I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

Page 34

These questions lingered in her mind, but she never voiced them. In fact, even Duanmu Yan himself couldn't provide the answers.

He pursed his lips and gazed at her silently.

His gaze wasn't oppressive, yet it still made her somewhat uneasy; her fingertips tightened slightly, and even her breathing became softer. He noticed this and promptly looked away, breaking the silence between them in a very calm tone.

"Excuse me, where is this place?"

"Huh? You...don't know?"

The girl's eyes widened slightly, and she subconsciously covered her lips with her hand, revealing a hint of surprise.

She scrutinized Duanmu Yan, as if trying to find some answer in him.

"So how did you get here?" she asked softly, her voice filled with confusion.

I don't know where this place is, but I was able to bypass Sonora's blockade and arrive here by using frequency.

Could it be...

Is there any connection between him and the Lord of the Year?

Duanmu Yan shook his head, trying to recall the scenes from the fragments of his memory, and explained to her in a low voice, "I can't explain it clearly either. I only remember... that stone slab suddenly burst out with a bright light, and when the light faded, I was already standing here. And then... I met you."

"Stone slabs? What kind of stone slabs?"

“It’s a stone slab with a celestial horse pattern carved on it.” Duanmu Yan looked at her, his tone serious. “Have you heard of it? Or… do you know its origin?”

"The Pegasus...stone slab?"

The girl furrowed her brow slightly, as if searching for clues in her shattered thoughts.

After a moment, she raised her head, a faint, bittersweet smile appearing on her lips, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I... can't remember. I have so many missing memories... I don't even know who I am."

"As for this place, it's called 'Sonora.' But what's the specific name..." The girl's voice trailed off, tinged with apology, "I'm sorry, I... I don't remember."

Has he lost his memory?

A faint sense of disappointment rose in Duanmu Yan's heart.

He had originally thought he could get some clues from here.

Duanmu Yan sighed softly and continued, "Then do you still remember your name?"

"Name...?" The girl's eyes glazed over for a moment, as if trying to catch a distant fragment, and she subconsciously whispered, "Flu—", but before she could finish speaking, she suddenly shook her head and changed her words to "Katixia".

“…Kathishia.” Duanmu Yan repeated softly, then gave her a friendly smile and extended his hand: “My name is Duanmu Yan.”

The girl gazed at his outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered her courage, smiling as she gently grasped it.

Her hands were very cold, but her skin was as delicate as the first snow.

only--

The moment their fingertips touched, Duanmu Yan suddenly felt his breath catch in his throat.

The surrounding air seemed to become thick and heavy, pressing down silently.

He felt as if he had been suddenly pushed into the deep sea, all sounds faded away, and only a silent sense of oppression surged from all directions, gently and suffocatingly enveloping him.

"What's wrong with you?"

Katishia's voice jolted him back from that suffocating silence.

Duanmu Yan took a deep breath, like a drowning person finally surfacing, greedily inhaling the surrounding air, barely managing to calm down: "...I'm fine."

"Really?" She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with doubt and concern. "No one has come here for a long time."

"A long time? How long is that?"

"I don't remember very clearly...it's been more than ten years."

"More than ten years!?" Duanmu Yan's pupils dilated slightly, and his voice involuntarily rose, "You've lived here alone for more than ten years?"

“Hmm.” She nodded gently, then turned around, her voice as ethereal as a wisp of mist, “Right now, I’m less like a person and more like… just a frequency. So, I feel neither hunger nor thirst.”

"Then...won't you be lonely?"

If it were him, spending more than ten years alone in this desolate place—Duanmu Yan thought, he would probably have gone mad long ago.

What's more, they no longer even have the desire to eat.

You know, appetite is one of the most primal and fundamental human desires.

I haven't been able to eat for over ten years, so who's going to make up for the lack of a big stomach in me?

The girl was silent for a moment, then turned to face him again, revealing a heartbreaking smile: "I'm used to it."

Duanmu Yan's eyes reflected the corners of her mouth that she tried her best to raise—behind that smile were countless silent breakdowns, a protective shell that had grown after enduring a long period of time alone.

That was a disguise, and also a gentle compromise with fate after despair had subsided.

"By the way," she took a small step closer, her voice tinged with a cautious anticipation, "could you... tell me what Raguna is like now?"

Duanmu Yan nodded.

He was willing, of course—no matter who she was or what she was.

But just as he was about to speak, he suddenly realized that his body was rapidly becoming thin and transparent.

Oh, right... right now, I'm just a frequency too.

He suddenly remembered.

Kathias watched his figure gradually blur, unconsciously raising her hand as if to touch the fading outline. But in the end, she slowly lowered her hand, a silent ripple of sadness washing over her eyes.

But she still looked up and gave him a very light, yet gentle smile.

"It seems... you're going back soon. Although it was a short time, I was really glad to meet you. If... if there's a next time..."

She lowered her head, her voice as soft as a feather falling.

A cool breeze blew through the dilapidated tower, carrying starlight that glittered and adorned the girl's fingertips, shaking off a desolate void.

"Most definitely."

That was the sound he left for her before his frequency dissipated.

……

Laguna.

Duanmu Yan suddenly opened his eyes.

What came into view was an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Ugh, my head is spinning..."

He pressed his hand against his forehead, struggled to sit up, and looked around blankly.

"Where am I?"

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of—

A silver-haired girl was lying quietly by the bed, seemingly fast asleep.

"Eh, Second Miss?"

Volume One: Chapter Fifty-Four: The sea breeze is gentle, and the wind fills the heart.

The rain outside the window tapped against the glass, making a soft, intermittent dripping sound.

It has been raining all day.

Duanmu Yan didn't know how long he had been unconscious, only that the sky outside the window had already darkened and sunk into a gentle inky blue.

The room was quiet, except for the soft breathing of the girl beside me, and the rhythm of the clock and the rain, one chime after another.

"How long have I been asleep... it's already completely dark?"

He slowly sat up, supporting himself with his arms, and his gaze fell on the still-sleeping girl.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, the light filtering through, her bright, starry eyes locked in a deep gaze.

Actually, the second young lady...

really cute.

—Although he is indeed not very tall.

Perhaps his movements disturbed her dream, for Koleta let out a soft, ambiguous hum, her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She sat up groggily, rubbing her still-sleepy eyes with her small hands, and sat there blankly blinking, looking as if she hadn't come to her senses yet.

A moment later, she opened her eyes wide as if suddenly waking up, and looked at him in disbelief.

"Duan...Duanmu? You...you're awake?! Are you alright?!"

"I'm sorry, Miss, for making you worry." Duanmu Yan smiled slightly. "I'm fine now."

"That really scared me to death." Seeing that he was alright, Koleta's tense nerves finally relaxed a lot. She gently patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "You suddenly fainted without any warning, and you didn't respond no matter how I called you... After the doctor came to see you, he just said it was probably due to overwork and suggested that you get some rest."

Too tired from work?

The doctor's excuse... was quite ingenious.

Could it be that by following this line of reasoning, one could turn misfortune into good fortune and get a paid vacation?

If Zanni knew, she'd probably jump for joy.

Despite thinking this, Duanmu Yan did not intend to hide the bizarre experience he had just had.

“Second Miss,” he said softly, his tone becoming more serious, “Actually, during the time I was unconscious, it seemed like I went to a special place—more precisely, it was like I transformed into a frequency and entered the world of Sonora.”

"The world of Sonora?" Coleta tilted her head in confusion.

“Yes.” Duanmu Yan nodded and continued, “There, I met a girl. She said she had lived there alone for more than ten years, and her name was Katishia.”

“Katixia…” Koleta repeated the name softly, her brows furrowing slightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this person in Raguna. Do you know where Sonora is?”

Duanmu Yan shook his head: "I asked her, but she said she didn't remember. For some reason, she lost a lot of memories, and she can't even remember the name of that land."

“I see…” Koleta thought for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll remember the name. I’ll ask my family to keep an eye out for any clues about her.”

After saying that, she stood up, seemingly preparing to leave, but then stopped and turned around.

"Your current work has come to an end."

"But this does not mean that our cooperation has come to an end."

"Take a good rest before the new mission arrives."

She spoke softly, gently placing a gemstone with a strange luster in his palm.

Duanmu Yan looked down at the gem in his palm, a puzzled expression on his face: "What is this...?"

“As I said before, every member of the family has their own code name.”

Koleta explained softly, then leaned closer to his ear and lowered her voice.

"This is your code name—Cat's Eye."

"This isn't an illusion I created with my abilities; it's a genuine gem."

She took a half step back, a faint smile in her eyes.