A week passed and they helped the victims of the mountain explosion. In the middle of the week, Arete's body gave out and she passed out. Han immediately took her to a nearby physician to see if there was a problem with her internal organs, muscles and bones. Fortunately, her condition is fine, but it is caused by exhaustion.
"Han hasn't slept in two days." Faier said worriedly.
"Because Arete hasn't woken up yet." Lily answered as she stirred the soup she was cooking.
"And then when she woke up to go back to the fight, her body got forced." Lobin appeared behind them.
Lily, "... Leruji is really a bad person... I can't believe it..."
"You knew him for hours or so. Why do you still regret it?" Lobin raised his eyebrow.
"... It was good that he was with us when we stayed at the temple."
"The enemy will easily defeat you if you stay like that."
"You are talking like you know everything." Lily sounded so defensive.
"Trust me, little girl. I know all of it." He smirked and walked away.
"What's with him, huh?" She stirs the soup aggressively, "Even if he's Han's partner, Is it necessary that he should talk that way, as if you don't have any emotions."
"... Just be understanding, Lily." Faier said, "It's hard to fight someone like Lobin..."
"Whatever you say."
Inside a tent built by Han, not far from the evacuation center they made for the victims, he sings the song he wrote to the girl again.
The month of drought is near,
Blame yourself for things that do not conform to the light,
Be a wanderer and seek redemption,
An immortal left behind in the memories of the past.
With every wish my heart says,
It is shrouded in darkness and resentment,
Everything that I wanted to protect disappeared right before my eyes,
Even if I try to go back in time, I will still end up with that ending.
I had no option to stop running away from them,
Even though it's hard and painful, I want to forget everything,
Is it hard to ask the thousands of stars again?
Run, run... That's all I can think of doing.
No matter who you approach to press your request, it will not be fulfilled,
To protect everyone, you lie,
Prove that your tears are not wasted,
Even if there is no justice, you will bring judgment.
Only fools can't hold tightly to the person they love,
I'm a fool to think that everything will be fine when I disappear from this world,
Death awaits me the moment I decide to give up immortality,
I hope someone saves me.
Save me from the endless cycle of pain,
It was so bad that my emotions are getting alive again,
I'm not the victim, I'm not the culprit either but I have to get revenge,
I will rise again so that the bad ending will not happen again.
"Arete..." He held the girl's hand, "I'll tell you everything once we find my comrades. You need to listen to different stories so you can connect everything... Just please... Wake up... I transferred enough energy to fix the flow of the spiritual energy in your body..."
"Han?"
He turned and Faier was carrying the bowl of soup.
"People ran when they saw the soup floating." The boy laughs awkwardly.
"Just put it there. Maybe Arete will wake up and I'll feed her."
"... Lily prepared it for you."
"I don't need that."
"Han... I have a question..."
"Hmm?" He brushes Arete's hair to the side, smiling softly.
"Do... Do you like Arete?"
"Who knows. All I know is that I saved her the night she killed someone."
"... Huh?"
"I was traveling in her world back then. I was looking at their new experiments, technologies and crimes."
"Is it your duty to find out what is happening in the other world?"
"Not at all. Since Iryankka is gone, I don't belong in any world."
"...Han."
"Hmm?"
"How did you save her?"
"I sensed a corrupted energy in her location and went there. I saw her falling so I saved her and let her in, in my place. I taught and trained her."
"...Oh."
"I'm not really good with stories." He laughs softly, "I don't care how long she'll take to wake up, I'll stay."
"It's like... You love her."
"I'm just a concerned magician, Faier." He looks at Arete tenderly, "she's basically my apprentice, so she's my responsibility."
"... Who would know that an intelligent and independent man like you is dumb as hell?" Faier crosses his arms, annoyed at the man.
"Love doesn't need to be romantic, you know?"
"Whatever, old man. I'm going. I'll help Lily."
"Making the things float? Not a chance. Let Lobin do the rest."
"If I... If I have a body, I'll be more useful."
"You're our navigator in spiritual energy. You're doing great."
"....Okay."
Deep inside Arete's mind, in the boundless horizon she mentioned to Han, she is sitting in the garden of forget-me-nots. The wind was strong and her hair was blown by it.
"Han..." She mumbled.
After a while she heard someone singing. The voice is beautiful and the instrument it uses is familiar, feels like home yet makes her nervous.
She picked some flowers and stood up from her seat. She followed the sound of the song until she reached the falls.
".... There’s more place... in my mind?" She was stunned by its beauty.
I want to experience love without begging,
Defy the rules and be willing to hurt yourself,
The wounds of the past no longer hurt,
Because the emotion of love is back.
Closing your eyes, pretending to be blind on the wickedness of man,
Darkness will surround your heart,
When you open your mouth,
Make sure you don't hurt anyone.
She followed it until she was near the back of the rushing water. There is a woman with long hair. She was wearing loosened white robes.
"... I didn't know that there was another person in my consciousness..." She blurted out.
"Consciousness?" The girl stopped singing. Her voice is gentle to her ears.
"... Oh... I didn't know you could hear me."
The woman put down her instrument to her side. She didn't face Arete.
"What's that instrument?"
"In your world, it's called Guqin."
"Guqin...? Can you explain it to me? I mean... About the instrument?"
"First, this place isn't just your consciousness. This boundless horizon you called is where spirits travel to relive their memories and purpose. You're in between living and dead."
"... So it's for all of the people?"
"Yes, but you can't meet them easily."
"... Why am I talking to you?"
"It depends on the connections you make."
"Oh... So... Lady...?"
"Xian. My name is Xian."
"Based on my understanding, each person's spirits meet if they have something in common. Is that right?" She smiled at Xian.
"You're right."
"I'm Arete. Can you turn around so I can see your face? And so you can see mine too."
"... I'm hideous. I prefer to talk to people when I turn my back on them, but since my face is covered I don't mind looking at your face." Xian turned around. There was a black cloth covering her face and it was tied behind her head.
"Alright. I respect that. Can I touch your instrument?" Arete came a little closer.
"Go ahead."
She sat next to Xian and picked up the Guqin, and placed it on her lap, "Seven strings... Wooden... Everything about this instrument is elegant... Is it difficult to study the guqin?"
Xian nodded, "It will leave some marks on the tip of your finger, but as long as you continue to practice, you will be able to get used to it."
".... Guqin is in my world, huh... What nation did you visit when you're still alive, Xian?"
"Hmm... That nation is rich with culture and wisdom. All scholars and lovers of music used this to reflect on themselves. Some use guqin for elegant gatherings, not for the public's eye."
"Is it because it's a quiet instrument?"
"My, my... You're very observant of its sound. Yes, Arete."
"Xian."
"Yes?"
"If... If I can stay for more here in the boundless horizon, can you teach me how to play the guqin?"
"You can. Will you remember everything I will teach you if you come back to life?"
"Of course! When I want to learn, I make sure I remember everything!"
She heard Xian laugh, "Well then... Let's start."
"But first... I heard you sing something."
"Oh... Are you interested?"
"Yeah. I want to listen to its full song if you don't mind..." She smiled sheepishly.
Xian stood up a little to get the guqin, "Come on, Arete."
"Huh? Where are we going?"
"In a quieter place. Now that I'm with you, you need to acquire peaceful surroundings." Xian stood up completely and Arete realized how long the girl's hair was. The hair can almost touch the floor.
She just followed Xian silently until they reached the wisteria tree.
"I've only seen wisteria in books, this is majestic!" She jumps, obviously ᕕ(՞ᗜ՞)ᕗ at what she saw.
"Really? I heard there is wisteria in your world." Xian gently taps her guqin with her left hand, her right hand and arm supporting the weight of the instrument as she turns to Arete as a movement of looking at the woman.
"Earth? I really didn't get to travel around the world, so I'm uneducated in some parts." She laughs awkwardly.
"You can learn more from it. I'm sure you will be alive again."
"... I really don't know what happened to me before I arrived here."
"I'll help you wake up." Xian sits down and starts plucking strings of the guqin. She opens her mouth and,
I want to experience love without begging,
Defy the rules and be willing to hurt yourself,
The wounds of the past no longer hurt,
Because the emotion of love is back.
Closing your eyes, pretending to be blind on the wickedness of man,
Darkness will surround your heart,
When you open your mouth,
Make sure you don't hurt anyone.
The story of savagery and sorrow will end when the world is destroyed,
It's a stupid violence and flow of fate,
I can't explain my resentment,
But why are you there to calm it down?
A shade of blue appeared before me,
Your smile makes my heart skip a beat,
Flower crown made of scorpion grass you put into my head,
Telling me you will keep our memories in your heart.
While Arete was listening to the lyrics and Xian's voice, the wind picked up and the black cloth blocking Xian's face flew a little. She saw her lips and it had a scar in a diagonal position.
She didn’t speak about it because it's not her business to meddle with someone's appearance. Besides, the woman is kind enough to talk to her even though she interrupted her singing a while ago.
We have different paths to take,
As we share that one bottle of liquor,
You, holding my hair so tender,
Whispering, not wanting to fight against me.
Bitter reality made our hearts frozen,
We fought each other with such coldness in our eyes,
I hoped that I should stay hidden instead of fighting what I believe in,
As I pluck the strings of my guqin, I hope you will hear my heart.
As I unsheathe my sword to fight back,
I remember the times you tried your best to open my heart,
You want to know my lies and truths.
But now you want me to shed blood instead of tears.
It's hard for me to hurt you,
It's hard for me to see that love can't do anything anymore,
Little by little the light of the candle fades,
The same thing happens with the love and memory that I have,
But I'm chasing it because you're there.
A shade of blue appeared before me,
Your smile makes my heart skip a beat,
Flower crown made of scorpion grass you put into my head,
Telling me you will keep our memories in your heart.
"Is that a letter for someone?" Arete asks softly.
"Yes. Love can be hurtful but people still want it." Xian rests her hands on the side of her guqin, "I can teach you this song, Arete."
"... Huh? Why me?! I mean... It's your feelings for that someone!"
"You can use this to reflect and reminisce."
"...."
"Wisteria symbolizes patience and love. I learned it from my homeland and your world, so singing this song under this tree, adds more sense to it."
"...."
"Are you hesitant because you don't have someone?"
"I saw your scar on your lips... I really didn't see your face." She confessed.
"Is that so? The wind gets wilder than expected whenever I sing that song." Arete heard her chuckle.
"But... But you're not comfortable letting me see it.. Will you make me forget it? Only that part?"
"Abilities and such aren't allowed here, Arete. We're wandering here."
"I saw something that is beyond the limit. I... I should get punished."
"Don't push yourself so hard, Arete. Come. Sit here beside me and let's admire the falling flowers of wisteria." Xian gently taps the ground.
In the real world, well, in Sera, one week has passed since Arete went unconscious. Han, Lobin, Faier and Lily continue to investigate because even though Leruji is gone, the sacrificing of people continues in every district of Ridav. They have finished the case in Lubi.
"It's a miracle that the knights haven't attacked us yet." Han joked.
"Don't worry, Han. I can vouch for all of you." Lily answered calmly, "aren't you worried about getting cramps, carrying Arete almost all day?"
Lobin, on the other hand, can touch Faier so he always squeezes the boy's cheek.
Han turned a little to his side and looked at the peacefully sleeping Arete. He smiled and shook his head, "Arete is light. Even though she eats a lot, her metabolism is fast."
"Oh..."
"Lily, after this mission, are you going back to being a knight?" he asked.
"... I mean... I've been a knight almost half of my life..."
"Arete's current dream is to lead a team. A strong one and she wants you there."
Her eyes widened, "... What?"
"Arete can act so calm and short tempered at the same time, but when she sees the value of someone, she wants to take care of it."
".... She will lead a team? What team?"
"When Lobin, Arete and I confronted Leruji, she knew being in this world would not be as peaceful as it seems. So she decided to create a team to defeat corrupt people like Leruji."
"But... Aren't you two twisted? How can you balance it? Will you be hypocrites?"
"We are twisted because we grew up in a different world, bringing that attitude in Sera, the world that needs saving, will be nonsense."
"... What if something happens, Han?"
"Then I'll use it until I calm down. Easy."
"You're all talk." Lobin sighs as he tries to make Faier a ball since the little boy is a spirit.
"Do you want me to kick you in the ass?" Han smiled at him.
"I'd like to see you try, mortal."
"Boastful as ever, you shit head."
"Talking about yourself? I didn't know you love to share things with people."
"I'll kill you." He tried to kick the back of Lobin's legs but the man avoided it easily.
