"But your life is still going on. You can't stop moving forward."
In the distance, a melodious bell suddenly rang out.
The sea breeze blew against her face.
Chi Yuan found herself back on that familiar beach.
Azure waves crashed against the reefs with a rushing sound, washing over her ankles again and again, bone-chillingly cold.
For a fleeting moment, time seemed to flow backward into days gone by.
Cangxuan and Danzhu began to turn transparent.
"Goodbye, Chi Yuan."
The two spoke in unison, their voices drifting farther and farther away.
Chi Yuan watched helplessly as they dissolved into the wind, able only to call out.
"...Goodbye, Cangxuan! Goodbye, Danzhu!"
The dream shattered.
Kiana's eyes flew open, and she gasped for breath.
Bronya woke immediately after her.
Before them was still the same tranquil Mount Taixu.
Only one person was missing.
Lin Zhaoyu was nowhere to be seen.
The two stared at each other, then looked around.
There were no signs of anyone leaving, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.
Only a single feather lay silently where Lin Zhaoyu had stood.
Kiana bent down and picked up the feather, her fingertips rubbing its delicate patterns.
Bronya frowned slightly, her face filled with confusion.
"Is this a clue she deliberately left for us?"
Kiana stared at the Feather in her hand and fell silent for a moment.
"Maybe... She wants to convey some kind of message."
She recalled that woman's cryptic words not long ago, along with those obscure, incomprehensible riddles.
Then she had suddenly vanished without a trace.
None of this could possibly be a coincidence.
Since they couldn't find Lin Zhaoyu...
Kiana drew her gaze back and stared fixedly at the feather-shaped object in her palm.
"Want to take a gamble?"
She turned toward Bronya, her tone somewhat tentative.