Lily Nono was awakened from her sleep by a deliberately suppressed, slight but continuous cough. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

She propped up her body and looked at the man beside her with an old face and little vitality left, and memories belonging to the two of them naturally appeared in her mind.

It was so long ago that she almost couldn't remember the past, but with the simple idea of 'wanting to see more of the world', she said goodbye to her hometown companions and began to travel alone. She had traveled countless places, met many good and bad people, and then met the natural messenger of the Elna people named Leo.

She couldn't tell what attracted Leo to her. Maybe it's his calm and quiet temperament, or maybe it's his occasional childlike innocence, and as a result, the two have become travel companions, traveled all over the continent together, and also reached several 'other worlds' that are relatively close to each other through the astral plane, experiencing similar or different cultures, foods, and customs in different worlds. The journey lasted nearly two hundred years, until Leo's body grew too tired to bear the fatigue of the journey, and they built a hut in the Breeze Forest and lived in seclusion.

Leo was much older than she was then. The two are more like father and daughter than lovers. The man taught her to respect nature and life, how to harness the power of nature, and how to use her potential. And these are all things that the real father has not had time to teach her.

The life span of the people of Erna is long, but not endless. They have hundreds of years of youth, but when old age and death come, everything is equal. She took good care of him, but she still watched him weaken day by day. Every time she woke up from a dream like this, she always felt heavy in her heart, as if something was blocked.

Even if she has lived for hundreds of years, she still can't get used to parting.

……

403rd year of San Leon calendar, spring month, 31st day, morning. It's been about fifty years since Lily's impression of the 'present'.

It was a good day, and Leo's spirits were much better than the previous days. He took the maiden for a slow walk through the woods, and then returned to the hut that belonged to them. From a small wooden cabinet that had not been opened for a long time, he took out a finely woven cloth bag and handed it to the girl.

Lily gently untied the sack and looked inside. There were the leaves and fruits of her homeland, the feathers and strands of hair that her companions had given her at parting, and which had remained unspoiled for centuries in the light of a blue crystal that was the only memorial her father had left her. She entrusted it to Leo decades ago, and he's been careful to keep it until now.

"It's been coming," the man said, turning his head slowly, looking at the somewhat old wooden house, "thank you for your company and care, September." ”

Lily looked up at him, a smile of uncertainty on her face, and did not speak.

"My past is happy enough. My future has been decided. "But your future isn't yet, September." ”

"Huh." The girl laughed, "You're a big fool." She looked at the cloth bag in her hand, "You said back then that you would take this 'responsibility' for me - now you plan to throw it back to us?" ”

Leo coughed lightly twice, then sighed slowly.

"It's a rule of nature that everyone has a responsibility to take charge of their own life's journey." He repeated what the girl had heard many times, "But, as a little selfishness, let me know what you're going to do, September." ”

"Plans......" The girl shrugged her shoulders lightly, and then changed to a serious expression, "If we have to say, we want to devour your poor body as soon as possible, and then look at the ethereal starry sky instead of you." ”

"Hah...... That's an honor. To her surprise, Leo replied with a smile, "On the continent we once visited, called Riel, this is the way to keep close people alive with you, isn't it?" ”

"Thou hast ...... Remember? The girl touched her nose, "So, you agree?" ”

"Naturally. There are many ways to return to the earth, and this is just one of them. The man spread his hands and said proudly, but suddenly began to cough. A hint of panic flashed in the girl's eyes, but she immediately regained her original expression, gently stroking Leo's back, waiting for him to calm down.

"Whew...... It seems to be a little too forgetful. Leo gasped, his eyes lit up, "But I'd like to know what you're going to do after that." ”

The girl lowered her head and was silent for a while before finally speaking, "You ...... You should be able to guess it? ”

The man kept a soft smile and said nothing, as if waiting for the girl to speak on her own.

"Let's ...... I'm going to go back to my hometown to see it. She whispered, "When we left our hometown, we thought about bringing more people with us, so that they could witness the richness of this continent and the wider world outside. But they prefer to live in a quiet corner, as they did when their father was still around, and go through each day in peace. ”

"In the beginning, we often went back to our hometowns to tell about the beauty and interesting stories of the outside world, trying to change their minds. However, the long life span also imprisons their minds, and some even think that by doing so, we are dishonoring our bloodline. She bit her lip, and the look in her eyes was a little dark, "Later, we quarreled with them because of something, and since then...... We never went back there. ”

"Soon after, we met you." The girl turned her head to prevent Leo from seeing her expression, "We are so happy with you that sometimes we even forget our hometown companions. But now, should we really fulfill our due ...... 'responsibility'? ”

The man slowly raised his hand and placed it on top of her head, caressing it gently, as it had been for many years.

"According to what you just said, when you return to your hometown, you should still take me with you." The girl turned her head to meet his gaze. That gaze has experienced the precipitation of time, and seems to be able to see through all her thoughts, "In this case, you have to continue to live well." ”

She felt a little heat in her cheeks, twisted her face in embarrassment and a hint of annoyance, and snorted softly, indicating that she had heard.

After a moment, she looked back and saw Leo leaning on the plain wooden table, looking into the woods.

That night, the man silently said goodbye to the forest he was in love with and the girl beside him. When Lily awoke suddenly, she saw only his sleeping face.

She looked up. The rising glow has already spread through the window lattice, sprinkled on the green forest, and it seems that it is a new day.