"Ho-oh—!" The woman let out a soft cry, a light of curiosity flickering in the depths of her eyes.
"No wonder you always love strolling alone with an umbrella on rainy days, dear one! I have to say, this feeling—the pitter-patter of the rain, creating a little world of its own under the umbrella—it's actually not bad at all."
"Compared to the noise and clamor of the mortal world, I prefer the hazy desolation of the rain and mist. From it... I gain a moment of peace."
"...Acheron... are you sure you didn't transmigrate from our world?" The woman tilted her head, her tone full of confusion and teasing. "Your style of speaking is even harder to understand than those mysterious... er, those artistic people from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion who always talk in circles. But in the terms of this world—you're a total 'Riddler,' always leaving things half-said, making people scratch their heads in frustration!"
The journey was but a short distance with no clear destination, yet because of Frost Sword Fairy's constant chatter, it added a different kind of novelty to Acheron's walk in the rain.
Under the umbrella, Frost Sword Fairy enthusiastically described her impressions of the sights, her tone as light as raindrops dripping from the eaves.
Meanwhile, Acheron listened quietly throughout, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the street scenes in the rain, as if she were treasuring those trivial words along with the haziness before her.
The two of them walked side by side like this, strolling casually through the mist-shrouded streets as if time had slowed its pace...
After a long while.
Frost Sword Fairy finally stopped her chattering.
Perhaps she had run out of words, perhaps she was tired of her own monologue, or perhaps... she just craved this rare tranquility under the umbrella and wanted to slow down time to savor it.
On the street, the silhouettes of a red dress and a light blue robe walking side by side sketched a beautiful scene in the curtain of rain.
The two walked in silence, their steps slow and gentle.
The crisp da-da of high heels and the light hiss of raindrops intertwined into a melody as they wandered aimlessly through the rain...
"Do they know?" Acheron suddenly glanced sideways.
The peaceful time was finally broken first by Acheron's question.
Frost Sword Fairy naturally understood what Acheron meant, but she only shook her head with a slightly helpless expression.
"Is that so."
Acheron nodded slightly, her gaze returning to the front, as if what had just happened was merely the ordinary sound of raindrops sliding off the surface of the umbrella.
Acheron was not surprised by this answer...
After walking for a while, the streets in the rain became increasingly quiet.
Acheron did not look back, but her voice rang out again like fine rain tapping on the umbrella.
"Do you need my help?"
...
Frost Sword Fairy did not respond; she simply reached out her fair hand, letting the cold drizzle slide into her palm like silver threads.
Raindrops condensed into tiny beads on her skin, then quietly slipped through the gaps between her fingers...
Catching this scene out of the corner of her eye, Acheron was in no hurry for an answer.
However, she already roughly knew the answer in her heart...
"So this is the reason you got lost?"
After the two had wandered around for about fifteen minutes.
The Blue-Clothed Woman then blankly discovered that they seemed to have inexplicably walked back to this same intersection.
As the culprit of the current situation, Acheron looked somewhat innocently at the paths they had left and reappeared from.
Acheron (๑•. •๑): This place... it seems we have indeed been here before.
Frost Sword Fairy: (;o_o)
Although she had long heard of Acheron's miraculous ability to get lost.
Frost Sword Fairy could now be considered to have truly experienced it firsthand.
It really does live up to its reputation...
"Forget it, forget it. I feel like today's plans are all messed up. Though it makes no difference, let's end this trip here."
As the woman spoke, it confirmed that this brief journey was about to come to an end.
Acheron gazed at the other's expression, which seemed as if nothing were wrong, and nodded silently without refuting.
"Oh? I thought you would say something or ask something. I didn't expect you to be so straightforward!"
"That is not important. What is important is that you have already made your choice."
"Ugh... I think I've suddenly started to dislike you again!"
Hearing this, Acheron did not mind. Instead, she took the initiative to step out from under the umbrella and into the rain, which was as thick as ink.
Raindrops instantly soaked the hem of her clothes, yet she seemed not to notice.
"A place where memories are left behind—to touch it, to feel it, is to find flowers with thorns..."
Hearing Acheron's pointed words, the teasing smile on the Blue-Clothed Woman's face vanished instantly.
She stared blankly at the lonely figure in the rain, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the umbrella handle.
Finally, she slowly turned around, holding her umbrella as she stepped into the mist.
Her figure was gradually swallowed by the hazy curtain of rain, leaving behind only an empty street.
Only after the other's figure had completely disappeared at the end of the rain did Acheron slowly look back.
The leisure and laughter along the way were like a thin veil that ultimately failed to completely cover the deep-seated worry in her eyes.
Compared to Acheron herself, this fairy seemed to have quite a few secrets as well.
Aside from her identity as an Otherworlder, this Frost Sword Fairy likely also hid some secrets involving extremely terrifying implications.
Otherwise, she would not have rejected her help so obscurely.
Thinking of this, Acheron sighed softly.
She knew the other's true identity well. If she truly encountered a dangerous situation in the future, she would never stand by and watch.
But if this choice came from the other's own heart, Acheron would have no reason to interfere further—after all, everyone's path must ultimately be walked by themselves.
If she remained without regret for her choice, then she would surely hope to bid her farewell with a smile...
Beneath the curtain of rain.
Acheron's gaze swept across the pedestrians and the street where lights and mist intertwined hazily. The silhouettes of pedestrians flickered in the rain, while the warm yellow streetlights reflected in the puddles like fragmented stars.
She slowly closed her eyes, her chin tilted slightly, letting the cold raindrops fall freely onto her face.
Every drop seemed to be tapping on the silence in the depths of Acheron's heart.
"Dreams originally have no meaning; it is the background color of life that gives them meaning. But if the color is 'Naught'... the dream is left as only a black-and-white empty shell."
...
Splash—
At that moment, Acheron snapped her eyes open, her left foot taking a step in the rain and dew, splashing fine droplets of water.
Then, her right hand rested below the sword guard.
Clang—
"All that is past... has returned to Nihility."
As the blade was slowly drawn inch by inch, streaks of crimson lightning suddenly erupted from the cracks in the blade, tearing through the curtain of rain.
At the same time, her violet hair lost all color in the lightning, turning snow-white.
Striking crimson patterns rapidly spread from the hand holding the sword, climbing all the way up her arm, finally condensing into blooming Equinox Flowers. The petals were like blood, swaying elegantly in the rain.
"Just like tears...eventually disappear in the rain."
A single tear of blood quietly slid from the corner of Acheron's eye, tracing a poignantly beautiful arc in the rain.
Naught was completely unsheathed at this moment, its blood-red blade reflecting Acheron's now crimson pupils.
In the next instant, a blood-colored blade light shot out from Acheron's hand, piercing through the curtain of rain and leaving behind a fleeting crimson trail.