Over the following week...
The speed at which Theia "succumbed" was faster than anyone could have imagined.
Her initial vigilance, like thin ice under the spring sun, rapidly melted away.
Every day when she returned to their sequestered attic, her appearance changed.
That brow, which had always been subconsciously furrowed, gradually relaxed.
The corners of her mouth, once tightly pursed in a defensive line, could no longer suppress an upward curve.
By the fourth day, she returned with a certain... fresh vitality in her expression that even she hadn't noticed herself.
On the evening of the fifth day, Lin Gui leaned against the doorframe and watched her walking up the path.
The golden glow of the setting sun gilded her silhouette as she turned her head to say something to Winnie beside her.
Immediately after, the corners of her mouth curved up, blossoming into a brilliant, unclouded smile.
It was clean and bright, as if she had finally cast off all her burdens.
Watching that 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.
Faced with those sudden outbursts of goodwill, she couldn't help but suspect there was some ulterior motive behind them.
But...
The residents of Avalon were simply too "passionate."
They were so warm that she was left utterly at a loss.
On the first day, Winnie pulled her to her treehouse.
The table was covered with fresh berries and flatbreads that Winnie normally wouldn't even bear to eat herself.
The beastkin middle-aged woman who had once pointed a pitchfork at her...
Stuffed a pair of handmade, furry, warm socks into her hands.
On the second day, she was surrounded by several half-demon children who timidly called her "Big Sister Theia."
They pulled her along to play a rattan ball game they had made up themselves.
The ball accidentally rolled to the door of an old dwarf who lived alone at the corner of the street.
Instead of scolding them, the old man grumbled as he picked up the ball.
He then casually stuffed a small bag of still-warm roasted nuts into her hand.
On the third day, while she was helping tidy up the vegetable garden at Winnie's house...
The human woman next door handed over a bowl of freshly stewed, fragrant thick soup over the fence.
"Look at how thin you are. Eat more."
Her tone was as natural as if she were speaking to her own younger sister.
On the fourth day, she was invited to join a small bonfire gathering.
People shared food and played simple musical instruments.
No one looked at her blood-red eyes with strange looks.
Even more, no one would speak rudely to her because of her identity.
...
Theia had never experienced any of this.
As a half-demon, throughout her long past...
What usually greeted her were stones covered in mud.
It was the disgusted cry of "Get out!"
It was tightly closed doors and cold rejection.
Where had she ever encountered...
Someone proactively taking her hand and leading her home?
Being stuffed full of gifts?
Being surrounded in the center to share food and laughter?
This unreserved, clumsy yet sincere acceptance...
It was like parched, cracked earth suddenly meeting a gentle, soaking rain.
Her mental defenses were soaked and softened bit by bit.
Eventually, they quietly collapsed.
And it wasn't just Theia who "collapsed."
It was also the residents of Avalon.
That vague rumor about "white hair being related to Gusion"...
Actually, it had been inadvertently clarified by Morpheus as early as the third day.
Theia was not Gusion's kin and had nothing to do with him.
The people of Avalon didn't need to carry guilt or deliberately express kindness to her.
But no one looked into it further; everyone who had contact with Theia ignored this fact.
Because through these days of interaction, everyone could see clearly.
The base color of Theia's nature was a pure, flawless white.
The residents' clumsy goodwill was ultimately returned by Theia in another way.
She would silently climb onto rain-leaking roofs to help replace rotten thatch.
She would roll up her sleeves to help elderly beastkin grandmothers fill heavy water storage jars.
She repaired sagging fences and carried firewood for the winter.
She did these things naturally.
As if it were exactly what she should do, requiring no thanks at all.
Gradually...
Everyone truly accepted this "stranger" who hadn't been personally brought back by Lord Gusion.
This acceptance also extended to Lin Gui and Eve.
Eve would treat sick residents.
The warm light flowing from her fingertips always managed to alleviate their pain.
As for Lin Gui...
He knew no healing magic, nor did he possess Theia's extraordinary stamina.
While 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 group of children—and adults coming to join the fun—would gather in the open space in the center of the city.
Under the astonished gaze of the crowd...
Lin Gui sat expressionlessly on a stone block.
The staff in his hand was slightly raised, light circulating around it.
One child after another would give a light cry as they floated up, slowly rotating and drifting in the air.
Flying high up, the unique enjoyment made the children happily hold hands and cheer together.
"We're flying!"
"Higher! Brother Lin Gui!"
"Not bad, little mage guy! Go higher!"
"Heavens! 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 distant.
He didn't even notice that a few much older "children" had mixed in with the floating kids.
At some point, a figure quietly sat down on his other side.
Lin Gui didn't open his eyes, but that faint, elegant scent of roses already let him know that it was Eve.
"Aren't you going to the clinic to help?" he asked with his eyes closed.
Eve's soft voice reached his ears: "Avalon doesn't have many residents to begin with, and even fewer are sick."
"In the clinic... there are priests better than me and physicians with far more experience."
She looked up at the children being supported by the gentle power in the sky.
A trace of faint surprise flickered in her eyes.
In mid-air, the children were holding hands, forming a floating circle.
A half-demon little boy with tender sheep horns sprouting from his head was tightly clutching a human girl's hand.
Beside them, a gnome girl with slightly green skin and pointed ears was laughing as she tugged on the chubby arm of a dwarf boy.
Further away, a child of elven descent with pale golden hair was drifting side-by-side with a tall beastkin youth who was smiling simply.
Their races were diverse, and some were even descendants of groups viewed as blood enemies in the outside world.
Yet here, there was no gap between them.
Their fingers were interlocked, and their laughter blended together.
Under Avalon's clear blue sky and sunshine, they circled weightlessly.
Eve watched the harmoniously dancing children.
Suddenly, the image of the sky city described in the ancient holy books flashed through her mind.
A scene of Eden.
Holy, peaceful, and where all things lived in harmony.
She remembered what the legendary Holy Knight Roger had once said:
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 trace of yearning in her heart.
She couldn't help but whisper softly,
"It's so wonderful... I... also want to settle down here."
Lin Gui remained with his eyes closed and replied flatly,
"Wait until you've escaped the shackles of the Hall of Heroic Spirits."
"Then you can come find me in the borderlands."
"When that time comes, I'll send you over."
"I think 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 can never escape its shackles."
Her voice was very soft, almost indistinguishable amidst the laughter of the children.
"For Theia, her shackle was those blood-colored eyes."
"Those eyes viewed by the world as an ill omen and a sin."
"But ultimately... she is free."
"And I..."
She looked at the sky, her eyes somewhat vacant.
"Even if I flee to this remote place tens of thousands of kilometers away..."
"I am still just a bird imprisoned by the Holy Church of Light."
"A puppet at their beck and call."
Eve's gaze followed those small figures flying freely.
Her eyes revealed an unhidden envy.
If possible, she also wanted to be free like that.
Unfortunately...
From the day she was sold to the welfare home by her parents...
From the moment she was tested and found to have Light Magic affinity...
To die for prophecy, or to die for conquest...
That had become her established fate.
It was also the final end for the Holy Saintesses of every generation.
She thought she had already become indifferent to life and death.
But at this moment, looking at this brilliant and vibrant city...
Looking at these carefree children of different races holding hands and laughing...
Recalling the adventure she had shared with Lin Gui and Theia along the way...
She suddenly...
Wanted to watch a little longer.
Wanted to stay for just a moment more.
When she returned from this faint sorrow, Eve realized...
Lin Gui had opened his eyes at some point.
He was watching her quietly.
His eyes were filled with an odd look that Eve couldn't understand, followed by helplessness.
Eve tilted her head slightly, somewhat confused.
Lin Gui rolled his eyes and said something that she wouldn't fully understand until long afterward:
"Your obsession is quite underwhelming."
"And here I thought I could go on another long journey."
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