Tides of the Heart

The silver-white, streamlined soul-conductor train sped smoothly along the soul-conductor tracks that ran through the eastern continent like a silent giant serpent. The scenery outside flashed backward—the rolling hills, neat farmland, and occasional modern towns all blurred into patches of color. The carriage was comfortable and nearly silent, with only the faintest sound of air resistance reminding them that they were speeding away from Skysea City toward Tiandou City at an astonishing pace.

Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena sat in a spacious business-class compartment. Unlike their journey there, which had been filled with exploration and uncertainty, they now both felt something more grounded and profound. Their time in Skysea City and Eastsea City had been like a massive stone cast into the lakes of their hearts, and the ripples had yet to fully settle.

Tang Wulin leaned back against the soft leather seat. His gaze rested on the view beyond the window, but it was not truly focused on any particular scenery. His mind kept drifting back over every moment of the past few days.

Teacher Wu Changkong's cold yet deeply affectionate statue... That weighty longing and reverence had now settled into a clearer sense of responsibility. What Teacher Wu had taught him was not merely how to fight, but the will to protect. That will seemed to have long been carved into his bones. It had nothing to do with whose son he was or what sect master he had once been. It was simply because he was Tang Wulin.

At Eastsea Academy, those Zero Class children whose eyes burned as they spoke of getting into Shrek... They had shown him the shadows of himself and his companions from ten thousand years ago. That pure desire to grow stronger had remained unchanged across time. Yet now, they had a more peaceful environment and broader paths ahead of them. It gave him a small measure of comfort that the struggles and sacrifices he and Gu Yuena had made ten thousand years ago had been worth it.

Most importantly, there was the woman beside him... His gaze shifted slightly and fell upon Gu Yuena, who was pretending to sleep beside him. That sudden, blazing kiss in the stadium stands seemed to still linger on his lips, scorching hot. It had branded itself not only there, but deep within his heart.

Before that, his feelings for her had stemmed more from instinctive closeness, from her being his only source of reliance amid his amnesia, and from the profound bond pieced together from fragments of memory. But after that kiss, everything had changed. It was an intensely affirmed, unquestionable love, like a volcano dormant for ten thousand years finally erupting. Scorching magma had instantly enveloped him, making him understand with unparalleled clarity—he loved her, down to his soul, beyond even memory.

That realization brought him an unprecedented sense of peace and fulfillment. It was as though a lonely boat that had drifted for ten thousand years had finally found its one and only harbor. He was no longer eager to ask who he truly was, because he knew with absolute certainty that no matter who he was, he belonged to her. And as for his own identity, a vague outline had already formed in his heart.

With that thought, his desire to take her traveling through the sea of stars grew clearer and firmer. He had already fulfilled his responsibilities of ten thousand years. Looking at this relatively peaceful and prosperous new era outside the window, he felt little attachment to it. In the long years ahead, he only wanted to live for her—to accompany her as she beheld the stars and seas, and experienced every beauty she had never known.

Perhaps sensing his gaze lingering on her for so long, Gu Yuena's long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her violet eyes were initially still hazy, but the moment they met his gentle gaze, they swiftly cleared. A faint, almost imperceptible shyness flashed through them, yet she did not look away.

"Did I wake you?" Tang Wulin asked softly, apologetically.

Gu Yuena shook her head slightly, adjusted her posture, and turned to look out the window as well. "No, I wasn't asleep anyway." She paused. "It's just... my mind is a little chaotic. There are so many images spinning around."

Her heart was no calmer than his.

Xiaoyu the spirit dolphin's friendly, open spiritual fluctuations, along with that pearl given as a gift... All of it had strongly shaken her ingrained understanding as the Silver Dragon King. Most of the fragments in her memory regarding the relationship between humans and soul beasts were filled with bloodshed, conflict, and schemes. Yet what she had seen in Skysea City had shown her a wholly different future, one filled with possibilities. Her people seemed to have truly found a new path, one where they no longer needed to struggle amid hatred and fear. That realization quietly eased a fraction of the heavy responsibility resting on her shoulders, a burden born from her bloodline. Perhaps she truly could... relax a little and begin considering a future of her own?

And that kiss... Her cheeks warmed slightly at the thought. At the time, her emotions had overwhelmed her, stirred beyond control by her memories and the scene before her. Now that she had calmed down, belated embarrassment flooded her heart. But even more than that, she felt a sense of peace, as though the dust had finally settled. Ten thousand years of solitude and the confusion after awakening had all found a home in that kiss. She could clearly feel the strength and emotion in Tang Wulin's response. It had been the same unquestionable love.

She secretly glanced at the man beside her from the corner of her eye. He was quietly looking out the window, the lines of his profile gentle and his eyes deep. An indescribable sense of satisfaction and serenity wrapped around her. So long as he was beside her, neither the past nor the future seemed frightening anymore.

"What are you thinking about?" Tang Wulin noticed her gaze, turned toward her, and naturally took the hand resting on her knee.

Gu Yuena felt the warmth and strength flowing from his palm. She intertwined her fingers with his and said softly, "I was thinking... about everything I saw in Skysea City. It was very different from what I remember." She did not say it outright, but he understood that she meant the relationship between humans and soul beasts.

"Yes." Tang Wulin nodded in agreement, his fingers gently stroking her knuckles. "The times are moving forward. They've become... far better than we imagined."

Those words were like a key, opening the shared safe hidden in their hearts. They began talking intermittently, no longer about specific fragments of memory, but about their feelings and perspectives.

"Seeing those soul beasts in human form compete alongside human soul masters in the same arena, without having to fear being hunted... I was actually a little happy," Gu Yuena said in a low voice, filled with relief.

"I know." Tang Wulin tightened his grip on her hand. "I'm happy for you too." He could feel the lightness in her tone, the relief of laying down a burden.

"Wulin," she suddenly turned and looked at him with great seriousness, "if... if we never remember all of our memories, would you regret it?"

Tang Wulin barely needed to think. Looking into her eyes, he shook his head, his tone resolute. "No. Because I have already remembered and confirmed what matters most."

He raised their clasped hands and placed them over his heart. "Here, I know clearly. Memories may become blurred, but love will not. I know that I love you. That is enough."

A glistening sheen instantly rippled through Gu Yuena's violet eyes. She squeezed his hand tightly, and everything that needed saying was left unspoken.

The train continued speeding onward, crossing plains and bridges, occasionally passing places that might have been battlefields ten thousand years ago but had now become peaceful towns. The aura of these places sometimes stirred faint ripples in the blank lakes of their hearts, like stones dropped upon still water, bringing a few indistinct fragments of images—perhaps the silhouette of a comrade, perhaps the flash of a soul skill, or perhaps only a surge of impassioned or sorrowful emotion.

But this time, the emergence of those memory fragments brought neither pain nor confusion. Instead, they were like pieces of a puzzle. Though scattered, they were slowly yet steadily assembling the outline of their former lives. They no longer resisted, nor did they rush. They simply experienced it all calmly, as if watching an old silent film about someone else.

When the enormous, ancient outline of Tiandou City gradually appeared on the distant horizon alongside its modern buildings, the setting sun was painting the sky a warm orange-red. Its light fell over Tiandou City, lending it an added air of antiquity and mystery.

"We're almost there," Tang Wulin said softly.

Gu Yuena rested against his shoulder and gazed at the ancient city drawing closer. She gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.

The announcement in the carriage sounded.

"This train will soon arrive at Tiandou City East Station. All passengers, please prepare to disembark."

Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena exchanged smiles. Hand in hand, they watched the mysterious city before them as the train gradually slowed. Their hands were clasped tightly, as if nothing waiting ahead could ever separate them again.