Day broke.
Dreams devour the hours of the night.
Though I had only closed my eyes and opened them again, the sky had faithfully turned the hands of its clock and scattered the spring sunlight across the earth.
Blades of grass were sleepily lifting themselves beneath that golden embrace.
When the mountain awakens, those who live upon it begin their day early as well.
Heavenly Sword Mountain (天劍山) was no exception to that truth.
Footsteps began bustling about as they pushed aside the dim light of dawn.
In the truest sense, the day had begun.
Life continued even among the charred ruins.
That was both a blessing and a curse.
To continue living, one had no choice but to forget someone’s death.
Conversely, everyday life was the only painkiller capable of treating the incurable disease known as mourning.
On this morning, when every living thing stretched itself awake—
I sat alone beside the ‘Pond of Oblivion.’
It was not for meditation.
Had that been the case, I would not have spent the entire night wide awake.
In truth, I had countless things troubling me.
What should I do about Seria?
And what about Celine?
Where had my younger sister gone?
And why had Sien suddenly changed her mind?
She didn’t…