[Desolation, decay... any word contrary to civilization could be used to describe these ruins.
There were no lonely bird calls, for the birds were all dead. There was no whistling wind, for even the wind no longer cared for this wasteland.
Only burning, nothing but burning... The flames devoured the last records of civilization, devoured the overconfident moth...
Only the shattered logo, broken on the ground, could tell that this place once had a name.
ARC.
"You're too late..." it was the whisper of a demon, echoing in Shu's ears... "You were careless..."
"You could have saved them all..."]
"The final stop of this train—Sapphire City West Outpost Station has been reached. All passengers, please gather your luggage and equipment and disembark in an orderly fashion."
The train's announcement shattered the hazy dream. Shu practically shot up from his seat, then instantly realized he wasn't on a battlefield and forced himself back down.
But the sudden movement sent his entire body into a state of shock.
I've been reborn again?
Shu's first reaction was that he had gone through another cycle, but he immediately dismissed the possibility.
He had seen those ruins too many times. Ever since he had obtained the power of Vision, he had always seen them in his dreams.
And the more he dreamed of them, the more details he could see.
Or rather—the more details Shu added to the dream.
He had the power of Vision. In a dream, he could do as he pleased. Creating and destroying worlds was a matter of a single thought.
But he had never used this ability, except to recreate the Tower of Babylon for Sirin. The ruins had gradually taken shape in Shu's subconscious.
Every detail was something Shu didn't want to see, but they had already become established facts in his mind, just as Desire relied on, the script was already written.
And Shu hadn't immediately realized that his dream had become so twisted. This was the first time he had entered a deep sleep since the incident with Desire.
So the dream had been quietly growing in a corner he hadn't been paying attention to for the past month, and today it had given Shu a "surprise."
Did I just sever the energy link to the Scepter?!
Forcing himself to sit down, Shu felt a chill rise in his heart. Thinking back on the fragmented dream, those ruins...
And the words "You were careless..."
"Hmm, are we here?" beside Shu, by the moving crowd, Susannah, who had also dozed off at some point, was slowly waking up.
Watching the figures pass by, Susannah didn't rush to get up. Instead, she turned to look at her companion, planning to wake him up so they could get off the train.
But as soon as she turned, she saw the white-haired man breathing heavily, his eyes slightly bloodshot, looking like he was about to explode.
The man, who usually looked as cold as an iceberg, had suddenly become like this. The drowsy Susannah was instantly wide awake.
"Are you okay?" Susannah asked, looking at Shu with concern. At that moment, Shu was frantically trying to contact the Scepter.
Why can't I connect?
At this moment, Shu had activated his highest possible thinking speed. The world around him was almost frozen in his perception.
And because of this, the slight delay caused by the distance between the two locations was infinitely magnified by his senses.
One second, two seconds... Susannah hadn't even opened her mouth to ask her question, but Shu's heart was already racing with anxiety.
No response for three seconds?!
Did something really happen?!
His panic wouldn't allow him to wait any longer. No matter where he was, he had to go back now!
Standing up again, Shu raised his hand to smash the car window. He didn't care if his identity was exposed. The most important thing right now was...
The connection, which was established at the very last moment, pulled Shu back from the brink. At the same time, Susannah's delayed question brought him back to his senses.
"Are you okay?!"
"..." Shu stood there, while Susannah sat in her seat, looking up at him with a mixture of shock and uncertainty.
The crowd flowed past them with a clamor, no one noticing the abnormality here.
After a moment of silence, Shu turned to look out the window and let out a long sigh.
"I'm fine... sorry..."
ARC City and the base were fine. The reconnected Scepter had sent back a message. That was why Shu's nerves had relaxed slightly.
"Are you really okay? You were just..." Shu's answer was very perfunctory, and even Susannah knew he was brushing her off.
But just as she was about to ask, Shu pointed behind her.
Susannah subconsciously turned around. The aisle was empty. Now was the best time to get off.
But Shu was blocked in his seat by her. Susannah quickly moved out of the way with an embarrassed smile.
In that short interlude, Susannah seemed to have forgotten to ask about Shu's condition. Shu also breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't know what kind of excuse he could have made up to fool her.
Whether he could fool her was secondary. The main thing was that Shu didn't want to lie.
The two of them didn't speak again. They followed the tail end of the large group off the train and onto the platform in Sapphire City.
The sun in Sapphire City was the same as before, warm and shining on everyone.
Standing in the bustling crowd, Shu tilted his head back slightly and took a deep breath.
He still couldn't smell the salty sea air that Fu Hua had mentioned.
With a strange feeling, he touched his nose and began to look for the direction of the Pearl of Sapphire.
According to his plan, he had to use as little of his power as possible, gather all the information with the least amount of resources, and also ensure Susannah's safety...
Shu paused, then helplessly rested his forehead in his hand.
Why did I agree to bring Susannah along? When did he even agree?
Was it when Susannah was telling him about the attractions, and he had inadvertently nodded?
Forget it, it wasn't a problem... Shu didn't mind the trouble right now. In fact, he hoped this trip would be as troublesome as possible.
Because only enough trouble could highlight more of his own problems.
Of course, the premise was that everything was under control. Small problems were fine, no matter how many. But it was best if there were no major ones.
After searching for a while, Shu finally found his direction. At the same time, Rita and the others also pointed out their destination on the map.
The Pearl of Sapphire.