Little Aemeath

In the end, in this silent exchange of glances, the Rover was defeated.

A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes. She sighed softly, picked up her teacup, and took a sip as if to cover it up.

"Whatever. It's just a name. 'Rover' Rover fine. It sounds more like a person than those weird titles."

Although she expressed her displeasure, her tense shoulders relaxed.

Surprisingly, she didn't feel any aversion to this person who had suddenly barged into this icy wasteland and was full of nonsensical talk.

Before Lu Yan's smile could fully bloom, a sudden change occurred.

"Thump--!"

A dull, loud splash suddenly pierced through the howling wind and snow outside.

In such severe blizzard conditions, the tunnels on the Royan Frostlands should have long since retreated into their burrows. How could there be such a clear sound of water splashing near Jian Lake?

The Rover's eyes sharpened instantly, and he stood up abruptly, like a drawn bow.

But before she could make a move, Lu Yan, who was sitting on the sofa, jumped up as if he had been electrocuted.

Falling into the water? Jian Lake?

Lu Yan's pupils suddenly contracted. In this timeline, in this location, could it be...?

It's Little Aemeath!

Lu Yan's heart clenched suddenly. He didn't care that he was still wearing thin pajamas or the weather on the ice field. He rushed in and out like a madman.

"Hey! Are you crazy?!" Upon seeing this, the Rover immediately grabbed his coat from the coat rack and followed closely behind.

The fierce wind and snow cut into Lu Yan's face like ice shards and razor blades, but he ignored it all.

His eyes searched frantically through the gray, blizzard-like landscape, finally finding Jian Lake not far from the Glimmering Lakeside Lodge there.

A faint pink hue could be seen struggling and sinking underwater.

It really is Little Aemeath! Not some animal!

Without any hesitation, Lu Yan leaped into the icy lake water with a splash.

"What a reckless idiot!" the arriving Rover cursed under his breath, and without hesitation, jumped into the lake as well.

The lake water was bone-chillingly cold, as if countless needles were piercing Lu Yan's body.

But he didn't care about any of that. He struggled to open his eyes underwater, frantically paddling his arms, and swam toward the sinking pink object.

Faster! Faster!

Finally, he caught the cold Little Aemeath.

Lu Yan pulled hard, pulling the small body tightly into his arms. Then, he kicked off with both legs, using the buoyancy of the water and the force of the Rover's pull to break through the surface.

"Splash!"

The two men, carrying a little girl, broke through the water and climbed onto the snow-covered shore.

"Cough... cough... cough cough!"

As soon as Lu Yan stepped ashore, the little girl he was holding tightly in his arms began to cough violently, spitting out mouthfuls of lake water that had been choked into her lungs. Her small body trembled uncontrollably in his arms due to the cold and fear.

Lu Yan knelt on the shore and held her tightly.

At this moment, she lacks the energetic and quirky personality she has as an adult.

She was wearing a traditional Lahai-Roi outfit, and her signature long pink hair, now soaked through by the lake, clung lifelessly to her pale face.

Little Aemeath opened her eyes with difficulty. Her golden, star-like eyes, which should have been like little suns, were now filled with terror, confusion, and an unfathomable emptiness.

She stared blankly at Lu Yan, who was hugging her tightly, and then glanced at the Rover standing beside her, who was also soaking wet.

She didn't cry or make a fuss like a typical child who has been rescued and is crying and seeking comfort. She just bit her bloodless lower lip tightly and clutched the amulet in her hands.

This extreme silence was like a dull knife, cutting deeply into Lu Yan's heart.

"Don't just stand there, go back inside!" The Rover's calm voice interrupted Lu Yan's heartache.

As the cabin door closed again, the warm glow of the fireplace enveloped the three of them once more.

Lu Yan carefully placed Little Aemeath on the rug closest to the fireplace.

The little girl remained curled up, her small hands clutching the amulet tightly, her eyes staring blankly at the leaping flames in the fireplace, her trembling unabated.

The Rover walked up to Little Aemeath and half-squatted down.

Instead of taking a towel, she slowly extended her right hand, her palm hovering above the little girl's body.

With a flash of golden light, the Rover manipulated the power of time.

The icy lake water on Little Aemeath's body and hair instantly turned into tiny water molecules, which then evaporated into the air visibly.

In just a few seconds, the little girl's previously wet clothes dried.

The Rover casually pulled a thick blanket from the sofa and wrapped it tightly around Little Aemeath's body.

After finishing all this, the Rover stood up, glanced at Lu Yan, who was also soaking wet but drying himself with a towel, and asked in a low voice:

Do you know this child?

Lu Yan opened his mouth, but the invisible force of the rules surged forth again, preventing him from saying certain things.

He could only shake his head bitterly and whisper, "I... I was just worried about the child. Rover, thank you."

The Rover didn't press further. She keenly sensed the genuine sadness in Lu Yan's eyes.

She turned her head and looked at the little girl wrapped in the blanket, her brows furrowing slightly. "Something's wrong with this child. Her eyes... it's like she's lost something important, or rather, she's afraid of something."

Lu Yan silently squatted down, looking directly at Little Aemeath.

He knew perfectly well why she was there.

At this point in time, Aemeath has just experienced the most terrible nightmare of her life.

What she feared was not the cold, but being forgotten.

Within this seemingly quiet little body, the pain of having one's existence erased is being endured.

She wanted to grasp even the slightest trace of her parents' existence on this icy plain where they had once lived, in order to resist the fading memories in her mind.

The reason she didn't cry after getting ashore was because she had been overwhelmed by the mental pressure.

"Don't be afraid." Lu Yan softened his voice, tentatively reaching out to gently cover the back of Little Aemeath, which was tightly clenched against her chest.

"It's alright now."

Little Aemeath trembled slightly.

She slowly turned her head, and her golden eyes, now dull and lifeless, met Lu Yan's golden eyes.

For some reason, this Frequency, both strange and familiar, gave her an instinctive sense of peace. (Aemeath's own Frequency in resonance.)

Little Aemeath's stiff body finally loosened a little.

Her tightly clenched little hands slowly loosened, revealing what she had been desperately protecting in front of her chest.

It was a silver circular amulet with a blue-pink gradient.

Seeing the amulet, Lu Yan suppressed a sore throat and asked in the softest voice, "This is very important, isn't it?" Little Aemeath didn't speak, but silently pressed the amulet to her heart, and a thin layer of mist gradually gathered in her eyes.

Large tears, like beads from a broken string, fell silently onto the blanket.

She didn't cry out loud, but just sobbed silently.

Lu Yan could no longer hold back.

He stretched out his arms and hugged the trembling little pink bundle tightly into his embrace.

He gently patted her back with his palm.

"Cry, it's okay, cry if you want to." Lu Yan's voice echoed in the quiet little house, carrying a calming power.

Little Aemeath leaned on Lu Yan's broad shoulders, feeling the warmth emanating from this stranger.

On this snowy night, by the dim fire in the Glimmering Lakeside Lodge, she finally let down her guard and cried out in Lu Yan's arms.

"Waaah--"

Little Aemeath's tiny hands, clutching the amulet, gripped Lu Yan's shirt tightly. The force was so great that her delicate knuckles turned a deathly pale white.

She buried her tear-streaked face deep into Lu Yan's chest, as if trying to hide herself completely in this safe haven.

He didn't utter a single complete sentence, not even a single clear word.

Little Aemeath just opened her mouth wide and gasped for breath, letting her Lamentation escape from the depths of her throat.

Scalding tears soaked the thin fabric covering Lu Yan's chest, clinging to his skin and leaving an intense burning sensation.

Little Aemeath's body trembled in Lu Yan.

She instinctively shook her head frantically, forcing a smile, while tears silently streamed down her cheeks, as if doing so could prove that she was actually alright.

"Hold on tight, it's okay."

Lu Yan's eyes were completely red. He didn't try to comfort her with any grand principles, but simply pulled her close with his arms, completely enveloping the trembling little pink bundle in his broad chest.

He gently stroked her thin, trembling back with his large, calloused hands, offering her a sliver of comfort.

The Rover watched this scene quietly, saying nothing, but silently turned up the temperature of the fire, making the flames burn brighter.

The room was quiet except for Little Aemeath's heartbreaking sobs.