Lucian walked toward the gate, pulling out his Yamato and swiftly cutting through the vines on the metal wall.
From a distance, they didn't seem unusual, but up close, he realized the mutation and distortion had made the vines unnaturally thick. Camellya's overclocking condition was clearly severe.
Opening the gate, the scene before him stunned Lucian.
The room's facilities were scattered chaotically, toppled and broken beyond repair.
In the center, Camellya let out a pained sound. The dim light cast shadows, and with her head lowered, she was covered in wounds.
Thick, winding roots radiated from her body, covering the entire wall like a network of human veins.
Lucian hurried to her side and noticed her hands were bound by vines.
Camellya slowly raised her head, "…Lucian…"
"…It hurts… they're… binding… me…"
"Ah—"
Camellya cried out in pain, her head dropping again uncontrollably.
Lucian reached out, intending to use his Healing Art to treat her.
But several vines suddenly shot out to block him. Lucian's expression darkened as he grabbed the vines tightly, preventing them from interfering.
A faint glow emanated from his hand. Though this was a memory, the Healing Art still took effect.
Over time, the wounds on Camellya's body faded, and she stabilized somewhat, though her frequency remained chaotic.
The vines binding her loosened, and Camellya collapsed weakly into Lucian's arms.
She looked up faintly, "…Lucian… I don't want to stay in the medical pod…"
"Cough, cough…"
"It's… so cold there…"
"Take me back… to Petalfall Village… please…"
"Back to Petalfall Village… cough, cough…"
Camellya's eyelids grew heavy, "…Back…"
"…This, for you…"
Before Lucian could respond, a dark red flower appeared in her hand.
The next second, Camellya's form dissipated, like paper consumed by flame, the surrounding vines burning away with her.
Lucian stood in silence. Though it was just an ethereal memory, the pain felt so real.
Camellya had endured such severe overclocking. How had she survived it?
A new star gate appeared before him, likely another memory node.
Lucian stepped through.
…
"Four twos!"
An excited voice rang out. Lucian looked around and found himself in a room. The decor was somewhat sparse, but various items were placed around.
A record player on the nightstand played an unknown, cheerful, and soothing tune, next to a blue hourglass.
On the nightstand were large plush dolls resembling Camellya, Rover, and Shorekeeper.
"Come on, Lucian, I'm waiting till the flowers wilt…" Camellya's plaintive voice sounded.
Lucian froze, realizing he was holding a deck of cards, with four cards left: a three, a four, and two jokers.
Looking ahead, he saw Camellya sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding just one card, gazing at him smugly, though her hairstyle was unusual…
Lucian studied her for a moment. With her hair in a single braid draped over her chest, she looked much gentler, though the style was a bit risky.
He glanced at Shorekeeper, who was kneeling barefoot on the bed, hands resting on her smooth thighs, quietly watching the two play cards.
Lucian fell silent. Jumping from such a painful scene to this cozy setting was jarring.
He recalled Shorekeeper mentioning playing poker…
Was it literally just playing poker?
It was hard to tell if this was a real memory.
He'd never seen Camellya with this hairstyle, and Shorekeeper hadn't mentioned the three of them playing cards together.
But that wasn't enough to prove this wasn't the correct historical node.
After all, hairstyles could change, and Shorekeeper could play cards.
As he pondered, Camellya reached out and shook his arm, "I've only got one card left. Can't handle my four twos? I'm about to win…"
Lucian glanced at his cards and chuckled, "Think you're good at this?"
"Skill doesn't mean shit…"
He slapped down both jokers, "Out here, it's about power, about backing…"
Camellya watched as Lucian arrogantly played his bomb, then glanced at her single three, falling silent.
Lucian carefully played his four, "Four."
Camellya's face flushed, clutching her card tightly and mumbling, "Pass."
Lucian laughed, reaching out with two fingers to peek at her card, "Oh, a little three."
He casually tossed his last three onto the bed, his expression brimming with smugness.
"Ah—I'm done!" Camellya threw her card onto the bed in frustration.
Lucian wagged his finger, "A bet's a bet—losers face punishment!"
Camellya pouted, dejected, "What punishment?"
Lucian smirked, pinching her cheek. It was just a memory, so he could probably do whatever he wanted, right?
Camellya's face turned bright red as she watched Lucian lean closer, "Y-you… what are you doing!"
Shorekeeper, watching from the side, looked puzzled. What was wrong with Mr. Lucian, acting so forward?
"How's Petalfall Village doing?" Lucian suddenly asked.
Camellya, who had braced herself for a peck, was caught off guard by the question.
"Didn't you relocate everyone to another town? Why are you asking this? You're acting so weird today…"
Camellya shook her head sharply, "No! You're not Lucian. Who are you!"
In this node's perception, Lucian was still a proper person, not someone who'd act this way. His odd behavior snapped her awake.
Shorekeeper also frowned, studying Lucian with suspicion.
This clearly wasn't the correct historical node, but Camellya with this hairstyle…
Lucian grinned mischievously, pinning her down, "This version of Camellya is really captivating…"
He leaned closer, and just as their lips were about to touch, the scene vanished.
Lucian clicked his tongue, slightly regretful.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Lucian: "?"
He looked up to see Camellya, now with twin ponytails, staring at him in confusion as he nearly kissed the ground.
Lucian coughed lightly and stood, "Oh, it's the little three…"
Camellya: "?"
"No, I mean, it's Camellya…" Lucian quickly corrected.
Camellya stepped forward, grabbing his neck in annoyance, "Weren't we supposed to talk about Petalfall Village? Why are you insulting me!"
Lucian raised an eyebrow. Petalfall Village again. Was this the real historical node…?
…
…