Night World Players

Chapter 256 First Kiss, in a Place Like This?

Last walked along the hillside path, surrounded by overgrown weeds.

The higher you go up the mountain, the more distant the town, burning in the flames and shrouded in the aura of death, becomes.

The sky changed from the dark red scorched by thick smoke and fire to a deep black... The air gradually became fresher, unlike in the ruins of Canaan, which were filled with the decaying smell of dust and ashes.

Stepping onto the mountain path paved with gravel, looking at the familiar mountain scenery beside me, a landscape I've traversed countless times—

Last could clearly feel that deep within his heart, those past memories and sincere emotions were gradually reviving.

It was scorching hot, yet incredibly warm.

Even though Raste did forget many things in the time loop of Deep Blue Harbor, those memories did not truly disappear. Instead, they were scattered in the corners of his memory attic, silently sealed away with the passage of time, gradually covered in dust.

But one day, that neglected attic will be reopened, and the crystal-like fragments of memory will once again bask in the sunlight, at which moment the dust will be washed away and the light will be scorching hot.

The overwhelming memories swept over him like a heavy hammer striking the boy's dull, lifeless heart. Dust fell in a flurry, and his heart rang out with a thunderous roar.

At this moment, time and space intertwined, and the surrounding scenery was slightly distorted. Sometimes it was a sky scorched black and red by firelight, and sometimes it was a rainy night with torrential rain.

Everything seemed to have returned to hundreds of years ago. A little boy with black hair was drenched in the rain, struggling to walk on a muddy mountain path, calling out the name of Amys, trying to find the missing little girl before the flash flood completely broke out, unable to distinguish between memory and reality.

At the end of that rugged and muddy mountain road was a bottomless cave.

When Raste was a child, the adults in the town of Canaan often said, "There lives a vicious dragon in the cave on the top of the mountain behind the town."

Looking back now, it was clearly just a lie that adults made up to scare children into running around... After all, the pure-blooded ancient dragons of the Western Continent had long since perished with the end of the Age of Gods. Nowadays, even those large lizards with traces of dragon blood, and low-level sub-dragon species, are rare treasures in the eyes of superhumans. Once discovered, they are immediately kept in captivity as protected animals.

But for Luster and Amys, who were only six years old at the time, this statement was similar to the idea that "Santa Claus will give presents to obedient children on Christmas Eve." They didn't completely believe it, but they were skeptical.

So one can imagine the despair that Amys must have felt after her parents' funeral to run into this "cave inhabited by a dragon" and give up on herself, wanting to end her life.

And how much courage did Raste muster to step into this "nest of the dragon," just like the brave and fearless knights in fairy tales?

A slight smile appeared on Last's lips as he walked straight into the dark and damp cave.

We traversed jagged pebbles and waded through puddles of water.

The deeper you go into the cave, the lower the temperature becomes. Moisture condenses on the stone pillars on the cave walls, then turns into cold water droplets that drip down, making a ticking sound.

Behind me, the night sky and the sound of wind and rain faded away, leaving only pure silence.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the cave finally came to an end.

Last paused slightly.

By the light of the cold moonlight that seemed to fall from nowhere, he saw the view at the end of the cave.

The thin girl curled up in the corner of the cave. She was usually tall and slender, but now she looked like a tiny little ball.

Her pretty face was deathly pale, and the long, shimmering, pale golden hair that Rust remembered was now disheveled and covered in muddy water... Beside her tightly closed eyes were tear tracks that had not yet dried.

Amys.

It wasn't a dignified and noble angel of judgment... but rather a timid, cowardly, and dark-fearing country girl who once lived in the town of Canaan.

Compared to the aloof and powerful Angel of Judgment in the echoes of history, who could ignite a continent-wide "Omnic Rebellion" with a single thought; and the flawless, eternally gentle, and considerate wife in the Canaanite illusion, the real Amys was so ordinary and unremarkable, pale in comparison to the dazzling heroes of history.

Faced with the corrosive influence of the Judgment Star Cup, all she could do in this dim and lifeless state was to carefully hide herself away.

When people are most desperate, they will subconsciously seek reliance and stay in what they consider the safest place. For Amys, the safest place in her subconscious is this cave in the back mountain... This is where she first met Rust. Staying here gives her an inexplicable sense of security.

She wasn't sure if hiding herself like this would actually work—

Her hometown, her home, and all those she knew had vanished forever two hundred years ago, perished in the catastrophe of time and space collapse.

Amys Justia, a name forgotten by the world. No one in the world remembers the residents of a vanished town two hundred years ago... The last person in the world to remember this girl is Rust himself.

At this moment, time and space seemed to be out of place, and everything seemed to have returned to the Canaan town two hundred years ago.

The black-haired boy once again found the little girl who had been abandoned by the whole world in the dark and damp cave.

Last walked quietly to the corner and, with extremely gentle movements, carefully picked up the unconscious girl.

With a slight thought, his spiritual energy quietly overflowed, flowing from his fingertips into Amys's body.

Just as a doctor uses a stethoscope to diagnose a disease, the differentiated spiritual power penetrates deep into the girl's mind, sensing the state of Amy's body.

Soon, Last frowned slightly.

He realized that Ai's condition was very, very bad. The long-term erosion and corruption of the Judgment Star Cup's will had almost completely devoured most of Ai's mental strength and memories...

At this moment, the girl's soul fire was like a rootless and sourceless flame in the winter night, already on the verge of withering without even needing the cold wind to blow it.

If nothing is done soon, then before long, Amys's last flame of spirit will be extinguished in the cold wind... and her self will be completely annihilated and cease to exist.

As this thought crossed his mind, he did not hesitate for a moment.

Last leaned down and kissed the blonde girl's pale lips.

Amys's lips were very cold, reminding him of the snow lotus on the mountain peak.

In the next instant, deep within Raste's heart, that blazing and powerful fire of the soul ignited fiercely.

It was like the passing of torches in the cold wind, the relay of the fire source.

The blazing soul fire split into a small flame. Then, that small flame was used as a medium in the most basic mana replenishment method in mystical rituals—"exchange of bodily fluids".

It was passed from Raste's own soul into Amys's soul.

Last's blazing, powerful soul fire dimmed slightly.

However, in contrast, Amys's faint flame, which was on the verge of extinction and could be extinguished at any moment without the wind, reignited after being replenished.

The clear, bright flames danced in the wind and snow, dazzling yet unwavering.

As the soul fire, which was on the verge of collapse, was rekindled, Rust saw the blonde girl in his arms, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

The next moment, Amys opened her eyes.

Those were delicate, sky-blue eyes, filled with fear and alertness, like a frightened little animal, a cat with its fur standing on end.

Rast's heart moved slightly.

He knew that during the long years of self-sealing, Amys had long suffered from the erosion of the Judgment Star Cup, and much of her memories, emotions, and spirit had been devoured... leaving only a last bit of soul fire like a candle flickering in the wind.

In other words, Xiao Ai's current state is actually very similar to when she was first trapped in Deep Blue Harbor. Her memories have gradually faded with the passage of time, and even her emotions have become lacking.

Even if the flame of their souls is rekindled at this moment, Ai may have lost a considerable portion of her memories... It would be quite normal for her to forget herself and the experiences they had in Canaan.

He stepped back slightly and spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, I know you may be a little confused about your situation right now, but please calm down."

"Anyway, let me introduce myself first. My name is..."

Since Xiao Ai has forgotten her past and her memories at this moment, all they need to do is create new memories together.

This is what Amys did for her lost and fragmented self in that dream called Canaan... Back then, when Amys faced her amnesiac self, she didn't force herself to remember the past. Instead, she quietly stayed by her side, creating new memories together, and striving to show the best, most perfect, and strongest Amys in those new memories.

Now that their identities have been switched, with Ai becoming the amnesiac, what Rust needs to do will naturally remain unchanged.

Even before entering Amys's mental world, he had already prepared himself for the corresponding consequences.

It's just starting all over again.

However, just as Last stepped back slightly, preparing to reintroduce himself to the amnesiac Amies... as a family member in a hospital ward would recount the past to a patient with amnesia.

The next instant, his movements suddenly stopped.

Not far away, the blonde girl slowly extended her left hand, but not to push away the stranger who had suddenly approached her. Instead, she gently stroked his face with her slender, white fingers.

Cool fingertips brushed against Last's cheek, leaving a slightly tingling sensation.

This is an action that seems to be engraved in the deepest part of the soul, imprinted in the marrow... It requires no memory or thought, but is done without hesitation, with an incomparably deep affection.

For a moment, Raste was in a daze, which reminded him of the reunion two years ago in the Echoes of History in the Sixth Epoch... The scene back then was just like this, the angel of judgment who was powerful enough to rule the world with violence quietly walked up to Raste, and instead of crushing him like an ant, he reached out and stroked his face.

Following this incredibly familiar movement, both of their gazes moved along Amys's gently raised left hand.

Finally, their eyes met in mid-air.

Amise stared blankly at Rast, as if waking from a nightmare and recognizing the people in reality anew.

The world was silent, and the only light in the cave was the faint glow in their eyes.

Gradually, the wariness in Amys's eyes, and the fear that seemed to be trembling like a small animal cowering in a corner, slowly disappeared... Her sky-blue eyes, which had been pale and stiff, became lively again.

Finally, the pale-faced girl smiled.

She slowly approached Rust, then slowly curled up in Rust's arms, and finally, Amys stretched out her arms and hugged Rust's neck.

At that very moment, the dark, gloomy clouds overhead, scorched black and red by the flames, faded away.

The clear moonlight shone through the cracks in the rock wall and fell on the heads of Rust and Amys.

This moonlight seemed to be the light of a sailor struggling and drifting in a stormy night, lost and disoriented, who suddenly saw the ever-shining lighthouse in the distance, guiding the lost... It fell from the high heavens and ignited their eyes.

The petite blonde girl nestled in Rust's arms, embracing him tightly and feeling the warmth of their skin against each other.

Just like when Amys and Rust first met... On that cold, rainy night, he wrapped the two of them in his only coat, using each other's body heat to keep warm and get through that long, difficult night while waiting for the flood to recede.

Last saw the girl in his arms gently close her eyes, and then open them again.

But this time, those beautiful sky-blue eyes no longer held the wariness and fear of a frightened animal; instead, they held a tender gaze that he knew all too well, a gaze tinged with deep affection.

"Our first kiss..."

"So, you chose a place like this?"

"besides……"

Amys paused slightly.

She leaned close to Last's ear and whispered in a weak, barely audible voice:
"fool."

Even if I forget who I am, how could I possibly forget you?

(End of this chapter)