The moon was bright, the stars sparse, a soft light spilling over the surface of the dead planet.
Gazing at the strip of white gauze in her palm, Jingliu's eyes revealed a trace of bewilderment.
She didn't know why she was here.
On this nameless dead planet.
Nor did she know why, though she wasn't blind, her eyes were covered by this veil.
She only felt that she had forgotten something.
It was like a single piece had been stolen from a complete memory puzzle by a thief from the Garden of Recollection, leaving a blank spot that felt abrupt and jarring.
Walking aimlessly across the dead star, Jingliu searched for some answers.
Then, she saw a person.
An old man with hair and beard as white as snow.
He was leaning against a large boulder, his aged, withered body slowly losing what little vitality it had left. It seemed his life could reach its end at any second. Yet, even so, his vacant, silvery-white pupils were fixed intently in a certain direction.
What struck Jingliu as strange, however, was that.
The moment she saw the old man, she felt her heartbeat quicken inexplicably.
The feeling was akin to reuniting with a dearly beloved person, an unconscious surge of joy and excitement rising from the depths of her heart.
But... she had no memory of this old man before her.
"Old man, is there anything I can help you with?"
Perhaps seeking an answer to the peculiar feeling in her heart, or maybe just instinctively wanting to help this elder on the verge of his life's end, Jingliu approached his side and knelt down.
"That's kind of you, young lady. But I am not someone dying with regrets or unfulfilled ambitions. On the contrary, I've done all I wanted to do. I am content." The old man's voice was hoarse and slow, but he was smiling. Just as he said, he had done what he wanted, so this smile was one of utter satisfaction.
"Is that so... May I ask you a question?" Jingliu said.
"Please, go ahead."
"Do you know me?"
"Young lady, as you can see, I am a blind man. In this life, I've only ever seen my wife's face. How could I possibly know you?" the old man replied.
"...I see." A faint disappointment showed on Jingliu's face, but then she curved her lips slightly and steered the conversation elsewhere. "Then, your wife must have been an exceedingly beautiful woman."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because just now, and even now, whenever you speak of her, you are always smiling."
"Ah... She was an exceedingly beautiful woman." The old man let out a sigh, then gave a bitter smile. "But I did something terrible to her. I just don't know if she would forgive me."
"Don't worry. Having reached such an age, the bond between you and your wife must be deep. I'm sure, no matter what, she would forgive you." Jingliu said with a faint smile.
For some reason, even though this was her first time speaking with this old man, Jingliu, who was usually taciturn and disliked chatter, felt an inexplicable desire to keep talking with him.
"Well, if you say so, young lady, then I can rest easy." As if having received the answer he wanted, the smile on the old man's aged face deepened a little.
"And what about you, young lady? You seem to have many doubts."
"I..." Jingliu opened her mouth slightly, then lowered her head, resting her chin on her knees. "It seems I have forgotten many things. Very important things."
The air was silent for a brief moment before the old man's voice sounded again.
"If you've forgotten, why bother thinking too hard about it? Forcing the search often yields no answers. Sometimes, leaving it be, you might remember it naturally."
"So rather than staying put and searching, why not move forward? Perhaps the answer you seek isn't in the present, but in the future?"
"...Is that a piece of life advice?" Jingliu curved the corners of her mouth.
"I suppose so~ After all, when you get old, you tend to have a bit of life experience." The old man chuckled.
"Alright then. That's good advice. I'll take it."
Pushing herself up from her knees, Jingliu prepared to leave.
"Are you going now?"
"Yes. After all, as you said, the answer might be in the future, right?"
She took a step forward, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, Jingliu turned back.
"Oh, after talking for so long, I never asked your name, old man."
"My name is Bai Heng."
"Bai Heng..." Jingliu murmured, her expression drifting slightly.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. It's just that I have a friend whose name is similar to yours."
"Is that so? What a coincidence."
Just like their first meeting long ago, their parting words also seemed to match.
And as these words fell.
Jingliu's steps began to move, and the eyelids Bai Heng had been forcing open finally slowly closed.
In the sound of her fading footsteps, he seemed to see that ice-blue figure walking steadily forward.
Then, Bai Heng smiled contentedly.
In a whisper only he could hear, he murmured:
"…May the path you walk ahead always be under a clear, azure sky."
"May all the people you meet be kind."
"May everything you witness... be... beautiful..."
As the words faded, Bai Heng closed his eyes.
[How many years have you accompanied me? Along the way, flowers bloomed and withered, we rose and fell. His journey has ended, but hers continues. All he can do for her now is offer his blessings and light.]
In the system's subtitles, the scene slowly faded to black.
Taking in every last bit of this scene, all the viewers let out a long, deep breath.
A heavy weight settled on their hearts, leaving them struggling to catch their breath.
The acquaintance of their first meeting, the progression of their feelings, the companionship along the way, and the final parting.
They had witnessed all the moments Bai Heng and Jingliu shared along their journey.
Now, as this story reached its lonely conclusion, they, as the audience, couldn't help but feel a profound sigh.
--+--
Stelle: 「Agh!! My eyes are leaking!! This—」
Kiana: 「Wahh! The part where Miss Jingliu lost her memories was already sad enough, and then you make me watch this conversation between them in this state!!」
Himeko: 「This time... even I feel a pang of sorrow.... Mr. Bai Heng spent his entire life accompanying Miss Jingliu, and in the end, they had to part in such a way....」
Lumine: 「And that final dialogue between them was such a tearjerker!!」
Keqing: 「The pity is, in the end, Mr. Bai Heng still couldn't fulfill all the promises he made to Miss Jingliu.」
Kafka: 「How many promises can one truly fulfill in a single lifetime? Curing Jingliu of her Mara-Struck state—Bai Heng spent decades fulfilling that one promise. That... is already enough.」
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.