Over the next few days, Luo Li keenly noticed that something was wrong with Castorice.
It did not stem from any external danger or discomfort, but from an indescribable restlessness and... unease within her.
The most obvious sign began one morning.
Luo Li was awakened by faint sounds from the kitchen earlier than usual.
He climbed out of bed, bleary-eyed, and found Castorice already dressed and preparing breakfast at the stove.
That in itself was not particularly strange. What was strange was the conspicuous yellow sticky note on the counter beside her.
Written on it in slightly childish Longxia script, with every stroke painstakingly formed, were the words:
[Fry the eggs until golden. Luo Li likes them that way.]
Luo Li rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was still half asleep.
Since when had Castorice started writing reminders? And... what was with this one?
He did not look into it at the time, taking it as some sort of exercise in learning Longxia script and adjusting to life here. He even found it rather cute.
But that was only the beginning.
From that day on, all sorts of sticky notes sprang up like mushrooms after rain in every corner of the rented apartment.
On the refrigerator: [The milk is on the second shelf. Remember to drink it.]
On the bathroom mirror: [The weather is getting colder. Use warm water to wash up.]
Beside the TV remote: [Rest your eyes after watching for a while.]
On the frame of Luo Li's computer monitor: [Remember to move your wrists if you stream for too long.]
Even a leaf on his half-dead pothos had a tiny slip of paper carefully attached to it: [Get plenty of sunlight and grow big soon.]
At first, Luo Li found it both amusing and heartwarming.
His Castorice was making the place feel more and more like a home, like a meticulous little housekeeper.
But soon, he could no longer smile.
With his initial grasp of the power of the Path of [Remembrance], particularly his slightly enhanced perception of emotions and lingering memories, he could clearly "read" more when he carefully examined the words on those sticky notes.
They were not simple reminders or records.
In every inked stroke, in the slightly clumsy shapes of the characters, he seemed to feel the heavy, complex emotions of the person writing them, almost spilling through the paper-care, worry, an almost stubborn insistence on confirmation, and even... a hidden trace of barely perceptible fear.
It was as though she had written those words to fight something that was eating away at her.
"Luo Li, you don't look well. Did you not sleep well?"-from the note on the coffee table, he could "read" how her brows had drawn together slightly as she wrote it, her fingertips paling faintly from the force of her grip.
"It's raining. Remember to take an umbrella when you go out."-the note behind the door came with the barely audible sigh she had let out while looking at the gloomy sky outside.
"Though the stars in this world are obscured, you can still see one now and then."-the strokes on the note by the window carried a trace of lonely longing for the rivers of stars over Amphoreus, as well as... a fearful dread of losing the view before her.
These discoveries gradually made Luo Li's heart sink.
What exactly was wrong with Castorice?
He tried asking, but she always responded with a gentle shake of her head and "It's nothing," while deep within her purple eyes, there seemed to hang a veil of mist he could not penetrate.
Luo Li tried to prepare himself mentally: Maybe she just felt insecure because she was new here? Or was she uncertain about the future? He should give her more time and space.
He worked hard to act as though everything was normal, streaming, practicing his Path power, and bickering with Xiao Hong, trying to dispel her unease with more companionship and clumsy gestures of care.
But the sticky notes kept appearing every day, in ever greater numbers.
Then, one evening after finishing his stream, Luo Li saw Castorice standing on the balcony, gazing up at the night sky, completely covered by Blood-Erosion Clouds without a single glimmer of starlight. In the cold moonlight, her figure looked especially frail and lonely.
She still held a freshly written sticky note in her hand. On it were only a few simple words: [Will you... be here?]
At that moment, the worry and confusion Luo Li had accumulated over the past several days finally erupted, like a fuse catching fire.
Unable to hold back any longer, he strode onto the balcony and up to her, his voice carrying an urgency and heartache he did not even notice himself. "Castorice! What's wrong with you? Tell me! You've been acting strange all these days! Those notes... what exactly have you been thinking?"
Startled by his sudden agitation, Castorice trembled slightly, and the sticky note drifted from her hand to the floor.
She turned and met Luo Li's gaze, filled with worry and refusing to let her evade him. A flicker of panic crossed her purple eyes, only to be replaced by a deeper, unbearable sorrow.
She remained silent for a long time, so long that Luo Li almost thought she would not answer.
At last, she lowered her head, her voice as soft as a murmured dream that might shatter at a touch. "I... had a dream."
"A dream?"
"Yes."
Castorice nodded gently, unconsciously twisting her fingers together. "For several days in a row... it's been the same dream."
She raised her eyes to Luo Li, her gaze hollow and pained. "In the dream... there was another 'Luo Li.' He looked... exactly like you.
"But his eyes were so cold, and his voice was so unfamiliar... without any warmth at all."
Luo Li's heart clenched.
"He... said a lot of things to me."
Castorice's voice began to tremble, as though she had fallen back into those terrible dreams.
"He told me... about many... 'futures' of yours... that would come before long."
"Futures?"
"Yes..."
Castorice closed her eyes, her thick, long lashes trembling violently like butterfly wings, as though resisting the terrifying images surging toward her.
"I saw... you lying in the ruins, a vampire's claws driven through your chest, your blood staining the ground red..."
"I saw... you swallowed by a glowing weapon that exploded while you were protecting me, without... without even ashes left behind..."
"I saw... you swallowed by twisted shadows, your body disappearing bit by bit, until all that remained was... my name, which you never had time to call out..."
"And... you stood somewhere high above, smiling at me, and then... leaped into an endless abyss..."
"Every... every future was different... but they all ended the same way..."
Her voice choked, breaking into desperate sobs.
"You always... died in front of me... within my reach... and yet I... couldn't do anything..."
At last, tears slipped uncontrollably from the corners of her tightly shut eyes, rolling down her pale cheeks and dripping onto the cold floor, each drop striking Luo Li's heart as well.
Luo Li was utterly stunned.
He had imagined many possibilities, but never this.
Prophetic dreams? And all of them about his death, each a different tragic ending?
And who... was that cold figure who looked exactly like him?
Watching Castorice's shoulders tremble faintly with fear and sorrow, seeing the clear tracks of tears on her face, he felt as though an invisible hand had clenched his heart so tightly that he could barely breathe through the pain.
At last, he understood. Those sticky notes were her way of fighting the nightmares and confirming that reality existed.
Every expression of care, every written stroke, was her way of proving to herself that Luo Li was alive right now, still here beside her.
He reached out, wanting to draw her into his arms and give her comfort and strength.
But before he could touch her, Castorice suddenly raised her head. Her tear-soaked purple eyes looked even more fragile as she stared straight at him and asked a question that seemed to take all the strength she had:
"Luo Li... will you... forget me?"
The question was so abrupt, yet it laid bare her deepest fear so profoundly-she feared not only his death, but being forgotten, feared that after his possible, fated tragic end, the meaning of her existence in this unfamiliar world would vanish completely.
Luo Li felt as though his heart had taken a heavy blow.
Looking at the unease and pleading almost overflowing from her eyes, all his tangled thoughts and questions turned, in that instant, into the purest, most resolute impulse.
Without the slightest hesitation, he answered decisively, his voice steady and strong, carrying the unquestionable weight of an oath:
"No."
He stepped forward and, despite her faint trembling, took her cold hands firmly yet gently in his. Gazing intently into her eyes, he spoke each word distinctly:
"Even if this world is destroyed, the stars fall, and all things return to oblivion-"
"I will never forget you."
"Castorice."
His words were like the warmest sunlight, instantly dispelling the piercing chill that had lingered around Castorice's heart.
She stared at him, at the unquestionable sincerity and almost overbearing desire to protect her in his eyes, feeling the firm, warm pressure of his palms.
More tears welled up, but this time, they were no longer cold despair. They were a scalding stream filled with relief and an immense sense of reassurance.
She gripped his hands tightly in return, as though clutching the only piece of driftwood amid raging winds and waves, and gently rested her forehead against his shoulder. Her voice was hoarse from crying, carrying a trace of indescribable dependence:
"...Okay."
[Ding! Thanks to the host's unwavering oath and warm protection, the immense unease and fear within target "Castorice" have been completely soothed. Her feelings of being moved and her dependence have reached their peak, producing a qualitative change in her emotions! Affection +10. Current affection: 98%!] [Ding! Congratulations, host! Target "Castorice" has surpassed 90% affection! An extraordinary emotional bond and a profound anchoring of "Remembrance" have been detected. The awakening conditions for the hidden advanced Path, [Finality], have been fulfilled (prerequisites: awaken the Path of Remembrance and achieve a bond value greater than 90% with a designated target)!] [Begin guiding the infusion of the power of the Path of "Finality" immediately?] [Warning: The power of the Path of [Finality] is of an extremely high order and contains the ultimate mysteries of destruction and rebirth. The awakening process is exceptionally perilous, far exceeding that of the Path of [Remembrance]. Please ensure that your mental state is absolutely stable and that you are in an absolutely safe environment! It is recommended that you make thorough preparations before attempting it!]
A series of system notifications exploded in Luo Li's mind.
98% affection!
And... the Path of [Finality]?!
The sudden, enormous influx of information left Luo Li somewhat dizzy.
He held the girl in his arms tightly. She was still quietly sobbing, but her body had completely relaxed. Feeling her wholehearted dependence on him while listening to the system's tempting yet cautionary messages about the Path of [Finality], he felt immense waves rise within his heart.
At the end of Remembrance... lay Finality?
He lowered his head and watched the faint glimmer of the amethyst hair clip in Castorice's hair. An unprecedented thought grew wildly within him, like a seedling breaking through the soil.
He had to become stronger.
Strong enough to overturn those bullshit "futures," strong enough to protect the warmth in his arms until... true Finality arrived.