"I think..." Tide Sis sat up straight and said earnestly:
"Rather than worrying about memories, the likeliest possibility is that, if I really do leave again for some reason, you'll all be piles of bones by the time I descend again."
At that, Ling An frowned slightly. "I smell a lifespan dilemma."
He spread his hands. "Unfortunately, though I don't know how long I'll live, my lifespan seems to far exceed the limit, too."
Suddenly, Tide Sis reached out a finger and rested it between Ling An's brows. "This is where you far surpass humans."
After a brief pause, she added, "One of the ways, anyway."
She smiled. "Perhaps, in a sense, I'm a monster too. After all, I've never heard of a Resonator with such a long lifespan. But I can promise you..."
"Promise me what?"
"If that day really comes, even if I forget everyone else, I won't forget you."
Beneath the night sky, the dim yellow lamps went out one by one, and Mt. Firmament drifted into dreams.
The next day.
Early that morning, Ling An caught sight of Tide Sis hurrying out.
He gave it some thought. As someone who had experienced an event as significant as the Mirage Realm firsthand, Tide Sis would surely have to report on it with Changli, so he thought little of it.
But soon, a message arrived on his Terminal as well.
Ling An froze at the name displayed on the Terminal.
Changli?
What did she want with me?
Could she want some pointers on how to win Tide Sis's favor?
This time, Changli wasn't as cryptic as before. Instead, she sent him the coordinates of their meeting place outright.
It was a familiar place: the Pavilion by the circular ruins where they had met before.
When Ling An arrived