The scene shifts back to Aizen and his two Aizen, who have left the Hozuki Clan's territory.
They then arrived at a dilapidated hut in a remote village, a place that Hozuki Setsugetsu had led Aizen and Jörmungandr.
According to him, this is where he used to live, and his parents were buried behind this hut after they died.
Upon arriving at the hut, Setsugetsu struggled to climb down from behind Aizen. As soon as her feet touched the ground, a wave of weakness washed over her, and she involuntarily collapsed to the ground in front of her.
However, he seemed unwilling to appear weak in front of the house, and forcibly steadied himself as he was about to collapse.
He looked at the dilapidated house before him, took a deep breath, mustered all his strength, and staggered to push open the door. What came into view was a pile of broken tables, bowls, and pots, but there was no trace of disgust in his eyes; instead, a deep sense of nostalgia appeared.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew out from the hole in the house, carrying a faint floral fragrance.
After smelling the faint fragrance of flowers, Setsugetsu seemed to remember something and continued to struggle her body toward the back of the house, almost falling to the ground several times due to her weakness.
Jörmungandr, who was standing nearby, wanted to lend a hand, but when faced with Setsugetsu's firm and serious gaze, he withdrew his helping hand.
And so, in a state of near collapse, Setsugetsu pushed open the back door of the house.
As the back door opened, a dazzling yellow light filled his eyes.
Upon seeing the yellow light, tears welled up in his eyes. Yet, even with tears streaming down his face, he still smiled, as if forcing himself to smile for some inexplicable reason.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Jörmungandr asked Setsugetsu curiously, who was standing blankly at the back door. Then, following Setsugetsu's gaze, he saw a large field of golden chrysanthemums.
He was puzzled; it was just an ordinary patch of chrysanthemums, what was so special about it?
"It's nothing, Jörmungandr. I'm just so happy to see such beautiful flowers in the last moments of my life. It's truly wonderful." Perhaps not wanting to show weakness in this place, Setsugetsu forced herself to cheer up and wiped her eyes.
Soon after, he stopped crying and knelt on the dusty floor. He didn't mind the dirt and mess, and bowed deeply several times, kowtowing heavily to the sea of flowers.
This scene made Jörmungandr realize that this ordinary sea of flowers, in his eyes, might have a special meaning when viewed against the backdrop of Setsugetsu.
" Aizen, Jörmungandr, let's go. I still have many places to go; we can't waste all our time here." As if she had fulfilled a wish, a clear look of joy appeared on Setsugetsu's pale face. After struggling to her feet, she urged Aizen and Jörmungandr.
Upon hearing this, Aizen nodded before saying anything, then carried Setsugetsu on his back and headed towards the direction of leaving the Land of Water.
Meanwhile, Jörmungandr, who had initially thought Setsugetsu was a burden, put aside his dissatisfaction and decided to do a good deed.
Soon the three arrived at the border of the Land of Water, found a small boat at random, and boarded it to leave the Land of Water.
"Is this the ocean? It's so vast!" Setsugetsu, already seated on the boat, looked at the boundless, endless ocean around her and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
His exclamation piqued Jörmungandr's curiosity. "Hey, kid, you're from the Land of Water, haven't you ever seen the ocean?"
Although Jörmungandr had put aside his dissatisfaction with Setsugetsu, he did not change how he addressed Setsugetsu, since there was no rule that required him to be polite to a dying imp.
" Jörmungandr, first of all, I'm not a little brat; I'm already 12 years old. Secondly, because of my poor health, Naoya haven't had many opportunities to go out. Therefore, even though I'm from the Land of Water, I've never seen the ocean." As if aware of Jörmungandr's personality, Setsugetsu also began to show a hint of her boyish nature, refuting Jörmungandr's words with dissatisfaction.
"Twelve years old? You don't look twelve at all." Jörmungandr looked at the frail, thin boy in front of him and said with a hint of disdain. Then, as if noticing something unexpected, he asked Setsugetsu, "You're already twelve? But I think I heard someone say you're not even ten yet?"
Setsugetsu paused for a moment when asked this question, then thought for a moment before speaking.
"Actually, I wasn't born through the Hozuki Clan's special design. My birth was a complete accident."
My father was an ordinary member of the Hozuki Clan, not particularly strong. He met my mother after being seriously injured during a mission. After spending some time together, they fell in love. Because of my mother, my father decided to give up his life as a ninja, abandon the glory of his clan, hide his identity, and live with my mother, who shared the same thoughts, in a remote village.
Furthermore, because they were concealing their identities, neither of them knew the other's identity, only that the other came from a sizable ninja clan.
Then I was born. My father and mother became even more unwilling to return to their ninja identities, and so the three of us lived happily and harmoniously for five or six years.
But such a happy scene was not long-lasting. One day when I was six years old, I seemed to have a health problem.
As I get older, my body becomes weaker and weaker.
My parents, unable to bear seeing me grow weaker and weaker, resumed their lives as ninjas, hoping to find a way to cure me. Unfortunately, they were severely wounded during a mission and eventually succumbed to their injuries.
I was entrusted to the Hozuki Clan, from which my father was born, because I possessed the blood of both families and was highly regarded by them. My appearance led the Hozuki Clan Hozuki Clan to believe their plan had succeeded. They began to loudly proclaim the success of their experiment, but after having medical-nin examine me, they discovered I was a useless person with a weak body and no ninja talent, so they withdrew their attention and left me to fend for myself.
"So, Jörmungandr, the information you received was just a mistake by the Hozuki Clan. I was already born long before that."
When talking about his experiences, Setsugetsu's expression showed no resentment; a faint smile remained on his lips. He seemed quite satisfied with his life and showed no resentment towards the hardships he had endured.
Gazing at the Setsugetsu, Jörmungandr uttered the question that had been troubling him, "Why can you smile in the face of your tragic life?"
Seemingly sensing the formality in Jörmungandr's tone, he thought for a moment before replying, "Well... actually, I don't feel my life has been tragic. Also, I wanted to let my mother leave this world in peace. I promised her that even if I were alone, I would walk on happily."
After saying that, he gave Jörmungandr a bright smile.
At this moment Jörmungandr seemed to understand why Aizen was willing to help this kid, because besides his physical condition, the boy's attitude towards life was different from others.
" Aizen, Jörmungandr, is this a shark? How ferocious!!!" This was Setsugetsu's exclamation when he first saw a shark.
" Jörmungandr, is this grilled fish? It smells so good and looks so delicious! I thought Jörmungandr didn't know how to make this kind of thing." This was Setsugetsu's exclamation of surprise when she first tasted the grilled fish made by Jörmungandr.
" Aizen, are these the flowers from the Land of Water? They are just as vibrant and beautiful as my mother described!" This was Setsugetsu's first reaction upon seeing the flowers from the Land of Water.
" Jörmungandr, are these kittens and puppies? They're so cute and fluffy! They're even licking my face, it tickles! Hahaha!" This was Setsugetsu's silvery laughter when she first saw cats and dogs.
" Aizen, is this the sunset? It's so beautiful, I wish I could see it again." This was Setsugetsu's exclamation when she first saw the sun setting on the horizon, and the clouds glowing fiery red in its light.
The three of them were sitting together on a small hillside. This place was specially found by Jörmungandr so that Setsugetsu could watch the sunset, and it took him quite a bit of time.
On the left is Jörmungandr, in the middle is Setsugetsu, and on the right is Aizen. They are lying together on the grass, looking up at the starry sky.
Looking at the stars in the sky, Setsugetsu couldn't help but ask, " Aizen, do you think that deceased loved ones really turn into stars and watch over the people on earth?"
When Setsugetsu was little, her mother told her a story about stars. Her mother told her that the stars in the sky were all transformed from people on earth. If someone's loved ones died, they would become stars, watching over their loved ones on earth from the sky, so that their loved ones would no longer be lonely.
At the time, Setsugetsu was still young and believed his mother's words without a doubt. Now that he is older, he has begun to doubt the truthfulness of his mother's words.
This was a good opportunity to verify, so I asked Aizen about it after thinking about it. As for why I didn't ask Jörmungandr, perhaps it's because in Setsugetsu's mind, Aizen is the one who is learned and knowledgeable.
Upon hearing Setsugetsu's question, Aizen gave an ambiguous answer, "Perhaps."
"Is that so? That's wonderful. This way, after I die, I will become a star in the sky watching over Lord Aizen and Jörmungandr, so you won't be lonely." Upon receiving Aizen's reply, Setsugetsu exclaimed happily. In his heart, Aizen wouldn't lie to him. If there was any reason why he trusted Aizen so much, it was because Aizen was the first person willing to grant his wish.
Aizen had initially been somewhat perfunctory, was taken aback by Setsugetsu's response. After a moment of surprise, he didn't say anything more, but simply smiled and looked at Setsugetsu.
"Ha!"
After the initial excitement, Setsugetsu couldn't help but yawn, his face showing deep fatigue. He had probably played too hard that day, and now drowsiness was creeping over him. Fighting off his sleepiness, he said to Aizen others, " Aizen, Jörmungandr, I feel sleepy. I'll rest for a bit now. Be sure to wake me up when the sun rises. I really want to see the sunrise."
After saying that, he waited for Aizen and Jörmungandr reply before lying down on the grass and falling asleep.
" Aizen, let's find a way to save this brat. If we can bring him to the main body, the main body's Medical Ninjutsu should be able to save his life." Looking at the sleeping Setsugetsu, Jörmungandr help but suggest to Aizen. He couldn't bear to watch Setsugetsu die.
"There's no time left." Aizen responded calmly to Jörmungandr's suggestion.
"No time? What does that mean?" Jörmungandr's expression was rather grim. He couldn't understand why Setsugetsu didn't have time. At their speed, they could find Setsugetsu's true form very quickly.
"The meaning is simple: Setsugetsu doesn't have time to hold out until we find her true form."
"How can there not be time? Didn't you say he had about 48 hours left? Only 20 hours have passed at most, that's still a day. How can we get to the main body's side?" Jörmungandr couldn't understand. Aizen had told him that Setsugetsu had 48 hours to live, so how could 20 hours be not enough?
Faced with Jörmungandr's persistent questioning, Aizen Jörmungandr said, "Why do you think he's so energetic today? It's all because he risked his life. After he paid respects to his parents, he asked me to use Medical Ninjutsu to restore his weakened body to health. He didn't care about shortening his lifespan by more than 40 hours, just so he could have a happy day without regrets. Otherwise, how do you think his previously frail body could have kept up with you? Also, remember our purpose. I hope you can be more rational."
The truth Aizen revealed was too cruel, leaving Jörmungandr stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. He looked down at Setsugetsu's tired face and softly asked, "How much time does he have left?"
Looking at Jörmungandr's somewhat dazed expression, Aizen sighed and replied, "He wants me to give him some time to watch the sunrise. So, if I calculate the time, he probably has about eight hours left. That means around six o'clock tomorrow, he will..."
Aizen didn't finish his sentence, and Jörmungandr understood his meaning. At this point, even if Jörmungandr unwilling, he had to abandon the idea of saving Setsugetsu.
The harsh reality is this, and he cannot change it.
"Don't worry, although we can't save him now, we will still meet again in the distant future. As long as we can successfully achieve the Six Paths, reviving Setsugetsu will be a piece of cake." Jörmungandr softly, seemingly noticing Aizen's slightly sad expression.
Despite receiving comfort from Aizen, Jörmungandr still harbored a lingering regret. Setsugetsu could be considered his and Aizen's first friend since their inception. Although they were merely special incarnations of Kōki, they possessed their own personalities and emotions.
Time passed by, and the sky, which had been filled with stars, regained its brightness.
" Setsugetsu, wake up, the sunrise you've been waiting for is about to appear."
With a few gentle shakes and calls, Setsugetsu groggily awoke from her dream. Rubbing her eyes, she sleepily asked Jörmungandr, "Is the sunrise about to begin?"
"Yes, look over there."
Following the direction Jörmungandr pointed, one could see a thin layer of white mist floating in the vast sky. Below the mist, a round sun, radiating a not-so-dazzling red light, slowly rose from below.
The moment he saw the sunrise, Setsugetsu's sleepy eyes widened instantly, seemingly moved by the magnificent beauty of the sunrise. He shed tears once more, and it seemed he sensed that he was nearing the end of his life, yet he still spoke with a smile.
" Aizen, Jörmungandr, is this the sunrise? How wonderful, it's so good to be able to live like this."
This was the first and last time Setsugetsu saw the sunrise.