NOVPUB"It’s fine."
Lanci and Talia received the bracelet, hesitatingly glanced at each other, and ultimately still put on the pair of bracelets that looked more like a matched set.
"Make a wish to the Goddess, only a sincere prayer can turn it into a Rebirth Jewel."
The Goddess Officer said to them.
"Do we have to?"
Both were somewhat hesitant.
"You don’t have to say it out loud, the Lady of Destiny is watching over you."
The Goddess Officer added, with a bit of a forceful suggestion.
"..."
Lanci and Talia both fell silent.
Given their current state, where they could hear each other’s thoughts, making a wish in their hearts or out loud made no difference.
They remained in deadlock for a long time.
It seemed that the Statue of Goddess of Fate directly across the hall had them slightly tingling at the scalp.
"Lady Goddess, I hope that Talia can be happy and joyful every day, without any suffering or being abandoned again,"
Lanci clasped his hands before the statue and prayed.
Talia heard his heartfelt wish and glanced at him somewhat disbelievingly.
After a few seconds.
"Lady Goddess, I hope Lanci can be as happy and joyful as me."
She also bowed before the statue.
"May the Lady Goddess bless you both."
With this, the Goddess Officer finally smiled broadly, blessing them and bidding them farewell.
Next, Lanci, carrying a paper bag full of souvenirs from the Temple, and Talia stepped out of the Church together.
Having waited in the Temple longer than expected, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon outside.
The summer heat and sunlight by the banks of the Selina River was making them sleepy.
They walked through the square to the riverbank in silence, only Little Black Cat looked up at them back and forth.
"..."
"Why would you wish for something like that."
Talia felt a bit uneasy hearing Lanci’s sincere prayers.
Accustomed to bickering with Lanci, she thought he would say something annoying in front of the Goddess of Destiny.
"Because I truly wish for your well-being, seeing you happy and joyful makes me very happy too,"
Lanci replied frankly, yawning sleepily.
"..."
Talia didn’t know why, but she found it difficult to respond to Lanci’s words.
Maybe in front of the Goddess, they were both reluctant to speak rudely to each other anymore.
After a while.
"Let’s go, let’s rest by the riverbank,"
she suggested simply.
Talia could tell Lanci was tired, and she didn’t want to drag him around anymore that afternoon.
"Eh, what about you?"
Lanci asked.
The previous night at the arena had indeed tired him out.
"I’ll sit by your side, you rest easy for a while,"
Talia said, looking at the park ahead, speaking to herself.
The Selina River bank naturally had many charming parks.
Among them was the Lusen Park on the right bank where they were currently walking into.
This had originally been the royal family’s private garden of the Poseen Kingdom; later, it became a precious space for the public to enjoy greenery and peaceful moments.
One could stroll along the riverbank, or rest on the greenery and benches by the riverside, soaking in the unique romance and leisure of Floral City Pariel.
In that afternoon, the two quickly found a bench, put down the cat and the gifts, and sat on a seat facing the sparkling river.
Occasional breezes from the water surface brought a hint of coolness, lightly brushing the skin.
Talia remained silent.
All that Lanci heard were the sounds of the waves by the shore, the cries of waterbirds, and laughter from a far distance across the river.
At this moment, sleepiness came over him like a tide, irresistible.
The world before Lanci started to blur, his head nodded twice, sounds gradually fading, as if he were enveloped in a soft mist, on the verge of sleep.
Lanci tried to stay alert, but ultimately succumbed to the gentle drowsiness, slowly falling into a dream.
...
Consciousness flickering on and off.
It was as if he saw the flickering candlelight casting its myriad, intricate shadows under the arched ceiling, like still waters rippled in concentric waves.
This place resembled somewhere I’ve been before—
Demon King Castle Necaris, Demon King’s Palace.
Compared to the throne room in my memory, it was much emptier now, bearing signs of age, as if hundreds of years had passed in just a moment.
The air was thick with the fragrant scent of Demon World incense candles, swirling among the shadows of the carved pillars.
A long carpet stretched from the entrance to the far end, dense and muffled as if to swallow all sound.
The lighting windows no longer shone as brightly as they had during the Fallen Queen’s time, but filtered the remnants of the twilight into darkness, casting a gloomy layer over the entire space.
At the far end, where the vision dimmed, the throne still stood amidst the shadows.
Only a lone figure remained on the throne.
She tilted her head slightly, looking beside the throne.
[My dear little cat, have you finally seen me?]
The woman with gray hair and golden pupils had a ghost wrapped in black mist behind her, only its deep green eyes clearly visible.
"I didn’t want to talk to you."
The gray-haired woman sitting alone on the throne muttered to herself.
Her indifferent words acted like an invisible barrier, isolating her from the world.
[You must recognize that the world is ever-changing, and one eventually faces helplessness; you too must learn to let go and shed your burdens.]
The voice emitted from the ghost’s mouth.
"You have no right to teach me that. What have you ever lost, considering you don’t even have any memory?"
She turned her gaze again, her voice growing even more distant.
The ghost, as if commanded, smiled faintly and returned to standby mode.
...
I don’t know how much time passed.
When Lanci opened his eyes again, the day had subtly changed.
Through the blurry vision, the Selina River looked as if it were painted with golden hues, its sparkling surface reflecting the slowly changing colors of the clouds, from gold to pink.
The surrounding sounds became gentler, and laughter and conversation could be heard in the distance, while the scent of flowers and grass in the air brought him back to his senses.
He realized he was leaning on Talia’s shoulder.
But Talia didn’t push him away or wake him; she just let him rest quietly.
"Awake?"
Talia, holding Cat Boss, asked indifferently.
Her voice was eerily similar to the one he had heard in the dream, only much kinder.
"Yeah, what time is it now?"
Lanci hastily shifted his weight from her and asked.
"Just past four fifty."
Talia responded.
"Ah, have I slept that long?"
Lanci wasn’t expecting it, blinked his eyes to clear his vision, then looked again towards the opposite bank of the river.
A wind blew over, engulfing his entire field of vision in gold.
It was an overwhelming mountain of gold and silver treasures—
Under the gradually setting sun, the entire, sparkling south bank of Floral City Pariel was in sight.
"Hoo ah, revived!"
Standing up slowly from the bench, Lanci stretched a great yawn, trying to dispel the remaining sleepiness in his body.
"Did you dream about something?"
Talia looked up at him.
"No, not really, it was more like I was half-asleep, can’t really remember."
Lanci shook his head.
It was strange, he felt as if the roles had reversed in his dream, that he had become her Destined Familiar.
And what was with "my dear little cat"?
How could he possibly call Talia, this tigress, by such a name?
"My dear little cat?"
Talia murmured doubtfully, narrowing her eyes.
"Meow meow meow, are you calling me?"
Cat Boss immediately looked up, asking repeatedly with its childlike voice.
"Nothing, nothing at all."
Lanci turned back, waving his hand dismissively.
Indeed, the legends of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny were all deceitful; that dream was too fake.
Although he didn’t rule out the possibility that he and Talia might experience some illusions while working together with Calila’s Shadow Weave Record on card making,
but in any case, it was unlikely to be a continuation of such an absurd dream.
