Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1322 - 1315: Demon Line - "Have I Ever Had a True Heart? (Part 2)
The firmament is like a cover.
You walk forward, holding a parasol as red as blood.
The village is submerged in a sea of corpses, chunks of bodies lie at your feet. You walk while digging meat from the bodies, slowly stuffing it into your mouth.
This year you are seventeen. A sudden Red Sun descended, burning everyone to death.
You still remember just now, the scene where your family desperately stuffed you and many other children of the same age into the basement, giving you all the chance to live.
In the basement, you and the children endure the pain of losing loved ones, holding hands, singing the song of the Dawn Goddess, convinced that the benevolent Mother Goddess will protect them.
"Kritchens, Kritchens.
You speak of divination. Instructions descended from High Dimensions.
And who then carves this silent adage into marrow.
Knight, Redeemer, Orderly, Chantor, Angel and Loksa..."
Then,
In the children’s singing, you heard "pop-pop" sounds.
That was the sound of flames burning.
It started with the child furthest from you, then came nearer, and then the little boy holding your hand, they looked in horror at the flames rising on their bodies.
"Help! Help—"
"Why is the basement, where the sun doesn’t shine, also catching fire—"
"Everyone keep singing! The Mother Goddess will hear our voices and save us!" A boy called out to everyone.
From his sincere and terrified eyes—you seemed to see the image of Klare offering the last grain of rice, yet another Reincarnation.
The singing became louder and eventually turned into screaming hoarsely. They endured the pain of being burned, wailing and desperately singing, that singing...
It was the most unpleasant singing you had ever heard.
The little boy holding your hand, his vocal cords already destroyed, still emitted a broken, inhuman tone from his mouth, terrifying like a monster. The flames crept down his arm to you, but extinguished out of nowhere.
You were unaffected by the Red Sun Descending.
This left you astonished.
"When Saint Feriude greets the first ray of rebirth,
Look up.
I use blue moonlight to write about the unknown and vastness of this Universe.
You grant me eyes and peace with the dawn..."
The singing grew quieter.
You watched the mortal world’s purgatory before you, the children gradually turned into charcoal, a few shattered eyeballs rolled onto your shoes, you silently watched—until the end, the Mother Goddess did not favor them.
The unpleasant smell of burning flesh reached you, it was a scent nauseating even to adults.
You opened the basement door, the village’s houses were still there, but empty, only piles of black and gray corpse chunks, silently piled on the roads and at the doorsteps, as if pairs of eyes staring at you.
You were startled to find you felt no sorrow.
Turns out you truly are a heartless person.
Even as the only Survivor, you felt no pity.
You held up a red parasol, walking under the scorching Red Sun, stuffing chunks of your kin’s flesh into your mouth. Consuming the same kind could help you gain strength, to survive.
—Then, you saw that girl again.
In the wheat fields, she stood quietly, like an Eternal Observer.
You said: "Xiao Bai, you’ve come again."
Xiao Bai said: "In this world, now only double-digit Survivors remain, and you are one of them."
You said: "I am just an ordinary person, I should have died. You protected me, didn’t you?"
Xiao Bai said: "Yes. A man named ’Sique Olivius’ orchestrated the Red Sun Descending, he wants to reset this World, the vast majority of people are already dead, probably after a few months, the World will reset."
You slightly widen your eyes: "...Is that so, this person is truly omnipotent."
You aren’t concerned about why this person resets the world, only about yourself: "Will I still exist?"
Xiao Bai nodded: "Yes. But the reset version of you, like most people, will lose your memory, reincarnated as a baby."
She turned and left.
"Wait a minute." You caught up: "I want to go with you, no matter where you go, please take me with you.
You don’t want to wait to die here, you want to follow her.
...
In the final months of your life, you and Xiao Bai traveled around the world.
She called it "Observation," although you didn’t understand what exactly she was observing.
This day, you both arrived at a small villa, blue rose and lavender were planted at the entrance, a windmill stood beside it.
Upon entering the villa, what catches your eye is a piano, followed by a game cabinet, some comics, an aircraft carrier model, a brown bear plush toy, a string of recipes, a travelogue of Taihua Mountain... These disparate elements placed together make you think this is a home shared by several people.
But the villa’s owner, you only see one person.
It’s a black-haired girl, sitting silently on the sofa, slowly playing the game console. She looks very young, yet seemingly old, her fingers can’t keep up, and the little character on the screen dies repeatedly.
You see the records on the game console—the highest score is very high, achieved by her, but now her state has declined so much that she can’t even keep up with the last digits of the score.
... Is she sick?
You see her playing the tedious and monotonous game over and over. It should be a two-player game, but she’s always playing alone, so she can never clear it.
Upon seeing you and Xiao Bai, the black-haired girl slowly raises her head, as dull as an elder in their twilight years.
At this moment, her eyes slightly light up, staring at Xiao Bai, as if expecting something.
"... They haven’t come. You can’t wait for them." Xiao Bai says to her.
The girl remains silent for a long time before nodding.
"I understand." she says softly, "Thank you for telling me..."
Xiao Bai pulls you away.
You still remember the last glance before leaving the villa—after receiving the answer, the light in the girl’s eyes dimmed. She took out a bar of chocolate, slowly eating it, as if lost in thought. Then she stood by those comics, the aircraft carrier model, the brown bear plush toy... touching each one.
"Yamada, Lu, Luna, Lin Yin..." she softly recited the names of these friends, bidding farewell one by one, as if calling out to something unattainable.
Finally, her gaze fell on the piano.
"... Su Ming’an."
This farewell was spoken so softly, like a soul floating gently through the air.
Swish, swish.
It sounded like a river rushing overhead, the girl’s expression seemed drowned in water, she completely fell into silence, the light in her eyes also subsided.
She seemed to be gritting her teeth in endurance, not letting herself cry out loud.
The moment you step out of the villa, you hear the sound of the piano.
—Debussy’s "Moonlight".
It was like a masterpiece, this is the best piano performance you’ve ever heard, the girl seemed to have been playing the piano for centuries, the melody was soul-stirring.
Surely, she must have practiced alone for a very long time...
However, the piece purposely left some beats empty, as if waiting for another person to play those notes.
You touched your face and realized you had shed tears. It turns out music can really move you, the sadness in the piece just pierced into your heart.
Is this a farewell piece? The girl looks so young, she must not be bidding farewell to herself.
"Who is she waiting for?" you ask.
"... Many people." Xiao Bai says.
"How long has she been waiting?" you ask.
"A long time." Xiao Bai says.
"Are they all her friends?" you ask.
"Yes." Xiao Bai says.
"—Why didn’t they come earlier? Why did they leave her to wait for so long?" you ask indignantly. If it were you, you definitely wouldn’t let a friend wait alone at home in such loneliness.
Besides, the girl had collected so many things from her friends, they must be lifelong friends. Why didn’t those friends ever come back?
Xiao Bai silently shook her head, saying nothing.
"Then why doesn’t she continue to wait?" you say. "Even though the world will reset, she can still wait next time."
Xiao Bai lowered her eyelids.
At that moment, you realized she also had emotions, she was in grief, even though this emotion was as thin as a thread.
Then, she spoke:
"... But some things will inevitably come to an end."
The sigh was as light as a breeze.
It was as if some painful, destined-to-fall blades. You felt your eyes inexplicably becoming sore.
You heard the sound of collapse, as if the villa behind you had fallen.
But when you turned back, the villa was as it always was, the blue roses and lavender so vibrant, just there was no piano sound anymore. Through the window, you saw the girl sitting on the sofa, holding something in her arms, seemingly a photo.
"See, isn’t she still waiting?" you pointed to the figure on the sofa, as if to prove you were right—the girl was clearly still sitting on the sofa, waiting for her friends to return.
Xiao Bai glanced and shook her head: "It’s already over..."
That figure no longer had the rise and fall of breathing.
The black hair lay silently on the girl’s shoulders, her hair had grown long, almost down to her waist, and she wore comfortable loose casual clothes, a pair of cat ears adorned the hat. It seemed she insisted on wearing the clothes she first met them in, as a final farewell.
The chocolate sticks were scattered on the floor, and before finishing the last one... her hand fell.
On the sofa, the game console paused on the [pause] screen, the "tick-tock" music still played, echoing emptily...
There were no flowers by her side.
The Blue Rose silently swayed outside the window, vivid and thriving.
This night,
The sky started to snow.
Frost and snow covered the girl’s home.
...
During this last period, you always stayed with Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai was never hungry or thirsty. Yet you always managed to find delicious food to give her. If she was cold, you covered her with a coat. If she was tired, you laid out a blanket for her.
You didn’t know what her identity truly was; perhaps she was a Deity.
On the last day, you suddenly felt powerless, your skin began to dry, your legs weakened, your voice became hoarse, and your hair instantly turned completely white...
You knew that the day the World would reset had come.
Once you open your eyes again, you will be reborn as a child in the reset world, remembering nothing, leaving nothing behind.
Thus, this day was akin to your death. Even if reset, you may not remain yourself.
"...Xiao Bai." You lay in a golden wheat field, pulling her hand.
Her expression remained unperturbed, as if surveying all living beings like a gaze of a Deity, walking without pause for anyone. Yet when you held her tightly, she bent down for you.
Those glass-like eyes looked at you unchanging throughout the years.
From ten years old to eighteen, you grew from a child to a young man, but she remained eternally the same, as if an ageless, undying Witch.
Your trembling hand pulled out the last piece of rice cake candy from your pocket and placed it in her palm.
"... This is the last one. I’ve kept it for a long time." You said.
Her gaze became complex.
Once she thought you were simply seeking Protection, in a calculative way, using candy to buy favor. But now, you seemed never to have begged her for anything. You always took care of her along the journey.
Even you felt speechless; perhaps you should have demanded something in return, asked her to save you... But ultimately, you just said, "Have a little sweetness."
Even though you knew, even if you asked, she wouldn’t save you. There were things she had to abide by.
She broke the candy in half, ate one part, and put the other in your mouth.
Already incapable of swallowing or savoring any taste, breathing as labored as a bellows, yet as she asked, "Is it sweet?", you smiled and replied with a trembling aged voice:
"Sweet."
"...Sweet."
Just like at first, in the wheat field at ten years old, she answered you that way.
The sunshine was so pleasant.
You were the remaining ember of the Old World, meant to disappear.
It was as if a scalding heat flowed down, eyes sore, in the hazy water-covered view; you discerned — she was coming toward you.
And then, she gave you a clumsy yet restrained hug.
Cold to the touch, her body bore no human warmth.
"... Thank you, Traveler. My journey has always been solitary; only you came to my side." Her voice grew soft: "I don’t understand this feeling, but watching you die makes me sad... This feeling of loss, I don’t want to experience it a second time, so in the future journey, I probably won’t approach others again. Humans are far too brief."
"Xiao Bai, dare to make a bet with me." you said with a smiling breath.
"Bet on what?"
"Bet... after this reset, we will walk the same path again, and I will accompany you on your journey."
Her pupils slightly contracted, as if hearing a naive fairytale, she looked at you:
"What if I win? What if I lose?"
"If I win... I’ll give you all the rice cakes. If I lose, then... forget me."
"Are you scheming again?"
"Yes, I’m afraid of being bullied when I reincarnate and reborn, so I’m trying to hold onto a big thigh, hoping you’ll care for me... cough, cough, cough..." You began to cough violently, vision growing more blurred.
She couldn’t discern whether your words were genuine or a jest.
"That’s impossible. After the reset, you’re a child who remembers nothing. You can’t follow me anymore." Xiao Bai shook her head.
"Then just make a bet. When I’m five... come see me. If I follow you, you can’t abandon me. If I don’t follow you, pretend I never existed."
Your breathing grew weaker.
Xiao Bai sighed.
Fine, just to settle your heart.
Even if she knows, the journey with you ends here. The you who remembers nothing couldn’t possibly approach a stranger.
But she still nodded.
The wind was so loud, you slowly closed your eyes.
...
In Mai Zi Village, a child’s cry echoed, a Hui Family’s child was born.
Five years later, that night, a pink-haired girl stood quietly under the eaves with a red umbrella.
The village’s sacrificial feast was as usual, drum and gong blaring, lively and joyous. The High Priest danced on the altar, and nothing had changed.
After the sacrifice, silence enveloped all, people returned home, leaving scattered flowers and ashes on the streets.
From dusk until midnight, the pink-haired girl awaited all night before putting down the umbrella and slowly turning away, ready to leave.
It seemed she ultimately won the bet.
Closing up the umbrella, she walked away.
"——Can I walk with you?"
Suddenly, behind her came the tender voice of a five-year-old.
Xiao Bai widened her eyes, turning around.
You’re holding a piece of rice cake candy, holding it high.
"I don’t know who you are, or where you’re going, but I want to give you candy... I want to walk with you." you said, "I don’t have any impression of you, but somehow, I can’t watch you leave just like that..."
The wind moved, the rain moved.
The girl trembled as she reached out her hand.
Her gaze astonishedly stared at you, as though witnessing an unimaginable miracle.
Slowly, slowly, she took your rice cake candy and placed it into her mouth.
"Sweet."
She described the taste, wiping her eyes strangely:
"It’s a little salty, a bit bitter..."
...
Under the Moonlight, a large and small figure, hand in hand, left.
"Sister, why did you agree to let me walk with you? I’m still a child, I might burden you." you asked.
"Because..." She seemed to pause briefly.
Moments later, she finally found the answer, pressing out her voice from her throat slowly:
"...Because you possess a True Heart."
True Heart?
You looked surprised with wide eyes. Despite being only five years old, you knew perfectly well what kind of person you were — selfish, extremely deceitful, certainly not possessed of a True Heart.
So why did the girl say this?
Did she know you well? But clearly, it’s your first meeting.
"True Heart." you murmured confusedly:
"Do I have... a True Heart?"
At that moment, your breathing was numbed.
Those glass-like eyes, for the first time, felt warmth as they looked at you. She didn’t speak, just nodded slightly.
"Sister, where will we go next?" you asked.
"To... find the World Tree."
"Uh? Sister won’t continue traveling?"
"No traveling this time; it’s coming... Oh right, do you have a name?"
"My parents died early, leaving me unnamed. My surname is Hui; please give me a name, sister."
At this moment, Xiao Bai seemed to be able to hear the sound of her own heartbeat, intense, moved, like being in sync with the universe—
Thump, thump, thump.
Like a given warmth burning in her cold awareness.
"Your name is..." Her lips lightly parted, like falling against the reverse chime of Destiny:
Dong—
Dong—
Dong—
"——Hui Bai. How’s that? Taken... my name."
...
...
"Dingdong!"
["Hui Bai" Memory Fragment, viewing completed.]
...
Su Ming’an opened his eyes.
