Until That Voice Rang Out

The body healed by hot water felt warm on the surface, and under the gentle night breeze, the coolness was wonderfully comfortable.

Sitting on the edge of the hotel rooftop, hidden in darkness beyond the reach of the lights, Fang Ran, dressed only in a simple shirt, gazed out at the night view of central Paris.

He looked at the world-famous Eiffel Tower, resplendent in the night.

Seeing this "famous" sight with his own eyes from up close, something he had seen in elementary school English textbooks,

he felt as though he could hear the prosperous city breathing around him. It was a feeling very far removed from the small town where he had once lived.

The sound of beating wings arose. Two exquisite, elegant black silhouettes appeared as Hugin and Munin landed on his shoulders and affectionately rubbed against Fang Ran's cheeks.

Their wings spread as they chirped and squabbled for attention, as though complaining that their master had suddenly abandoned them earlier.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to leave you behind either."

Fang Ran smiled softly at the sight. He tapped the birds that had immediately returned to his side, then raised his arm and released them into the night sky.

Then he continued looking over Paris at night, slowly opening his pitch-black eyes.

This time, even Fang Ran himself noticed it.

He really was smiling.

Rather than staying where he was, he had come to a distant world and experienced a string of events as a participant, like an adventure he had long awaited.

"If I hadn't won that fight..."

His dark eyes looked down on the prosperity of central Paris from high above. The night wind stirred his collar and loose strands of hair, scattering the latter half of his muttered words.

*Would I still have