Chapter 124: Memory is like water

"Hmm~"

"Hmm~"

It was the cheerful humming of Nozomi and Eden.

Now, it is the last stop of their journey - the seaside.

It was here that the relationship between the two became noticeably closer, and it was also here that the two silently confirmed their interesting and unique relationship with each other.

They still remembered the time they took the sightseeing boat together, sang in the comfortable sea breeze, and played with the killer whales in the blue sea. Nozomi even half-jokingly named one of the killer whales "Skadi."

They still remember walking together on the beach, strolling under the waves, and leaning on each other at twilight.

They left too many memories here, and that was why Eden chose this place as the last stop of their journey. Well, yes, Eden arranged this trip.

This is not difficult to understand. After all, Nozomi's appearance was very worrying after the "Sixth Herrscher Incident," and Eden hoped to take this opportunity to let him relax a little.

As for how to do it...it's not very difficult. After all, Eden is one of the sponsors of "Fire Moth", so he just needs to discuss it with "Fire Moth".

Besides, this request is not too excessive. It happens to be stuck at a time when the Honkai outbreaks are not so frequent, and Eden is even willing to provide additional funds for it. It would be strange if "Fire Moth" disagrees. It can even be said that "Fire Moth" also supports Eden's proposal. After all, it can help adjust Nozomi's emotions to prevent him from encountering any unexpected situations.

But... good times are always short-lived, and this journey will eventually end.

But it's still fun, isn't it?

"Hmm~"

Nozomi was humming cheerfully as he strolled along the fine sandy coast. The sound of waves echoed from time to time. The white waves hit the shore again and again, wetting the beach and then quietly retreating. But in the end, they hit the beach again as if unwilling to give up.

The sea water is like a mother who is somewhat at a loss. She goes back and forth in front of her child whom she has not seen for a long time. She wants to talk but doesn't know where to start. She wants to reach out and touch the child but seems panicky and timid.

"That's great, Eden~"

Nozomi said so.

"We're the only ones at the beach this time?"

"Yeah, yeah...it's a lot quieter than before."

Eden looked around and spoke with some emotion.

"It can't be helped. Ever since the hurricane, fewer and fewer people have come to the beach... It seems that this is also arranged by the "Fire Moth". Ocean voyages have been banned, and even near-shore sailing is prohibited..."

Nozomi looked at the blue sea and said helplessly.

According to the records of "Fire Moth", the problems in the ocean seem to have occurred after the "Fourth Great Honkai Eruption". Countless Honkai beasts walked ashore from the ocean, and many extremely threatening Honkai beasts also appeared. The "Fire Moth" had to devote a lot of energy to blockading the coastline to fight against the Honkai beasts that were like a tide.

However, after the "Fire Moth" defeated a Honkai Beast codenamed "Varuna", no more Honkai Beasts crawled out of the ocean, leaving only some powerful Honkai Beasts still wandering on land and causing damage... For example, the "Raphael" that attacked you at the beginning was this kind of Honkai Beast, and the "Fire Moth" also chased and conquered them one by one.

However, even if this problem is solved, the ocean has now become a completely forbidden area. Countless Honkai beasts are hiding under the calm sea surface, and the ocean-going industry is completely abandoned... Even many activities that rely on the ocean have been abandoned, and the coastal areas have become deserted and quiet.

For example, the beach where Nozomi and Eden are now is like this. According to records, this place was once attacked by a tide of Honkai beasts. Even though the "Fire Moth" later repelled them and even rebuilt this coastal city, there are very few tourists coming here. Those who originally lived here and survived have also moved away, making the whole city look deserted.

That's why Nozomi and Eden sighed… This place was obviously very popular before, but after the Eruption, no one wanted to come here, and no one wanted to stay here… The once beautiful and lively beach now only had the two of them as "tourists".

"But this is not bad either~"

Nozomi smiled, took Eden's hand, and spoke softly.

"At least at this time, this beach belongs to the two of us~"

"…Yeah, that's right~"

Eden smiled and nodded in response, then walked slowly forward with Nozomi.

"It's a pity that I may never see Skadi again. I miss it a little bit... But at this time, it should be gone too."

"...Yeah, but maybe we can meet again in the future?"

"That would be great~"

"Hmm~"

"Hmm~"

Hmmm~

Hearing the melody Nozomi was humming, Eden also started humming along, gently leading her emotions and making the tune cheerful together with him.

The salty and humid sea breeze blew gently, and then quietly left, carrying the two people's songs far away.

Hmmmm!——

Suddenly, Nozomi seemed to hear a clear cry coming from the depths of the ocean as if calling him as if responding to his song.

"Hmm?"

Nozomi stopped and looked towards the blue sea, and towards the boundary between the sea and the sky.

In the blur, he seemed to be able to see a vague figure, a huge figure with black and white alternating.

That size is already larger than that of ordinary marine creatures, and it can almost be directly identified as the shape of an Honkai beast.

But even so, there was a voice in Nozomi's heart telling him - that was [Skadi].

It was a feeling like blood kinship, like instinct... Even though they had never met before, they could still sense each other.

In the haze, he could sense the emotions coming from the seawater, clear concern, clear joy... just like a mother welcoming a child she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Nozomi?"

Eden's doubtful voice came from beside him.

"What's wrong?"

"I just... seemed to see [Skadi]... right at the horizon."

Nozomi said in a daze... Was it his illusion? He felt that the sea breeze brought something strange... Not a real thing, but another... more subtle thing.

It sounds like some kind of speech, like some kind of song.

"...Really?"

"Um..."

Hearing Eden's surprised words, Nozomi nodded in a daze and responded softly.

"And... I always feel like... something in the sea is talking to me..."

"Nozomi...Nozomi?"

The white waves had quietly come to their feet at some point, wetting their shoes.

"Very light... like a ballad... gentle... like a hug..."

Nozomi murmured softly, his body swaying, which made people worry.

"But... you can't get close."

He shook his head, trying his best to avoid being immersed in the water-like tenderness, looked at Eden who became a little flustered due to nervousness, and gently grasped his hand to calm himself. With her help, he left the beach wet by the sea water little by little and returned to the road.

"..."

Under Eden's constant care and inquiries, Nozomi remained silent all the way. He just held her hand tightly, moved towards the car little by little, sat in the car, closed the door, and kept out the humid sea breeze.

"Go home... Eden... Let's go home..."

Nozomi said softly.

"Tell Fire Moth that something might be wrong here..."

"Okay... okay! Nozomi, please don't scare me..."

"It's okay...it's okay...just need a short nap...just...just...sleep for a while..."

His chin kept nodding, and finally, he could hold it in no longer and closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to obscure his vision.

Like sinking into a lightless deep sea.

In the blur, he seemed to be able to feel a gentle breath enveloping him, gently, like a mother's embrace.

Just like gentle water wrapping itself.

...

......

'I... had a dream.'

'I dreamed that the church was stained with sin, and the police who were supposed to help others colluded with the dirty priest and pushed me into that lightless abyss.'

'I dreamed that I was dragged into a dark room, enduring pain and torture, letting the blood flow... The remaining light became fainter and fainter amid the innocent laughter of children.'

'I dreamed of the faint pink light that squeezed in through the cracks... the light that I held tightly in my hands and carefully protected in my arms as if it were an imaginary thought...'

'I also dreamed that Father Enrique and the cute pink-haired girl came to me, with guilt and worry... They promised to take me away from the pain and help me leave the darkness.'

'But in the end... I could only walk to Father Enrique with my blood-stained hands, look at his tombstone, and remain silent.'

'Instead of leaving, I got deeper and deeper into it.'

'The more blood on my hands, the more skilled I 'am in inflicting harm... It doesn't matter whether it's a crime or not, I just need to "clean it up" according to orders.'

'Gradually, I met another girl with pink hair... From what I remember, it was Sakura.'

'As if by deliberate arrangement, she and I became companions and partners. We walked in the dark, took lives with the blades in our hands, and let the blood soak us.'

'In my dream, Sakura was so timid and flustered. When she invited me, her flustered look and the way she was trying to make small talk were actually very cute.'

'I dreamed that at the top of the Ferris wheel, with beautiful scenery, I told her the words, and she leaned gently on me, easing the sadness of being "rejected"... But in the end, I still invited her and gave her a "date" as a "return gift".'

'Ah… I remember this concert. I sat next to Kevin at this concert. My unique appearance left a deep impression on him. I also sang several songs for the audience with Eden.'

'But here, I am by Sakura's side, listening to Eden's song with her.'

'I...dreamed about it. I fell into the sea and was rescued by a huge killer whale, Honkai Beast. We became friends, swimming and hunting in the sea together... and I named it - [Skadi].'

'But in the end, in order to return to them, to return to land, I... ate it.'

'Sad...very sad...even if it was voluntary, but...the sadness that was accumulating in my heart seemed to be coughed out of my throat.'

'I...dreamt of Sakura's body gradually getting cold in my arms, and her fading life, just like the falling cherry blossoms, slowly, gently, and silently leaving me.'

'And I couldn't do anything.'

'I could only feel the faint mark of cherry blossom left on the corner of her mouth, look for a burial place for her that would fulfill her last wishes, and finally... carefully protect my only remaining, fleeting, imaginary, last bit of candlelight.'

'But that pale pink candlelight...in the end, it dimmed and went out on its own, and even... "betrayed" me.'

'Everything... is for humanity.'

'For the first time, I felt an extremely clear disgust and even hatred for this sentence and this word.'

'So, I abandoned the identity that disgusted me, and threw myself completely into the hostile Honkai, starting the "hunt", calling for rain, inviting huge waves, and drowning everything.'

'Even to the end, I still did not stop "hunting", just like the rain never stopped...'

'Eventually, the seawater...will submerge everything.'

...

......

"Ahem..."

he suddenly woke up from his dream, an inexplicable feeling of fear lingering in his mind, and two feelings of heat and cold coming from his body. he checked hurriedly and found that he was soaked with cold sweat.

"Woo…"

The memories of the dream still remained in his mind. The numerous thoughts squeezed his nerves. The intense pain made Nozomi cry out in pain.

But soon, as if to protect myself, the memories in the dream began to fade quickly, and the pain in the brain also began to weaken rapidly... In the end, a wave of gentleness like water came from my heart, bringing comfort and apology, as if my mother was gently apologizing.

"It's really worrying, little white mouse~"

Mobius's seductive words rang out from the side.

"How was it? Did you sleep well? Hmm... But judging from your appearance, you must have had a nightmare... How was it? Do you need me to comfort you? Like, give you a hug or something?"

"Sakura... Eden... where are they?"

"...Oh? You care about them so much... I'm right in front of you, can't you look at me a little more, little guinea pig?"

Mobius stroked her lips with her fingertips and spoke half-jokingly, but soon she noticed the somewhat anxious and flustered expression on Nozomi's face. She shook her head and stopped teasing him. She just raised her chin to the side and gestured.

"Well, don't worry. They are more worried about you than anyone else... Look, they are here..."

Before Mobius could finish her words, Nozomi jumped off the bed and ran towards the person who came.

"Nozomi? Are you okay? No, wait... don't be so nervous..."

"Eden, Sakura..."

Without paying attention to what the two said, Nozomi just looked at them carefully, then reached out and touched their bodies gently, cautiously, as if he was worried that the two people in front of him were just fleeting phantoms... Finally, he suddenly opened his arms and embraced the two of them.

"Nozomi?!"

"It's okay... I'm glad you're okay..."

He murmured softly... Even though the memories in the dream were fading quickly, he still had some impressions... Because of this, he was particularly worried.

But...it's okay...it's okay...this time, they are by my side.

"You are by my side..."

As he spoke softly, a crystal tear flowed from the corner of his eye, and then he fell into sleep again as if he had lost strength.