Standing in the clearing with spear in hand, motionless as the air.
Sword Form: Swift.
Lin tried to thrust the spear, mimicking the versions he remembered from the cloaked man and MOTH. He believed his posture was perfect, yet the momentum was entirely different from that lightning-fast strike.
What was missing? Power? Speed?
Thinking back carefully, the man's power and speed weren't particularly high. So what was the missing piece?
He didn't know.
Lin casually swung the spear behind him, letting it fall precisely back into the Oath of Judah. He picked up the coffee Rita had brewed and took a sip.
He had told Rita there was no need for exquisite food or coffee; no matter how well she made them, he couldn't taste them. Rita had simply smiled and offered no response.
Admittedly, Lin lack of taste didn't stop him from thinking Rita creations were beautiful. Even just looking at them made him feel they must be delicious—even a simple latte art...
Hmm?
Lin smacked his lips in confusion. He licked his lips hesitantly with his tongue.
"..."
After a moment's pause, he picked up the coffee again. This time, he used his tongue to dab a bit and brought it back into his mouth.
He blinked.
There was a taste.
It wasn't the wasabi flavor he usually needed a hundredfold concentration to detect. It was the normal, smooth, rich flavor of coffee that Lin had almost forgotten.
But why?
His sense of taste had returned without warning.
...
"Miss Rita, do you have no one you're concerned about?"
Einstein was tinkering with the internal structure of the Star Gate. Even though it was a product from decades ago, it wasn't outdated, and because the technical field was different, repairing it was incredibly troublesome.
As it happened, Rita actually possessed some professional knowledge in this area. Was there anything this all-purpose maid couldn't do?
"Why do you ask?" Rita was gently replacing parts with her white-gloved hands, yet not a speck of oil touched her. Every movement was a definition of the word 'maid.'
Her graceful long hair was tied up in a bun, her fingers brushing past a stray lock by her ear.
"Because you don't seem in a hurry to leave at all." Einstein paused, then added, "Though you're never in a hurry for anything."
"...In the past, I did. Or rather... I had many."
"Family?"
"Not exactly. When I was a child, I was already homeless."
When Rita spoke of the past, there was nostalgia in her eyes, but no sorrow. To her, those were the best memories.
How could one feel sad about the past that shaped them?
"Later, a man took me in. He said it was only because the look in my eyes reminded him of someone he failed to save."
"Later still, he saved more people... people like me. We were... companions, and family. Drifting in the Sea of Quanta, saving others in the Sea of Quanta."
More than any defined relationship—family, companion, admirer—Rita actually didn't know how to describe their bond. That man smiled at everyone, yet there was always an invisible barrier between him and them.
No matter who tried to get close to him, he would retreat. He wouldn't let anyone glimpse his true emotions, and no one could reach his heart. He was like a dead root buried deep underground.
Both a profound deadness and a superficial vitality.
"Then... as he saved more and more people, he started having nightmares. He would often wake up screaming names in terror. I wanted to ask him what happened, but he only shook his head at me."
"I saw the panic in his eyes. I knew the more people he saved, the more he thought of those he couldn't save. And even if we could save one person, ten more would perish."
"Whether it's the Imaginary Tree or the Sea of Quanta, it's far beyond what one person can save."
"We couldn't save everyone. His smile became more natural, but his heart grew more extreme. Gradually, people left. People who had huddled together for warmth departed because of the coldness inside the hearth."
"In the end, only he and I were left. After he handed the ship to me, he walked away without looking back. I never saw him again."
Einstein listened to the short story. She couldn't imagine those people gathering and then leaving one by one.
"I may never have truly seen through what kind of person he was, and he didn't care." Rita smile held a hint of bitterness. "It was just as the others said when they left—he was only saving himself."
...
Now that his taste was back, Lin tested his other senses. They remained unchanged.
Why the sudden recovery?
Lin gaze shifted to the now-cold coffee. He picked it up and drank a bit more.
Could it be the coffee? But he had drunk it before. Was it this specific cup Rita brewed?
Holding the coffee, he walked out of the room. He caught a trembling ELF and asked for Rita location, then headed toward the ruins of Atra.
He wanted to return to the Proper World as soon as possible. He had countless things to do, and—perhaps it was just his imagination—since the Pseudo-Herrscher Core was sealed, Lin had a foreboding feeling.
Based on the Houkai's past behavior, it seemed to adapt to human development, purposefully choosing its timing, method of arrival, and granting Herrschers intelligence.
Assuming Lin was part of the Houkai's "plan," would his departure from his original world cause the Houkai to change?
"—"
Lin stopped abruptly. His muscles tensed. He shifted his gaze, slowly setting down the coffee cup while scanning his surroundings.
It wasn't his imagination. Someone was nearby.
Besides Lin, Einstein, and Rita, there could be one other human in this World Bubble.
The cloaked man.
But Lin felt something was off. The man had made grand entrances both times; he didn't hide himself. Besides, he had said they wouldn't meet again.
Assuming the man was telling the truth, then who was nearby?
The prairie stretched endlessly. The waist-high grass was enough to hide in, but because there were no obstacles, Lin would notice any movement immediately.
The Oath of Judah wasn't with him. He had no weapon. He was in the light while the enemy was in the dark; the situation was unfavorable.
"This body is the blade, this body is the sword."
...Easier said than done. With the Pseudo-Herrscher Core sealed, Lin had no idea how to manipulate Houkai energy, let alone use his body as a weapon for sword techniques.
He could handle close-quarters combat, but he didn't know what weapon the opponent had, or if they were even human.
Rustle...
Lin heard a sound from behind. He didn't turn around; instead, he looked in the opposite direction.
There is a big difference between the sound of someone walking and a sound made intentionally.
He clenched his fists, lowered his body, and slowly slipped into the tall grass.
The entire prairie, in an instant, fell silent, save for the whistling of the wind.