Night World Players

Chapter 228: What kind of place is Canaan to you? (Two-in-one)

Sky-blue eyes met pitch-black eyes, their gazes meeting in mid-air.

It was clearly a long-awaited reunion, but Amy's eyes were so peaceful...

It was as if this was really a peaceful afternoon. After having lunch on the hillside behind the town, Rast took a nap in the post-meal tiredness and the gentle breeze.

During this time, Amys quietly stayed by his side, her golden hair swaying in the wind, her hands folded on her knees... like a serene sculpture, oblivious to the passage of time.

"So as expected... Xiao Ai, you already know everything about the outside world."

"Ah."

Amis nodded gently. "After Sister Gray opened up the Night World, and I became an Angel of the Judgment Sequence... because of the angel's uniqueness, this individual remaining in Canaan is also me, without any difference."

"However, it is different from the marks and incarnations I left at other time points in the long river of history."

"To prevent you, Last, from noticing anything unusual in Canaan... I have proactively sealed away most of this incarnation's memories, including the truth about Canaan, the 'Artificial Angel' project, and everything about the 'Night World.'"

Amys's voice was soft. "To keep it in sync with your own memories, Last, I only preserved the memories of when we were still living in the future, in that real Canaan town, before Sister Grey summoned us across time and space... every bit of our life in this border town."

"Although it was out of good intention to prevent you, Rust, from knowing the truth too soon, it is ultimately a lie... a dream called 'Canaan' woven by Sister Gray and me."

She put away the bagpipe in her hand, stood up and looked into the distance at the mountains with snow-capped peaks.

"Ever since the Sixth Era ended and the Seventh Era began... I have been waiting."

"I'm waiting for you, Rast, to break free from the shackles of the night world and return to reality... and gradually grow up, to be able to use your own strength to seek the truth buried in the dust of history."

"And now, that day has finally arrived."

Amys turned slightly and looked into Rast's eyes: "Now——"

"It's your turn, Rust, to make the decision yourself."

"To decide this fantasy called 'Canaan', born from the bubbles of lies..."

"That's the final outcome."

……

"As expected, is that so..."

After hearing Amis's clear, precise, and unambiguous words, Last heaved a sigh of relief.

This question had been plaguing his mind for a long time, causing him to toss and turn during the countless days and nights he was trapped in Deep Blue Harbor, repeatedly speculating about the existence of "Canaan".

However, when the truth of all this was finally revealed to him, he felt relieved instead.

I felt so relaxed and happy as if a huge stone had been lifted from my heart.

"Xiao Ai, you just said that I will decide the ending of Canaan by myself?"

"Yes."

Amys nodded slightly. "No matter what the reason was, or whether it was out of good intentions, Sister Gray and I... ultimately deceived you, Last. We deceived you for hundreds of years."

"This dream called Canaan is a lie woven because of you, Rast."

"Then naturally, you are the only one qualified to decide its fate."

yes……

It's up to me to decide the end of this world...

Luster slowly closed his eyes.

When his eyes opened again, he did not directly answer Amys's question.

He simply stood up gently and stretched out on the quiet hillside.

Then, Rast started walking towards the small town at the foot of the hill, which was shrouded in the quiet evening sunshine.

Beside Rast, Amis also stood up and put the bagpipe and the tableware from their lunch together into a small basket woven with rattan.

She carried the small basket and followed Rast two or three steps behind him as he went down the mountain.

Both Amis and Last have lived together here for so long that they no longer need words to each other. Often, they only need a glance or a subtle gesture to know each other's intentions.

Therefore, Amis would not take the initiative to ask about Rast's destination or urge him to make the final choice.

She would just follow the black-haired boy silently, no matter where they were or how long it would last.

……

It seemed that Rast had taken a nap for too long this time, so that the sun had already set at the end of the sky.

The sky was like an overturned crucible, and the molten twilight poured down through the cracks in the clouds like copper liquid.

At the foot of the hill, the small lake with a white windmill and a silver mirror was also stained by the twilight and took on a dim color.

The two of them walked down the hillside dyed red by the setting sun, stepping on fallen leaves and weeds.

The way down the mountain was occasionally blocked by a small stream, so Amys lifted her white skirt, held Rast's hand, and stepped on the round pebbles in the stream to cross the river.

It might be hard for outsiders to believe this... Of the two of them, Last is only one step away from becoming a legend, while Amis is a true angel who can display the true status of a mythical creature regardless of time, space, or location.

But at this moment, none of them had the idea of ​​using extraordinary powers... but just like two ordinary townspeople living in the small town of Canaan, they went down the mountain along the mountain path that their ancestors had trampled on when they went up the mountain to cut wood.

Soon, the border town with a white windmill at the foot of the mountains came into view.

Luster and Amys walked along the gravel path.

In the distance, smoke rose from every household in the town.

Looking at the evening scenery before him, which he had seen thousands of times, Last felt his mind gradually calm down.

Before he completely entered Canaan, his footsteps paused at a fork in the mountain trail.

"here……"

Last looked at the other end of the fork in the road, at the path leading into another dense forest, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "This... seems to lead to a cave in the back of the mountain."

"Ah."

Amys nodded slightly.

"That cave, we used to go there often when we were little."

"Once I was lost in the mountains. The whole town was called out to look for me, but we couldn't find me..."

"In the end, it was you, Rust, who found me in the cave in the heavy rain."

As she spoke, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, a ripple of memory. "But at that time, heavy rain triggered a flash flood, which cut off the way up the mountain. We were trapped in the cave and couldn't get down, and the adults couldn't get up either."

"Finally, we stayed in the cave all night until dawn, when the adults came up the mountain to look for us."

"yes……"

Luster nodded.

In my mind, those memories that had long been buried deep in the attic of memory and were almost impossible to discover were now slowly beginning to revive.

Heavy rain, muddy mountain roads, dark and cold caves...

There was also a little girl curled up in a dark corner of the cave, her eyes full of fear and vigilance, like a kitten with its fur standing on end... It was not until the two people's eyes met that the vigilance in the little girl's eyes slowly dissipated, as if she had woken up from a nightmare and recognized the people in reality.

And on that cold night with heavy rain, he wrapped the two of them in his only coat, using each other's body temperature to keep warm and get through that difficult night.

That was indeed his own experience. He had really been to that dark cave and snuggled with the girl in front of him in the corner, warming each other.

"But...this all happened before we were summoned to the Sixth Epoch by Sister Gray. Many, many years have passed."

"For us who travel through time and space, this spans an entire epoch... and even for those living in the present time, two hundred years have already passed."

Amys smiled and walked to Rast, who had a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

Then, she took the initiative to hold Luster's hand and said, "Let's go, it's getting late... I want to let you try my new dish at dinner."

Under Amys' guidance, they quickly entered the town.

Along the way, townspeople would occasionally stop what they were doing to greet the two, and Amys would politely respond one by one while holding Last's hand.

"This is Grandma Sai Li. She runs a pastry shop. Her skill in making pancakes is superb... Back then, I spent a lot of time pestering her in my free time in order to learn her pancake-making technique."

"It's a shame, Rust, that you only ever have two words to say about my dishes: 'Really delicious' and 'Really, really delicious'... Every time I work hard to improve my cooking skills, I always hear the same unchanging response from you. Honestly, it makes me feel quite frustrated."

Having said that, when she said these words, the blonde girl's pretty face clearly showed a look of happiness.

"This is Uncle Mad, the best hunter in the entire Canaan town...Lassiter, you and Uncle Mad were very close when you were little. You even secretly took away Uncle Mad's hunting dog in the winter, and you even built a wooden frame out of branches from nowhere."

"He said he wanted to take me on the snow to experience the 'dog sledding' I'd read about in books... As for the result, needless to say, it was a complete disaster. No, it was a complete disaster."

Amys laughed as she spoke. "After the incident, Uncle Mads said he'd cut off all contact with you, but unfortunately, he couldn't resist your sweet talk, Rust... After just a few days of coaxing and nagging, he let you follow him around like a bootlicker again."

"That's because Uncle Mad's hounds are so weak... they can't even pull two seven or eight-year-old children."

Last also smiled, feeling that the distant, fragmented memories in his mind became clearer and clearer, flashing in his mind with incredible clarity.

Ripples appeared in the lake of my heart.

"But there's nothing we can do about it. After all, they are just hunting dogs, not Alaskan dogs that specialize in pulling sleds."

"If it were now..." Luster's smile deepened a little: "I have a better sled dog option."

Amys blinked her beautiful sky-blue eyes, and a playful smile quickly appeared at the corner of her mouth: "I feel that what you said, Rust, is quite mysterious."

"That malicious smile... Let me guess, the ferret dog option you're talking about might actually be Dean Silver, right?"

"As expected, Xiao Ai, you understand me the best—"

"Merrets and sleds, literally, are a perfect match, okay? If I have the chance, I must try this combination someday."

"Laster, I have a feeling you're expecting another flying kick from Dean Silver's ferret."

The scenery in the small town was always so peaceful. Some of the townspeople were still fresh in Last's mind, while others looked familiar to him, but he could not recall the exact details.

But when she met every town resident, Amys would take the initiative to stop and patiently tell Last about the interactions between these townspeople and herself...

Finally, they stopped in front of a wooden house.

The decoration inside the wooden house is very simple, but it is kept very clean and exudes a unique warmth.

This is his and Amy's home.

In the fragmented initial memories that had revived in Rust's mind...his and Amis's parents had died when they were very young. They became orphans and grew up little by little relying on the help of the townspeople.

"Laster, just wait in the living room. I'll go prepare our dinner..."

After leaving these words, Amis went into the kitchen and started busying herself, leaving Last alone sitting at the dining table in the living room, staring at the lights outside the window that were gradually being lit.

The orange-red candlelight continued to light up, like stars, immersing the dark night.

"Dinner is ready...this time the main course is slow-cooked lamb."

Soon, Amys brought the steaming plate to the table. "Although Uncle Drew's lamb is indeed adorable, it's my fault for running into someone like me who aspires to be the best chef. I'm sorry, lamb."

"You're really becoming more and more like a chef."

Rast looked at the steaming mutton dish in front of him and praised it.

"Xiao Ai..."

He looked at Amys, who had pulled out a chair opposite him but had not started eating immediately. Instead, she was quietly waiting for him to eat first. He suddenly spoke softly.

"For you..."

"What kind of place is Canaan?"

(End of this chapter)