114. The Witch's Confusion, The Hero's Helplessness
"No, you've only taken one step, and you're already down? That's a bit ridiculous. I could probably do better than you." Xiling supported Elaina to prevent her from falling, then said irritably.
"How are you now? Do your feet hurt? Do you want me to heal you?"
Elaina didn't reply, her head lowered.
Her silence made Xiling feel uneasy.
Xiling lowered his head slightly, wanting to see what was wrong, but just then Elaina spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice was soft, like a feather falling in a breeze, yet it carried a resolute meaning.
Without giving Xiling time to react, Elaina used the chat group teleportation system. A flash of light, and the weight in Xiling's arms vanished instantly, leaving only the emptiness of holding air.
Xiling remained frozen in place, half-embracing, half-supporting, blinking.
"So... what happened?"
—
Meanwhile, in her own world, Elaina suddenly appeared in a meadow, almost stumbling before regaining her balance. She clutched her chest tightly, as if her heart would burst from her chest at any moment. She gasped for breath, not from physical injury, but from the turmoil of emotions churning within her.
Countless fragments of memories surged into her mind. Those once blurry, fragmented dream sequences were now rapidly combining and piecing together with unprecedented clarity and coherence.
And at the core of all those images, all those emotions, was one figure. Just looking at that figure dispelled all fear, danger, and unease with an indescribable tranquility and power.
"Xiling..."
Unconsciously, Elaina murmured this name over and over again, as if the name itself contained some kind of magic. She didn't know why she kept calling it repeatedly, so many times; only a voice within her compelled her.
Each time she uttered that name, a surge of warmth swept through her body, bringing with it an almost blind faith: no matter what lay ahead, abyss or purgatory, as long as she called that name, that person would surely descend to her side and clear the thorns for her.
"Damn it! Damn it! This is too unfair!"
Elaina stomped her foot, and the broom appeared beneath her with a whoosh. She almost roughly straddled it, her anger and confusion overflowing, as she poured her witch's magic into the broom without reservation.
The next instant, she shot into the sky like an arrow, the air whistling past her face. She manipulated the broom, performing various difficult turns, dives, and spirals in the air, leaving a distorted white trail of air behind her.
She tried to use the speed and the pounding wind to banish the haunting figure from her mind, wanting the biting air to dispel the burning heat on her face and the pounding of her heart.
However, the more she tried to forget, the clearer the figure became. The strength of Xiling's arm as he supported her, the warm breath on her forehead as he spoke, and… and that lingering scent around her nose, the same scent she had captured in her dreams, the smell she cherished so dearly!
It was Xiling's unique, comforting scent. Just recalling that proximity and that familiar scent made her heart pound wildly in her ribs like a runaway engine.
"Aaaaah!" Elaina screamed in frustration through the air.
"Why did I run away?! Like an idiot!" She shouted at the vast blue sky, regret and shame clinging to her like vines.
"Xiling! It's all your fault, you bastard! How can I face you now?!" Her cries, filled with complex emotions, were torn apart by the high-speed airflow and dissipated into the boundless sky.
—
Kevin looked at his nearly maxed-out credit card, then at Xiling, who was walking back alone, and immediately clicked his tongue.
"Where's Elaina?"
Xiling, sprawled on the sofa like a dead fish, shook his head.
"I don't know, she just suddenly went back."
"You are useless!"
Kevin was furious. This bastard almost maxed out his card, and now this was his response.
Xiling chuckled, glancing elsewhere, not refuting Kevin's words. After all, he had almost maxed out someone else's card.
This feeling of spending other people's money was truly irresistible.
Just then, Kevin walked directly to Xiling's side, his face full of gossip as he asked.
"What happened between you and Elaina that night? Tell the truth!"
Xiling glanced at Kevin, then turned his head to look in another direction. Kevin immediately moved to the other side.
"Hey, you almost maxed out my card, and this is your attitude!"
Sigh.
Xiling sighed.
"They're all bad memories. What's there to talk about?"
His heart still ached, but something even more painful lingered in his mind.
Seeing Xiling like this, Kevin realized things might not be as simple as he thought. He didn't press Xiling to continue.
"Alright, get ready. It's almost time. Change your clothes here. I'll let you know when it's time. Just teleport over, and I'll show you what our Fire Moth's food is like." Kevin patted Xiling's head, his gaze filled with murderous intent, and then turned and left.
The door clicked shut, leaving Xiling alone. He slowly closed his eyes, but the moment he did, his mind replayed a scene like a movie: a girl with a sword to her neck, smiling at him, asking him to kill her.
That place was a dream, and the people there were all projections of the dream assimilated by the ancient gods. Xiling knew this fact better than anyone else. He couldn't save her in the dream; he...couldn't.
He could do nothing.
Her smile—the most beautiful smile in her short life—ended this nightmare, and also ended the girl's short life.
Actually, Xiling didn't know how to face Elaina now, or rather, how to face that face.
A sigh came from a solitary room.
"So...troublesome."
—
"What a nuisance." Kevin looked at the person blocking his way, his face maintaining its usual expression, but inwardly he was already complaining.
"Hi~ Kevin!" A pink figure seemed to appear out of thin air. Elysia, hands behind her back, smiled at Kevin.
"Impressive! First among the recruits! You even broke someone else's record from back then!"
How should Kevin respond to that? He simply gave an awkward laugh, of course.
"Elysia, is there something you need?" Kevin changed the subject.
"Oh~ about that~" Elysia seemed to have been waiting for him to say that, her smile widening even more.
She leisurely pulled a phone from her coat, tapped the screen a few times, then suddenly flicked her wrist, shoving the phone screen in front of Kevin!
"Here!"
Kevin's initially disdainful gaze widened the moment he saw the photo.
Oh My God!
In the scene, a smiling man knelt in front of a girl, putting shoes on her. The girl, her face flushed, gazed at him shyly; the air seemed to be filled with visible pink bubbles!
"Isn't it romantic?" Elysia put away her phone, her smile radiant.
"So romantic," Kevin couldn't help but agree.
"Right, right?" Elysia immediately leaned closer, pressing her hands together against her full cheeks, tilting her head, and looking at Kevin with a radiant smile. She asked casually, with a smile, "So... where is Xiling?"
"Huh?" Seeing the girl pressing closer, Kevin shifted his gaze to the other side. Suddenly, an idea struck him!
Ah, he had a great idea!
Kevin's gaze suddenly stopped avoiding hers and focused intently on Elysia.
"As for Xiling, he'll be attending the recruit banquet tonight, I promise you."
"Really~?" Elysia's pretty eyebrows arched slightly. She turned to the side, her hands still behind her back, her voice trailing off.
Kevin nodded firmly.
"If he doesn't come, you can come after me."
"Oh dear~" Elysia immediately put on a sad expression.
"What, in your words, Kevin, do I sound like some unreasonable bad girl? That's so hurtful~."
"Hehe," Kevin forced a smile.
"Of course not."
"Alright then~" Elysia's expression instantly brightened, her smile returning. She waved, her steps light and almost dancing, humming a little tune as she walked past Kevin.
"Kevin, I believe you~ Looking forward to seeing you tonight! Bye-bye~"
Kevin breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
The next second! Kevin suddenly remembered something crucial!
"Wait! Elysia!" he shouted in the direction Elysia had disappeared.
"The photo! That photo! Send me a copy!!!"
A few minutes later, Kevin looked at the apparent picture on his phone screen, his lips curling into an uncontrollable, wild smile.
Without any hesitation! Kevin's fingers flew across the screen.
Recipient: Mei.
Recipient: Su.
Xiling not only knew Mei but also Su. After all, it was the three of them who had gone to the concert before, and at that time Xiling had almost been caught climbing over the wall.
Su replied almost instantly.
It was a huge shocked emoji.
Mei replied a few minutes later.
"Why did he dye his hair?"
—
In a certain laboratory, Mobius was working hard as usual today,
But today was different from usual. The blood seemed to sense something and underwent some change, but unfortunately, Mobius didn't know what this change was. Just then, a message popped up on her phone.
A message from someone whom she had been paying special attention to.
Mobius picked up her phone with a hint of disdain and opened the message.
A photo and a message appeared on her screen.
"Professor Mobius, the recruit banquet is tonight. Looking forward to seeing you there~."
Normally, Mobius might have immediately turned off her phone, but this time a happy smile spread across her face.
"He has finally appeared."
...