well... if we're talking about lack of sleep, that's definitely true.

I haven't slept for a while.

Have I been standing in this cemetery for three days and three nights without realizing it? No wonder I feel so uncomfortable.

That being said, I had no need to excrete or eat. During this time, my physiological activities seemed to have stopped, and I just stood there like a stone statue.

So it is --

"Ah... Haoyue, Xiao Wu, when did you arrive?"

Looking again at Xiao and Dorothy's tombstones, I noticed that two more shadows had appeared cast there.

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The bright moon is on my left.

She looked tired, her expression a mix of emotions, with a strange loneliness about her, which was heartbreaking to see.

Even so, her eyes still showed concern for me, genuinely worried about me who had been standing there dumbfounded for three days and three nights.

Honestly, why are you so worried about me? I've already told you I'm perfectly fine.

Xiao Wu was standing to my right, a little further away than Kogetsu.

I have never seen her so dejected.

Her hair was a little messy, and she was still wearing the same tattered clothes, unchanged. Her face betrayed her exhaustion; her already dark eyes, like two black holes, looked even more unfathomable, and her usually straight back was now hunched. Standing dejectedly before her friend's grave, she appeared so fragile, completely devoid of her usual coldness and strength, making one want to rush forward and embrace her.

As expected, Shino died, and Xiao Wu was the one most affected.

Everyone closest to her since childhood has died. Thinking about it carefully, Xiao Wu is perhaps the most pitiful one among us.

I turned around and saw Little Ying and Yun Can a few steps behind me.

After all, they were blood relatives, and Little Ying's expression was probably the most natural form of grief. She had completely lost her usual energy; her eyes were swollen from crying, and her face was streaked with indelible tears. Even now, she was still sobbing softly. Yun Can was beside her, holding her in his arms and comforting her gently, stroking her no longer-soft purple hair, even though the Sect Master himself looked visibly sorrowful.

It's truly lamentable.

"Ye..."

Everyone is expressing their condolences for the deceased in their own way.

"Xiao Ye..."

I was the only one still smiling.

"Xiao Ye, you..."

Even with stiff facial muscles, even with lips merely curled up mechanically, and no longer feeling the reality of "smiling," they still maintain a smile like a clown.

"Xiao Ye, it's already..."

If the deceased cannot determine whether their death was valuable, then let the living make it valuable.

So, everyone, let's all have a laugh.

Do you really want her death to bring only sorrow?

What? Nobody can laugh?

Well, there's really no way around it. Let me start. Come on, turn up the corners of your mouth and keep smiling.

"That's enough, isn't it, Xiao Ye!"

Someone hugged me tightly from my left side.

Turning my head, I saw Haoyue and her eyes brimming with tears.

"We're fine, really, we're fine, so, so..."

Her trembling arms tightened around me, and I suddenly realized she was crying for me.

"So... it's okay to cry... please, Xiao Ye, at least for your own sake, it's okay to cry it out!"

"... But..."

"Ye..."

My free hand was grabbed.

That voice... Xiao Wu?

Turning my head to the right, I found Xiao Wu looking at me with somewhat vacant eyes, her lips trembling slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, silence was what she used to convey her words.

You look more worrying than I am. If you haven't recovered, don't bother with my concerns.

"Ugh... really."

I gently broke free from them.

After standing frozen like a statue for three days, the body finally moved.

Pushing their hands apart, she turned her back to Xiao's tombstone, walked past the still sobbing Si Nan Ying and the comforting Yun Can, and escaped from this space filled with death.

He touched his cheek with his slightly clumsy fingers.

That clownish smile had vanished without anyone noticing.

It feels like something warm is running down my face. Whatever it is, I'll just wipe it off.

Let's at least say hello.

I waved behind me.

You can feel the presence of the cocoon and Sub Core in the layers of the clothing through the fabric.

"Um, I'll probably be away for a while, sorry about that."

I didn't stop. The four people behind me were silent for a few seconds, then, as I expected, they exclaimed in surprise.

"What— Xiao Ye, what's wrong with you?"

"Hey, Ye..."

"Xiao Ye? Huh? What happened?"

"Miss Ye..."

The jumbled words overlapped into meaningless noise. They were silent for a few seconds before Haoyue, as their representative, voiced their shared question.

"Xiao Ye, where are you going? Let's go together--"

"No need, this is my... own business."

I want to act alone for a while. I'm sorry, but this time I won't back down.

Perhaps sensing my resolve, Haoyue stopped mentioning traveling together. She was very discreet in this matter, even though she was definitely unwilling in her heart.

"Then... what exactly do you want to do?"

"... become stronger."

One last look back at Xiao's tombstone.

Seemingly sensing my gaze, the white butterfly that had been resting on the tombstone fluttered its wings and flew away into the distance.