Li Yue sat alone on the bench in front of the residence. She leaned against the backrest, her vacant eyes gazing at the gloomy weather. The rainy season was approaching, bringing with it a hint of warm wind, yet the current weather was quite abnormal; even now, snowflakes were still drifting down.
A snowflake landed in Li Yue's eye, slowly melting within. She blinked, and a trail of moisture trickled from the corner of her eye—likely the water from the melted snow, though it carried a faint warmth, lacking the usual biting chill.
Li Yue blinked again, as if regaining consciousness after a long slumber. Her clouded eyes trembled, her blood-red pupils resembling a pool of stagnant blood, saturated with the aura of death.
She organized her memories. At the last moment she had been awake, she remembered Clo quietly leaving her side. How long would it be until she returned? Just like those dull days of the past, she might return at night, or perhaps even later, for she could feel that the beast tide in the Western Continent was brewing with increasing severity.
She thought a great deal, from the past all the way to the present. Now, she had returned to the starting point. She knew what she had done at this moment years ago. She had resolutely chosen to leave, yet when Clo had pulled her back in tears, her heart had softened for an instant. Having walked this path once more, she finally realized that nothing could be changed. However, she no longer had the heart to leave. If the day came when "Death" found her again, she would depart quietly.
Just like elephants; when death seeks them out, they know when their time has come... Yes... they walk into the forest, heading to a hidden place to die in silence.
She would not die, but "Li Yue" would. This was inevitable, and she had long been aware of it. Like a patient who had reached the end of their road, she didn't know which day would be her last, but she could sense it as death drew near.
Although she had shown a bit of emotion toward Clo last night, Clo didn't seem angry or hysterical at all. She had shown a trace of frustration, but mostly sadness. It was a complex emotion, so complex that Li Yue could no longer fully comprehend it, though she could still generally feel it. Clo loved her deeply; she had given her as much love as an entire world.
Therefore, Clo absolutely could not die. Regardless of the outcome, Li Yue would protect her by any means necessary. Or rather, Jormungandr would too. In this regard, they were the same.
Once you die, you will never lose anything again. This is the starting point of death.
She felt somewhat fortunate. She had seen too many false things: colors that faded in the face of death, tenderness that withered before pain, and cherished love that vanished in the face of despair. Fortunately, Clo was real. She was not a figment of her imagination; she had found her, carrying the love of the entire world.
Li Yue sighed. Her time of clarity was limited. She looked at the scenery before her and tried to focus her attention. She counted slowly, tallying the teeming river before the door, the trees, the carriages, the figures, the trash bags, and the buildings. She counted all the love and the sorrow, and she counted Clo among them as well.
She walked back into the house to keep company with the darkness. The traces of their life together were here, so in the shadows of the corners, she did not feel a sense of overwhelming loneliness. What remained was only a faint, hollow sense of nothingness. these emotions pricked at her heart, yet they could not cause her any actual pain.
Loved by herself, betrayed by herself, nailed to the cross by herself, and taken down by herself. Even if the snow didn't fall, it still blocked her white. But there was no other way.
She leaned back on the sofa, her consciousness gradually sinking back into the void. When those whispers surged toward her like a tide, she first erased her true self. Only in this way could the chaos-like madness be prevented from destroying her spirit. She currently lacked absolute divinity; that momentary miracle of godhood had brought with it a flash of boundless madness.
Li Yue muttered this to herself as she lay on her side on the sofa, her eyes half-closed as she drifted into sleep.
...
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound of the door being tapped gradually drifted in. Li Yue’s half-closed eyes trembled. She opened them with a sense of exhaustion and effort. What woke her wasn't just the ordinary knocking, but a series of peculiar auras outside the door. For a moment, it felt like a blazing sun; for another, it was like a dream—illusory yet filled with the colors of a fantastical reality.
“Has Clo... not returned yet... So... are they here for me?”
Li Yue slowly slid her feet into her slippers. The people outside the door seemed to have plenty of patience; after knocking once, they did not knock again. They all seemed to stand politely at the entrance, quietly waiting for the owner of the house to open the door for them.
“Click.” Li Yue slowly opened the door. Her eyes, which seemed stained with blood, swept over the people before her. She didn't recognize any of them. However, the one in the lead held an object, seemingly intending to give it to her. It was a flower—the Cecilia flower that Clo loved most—and it carried Clo's scent.
She scrutinized the man in front of her again. His face bore a tired yet free-spirited smile. She felt as though she had seen this person before, but at this moment, she could not recall him.
“Hello, I am the South Academy Director, Albert. This is someone you should know, the one who brought you in, Stephenson.”
“Hello.” Li Yue paused, seemingly confirming that the flower indeed belonged to Clo. Rather than just showing a token, it signified that the other party held a relatively safe identity.
“Hello... Are you... looking for ‘Death’?”
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