“You will find them, I can promise you that.” Columbina’s fingertips gently stroked the top of Capefin’s soft hair, tucking the few strands tousled by the night wind behind her ear.
She held the little girl’s icy hand, stepping forward with a steady pace.
The figures ahead gradually grew denser.
At first, their blurred outlines could still be seen, but the further they walked, the more transparent those figures became.
Capefin’s small hand suddenly clenched Columbina’s knuckles, and she couldn’t help but shrink closer to her side, her voice choked with sobs: “Sister…
I feel so terrible, my chest is so stuffy, it’s like…
it’s like everyone is crying, everyone is scared!” Columbina looked down and saw the little girl’s eyes shining red.
She was still a child after all, and even though she forced herself to search for her family, she couldn’t withstand the grief that filled this world.
“Because everyone is afraid of death,” Columbina stopped walking and slowly knelt down to meet Capefin’s eyes, her fingertips gently wiping away the tears on the girl’s cheek.
“This is not your fault, it is the scar left by that war.” As she spoke, she reached out her arms and steadily lifted Capefin into her embrace.
The little girl was very light, held in her arms like a fragile ball of cotton.
“But don’t be afraid, I am here.” The warm embrace dispelled a bit of the chill.
Capefin buried her face in the crook of Columbina’s neck, sniffled, and her voice gradually steadied, tinged with a timid sense of anticipation: “Um…
Lady Moon Goddess, when I was at home before, I wrote a song for you.
Do you want to hear it?
Mama said Lady Moon Goddess likes to listen to beautiful songs.” Columbina held her, her steps moving forward again, her voice becoming extremely soft, like moonlight falling on the surface of a lake: “Alright…
then will you sing it for Sister?
Sister really wants to hear it.” Capefin nodded, her little head rubbing against the crook of her neck, and then she gently hummed a tune, her voice soft and sweet: “The moon♪~ hangs in the sky, silver and bright, shining on my little window sill.
The little baby♬~ blinks her eyes, listening to her say, the stars are all sleeping beside.
Smile a little, a ball of moonlight, held in my arms the night is not cold.” When the last note fell, Columbina’s steps happened to stop.
The figures ahead were no longer blurred.
The couple wearing patched clothes, and two children holding each other’s hands, were standing on a sea surface that shimmered with white light.
Columbina looked down and said softly to the little girl in her arms, “Capefin, we’ve arrived.” “Papa, Mama!
Big brother, Big sister!” Capefin suddenly jumped down from Columbina’s arms, her shoes stepping on the soft white light without making a sound.
She ran two steps, then stopped, turned back and waved to Columbina, her tone full of boasting, like a child who had received candy: “Look!
It’s Lady Moon Goddess!
Lady Moon Goddess brought me to find you!” The couple’s eyes instantly filled with tears, they quickly stepped forward, yet dared not get too close, only bowing deeply to Columbina.
Columbina smiled at Capefin and waved her hand: “Go on, don’t keep Papa, Mama, Big Brother, and Big Sister waiting, they must have been looking for you for a long time too.” “Mm-hmm!” Capefin nodded vigorously, turned around and ran towards her family, not forgetting to look back halfway, her voice crisp and clear, full of heartfelt gratitude: “Thank you, Lady Moon Goddess!
If I can see you again in the future, I will definitely repay you well!
I will buy you delicious food and sing you beautiful songs!” There was not a hint of flattery.
Only the purest intentions of a child.
Columbina knew that this child’s parents did not not love her, it was just that life was too bitter.
Abandoning their youngest daughter, in their eyes, was the only way to let the other children survive.
This reluctance might be understandable, but ultimately, it could never be forgiven.
In the distance, the parents held Capefin’s hand as her older brother and sister guarded her sides, all nodding in gratitude to Columbina once more.
Step by step, they walked into the white sea.
The white light washed over their ankles, then their knees, finally covering their heads.
Along with the sounds of laughter, it all gradually faded away, leaving only a serene expanse of white.
Columbina stood still, watching their figures vanish completely before she slowly withdrew her gaze.
The warmth in her eyes gradually faded, leaving only a calmness that matched this place.
She raised her hand to straighten the hem of her dress and continued walking forward as the light and shadow beneath her feet gradually changed from white to gray.
Until, with just one more step, that white sea would turn into a bottomless black, as if soaked in ink, not letting a single sliver of light pass through.
“We meet again, Columbina.” A voice laced with power came from the boundary of black and white, breaking the silence.
Columbina looked up and saw a woman standing there.
A crimson longsword hung diagonally at her waist, its blade shimmering with a cold red light.
Her waist-length white hair fell from her shoulders, the tips still clinging to a lingering chill, yet she didn’t look disheveled in the slightest.
Instead, she exuded a sharp aura that warned others to keep their distance.
“Miss Acheron.” Columbina’s tone was a bit lighter than before.
Without stopping her steps, she walked to Acheron’s side and came to a halt.
Her gaze swept over the blood-red blade before returning to Acheron’s face.
“What good luck to run into you here.” Acheron slightly raised her eyes, her gaze falling on the distant White Sea.
Her voice was so steady that it held little emotion.
“I saw off a friend.
As I was leaving, I sensed your presence nearby, so I waited for you here.” “The Galaxy Ranger?” Columbina recalled that the last time she saw Acheron, a man was by her side, a Sin Thirster.
“He was still by your side when we were at the seaside last time.
Please accept my condolences.” As she spoke, she gently clasped her hands in front of her chest, fingertips touching, making a prayer gesture.
May the deceased rest in peace.
“No need for condolences.” Acheron lowered her head, her fingertips lightly tapping the Blood Blade at her waist.
The blade emitted a very faint hum.
“This was the destined outcome.
There is nothing to be sad about.” “This is also meaningful.” Columbina picked up her words, her gaze falling on the boundary line between the Black Sea and the White Sea.
“…” “…” Neither of them spoke again.
Only the sound of the wind blowing across the black and white seas remained, carrying an indescribable heaviness.
After a long time, Acheron turned around first.
Her white hair swayed behind her shoulders as she strode steadily toward the Black Sea.
Columbina watched Acheron’s back gradually disappear into the ink-black depths of the Black Sea before slowly withdrawing her gaze.
The footprints of IX, the “Nihility” It was an entity that even Pathstriders would seek to avoid.
Wherever it passed, Paths shattered and life dissipated.
Pathstriders with powerful obsessions could still leave their own ripples in the ocean of Paths, even if they themselves dissipated.
Those ripples, carrying their unfulfilled obsessions, would gradually coalesce into spirits known as Sin Thirsters.
As for ordinary people with obsessions who were afflicted by the “Nihility,” they had no Path to sustain them and could not remain in the ocean of Paths.
They could only go to a world called the World of Death.
Just like Capefin and her family, who ultimately entered that White Sea.
Yet among them, there were always some who were entangled by the power of the “Nihility,” unable to go to the part of the Dead Sea reserved for mortals.
Columbina called them the Soulless.
They wandered in circles within their obsessions from life, and sometimes their wishes would receive a response from Columbina.