A Girl as Beautiful as Flowers

No matter what kind of cathedral it was, even those with vastly different styles, they always gave Clo a heavy sense of stillness. She had once asked Li Yue about this when she was a deity—or rather, when she had been one. Li Yue had thought for a moment before giving Clo an answer that was somewhat absurd yet quite interesting.

“Because they are all dead. Perhaps those believers are in a constant state of mourning. That might be it.”

Clo’s own view, of course, was that the stillness came from a place of respect and fear toward the divine. However, that was just idle chatter; letting their thoughts wander only added to the amusement.

“Then aren’t you still alive?” Clo had asked at the time.

“Perhaps they think I am dead...” Li Yue had pondered. “But then again, no one is ever truly dead. As for me, I belong to the kind that is the least dead of all.”

Walking through the long corridors, Clo unconsciously recalled those little moments with Li Yue. Most of the images on the walls were severely damaged, allowing only small fragments of information to be gleaned from the shattered scenes.

The color palette of the paintings consisted mostly of gold and deep blue. However, because so much time had passed, the images looked as if they were covered by a dusty, transparent cloth. They appeared somewhat grimy, possessing what one might call a sense of antiquity.

“These things... don’t seem to be recorded in any books. Doesn’t history say the ancient era was nothing but a period of slaughter...” Clo frowned, secretly wondering what kind of strange historical record this was. But then she reconsidered; this was a very official institution, so the history here might not necessarily be false.

Could there have been a beautiful era before that period of slaughter, just as Li Yue had said?

Clo focused her mind, carefully observing the temples, palaces, vibrant rivers, and herds of creatures in the paintings. She watched as she walked, eventually spotting a single flower. Afterward, an entire wall was dedicated to a vast field of those same vibrant flowers.

“This is the Xianning flower. Although it looks somewhat yellowed in the painting, records state that these flowers were once a pure, brilliant white. They are very similar to the Cecilia flowers that now grow in the south, but there are some differences after all,” a priest leading the way explained.

“However, this flower went extinct a long time ago. Their growth requirements were far too demanding, and there are too few places left in this world suitable for their survival. They might have existed a few hundred years ago, but they can no longer be seen today.” The priest, dressed in robes of black mixed with deep blue, shook his head and let out a soft sigh, seemingly feeling a bit of regret.

“Cecilia flower...” Clo murmured softly. She said nothing more, her brow furrowing slightly. Seeing her so enthralled, the priest did not disturb her further and continued walking toward the end of the hall on his own.

“Why...” Clo shifted her gaze. The subsequent images were heavily damaged, but she could vaguely make out a figure standing amidst the vast field of flowers.

“Did they paint the appearance of a deity... where on earth did they find these murals?” Clo whispered. Her body slowly floated into the air as she tried to get a closer look at the figure.

The figure’s appearance gradually became clearer. Slowly, she seemed to be able to see even the smallest details. It was a young girl strolling through the flower field. As Clo moved closer, the details on the girl became more abundant. Gradually, she could even see the girl’s features clearly, and the murky stains on the image seemed to fade away.

This was a girl with white hair that fluttered in the wind. Her eyes were as translucent as blood red gemstones. A gentle smile played at the corners of her mouth as she ran through the flower field. The wind blew the snow white flowers past her ears, and she seemed to merge into one with the beautiful field.

“Don’t just stand there, come look! This Xianning flower is light blue.” The girl’s voice gradually became clear. It was a very pleasant sound. Clo suddenly snapped back to her senses, looking at the white flowers around her with a sense of disorientation.

“Is this... inside the painting? Or a hallucination?” She froze as a pair of small hands waved in front of her. Startled, she fully regained her composure only to find the girl standing right before her eyes.

“You...” Clo’s eyes widened slightly. The person before her was so familiar, yet utterly strange. She had admired those beautiful blood red vertical pupils countless times, and now she saw them again—beautiful and no longer clouded by blood or filth.

“Li Yue... why are you...” Clo murmured. She looked at the familiar person before her. This girl was so vibrant and cheerful, her face constantly displaying a joyful smile that Clo had never seen on Li Yue.

“Li Yue?” The girl softly repeated the name. “Have you mistaken me for someone else? That isn’t my name, but it sounds very nice. I’ll remember it.”

The girl smiled faintly, her eyes scanning Clo with a hint of curiosity.

“You are someone I’ve never seen before. Do you like this flower field too?” The girl turned to look at the scenery. Her body slowly spun in a few circles, her snow white skirt fluttering as she shared in the girl’s joy.

“I... I like it...” Clo felt her voice falter. She wanted to pull herself out of this illusion, but she found that her magic was completely useless.

“My name is Jormungandr. Who are you?” The girl circled Clo, her nose sniffing at her. “The scent on you is so familiar... it is the scent of time. It is fragrant and pleasant, hee hee.”

“My name... my name is Clo...” Clo listened to the name and compared it with the person before her. This image seemed to completely overturn the God of Death she held in her memories.

“Clo? It is very similar to the name of an old friend who passed away,” Jormungandr said. A bell tower in the distance seemed to chime once. Clo’s gaze followed Jormungandr’s toward it, and only then did Clo notice how beautiful the sky was here.

“Human, you are very interesting.” The girl laughed softly. “Would you like to walk with me?”

The girl reached her hand out toward her. Clo hesitated for a moment, but her body seemed more honest; even as she wavered, her hand instinctively reached out to take it.

“Then let’s go!” The girl gave her a radiant smile, one more beautiful than the setting sun, making Clo unable to stop the tears from welling in her eyes.