A Sweet Dream

She just told me... who is she?

Jormungandr... Then isn't she... Li Yue? No... she's the A Yue of the past, the A Yue who doesn't know me. How... how is this possible?

Is this ancient history?

No... it’s impossible...

Clo’s mind hadn’t fully processed it yet. She was being pulled along by the girl through the flower field. The girl’s laughter was crisp, like silver bells, filling Clo with waves of joy. She didn’t know if this was real, if it was an illusion... or...

No... it could only be an illusion... This isn't some projection or recorded memory... this is a realistic illusion... yes... that must be it.

Thump. The girl seemed to step on something and accidentally tripped. Fortunately, Clo pulled her back with a bit of strength. The girl raised her hand to maintain her balance and turned back to give Clo a slightly awkward smile.

“Not going anymore?” Clo watched as the girl seemed to lose interest in moving forward. Instead, she sat down silently and began weaving something with the small white flowers.

“I’ll stop here. This is all arranged by Fate. Since that's the case, I won't go any further.” The girl smiled faintly. When she mentioned Fate, she seemed to speak with a certain sense of certainty.

“Fate?” Clo frowned. She hated hearing that word from Li Yue’s mouth. Every time Li Yue mentioned Fate, slaughter and death would follow. Every time... every ounce of pain... was something Li Yue claimed was arranged by Fate...

“Yes, Fate. We must accept the arrangements Fate gives us because we can't change them.” Jormungandr smiled. “But look... the fate of this world is so beautiful. If the God of Fate had their own consciousness, they would surely want this sea of flowers to bloom forever too.”

Clo said nothing. She already knew the end of this story. “Fate” and Jormungandr had reached a cooperation to destroy this beautiful continent and kill all the gods here.

“Dong!” Clo looked toward the far distance again. That sound felt increasingly familiar, carrying a strong sense of urgency, as if urging her to do something.

“As expected, you are attracted to it.” Jormungandr smiled and placed the woven crown of white and green flowers onto Clo’s head. She stepped back a few paces, seemingly satisfied with her masterpiece. “So pretty, hee hee.”

“Why ‘as expected’...” Clo reached out to touch the pure white petals. They felt smooth and soft, with a slightly cool, damp touch. A faint fragrance drifted over, making her feel refreshed and clear-headed.

So beautiful... flowers with such wonderful effects... no wonder... they went extinct later.

“Eh? You don't know?” A look of confusion appeared on Jormungandr’s face and in her eyes. Such a rich expression made Clo feel a sense of daze. She began to feel that this wasn't an illusion created by her own mind. If it were an illusion, it must have been set up by someone else...

Because humans cannot imagine things beyond their own cognition. A lively, cute, and innocent girl with the same appearance as Li Yue was already the limit of what Clo could accept. If she hadn't seen this scene here, Clo felt she probably wouldn't have been able to imagine Li Yue making so many adorable little expressions.

Although it feels a bit like she's deliberately playing coy... it's a little strange... but my head is spinning, blood is rushing to my face... I think I'm actually getting excited...

Clo lightly held her head, waiting for the girl to continue.

“It's ‘Time’ and ‘Chronos.’ The same god whose power you carry.” Jormungandr pointed into the distance. “You have the same magic on you, so of course you'd be attracted.”

“Servants of the same type are always attracted to each other, let alone a servant and a god,” the girl said with a smile.

“Servant...” Clo thought carefully. It seemed that in the ancient era, magic users were referred to as such. It wasn't until a wave of decline in the reverence and fear of gods occurred that the new generation of people who learned magic began calling themselves magic users. Later, the name was further subdivided based on different professions or levels of strength.

“It’s a pity. Chronos left too early. She said her time was up and just faded away on her own, leaving her authority and power to become part of the rules of the world.” The girl sighed softly, as if she still had some regrets.

“But if you die like that... your soul can't be reincarnated... you can't see this beautiful sea of flowers again...” A trace of sorrow appeared on the girl’s face.

“The God of Time... didn't die in the war of the gods?” Clo spoke without thinking. She felt her worldview being challenged again and again.

“War of the gods? Beautiful human, what are you talking about?” The girl tilted her head. “I don't quite understand.”

The girl paused, seemingly remembering something.

“Ah, no... I can't use archaic speech like ‘Wu’ and ‘Yu’ when talking to humans anymore. Mm... it's a bit hard to change.” A frustrated look appeared on the girl's face. She looked Clo over carefully, seemingly making a new discovery.

“Human, you are so strange.” The girl leaned in to look at Clo, examining her body closely, her face very near Clo’s. “Your clothes are so pretty. They're a style I've never seen before... hmm... is it because I haven't been in contact with humans for too long...”

The girl’s face showed signs of conflict and thought. This girl seemed to like wearing her heart on her sleeve. Although she felt a bit ditzy, she was very cute. Especially with Li Yue’s face, Clo felt she could hardly suppress the urge to push her down...

“Human, you seem to want to do something to me.” The girl frowned slightly and leaned even closer to Clo. She couldn't understand the human's current feelings—an emotion completely different from killing intent. Truly strange.

“Hmm... I want to walk around again.” The girl slowly stood up and wove a flower crown for herself. “I'm going to take you back to the court to show everyone your clothes. They're so beautiful. I'll have Astarte weave one for me too.”

“Don't be nervous, human. If you can come here, you shouldn't be a weak human.” Jormungandr thought for a moment. “You shouldn't feel nervous, right?”

Jormungandr gently pressed her head against Clo’s chest, making Clo’s body tremble involuntarily.

“Hmm... your heart is beating very fast. Human, you really are nervous. It's okay, everyone is very nice.” The girl smiled radiantly.

Clo felt her heart melting. Falling in love with the Li Yue of the past... does that count as cheating?