Ceobe was taken away by Lava after she had eaten her fill of honeycomb cakes. Before leaving, Lava even pressed her head down to make her thank Revy—of course, Lava herself did the same, as Revy had also given her pointers on making honeycomb cakes. As for Revy, he slowly strolled back to the little sheep's dormitory, holding Eyjafjalla's hand. Hmm... although they were lovers, they hadn't yet reached that final step, so living together was only something he could imagine when "eating peaches" (slang for dreaming/daydreaming).
After seeing the little sheep back, Revy, having nothing else to do, simply lay on the bed. Before returning to Rhodes Island, as a Calamity Messenger, Revy had to constantly travel, moving between one mobile city and another, monitoring celestial phenomena and predicting natural disasters. Such a life was hard, and frankly, not particularly fulfilling. But precisely because of this, this leisurely life of "having nothing to do" was something Revy hadn't experienced in a long time.
(Speaking of which... take a nap?) This way of thinking increasingly occupied Revy's mind during his leisure time. In his dream, there was that person waiting for him. Compared to the cruel reality, immersing himself in the dream was a good choice for Revy. Revy closed his eyes.
— — — — Divider — — — —
"Is that... already delivered to Rhodes Island?" The tall figure held a corpse in his hands, his tone devoid of joy or sorrow, as if asking a question, or perhaps muttering to himself.
"Replying to His Majesty, the Seventh Prince has already been delivered to Rhodes Island... He was personally received by Rhodes Island's负责人 (person in charge), and your humble servant personally inspected him." The voice from the shadows seemed impossible to pinpoint, shifting left and right, up and down, appearing somewhat eerie in the continuing torrential rain. Ao Xing, however, seemed long accustomed to it. He merely waved his hand, signaling the speaker to withdraw, then looked at the body in his arms.
That was—and once had been—his most trusted and favored child.
(Child... you only know that Father King doesn't understand adaptability, but you don't know the bitterness in Father King's heart...)(You were too hasty... Father King only... wanted to hand over a Great Yan that was most suitable for you... into your hands...)(You speak of the victor being king and the defeated a bandit, but you don't know... with your death, Father King's plan becomes even more difficult.)
Letting out a long sigh, Ao Xing looked up at the sky, where the heavy rain poured down. What streamed down the corner of his eye, he knew not if it was rain or something else.
(Now, all I can do is hope Rhodes Island... can truly make Seventh Brother... no, before that, I still have to hold on a little longer...)
Gazing at the distant horizon, Ao Xing knew that in a place beyond his sight, there was still a brightly lit, neon-drenched city. —That person's city.
(Everything that comes after, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with... Brother...)
— — — — Divider — — — —
At this moment, Revy's dream world had transformed. Since his control over his bloodline abilities had further strengthened, Revy had discovered that he could make some less complex adjustments to his mindscape. It was still quite difficult to simulate the bustling, sleepless city of Lungmen, but an open beach, a clear blue sky, warm sunlight, and a cozy little world for two were achievable.
Theresa had also changed into a suitable outfit. Her blue and white swimsuit highlighted her noble temperament. Her waist was covered by a pure blue triangular scarf, revealing long, snow-white legs. Her fair, delicate feet gently stepped on the sand. Her cloud-like cherry-colored hair added a striking color to the entire beach. Her pure posture also seemed to carry a hint of suffocating allure.
The two lay on the beach, but tiny beads of sweat on their exposed skin suggested what had happened before was "unusual."
"I never thought that after dying, I could still enjoy such a blissful illusion..." Theresa slightly narrowed her eyes, leaning into Revy's embrace, softly murmuring: "After no longer bearing the responsibilities of a princess, I—compared to when I was alive—feel even more relaxed and joyful."
Revy turned his head to look at the beautiful woman in his arms, saying nothing.
"Perhaps it's because, when I was alive, I was always busy striving for life's goals..." Theresa didn't wait for Revy's response, but continued to speak to herself: "Now, like this, letting go of everything and just watching you, is also a kind of happiness, Revy..."
Revy shook his head. "Even so, I still want to revive you... even if I haven't found a way yet... but I firmly believe that as long as your memories are with me, I will eventually find a way to revive you."
Theresa smiled faintly. "Even if I am revived, I would only be 'your Theresa,' not the former Princess of Kazdel you once knew... Even so, does that not matter?"
Revy suddenly fell silent, then his heart trembled. Theresa had asked a very sharp question. Although, in a sense, the girl before him indeed held the complete memories of Theresa, and it wouldn't be wrong to call her the soul of the Princess of Kazdel. But similarly, she had also experienced death and had been assimilated with Revy's soul for nearly four years. It was entirely possible to say that she was not "Theresa" in some regard. The girl saw all of this very clearly, which was why she had brought up this question when she first met Revy.
She... was not her, or rather, she was more than just her.
"...Hoo." Revy, who had been silent for a long time, slowly exhaled, and suddenly smiled. "Is it really that important whether it's the former Princess of Kazdel? No—Theresa, you just need to live well, live happily, that's enough."
"'Theresa' is indeed a former epitome, but you must live out your own life, live your future that belongs only to you—after all, what I want to revive is not just the shadow of the 'past'..."
The two were silent, but their hands on the sand were clasped together, fingers intertwined. Theresa buried her head in Revy's chest, silently closing her eyes, then nodded, and lifted her neck...