On the smooth and clean shell of the bell, the world is distorted into a strange and eerie picture.

I stared at my deformed reflection and asked in confusion as I stretched out my hand,

"What is this?"

"I don't know, you just do it."

As I spoke, the bell, which was only half the length of a thumb, was carried in the air. Looking at this delicate but overly unpretentious craft, I couldn't help but subconsciously shake it a few times.

"Huh?"

However, there was no sound to match, and the bell was still silently reflecting the gentle sunlight as if it were broken.

"Uh......"

I didn't know if this situation was due to my own reasons, so I had to look at the same puzzled person with an embarrassed smile.

Just as the two of us looked at each other, at a loss, the tree man slowly propped up his palm from the canopy, clicked, and broke off a dry stick. Then he walked calmly in front of me, and tapped the surface of the bell lightly with the charred yellow branch.

Stalking ————

As metal and wood collided, a sound of purity came out and plunged straight into the depths of my brain, and I felt that even my soul was completely washed by the sound that seemed to come from a distant fairy world.

The bell trembled for a long time, and it was only after the humming dissipated that I suddenly remembered that what I had heard in the forest of roots seemed to be the same hypnotic tone.

In an instant, I could almost see the scene at that time—outside the isolated lonely tower, a silver-white bell twinkling in the sun hung from the top of a young green tree, and the breeze blew, rolling up countless waves of branches and leaves, and carrying a tidal wave of breathtaking notes across the empty city.

As the sole survivor, how does it feel?

It's a pity that just two alien races barely captured this feeling that has nowhere to put it, and all it thinks can always be a few insignificant sighs echoing in the cave of the rock wall.

"Hey, don't be in a daze."

As she spoke, she tapped me on the right shoulder, and as I followed her voice, I noticed that she was holding a golden bell of the same pattern in her other hand.

"Huh? Is this one? ”

Perhaps she noticed my lightly raised eyebrows, and she explained to me with great interest,

"When the time comes, you, me, and it will be shaken in order, first me, then you, and finally it. Well...... I guess it's some kind of ritual. ”

Looking at the thoughtful expression, the more I listened, the more confused I became, and after more than a minute, I asked as if I had finally reacted,

"Shhh Is this what you see from some 'past life' or 'future life'? ”

"How is that possible?!"

Her surprise didn't look like she was pretending, she pulled up her waist and glared at me like a fool.

"We'll discuss this while you're still unconscious."

"Business...... Measure? Does it still speak? ”

I don't know if I thought of something indescribable, I sighed a little confused.

In the face of my questioning, she shrugged her shoulders and spread her hands, but instead put on a shocked look,

"What do you want? Of course, it's by text, and it doesn't have a mouth! ”

After hearing this, I looked back at the treeman who was shaking his branches comfortably, and immediately wanted to end this pointless dispute, after all, I still have many doubts waiting to be answered about the illusion that has just passed by.

"Forget it."

I waved my hand and said helplessly,

"Then you can at least tell me what this so-called 'ritual' does."

However, as if he had suddenly lost his mind, he replied,

"I don't know, why are you asking this?"

"Holy, you-"

A huge meltdown came over me, and I could feel the muscles in my face twist in pain. But before I could figure out the series of changes that had just happened, I took the lead and shouted,

"Hey! What kind of expression do you have?! Don't forget that you owe me an answer after this is over! ”

"Huh? What-"

In the middle of my words, the dormant memory immediately sliced through my skull, and poured into the experience from the shore of the White Lake to the present.

Yes, I was so affected by the atmosphere here that I almost forgot my original purpose - Yao, she was still waiting for me.

Whether it was out of escape or simple forgetfulness, the countdown hanging over my head never stopped.

I understood what she wanted to know, and she was right, and it was time to put an end to this pointless lie.

"Okay."

I squeezed the bell in my hand that was stained with body temperature, and looked up at my snow-white cheeks.

"I'll tell you when it's all over! All! ”

Walking alone in the wide streets, not only is it difficult to get the pleasure of physical and mental liberation, but it will force the vigilance and apprehension hidden in the body, and paint the already mysterious picture scroll with more misty colors.

The long wind hung by, and the mud and sand hit the ankles wantonly.

With a worried heart, I suddenly felt a little worried, so I slowed down, turned around the quiet buildings, and looked at the location of the ruined tower.

"Ahh

I sighed softly, the strange towers that were already far away in the sky did not give comfort to the traveler, only the alienation that permeated the air was the most real poison at this moment.

When there is silence, imagination regains its dominance of reason.

Savoring the irrepressible anxiety in my chest, I walked briskly towards the destination I had told me, trying to dispel the more bizarre thoughts with simple movements.

But the more this happens, the more I can't ignore the thoughts in my mind, the courage I had just had on a whim in front of you has been exhausted, and now only irritability and regret remain.

"Damn, what should I say later......"

The problem of talking to myself returned, and I frowned and muttered as I bit the flesh thorns that stood up on the back of my fingernails.

However, after a long time, I only felt that the words that should have been said seemed to have grown spikes, and could no longer be easily removed from my mouth.

"Iniquity of my own making.....

Sighing, I thought of the corner of the hallucination revealed by the tree man, could it be that the thin figure was the same person I used to be? Could it be that I chose ...... for some reason Suicide, is it? So why am I here? Or is this hell and I'm paying my retribution?

"Ahh

There was a tingling pain in my chaotic brain, and I screamed, kicking away a broken piece of terracotta in the road,

"Tsk, that's not an option."

Venting didn't solve the problem, and after calming down, I fell back into the tangle.

If you want to tell you what you have done, the cost is too high, and it is difficult to guarantee that you will not break the jar in a fit of anger, but with my ability and eloquence, I can't do it perfectly, what should I do?

I strode mechanically, while my mind was still trying out all the possibilities.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a vacant lot appeared between the surrounding buildings, like an isolated island floating on the sea, abruptly seducing the innate curiosity of human beings.

And this is the end of my journey.

"It's here, so soon."

As I spoke, I pulled out the bell and a branch from my pocket and slowly walked to the middle of the clearing.

The closer I got to the edge of the city, the denser and more shabby the buildings became, and through the already dim light, I looked carefully at the low-pitched earthy houses around me, and felt a little more desolate in my heart.

Maybe when the Treant race was still there, it was still a vibrant scene.

My gaze swept over the hollow black window lattices, the half-hidden doors, the dirty marks on the street corners, and the paint that had been applied to the walls had long since peeled off.

With an unknown impulse, I closed my eyes and tried to rebuild this once-glorious city in my imagination.

But after a long time, the wind still fills my ears.

I propped my sore eyelids again, and I felt lost.

After all, it's still too far away and too strange to me.

I don't have that qualification.

Jingle – Ding————

Suddenly, a light rhythm floated from afar.

"Huh? Has she arrived too? ”

I didn't dare to slack off, so I hurriedly twisted the top of the bell and tapped the slightly upturned edge of the bottom of the bell with a slender branch.

Ding————

Again, a wave washed away all distractions, offering a brief moment of peace to the weary soul.

I squinted, and my muscles relaxed to the extreme in the ethereal sound.

In a trance, there seemed to be patches of leaves swaying in the wind, like a forest sea wrapped in a fern, like raindrops sliding from floating clouds.

Ding – Ding ———— Ding ——————

Immediately afterwards, at the remnant tower, three melodious chimes.

Each time it is purer, more lonely.

Suddenly, only the lingering sound of heaven and earth remains, echoing, spreading, cascading, dissolving, and finally lurking into the boundary between psychedelia and reality, as if it had never been before.

Before I knew it, a smile curled into the corner of my mouth.

"Squeak—"

Before he returned, there was a faint grinding sound, a symbol peculiar to an old wooden door.

I opened my eyes in confusion, and I was gradually unable to extricate myself from the great shock.

Life.

Those lives that have been lost have returned.

All angles in sight, all square inches, are covered with lush greenery.

Sunlight has never been so abundant, shining on the bustling crowds of people in the streets, huge canopies running through every alley behind the buildings, and a few seedlings tiptoeing at the fruits of the eaves. Under the sky, colorful birds and birds draw graceful arcs, and the vast lawn is covered with bright flowers.

And in the hands of each treeman, regardless of height, holds a bell of different colors and styles.

Finally, the seedling that was held in the air finally touched the orange fruit, shrouded in diffuse light, and it excitedly raised the lilac bell in its hand, and the branches of its whole body trembled slightly.

Then, the image disappears.

I still haven't heard the next ringtone.

In the blink of an eye, there was nothing but cracked and charred earth.

"How-"

Suddenly, an indescribable loneliness erupted, and I rushed out of the clearing like crazy and ran to the street I had seen earlier.

However, left and right, there was no longer the illusion and reality of the scene, and the boundless dust was sent into the air by the cold wind, and after losing its support, it shook and fell back to the ground.

I gasped for air, but my chest was still suffocating.

From the edge of the city to the remnant tower, I ran all the way down.

I crave an explanation, a response, how did the once vibrant city become what it is today? What is the flash of light above the tower? Why should we do this? Why do you want me to see these images?

"Ahem! Heh-"

A few hundred meters from the tower, I slowly steadied myself, and not far to the right, there was the equally eager figure of Yu.

"You! You're—"

I struggled to nod my head when I heard her inquiry, then raised my arm and pointed to the only patch of emerald green at the bottom of the tower.

Needless to say, she immediately understood, and under her gaze, I ran with all my might.

A short journey, in a blink of an eye.

"Hey! Just now, just now—"

Before I could catch my breath, I shouted at the treemen a few paces away.

But halfway through the conversation, there is no reason to continue.

The tree man remained unmoved, and countless curled roots were also dug into the dirt at this time.

My heart sank, and I staggered to my place.

Although the colors and structures are still familiar in my eyes, I can feel that it has abandoned some vital parts.

"Hello? What's going on? Didn't you hear? ”

She didn't seem to notice it, and in a few steps she scurried to the half-height young tree, reaching out and shaking the branch that was no thicker than her wrist.

Under the dazzling sunlight, the fallen leaves splashed on the ground like watercolors, like a stunning painting by a master, but the protagonist of this painting scroll is just a simple green tree.

Suddenly, a glimmer of light reflected between the canopies, and I looked up to see that it was a lilac bell.

"Hey! Why don't you move? Why stay here? What are you waiting for? Yes?! ”

Her voice began to lose shape, and there was a clear cry between the words.

"Sh."

Screaming, I stared at the girl's bloodshot eyes.

I knew how cruel it would be, but there was no chance to wait any longer.

Now, I need to harness her grief and turn it into hatred for me and motivation to move forward.

I smiled and spoke, feeling so relieved that I had never been so relieved,

"I'm sorry."