Volume Five: Return from Beyond the Shore - Funeral Music Drama (I)
"... You are... Givinia?"
"Yes, that's right." Whoosh!
With the sound of rolling stones, Haoyue was finally pulled out. The sudden light made her quickly close her eyes, and she didn't dare to open them for a few seconds.
Then a beautiful face, full of gentle charm, appeared before her.
"It really is you... Wait, why am I buried...?"
"Shortly after the monster's wings were broken off and turned to dust, the dust exploded violently, and the three of you who fell were affected by the aftershocks. But don't worry, your injuries are not serious, and the other two are unharmed."
"Who would worry about them...?"
Even so, Haoyue still glanced to the side, where Xiao Wu and Sin Annihilation were lying side by side on a relatively soft patch of ground, their eyes closed.
"... coma?"
"They're just asleep. They've all been working too hard. Let them get some more sleep."
Givinia picked up Haoyue and laid her flat beside the two people. She took out medicine and bandages from somewhere and bandaged her up. The disinfectant made Haoyue frown.
"Hiss--I don't need your help, I can do it very quickly using Yu Yue's words--"
"That won't do. You should rest when you need to. Using your powers will always put a strain on you."
Givinia's movements were very skilled; she finished in no time, giving Haoyue no chance to resist.
"I've already contacted the Revolutionary Army that withdrew from the city earlier, and they'll be here to pick you up soon. Luckily, they left through the side gate of Gloria, otherwise they would have been wiped out by the Sovereign's Grasp."
"And what about you? Don't tell me you came here just to clean up the mess."
"I was just doing what I could, like helping with the dishes when visiting relatives... Phew, now that things over there and over here are done, I should get on with my business."
She looked up at the sky above the city, now completely reduced to ruins, and in the very center of the sky, a golden stage, clearly visible even from there, hovered high in the air.
"That's... Ye?"
"... It's almost time, I should go. Take care."
"Hello, hello... wait a minute..."
Take care.
Givinia glanced at Haoyue one last time, a slightly forlorn smile on her face.
Then the figure flickered and disappeared.
How fortunate we are to be born into this world as human beings!
You can see flames dancing, feel the gentle breeze blowing, hear flocks of birds flapping their wings, smell the fragrance of flowers, and taste a hundred delicacies! Follow the whispers of antiquity, gaze at the landscapes of the future, immerse yourself in the wisdom of the ancients, and rewrite the melody of nature!
And the essence nurtured by the most intelligent of all beings is art!
How beautiful, how magnificent, how splendid!
Without art, just look what our race would become!
I firmly believe that music is the oldest art form in human history!
Before they learned charcoal painting, dyeing with berries, carving with wood and stone, and adorning their bodies with branches and feathers, what they first understood, worshipped, praised, and feared was music!
Listen! How awe-inspiring is that rumbling thunder!
Listen, how gentle and beautiful is the sound of the flowing water!
Listen, how desolate the whistling wind is!
Listen! The insects chirp in the grass, the lion roars, snow piles on the ice, the earth shakes—the sounds are everywhere!
It is from these beautiful yet cruel Sound of Nature that humanity has come to understand music!
This is the greatest gift the world has given to humankind!
Because it is not only a gift to humankind, but it can also change humankind!
From the moment humankind was born, music has had an enduring influence on humanity!
The sound of wind rustling through wheat fields brings peace, the roar of mountains and the sound of ocean waves are awe-inspiring, and the sound of thunder and surging flames are exhilarating!
Think about it: from ancient times to the present, how long has music's influence on humanity accumulated? It has long since seeped into our lives, been engraved in our genes, bound to our senses, and guided people to understand this world!
The world as perceived by humankind is ultimately a world of senses!
The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin—all the senses of the body—use every trick in the book to present what they consider to be the most authentic things to their master!
What we hear as reality is ultimately just the "reality" transmitted through our ears!
To understand "truth" based on the foundation of "truth," and to comprehend "truth" using the rules accumulated from "truth," ultimately reveals that our "truth" is nothing more than what we perceive as "truth"! These layers upon layers of truth are so solid, like an eternally unyielding Giant Peak, and all of humanity are inhabitants standing atop the mountain, overlooking the world! Countless years of accumulation and permeation have led us to believe that the view we see from this perspective is the so-called "real world"!
Just think about it!
If, within this accumulation of timeless, resounding melodies, a single new discordant note were introduced, altering the height of this Giant Peak, causing it to crumble and fall—
"In this way, the scenery we see—the world as we know it—will be completely transformed! As you can see, Ye!"
What an extraordinary and beautiful world this is.
There is no distinction between heaven and earth; even the surrounding landscape is ambiguous, merely a patch of orange-yellow sky, seemingly tinged with the hues of the setting sun and shrouded in colorful clouds—no, only when there is a "ground" as a point of reference can the sky be called the sky, but in this world without a ground, it is simply a space that cannot be defined.
The light that filled the field of vision, like the afterglow of the setting sun, was so beautiful that it was impossible to discern its origin. Yet, it always seemed to paint the scene with color at the perfect angle and at the perfect moment. Every ray of light, every line, and even every drop of dew shimmering in the light was so perfect that even the most magnificent craftsmanship of nature could not compare.
Adorning this space are enormous castles, each one suspended in mid-air, connected to its neighbors by massive ribbons and steel cables. These castles push the Rococo style to its extreme, every detail exquisitely ornate, constructing a dreamlike space that transcends reality. The iconic vertical planes and bold curves blend seamlessly; the light-colored walls, though tens or even hundreds of meters high, exude refined luxury—luxurious without being extravagant, noble without being vulgar—much like the lady's style.
"But unfortunately—our aesthetic tastes are quite different!!!"
A surging tide of blood swept away a castle tower, followed by the expansion of dazzling crimson blood crystals from the tide, tearing this colossal building, larger than ten Versailles Palaces, apart from the inside out. But this destruction was not cruel; instead, it was filled with the poignant beauty of a beautiful civilization's demise. The shattered buildings turned into crystal-like dust, which, along with fragments of blood crystals, shone brightly in the afterglow of the setting sun, proclaiming their existence.
It's so beautiful! I couldn't help but stop and admire it.
If the scenery in my view weren't so distorted.
"Hmm--"
Flame Wings unfurled, and the surging Blood Flame instantly melted the upper half of the nearest castle. I landed on the wrecked floor, searching for the lady's whereabouts.
No, there's no need to look for it at all.
Because in the world as I perceive it now, she is everywhere.
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This chapter is a bit short because I wasn't feeling well while writing it the day before yesterday... Please forgive me.