Over the next week, the speed at which Theia's defenses crumbled was faster than anyone could have imagined.
Her initial wariness melted away quickly, like thin ice under the spring sun.
Every day, her expression when she returned to the confinement cabin changed.
The brow that she always unconsciously furrowed gradually relaxed.
The corners of her mouth, which she used to keep tightly pursed in defensiveness, began to curl upward in a smile she couldn't suppress.
By the fourth day, she returned with a vibrant radiance on her face that she herself hadn't even noticed.
On the evening of the fifth day, Lin Gui leaned against the doorframe and watched her walk up the path.
The fading rays of the setting sun cast a golden outline around her as she turned her head to talk to Winnie beside her.
Then, the corners of her mouth curved up, and she burst into a bright, brilliant smile without a single trace of gloom.
It was clean and bright, as if she had finally laid down all her burdens.
Watching her smile, Lin Gui and Eve couldn't help but smile as well.
They were sincerely happy for her.
During the first few days, Theia's guard had actually been very high.
She couldn't help but suspect there was some hidden agenda behind all the sudden goodwill.
But... the residents of Avalon were simply too “warm.”
So warm that she was left completely flustered.
On the first day, Winnie dragged her to her treehouse.
The table was piled high with fresh berries and flatbreads that Winnie herself had been reluctant to eat.
The beastkin woman who had once pointed a pitchfork at her stuffed a pair of fluffy, hand-sewn warm socks into her hands.
On the second day, she was surrounded by several half-demon children who timidly called her “Sister Theia” and dragged her over to play a game of rattan ball they had made themselves.
The ball accidentally rolled to the doorway of an old dwarf who lived alone on the corner.
Instead of scolding them, the old man muttered as he picked up the ball.
He then stuffed a small, still-warm bag of roasted nuts into her hands.
On the third day, while she was helping Winnie tidy up the vegetable patch, a human woman next door handed over a bowl of freshly stewed, fragrant soup over the fence.
“Look at how thin you are, eat more.”
Her tone was as natural as if she were talking to her own little sister.
On the fourth day, she was invited to a small bonfire gathering.
People shared food and played simple musical instruments.
No one looked at her blood-red eyes with strange glances.
And even less did anyone make insulting remarks about her identity.
...
Theia had never experienced anything like this before.
As a half-demon, throughout her long past, what usually greeted her were stones covered in mud, disgusted shouts of “Get out,” and closed doors of cold rejection.
When had she ever experienced someone actively taking her hand and leading her into their home, stuffing her hands full of gifts, or surrounding her to share food and laughter?
This kind of unreserved, clumsy yet sincere acceptance was like parched, cracked earth suddenly meeting a gentle spring rain. Her defenses were soaked and softened bit by bit, eventually collapsing quietly.
And it wasn't just Theia's defenses that crumbled; the residents of Avalon did as well.
The vague rumor about her white hair being related to Gusion had actually been clarified unintentionally by Morpheus as early as the third day.
Theia was not Gusion's retainer, nor did she have any connection to him.
The people of Avalon did not need to carry guilt and go out of their way to express kindness to her.
Yet no one probed further, and everyone who came into contact with Theia ignored this fact.
Because through their interactions over the past few days, everyone could see clearly.
At her core, Theia possessed a pure, almost transparent innocence.
The residents' clumsy kindness was ultimately repaid by Theia in other ways.
Without a word, she would climb onto leaky roofs to help replace rotten thatch.
She would roll up her sleeves to help elderly beastkin grandmothers fill heavy water jars.
She repaired crooked fences and carried firewood for the winter.
She did these things so naturally.
As if it were only natural, requiring no gratitude whatsoever.
Gradually, everyone truly accepted this “stranger” who had not been personally brought back by Lord Gusion.
This acceptance also extended to Lin Gui and Eve.
Eve would treat the sick residents.
The warm light flowing from her fingertips never failed to ease their pain.
As for Lin Gui...
He didn't know healing magic, nor did he possess extraordinary physical strength like Theia.
Though he knew many practical Novice Magic spells, in the end, he became the most popular person among almost all the children in Avalon.
Because of his 【Levitation】.
Every afternoon, a crowd of children—and adults joining in on the fun—would gather in the open space at the center of the town.
Under the astonished gazes of the onlookers, Lin Gui sat expressionlessly on a stone block. He slightly raised his staff, sending swirls of magical light into the air, and one child after another cried out softly as they floated up, slowly spinning and drifting in midair.
Flying high in the sky, this unique treat had the children happily holding hands and cheering together.
“We're flying!”
“Higher! Brother Lin Gui!”
“Not bad, mage kid! Go a bit higher!”
“Oh my god! Is this what it feels like to fly in the sky?!”
The sky was filled with excited little faces and joyful shouts.
On the ground, Lin Gui rested his chin in his hand, his gaze completely blank.
He didn't even notice that a few rather “overaged” children had mingled among the floating kids.
At some point, a figure quietly sat down on his other side.
Lin Gui didn't open his eyes, but the faint, elegant scent of roses let him know it was Eve.
“Aren't you going to help at the clinic?” he asked with his eyes closed.
Eve's gentle voice sounded in his ear: “There aren't many residents in Avalon to begin with, and even fewer patients.”
“Besides, in the clinic... there are priests far better than me, and doctors with much more experience.”
She looked up at the children floating in the sky, supported by a gentle force.
A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.
In midair, the children were holding hands, forming a floating ring.
A little half-demon boy with tender ram horns sprouting from his head tightly held the hand of a human girl.
Beside them, a slightly green-skinned, pointy-eared gnome girl giggled as she tugged on the chubby arm of a dwarf boy.
Further away, an elven-blooded child with pale golden hair floated side-by-side with a tall, silly-smiling beastkin youth.
They were of different races, some even the descendants of factions considered blood rivals in the outside world.
Yet at this moment, there was no barrier between them.
Their fingers were interlocked, and their laughter blended together.
They circled gracefully under Avalon's clear blue sky and warm sunshine.
Eve watched the children flying in perfect harmony.
In her mind, the image of the sky city depicted in the ancient scriptures suddenly appeared.
The picture of Eden.
Pure, peaceful, and where all living things coexisted in harmony.
She recalled the words of the Legendary Holy Knight, Roger:
He didn't need to imagine the beauty of Eden.
Because Avalon was his Eden.
At this moment, Eve truly agreed with those words.
She even felt a faint yearning in her heart.
She couldn't help but murmur softly:
“It's so wonderful. I... would also like to settle down here.”
Lin Gui kept his eyes closed and replied flatly:
“Whenever you manage to free yourself from the shackles of the Hall of Heroic Spirits, you can come find me in the borderlands. When the time comes, I'll bring you here. I'm sure Theia would be very happy to have her good friend live with her.”
Eve gave a bitter smile.
“Mr. Lin Gui, divine artifacts cannot be destroyed.”
“Unless I die, I... will never escape its shackles.”
Her voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the children's laughter.
“For Theia, her shackles are those blood-red eyes—eyes that the world views as ominous and sinful. But in the end... she is free.”
“While I...”
She looked up at the sky, her eyes somewhat vacant.
“Even if I escape to this remote place tens of thousands of kilometers away, I am still nothing more than a bird caged by the Holy Church of Light. A puppet manipulated by them.”
Eve's gaze followed those tiny, freely flying figures.
Unconcealed envy shone in her eyes.
If possible, she also wanted to be that free.
Unfortunately, from the day her parents sold her to the orphanage, and from the moment she was detected to have an affinity for Holy Light magic, dying for a prophecy or a crusade became her preordained fate. It was the ultimate end of all past Holy Saintesses.
She had thought she had long since become indifferent to life and death.
But at this moment, looking at this splendid and vibrant city-state.
Watching those carefree children of different races holding hands and laughing together.
Recalling the adventures she had shared with Lin Gui and Theia along the way.
She suddenly wanted to look at it a little longer, to stay for just a moment more.
By the time she snapped out of her faint sorrow, Eve realized something.
Lin Gui had opened his eyes at some point.
He was quietly watching her.
His eyes held a strange look that Eve couldn't understand, followed by a trace of helplessness.
Eve tilted her head slightly, somewhat puzzled.
Lin Gui simply rolled his eyes and said something she wouldn't fully understand until a long time later:
“Your obsession isn't really pulling its weight.”
“And here I thought we could go on another long journey.”
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