Li Yue sat by the window, watching the drifting clouds in the sky. They moved slowly from one end of time to the other. As she sorted through the tens of thousands of years stored in her mind, her thoughts eventually settled on this past year. Although the passage of time hadn't changed, organizing these recent memories seemed to take much longer.
However, they did share one common trait: they all passed incredibly quickly. Li Yue felt as if she had merely taken a nap in the afternoon, and spring had quietly slipped away.
“Time passes so quickly,” Li Yue sighed softly. She rested her head on her hand, her face showing a rare trace of the reminiscence and sorrow typical of a young girl.
“What are you thinking about?” Clo emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of fried rice that was scorched almost entirely black.
“Nothing much.” Li Yue looked at Clo’s confident little expression and the charcoal-like substance on the plate, and her right eyelid couldn't help but twitch.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell, or are the God's remains acting up in your body again?”
“No, I just suddenly remembered a few funny things.” Li Yue coughed and picked up a spoon. She reluctantly scooped up a piece of the burnt rice crust from the surface, which had clumped together. Upon entering her mouth, a bitter, charred flavor wrapped in a smoky sensation hit her, making it feel as if she had swallowed a mouthful of wood ash.
“Is it good...?” Clo wiped the grease from her hands onto her kitchen apron. “I think I might have burnt it a bit. Since we were separated, I haven't researched food for a long time.”
“How is it! Is there any progress compared to before?”
“Mmh...” Li Yue savored the flavor and the sensation in her mouth. The overnight rice had been tossed straight into the pan without being broken up; the centers of the clumped rice were cold and hard, while the outer layers were wrapped in a scalding, burnt shell. Stray salt grains were randomly distributed among the grains, and the sudden crunch of a crystal released a brine-like bitterness that was immediately diluted by the tasteless rice balls. It felt like the helpless emptiness of drowning.
“It’s good,” Li Yue said without changing her expression.
“Liar.” Clo pouted. “I tried it myself and spat it out immediately.”
“I’m not.” Li Yue used the power of the God's remains to forcibly suppress her stomach's physiological protest. After swallowing, a sticky film of grease remained on her tongue, and a burning sensation mixed with char and fishiness rose from her stomach.
“Then have another bite.” Clo leaned in close, her face nearly touching Li Yue's as she watched her profile, her cheeks slightly puffed out. “And no using the power of the God's remains.”
“Mmh.” Li Yue pursed her lips, her hand movements slowing slightly. She didn't dare guess what flavor catastrophe the next random bite would bring, nor did she know what kind of pain the next spoonful would unlock.
“Blegh!” Li Yue grabbed a small bucket and happily brought back up the previous mouthful of food along with it.
“How could it be this bad? I remember your skills were poor, but they weren't at this level.” Li Yue wiped her mouth. Though her voice was calm, it carried a slight tremor. Her slightly flushed face made Clo’s heart tremble with affection. “What’s wrong? Is something on your mind?”
“I was just... just thinking that you've made so many promises to me.” Clo leaned against Li Yue's shoulder, sounding half-resentful and half-coquettish. “In the end, will you break them one by one? Just like in the past, when you always told me we’d be lovers for a lifetime.”
“...” Li Yue fell silent for a moment. She glanced at Clo and found the other woman staring intently into her eyes.
“Let’s go pick out wedding dresses,” Li Yue said suddenly. “We’ll pick several sets and leave memories in different parts of the world.”
She held out her hand, and a small booklet featuring various styles of wedding dresses appeared. “We’ll pick them out first, and once the beast tide is over, we’ll have them custom-made.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Li Yue nodded and flipped open a page of the booklet. She had imagined Clo in a wedding dress many times, but she had never thought that she would be standing beside her in one as well, sealing a lifelong vow.
“For a lifetime,” Li Yue murmured softly. She saw Clo happily shaking her head as she flipped through the booklet, picking out all sorts of wedding dresses for her, as if they were about to become the protagonists of those photos in the very next moment.
“For a lifetime!” Clo squeezed Li Yue's small hand. Her hand was burning hot, while Li Yue's was slightly cool. Li Yue didn't know why her hands were always so cold; perhaps it was because she was a cold-blooded creature. Yet occasionally, she felt her face grow hot, as if she were running a fever.
What a heavy vow... but I will spend this lifetime with you.
Li Yue smiled tenderly and gently stroked Clo’s head. She looked at the clock on the wall; it was nearing dusk. She remembered that when she had started daydreaming, it had only been the morning of this day.
Time really does fly... she couldn't help but think.
If only... if only time could stay at this moment forever, staying in this summer. She could sit by Clo’s side, watching her joyful smile and talking about the future without a care in the world.
She looked out the window. Time flashed by, and the long summer she had anticipated for so long drew to a close amidst her most cherished, ordinary daily life. When the first yellowed leaf fell from the treetop outside the window, Li Yue knew that her long summer was about to fade.
The defense lines of the Western Continent were fully constructed. The miles of the Frost Great Wall were covered in pitch-black crystals like obsidian, standing solemn and majestic like towering warriors. The wall cut off the interaction between humans and magic beasts, but the trees on both sides of the wall began to let their leaves drift with the wind.
As Jormungandr, she felt almost no extreme sorrow over the passing of that life, but at this moment, she couldn't help but feel a touch of lonely sadness.
“Autumn is coming,” Li Yue murmured, watching Clo walk through the door carrying bags of new clothes. Clo let out a long breath and looked at Li Yue, her eyes filled with an indescribable joy.
“Come look! I picked out some new clothes for you. They’re beautiful.”
“I’m telling you now, I’m not wearing those little pink dresses,” Li Yue pouted. But under Clo’s starry-eyed gaze, she eventually let out a helpless sigh. “Just once.”
“Yay!”
Li Yue reached out and turned on the lights in the room. She smiled with a mix of helplessness and happiness as she tried on the new clothes Clo had bought for her. Night slowly descended; tonight would be another gentle, long night.
Perhaps autumn isn't really autumn; it's the time when summer tries its hardest to come to a standstill.
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