Night World Players

Chapter 80: Soul Anchor, Borrowed Dreams

"Why do you ask this suddenly?"

Luster stopped in his tracks.

The sky has changed from scarlet to a dull dark blue, and night has fallen silently.

"Because this is indeed very suspicious."

Hiltina crossed her arms.

"I thought—"

"The reason why you chose to join Starry University and become a Night Traveler was more out of consideration for finding a place for yourself to stay."

"After all, you have no relatives in this world. You need money, a place to stay, and a certain social status to survive better in this world."

"This is the most reasonable explanation, and it is also the conclusion given by classmate Ishtar when she conducted a psychological test on you."

"But, if so—"

"Then you wouldn't have chosen to enter the remnant of the disaster with me at that time."

"It is not a freshman's duty to conquer the Echo of the Disaster. The risks it brings you far outweigh the rewards."

She cast a suggestive look at Rast.

When in Deep Blue Harbor, Hiltina deeply felt Rast's ability to act.

There is no unnecessary movement.

All words and actions were only for the sole purpose of passing through Deep Blue Harbor and ending the cycle, and they would do so at any cost.

Just like a machine, driven by the burning core, it moves along the route of the optimal solution towards the preset goal without leaving any unnecessary redundancy.

That's why Hiltina felt a sense of disharmony with Rast.

Because if his goal was just to "live a better life in the real world", he would not have needed to enter the Aftermath of the Disaster, let alone make himself so miserable and in danger of death.

As for the fact that Rast did all these things for himself...

As soon as this speculation arose, Hiltina subconsciously denied it.

She doesn't think she has that much charm.

Besides——

Xiltina had a vague feeling.

It seems that Rust can behave in all kinds of decent ways and get along well with everyone.

But in fact, his heart was like a piece of steel that had been hammered thousands of times, hard and cold.

In some ways, he might be even more unkind than his father, the emperor who was hailed as a perfect monarch.

The latter understands human nature, but has to be inhumane in many cases because of his responsibilities as a king.

The former seemed to understand human nature, and could get along well with himself and Dean Yin, and could even become a bosom friend with a 100% favorable comment rate...

But in fact, deep within his broken body, within that burning furnace, there was not even a trace of impurities called humanity left.

Hiltina had sensed this abnormality a long time ago with some inexplicable intuition.

But given the relationship between them at that time, if Rast didn't say anything, then Hiltina wouldn't ask.

Just now.

After regaining hope for this world because of the boy in front of him,

She couldn't help but feel curious about the man named Rast.

Shrouded in the darkness of night, the deserted streets fell into a brief silence.

The silhouettes of the two people under the dim sky looked like stone sculptures.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter."

"It is not in line with the etiquette of the nobility to pry into other people's secrets casually."

Just as Xiltina was about to say the words she had prepared long ago, she heard the young man in front of her laugh.

"Actually, it's not something that can be put on the table."

Luster smiled and looked at the faint night sky. "Every one of us had many dreams when we were young, right?"

"For example, I dreamed of becoming a hero because I read the story of Dragon Quest in a picture book; I dreamed of becoming a scientist because I heard the legend that scientists promoted the development of civilization."

"There are also those who want to be painters, astronauts, inventors, and those who want to build castles floating in the sky... and so on."

"But in the final analysis, it was all about the admiration that came from seeing the brilliance of others when I was young."

“Or rather, it’s a borrowed dream.”

"Hiltina, you are like this. It was the lady named Cecilia who left the obsession of the ranger to you."

"And so am I, which is why I said earlier that we are of the same kind."

There was a slight pause in his words.

"When I was very young, someone rescued me from the burning Canaan."

"To this day I still remember that scene... the red fire and black smoke on both sides of the collapsed ruins, and the happy smile on the woman's face after she rescued me."

"Because that smile is so beautiful, I can't help but yearn for it."

"It has also become a curse that is always deeply engraved in the depths of my memory and has never been forgotten, no matter how many years have passed and how much wear and tear it has gone through."

There were cheers of joy coming from the direction of the distant auditorium; the evening dance of the celebration had begun.

Lights of various colors lit up at the same time, and along with the rising fireworks, they were projected into the night sky.

The next moment, the fireworks soaring into the sky shattered into dazzling fireworks, imprinted in the dark night sky.

The auditorium stood above the earth, its towering spire piercing into the dark clouds.

"Of course, everyone has had such dreams when they were young. There is nothing special about it."

"Normally, as you grow older and your state of mind changes, these unrealistic dreams from your childhood will naturally be forgotten..."

"Just like when children dream of becoming doctors and teachers when they are young, their ideal when they grow up is often to become rich."

"If I could grow up normally like an ordinary person and have a complete life... then the aspirations I had when I was young would have been gradually forgotten by me and become a topic of conversation after dinner."

"But you know what happened later."

"My life was forever frozen on the same day in Deep Blue Harbor, and I can no longer move forward."

Rast smiled and looked in the direction where the noisy and cheerful sounds came from in the distance.

In the boy's eyes, the brightly lit auditorium looked like a towering tower reaching into the sky.

"Memories fade away in time, and the soul becomes damaged by weathering... Even the concept of self itself becomes ambiguous in the eternal cycle."

"In order to prevent my self-awareness from disappearing, I was like a drowning person, in despair, I regarded the longing in my memory as a lifeline."

"I see it as an anchor point for my soul—"

"As long as I haven't forgotten that longing and yearning, it means that the self called Last has not died in the Deep Blue Harbor, leaving behind only an empty and hollow shell."

Luster turned his eyes away from the brightly lit tower.

Those dark eyes were once again obscured by the night, becoming difficult to see clearly.

"Memories are worn away by the day, and time beautifies and embellishes them."

"To this day, I am not sure whether the longing and desire in my heart are still the same as they were at the beginning. Perhaps it has been distorted beyond recognition."

"But, whether it's true or not... it has indeed become an obsession deep in my soul, a mark that I can never forget."

"It is also proof that I am still alive."

"It was precisely because of that wish that I was able to leave Deep Blue Harbor and join Starry University."

"Even to meeting you." Last's words dissipated in the evening breeze.

Hiltina turned sideways and looked at the young man beside her.

His expression was still calm and solemn, as if nothing could cause any waves in his heart, but his voice was quite gentle, with a hint of inexplicable depression.

This reminded Hiltina of the first time they met in Deep Blue Harbor and how she felt when she saw Last’s sleeping face.

Not only was she not as mysterious as usual, she was even a little weak.

(End of this chapter)