Chapter 61: This is the Most Perfect Ending, But Not the One I Wanted (Two-in-One)
When Rast opened his eyes again, the daylight outside the window was already bright.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes in confusion, only to realize that the furnishings of the room before him looked quite familiar.
It wasn’t the guest room at the mayor’s house… but rather, the bedroom where he had lived for countless days and nights.
He wanted to move his body, but found that his legs had somehow lost all sensation.
It was at this moment that Rast noticed the itching on his arm and the faint sound of breathing.
A blonde girl was sitting on a small stool beside the bed, her hands resting on her knees.
Her pale golden hair cascaded down the edge of the wooden bed, with a few strands falling onto Rast’s hand.
Her fair and delicate face was serene and gentle, her beautiful eyes slightly closed, as she sat quietly on the stool, fast asleep.
Emis, his childhood friend.
Which meant this wasn’t Frozen Water Town in the aftermath of the Calamity Echo… but rather, within Canaan, the small home that belonged to him and Emis.
Rast turned his gaze toward the window.
As expected, what greeted him wasn’t the ever-present white fog of Frozen Water Town, but a vast blue sky.
Beneath the azure sky stretched rolling mountains with snow-capped peaks.
At the foot of the mountains, beside a mirror-like lake, a giant waterwheel turned slowly, its blades casting a large shadow on the lake’s surface.
Such a beautiful scene was enough to heal all the wounds in a traveler’s heart.
Seemingly sensing Rast’s movements as he sat up, Emis’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly.
The next moment, she opened her eyes, revealing her sky-blue pupils.
Then, the expression in her eyes shifted from confusion to delight.
“Rast, you’re finally awake.”
“Though Miss Hiltina said you weren’t seriously hurt, only that your spirit was wounded and you needed to sleep for a while to recover… I was still worried since you’ve been unconscious for so long.”
Her voice, like the chime of a silver bell, rang in Rast’s ears.
He massaged his throbbing head: “Xiao Ai… how long was I unconscious?”
“Hmm, after Miss Hiltina brought you back to Canaan, you were unconscious for another nine full days.”
“According to Miss Hiltina, she originally wanted to keep you at Starry University, as they have the best medical facilities there.”
Emis tilted her head, a few strands of her pale golden hair falling onto Rast’s hand. Her eyes flickered with an expression of trying hard to recall:
“But the doctor at Starry University suggested that purely physical injuries could be healed in the Night World… but to heal spiritual wounds, relying solely on external forces is difficult. Only in the most familiar and relaxed environment can time slowly mend the scars.”
“That’s why she went through so much effort, pulling strings to find Canaan and bring you back here.”
“Originally, Miss Hiltina wanted to stay in Canaan and wait for you to wake up, but given her position, she couldn’t leave the academy for too long. She had to return two days ago to deal with some matters.”
There was so much information in Emis’s words that Rast couldn’t process it all in such a short time.
He propped himself up on the bed, trying to force his weak and tired body to move after being unconscious for so long, but after a few attempts, he failed.
Seeing Rast’s efforts, Emis’s delicate face immediately showed a mix of heartache and anger.
She bit her lip lightly and reached out to stop Rast’s attempts: “Including the previous time, Rast, you’ve been unconscious for over two weeks.”
“You’re a complete patient now and need to rest quietly. I won’t allow you to mistreat your body like this!”
As she spoke, Emis hurriedly ran out.
Soon, the enticing aroma of food wafted in from outside…
When the golden-haired girl pushed the small cart back into the room, it was already laden with food.
There was white porridge, as well as stewed vegetables and desserts.
“Your body is very weak right now, so you can only manage to eat these for now.”
“Once Rast, you’ve recovered, I’ll cook some of my specialties and give you a proper treat.”
“My cooking skills are quite good, you know. Even a noble lady like Miss Hiltina praised my dishes after tasting them.”
Emis’s delicate face showed a proud expression.
She pushed the cart next to Rast’s bed, picking up a bowl of millet porridge and scooping a spoonful.
She tested the temperature herself, then carefully fed it to Rast.
Feeling the warmth and sweetness of the thick porridge spreading in his mouth, Rast spoke softly.
“Are you saying that Hiltina and I made it out of the Calamity Echo, and that she found Canaan on her own and brought me back?”
“Yes.”
Emis nodded briskly: “Miss Hiltina told me that you and she encountered an unprecedented powerful enemy inside the Calamity Echo, one who seemed particularly skilled in mental pollution. The reconnaissance team from Starry University was wiped out because of this.”
“You were attacked by this enemy, which is why your spirit was wounded, and you lost your memories of that period…”
“But it seems that dealing with you took too much of the enemy’s strength, so when Miss Hiltina was distracted, she managed to destroy the core of the pollution and clear the Calamity Echo.”
Emis carefully fed Rast the porridge, then let out a sigh of relief before continuing.
“As for her coming to Canaan, that happened later.”
“The Canaan we’re in seems to have an antagonistic relationship with the Granville Kingdom where Miss Hiltina is from, so communication is sluggish.”
“Plus, Canaan is quite remote, with very little connection to the outside world, so Granville Kingdom’s maps don’t record Canaan’s name.”
“Miss Hiltina went to great lengths, using all kinds of connections, to finally find this place.”
As if to lighten the mood, Emis clapped her hands softly.
“But no matter what… all these troublesome things are in the past now.”
“Miss Hiltina said she left you a message on your smart terminal, telling you not to worry about Starry University and to focus on recovering.”
Hearing Emis’s words, Rast reached into his pocket and indeed found his smart terminal.
He unlocked it with his fingerprint and opened the Starry University internal communication app.
Sure enough, there was a red dot flashing on the app’s icon.
He tapped into the chat interface, where numerous unread messages flooded the screen.
The sender’s username was “Ranger,” and her profile picture was a crystal-like silver sword.
It was Hiltina.
[Rast, I’ve applied for an indefinite leave for you at Starry University. You don’t need to worry about academy matters during this time, just focus on recovering in Canaan.]
[You’ve achieved a monumental feat this time. If you hadn’t acted as bait to lure out the mastermind behind the Calamity Echo, creating an opportunity for me to directly attack its core, we might have all been trapped there forever. The Calamity Echo wouldn’t have been cleared within the time limit, and eventually, it would have manifested as the Twilight Calamity in reality.]
[Thanks to you, I was also able to rescue most of the previous reconnaissance team… The Stellar Obelisk’s mark was wrong. They didn’t d*e but were trapped inside the Calamity Echo, and were released when the Night World was cleared.]
[Assisting in clearing the Calamity Echo… and rescuing seventeen members of the reconnaissance team, this feat is enough to elevate your Obelisk ranking directly into the top twenty.]
[Or, if you don’t want to risk any more adventures in the Night World and prefer to stay in Canaan, it’s fine to take a leave of absence or even drop out.]
[Regardless, Starry University and I will always remember your achievements. Even if you withdraw, I’ll find a way to help you complete the mandatory tasks issued to you as a Night Traveler in the Night World.]
Rast’s fingers scrolled continuously.
The glow of the screen reflected in his eyes, like the moon mirrored in a deep pool.
After a long while, he turned off the screen and put away the smart terminal.
“Those seventeen missing reconnaissance team members from the Calamity Echo are all safe and sound. That’s really good news.”
“The good news doesn’t stop there.”
Emis’s delicate face showed a mischievous smile.
She tidied up the dishes and utensils Rast had used.
Then she sat on Rast’s bed, reaching out her soft, pale hand to massage the muscles of his legs, which had stiffened and atrophied from lying in bed for so long.
“Rast, do you remember the Guardian who saved us in the fire at Canaan and helped us rebuild it?”
“Thanks to Miss Hiltina’s efforts, we’ve found clues to the Guardian’s whereabouts.”
“She’ll be coming to Canaan soon. Weren’t you saying earlier that you’d lost many memories and often had strange dreams?”
Emis’s movements were gentle but meticulous.
Rast felt the sensation slowly returning to his legs, which had lost feeling from being bedridden for so long, as Emis massaged him.
“When the Guardian arrives, perhaps having a heart-to-heart with her will help you remember some things?”
Emis’s words carried genuine joy, but then her tone became slightly heavier.
“Though, Miss Hiltina said it’d be fine if you took a leave of absence…”
Emis suddenly leaned in close to Rast, her sky-blue eyes staring directly into his.
“But I know, Rast, you’ll eventually return to Starry University and go back to challenging the Night World, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
Rast nodded: “I can’t let Hiltina stay in the dangerous Night World while I hide in a safe place and enjoy life. I can’t do that.”
“I knew you’d make that choice.”
“After all, Rast, you’ve always been like this since you were a child. Once you decide on something, you never turn back.”
As if she had expected Rast’s answer, Emis clapped her hands again.
“Since that’s the case, let me join Starry University and become a Night Traveler too.”
“Since Rast, you’re so bad at taking care of yourself, I’ll always be by your side, adventuring with you in the Night World.”
“At the same time, I can keep an eye on you, making sure you become less stubborn and learn to cherish yourself.”
“And…”
“And…”
She coughed lightly, her words suddenly becoming hesitant.
“I’ve already met Miss Hiltina. She’s a truly imposing and beautiful woman.”
“I’m not too comfortable leaving you alone by her side.”
…
Looking at the girl before him, her fair and delicate face showing an unnatural blush,
Rast reached out and gently touched the girl’s pale golden hair.
Her hair was soft and smooth, carrying a faint sandalwood fragrance, just as he remembered.
“This really is a beautiful story.”
“Those seventeen reconnaissance team members didn’t d*e but were rescued, and the Calamity Echo was successfully resolved.”
“Canaan truly exists in this world, and so do you, Xiao Ai. We can go to Starry University together and join Hiltina’s team to adventure in the Night World.”
“We can support and rely on each other during our journey, witnessing countless people and events, forming deep friendships and bonds, traveling through countless landscapes.”
“Even the Guardian from my memories, and my lost memories… they can all be recovered…”
Emis leaned against Rast, not resisting but letting him play with her hair, like a cat with someone it is closest to: “Isn’t this what you wanted, Rast?”
“Yes, this is the story I wanted, the most beautiful ending…”
“So beautiful that it’s hard to let go.”
Rast looked at the neatly arranged dishes on the cart.
“Xiao Ai, do you remember what seasonings and steps you used when cooking these dishes?”
Emis was slightly taken aback: “Why are you asking that? I was so excited when I saw you wake up that I just heated them up. I can’t remember.”
“Right, of course you don’t remember… because I can only make fried rice. My brain only remembers the seasonings and steps for making fried rice.”
Rast closed his eyes: “In Deep Blue Harbor, I learned almost all the knowledge and skills an ordinary person could master… so this world, constructed from my memories, feels so real, so detailed, real to the point where I find it hard to distinguish, or perhaps I don’t want to distinguish.”
“But I never learned to cook… because Xiao Ai loves researching recipes. She wanted to surprise me with new dishes every time I woke up, to use food to dilute my self-destructive tendencies and sense of nothingness.”
“So I never learned any cooking techniques in Deep Blue Harbor, and even if I accidentally encountered them or tasted gourmet dishes, I’d deliberately delete those memories and sensations.”
“I wanted to be surprised by Xiao Ai’s cooking every time I returned to Canaan…”
“I wanted to see Xiao Ai’s genuinely happy smile when I told her the food was delicious.”
In the sudden glow of the iron-colored moonlight, a revolver silently fell into Rast’s right hand.
The pitch-black barrel, swallowing all light, pointed straight at the golden-haired girl before him, her delicate face showing a hint of confusion.
“This is indeed the most perfect story ending.”
“But… this isn’t the ending I want.”
(End of Chapter)
