Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1382 - 33: "I Once Made an Eternal Promise with Spring
——Noel Agnini walked towards the constant star.
He ran towards the ethereal spring.
...
Su Ming’an collected all his loss of composure, all his pleas, all his weaknesses, and looked at Noel with a gaze that quickly turned indifferent.
This is no big deal.
There’s just no one left in this world who knows the silent language between souls, no one who can understand his death wish without words, leading him out of time’s quagmire.
No one waiting downstream on the river of time, at the origin and the end of time, leaning on a cane, waiting for him.
No one would pass him strawberry pudding on Soaring Goose Valley, looking at the fields of sunflowers.
No one would stand under the spotlight, humming a song as they walked towards the organizers, letting him rest behind the sun.
Among millions of possibilities, millions of roads, millions of strangers, millions of bewildering choices... Su Ming’an once dared to believe in only Noel’s reality.
Now, the friend who once led him into the amusement park has toppled the block castle he built with his own hands.
Su Ming’an can understand Noel’s thoughts, as they are entirely reasonable, unavoidable, irreversible, and unchangeable—this is the most deadly part.
"A true friend is real, cooperation is real, the anchor point is real, the bonds are real... leaving is also real." He said softly.
Everything is stable, real, and irreversible. No one did anything wrong, no matter how one tries to salvage it, things are destined to fall to this point.
Su Ming’an admits that on his journey, he has only ever focused on his own ideal—protecting Zhai Xing. More than that, he dared not think, could not think, for just accomplishing this one thing has already required all his energy and cost. He wagered his future, wagered his authority, and wagered his entire self...
He cannot even contemplate whether parallel worlds exist, or whether this is an endless cycle of reincarnation. If he follows his own path to the end, will he achieve a happy ending where everyone returns home?
The probability is not high.
The outcome provided by Deity Bright Ann indicates that at least Noel’s ending won’t be the best.
But Su Ming’an cannot think too far ahead, he values his homeland and old friends above all else, including his own future and life. As long as there is hope in the end result, even if it’s just a sliver of hope, he will forever advance toward that sliver of hope. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
And Noel is greedier, thinking further ahead, his eyes are set on the entire universe—to him, he wants to find the ultimate method to solve all problems, he fears more than Su Ming’an the endless swamp of reincarnation. He is curious about the source of Su Ming’an’s authority, yet he does not dare to place all his hope on Su Ming’an’s authority.
Thus, to achieve a more ambitious blueprint—Noel must choose to leave Zhai Xing and head towards high dimensions. Only by abandoning his weak human form can he ascend to higher steps. And this journey must come with a price, he cannot take the entire Zhai Xing with him, this planet is too heavy. He cannot allow himself to sit on pins and needles here, waiting without hope, until he withers away.
——Just like the trolley problem.
Faced with the oncoming trolley, Su Ming’an’s idea is to confront it himself, dying over and over again, and as long as his accumulated corpses are enough, the trolley will stop.
Noel’s thought, however, is that even if one trolley is stopped, what then? There will be a second, a third... Their corpse piling speed may not even match the speed of new trolleys being dispatched. So, Noel would decisively leave the tracks, head to the end of the tracks, and find the one dispatching trolleys, to completely terminate the new ones. But the cost is that since he didn’t stop the first trolley, the first trolley might run over Zhai Xing, tied to the tracks.
To Noel, the eternal method of Utopia > Hometown. For a pure, perfect, eternal world, he chooses not to carry burdens, heading straightforwardly to the distance to solve the root problems.
To Su Ming’an, Hometown > the eternal method of Utopia. He values the existing homeland and old friends above all, even if it’s a burden, he insists on carrying it, even if it means falling into eternal reincarnation. As long as there is a little hope, he’ll choose to stay and guard that faint starlight.
Therefore, Noel must inevitably take a path completely opposite to Su Ming’an.
——Su Ming’an cannot leave.
——Noel cannot stay.
Like two stars, they briefly intersect for a moment, ultimately destined to glide along different trajectories.
However, this moment of intersection might already be an exceptionally brilliant moment in the long span of time, leaving an indelible mark on both stars.
Cipher, handover, Rose Cane, 33rd cycle, Moonlight Magician, long river, Soaring Goose Valley, golden sunflower.
From now on, none is not this "moment."
One is a realist idealist.
One is a romantic idealist.
[Ideal], and [Ideal].
No distinction of upper and lower, no difference in height.
No matter how strong a friendship, how deep a memory, or how crossing-space-time a handover, it cannot overshadow the independent and brilliant ideal.
——It’s something they knew from the start. Concerning ideals, Noel never lied to Su Ming’an, always spoke frankly with——
...
[I want to embrace the high dimensions and the new world].
...
Su Ming’an also never objected, clearly aware of this, and would never attempt to distort Noel’s ideal.
Even knowing the path ahead is a predetermined Damocles Sword falling, he still respects Noel.
The modest efforts he made to persuade were just six sentences:
...
"Was our... ’love’ false?"
...
——Noel. I know it’s true, but I need an answer from you.
...
"Just like that, sever it?"
...
——Noel. Have you found your resolve? Will you not turn back?
...
"Then why are you afraid to let me see your eyes?"
...
——Noel. Are you pretending? Did someone seduce you, or invaded you?
...
"In the wind and snow of the skyscraper in the Ruined World, I turned back in the snowstorm, and you once wished me a happy new year."
...
——Noel. Since your expression is calm, this is a decision from your heart. Can’t we cooperate, like in the Ruined World that time? You can pursue the New World, and I can help you, at least not so resolute... isn’t this so?
...
"Can you hold on a little longer?... Noel Agnini."
...
——Noel.
...
"Can you hold on... a little longer?"
...
——... Noel.
...
"Swoosh——swoosh——swoosh——"
Black waters churn ceaselessly.
Noel raised his head, gazing at the amethyst and blue luminescent birds in the air, spreading his arms wide.
"Just in time, there are some birds in this dream, then one last performance for you—remember? I once said, I will ’Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,’ as long as I pose, the birds will fly towards me." Noel looked at the gorgeous birds in the dream, his gaze trembling, yet his pupils were bright, spreading his arms as if raising the sun, and laughed loudly:
"Come on."
"Come fly towards... the New World Adventurer."
...
[Here, close to the Flying Bird Garden, Noel took a few steps and stared at the thousands of birds in the sky, raising his hands, attempting to perform the "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," trying to make all the birds circle around him.]
["Su Ming’an, I really succeeded in the ’Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’ in Yu Country before. At that time, all the birds flew alongside me. Today, I’ll show you!" Noel raised his hand vigorously, twisting his fingers into strange shapes, as if holding up the sun, and shouted with a laugh:]
["—Come on! Come fly towards the New World Adventurer!"]
...
"—Come on! Come fly towards the New World Adventurer!"
"Splash!"
Black water splashed.
The New World Adventurer slowly fell, bright red blood stained the water around him.
His back burst open with five huge holes, the crimson claws pierced through his back, emerging from his chest, gleaming with a cold light.
He still maintained the posture of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," arms outstretched, as if holding up the sun.
Indeed, quite a few magnificent purple crystal birds flew down.
—They really flew towards him.
"Rustle, rustle."
Beautiful bird feathers, like crystal stones, drifted down to him, resembling a snowfall of scarlet and pale purple—a remarkably beautiful scene.
Feathers fell on his forehead, cheeks, blood-stained mouth corners, open chest... slipping down bit by bit, flowing like specks of starlight.
The "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" that had failed during past festivities actually succeeded here. Even Noel couldn’t have imagined it; it seems the birds here are really foolish.
There is no real "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," it’s just a joke to amuse teammates. That it could be realized, it seems today is his lucky day...
"Cough...!" Noel coughed up a mouthful of blood, slowly turning back, Su Ming’an stood expressionlessly behind him, his left hand with the crimson claws penetrating Noel’s body.
The bright red fingertips emerged from Noel’s chest, grasping a heart as red as an apple.
In Su Ming’an’s impression, Noel always seemed to be smiling.
Curved lips smile, hearty laughter, pursed lips smile, gentle smile, secretly covering mouth smile... The cheerful and optimistic adventurer seemed to always see only colors, showing a smile whenever encountering people.
But how could there be only one expression in this world.
At this moment, he saw the gradually emerging... somewhat novel smile on Noel’s face.
Very bitter, yet filled with commendation.
"...Indeed." Noel coughed up another mouthful of blood, slowly falling into the water, Su Ming’an followed him crouching down, still maintaining the motion of piercing Noel’s heart.
When their gaze met, those blue eyes dimmed little by little, like a blue constant star gradually losing its heat, about to fall in the vast universe.
The young voice mixed with distinct pain:
"...You did the right thing, you really should have done this..."
...
"Splash."
When he withdrew his hand, the surroundings were quiet.
Su Ming’an crushed Noel’s heart, everything fell silent.
This decision was not difficult.
Even feeling intense pain, after rational thought, Su Ming’an immediately acted against Noel.
First, if Noel was being coerced, this action could relieve him of the coercion. Second, if Noel volunteered, then he would make a move on Su Ming’an next to exchange for the chance of Dimensional Ascension, so Su Ming’an might as well strike first. Both of them had this awareness. Third, if Noel had an ulterior motive, pretending to defect while actually undercover, then Noel surely also thought of countermeasures for when Su Ming’an would strike.
So, considering all circumstances comprehensively, taking advantage of Noel performing the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, Su Ming’an acted.
He hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly.
At the moment the heart shattered, Su Ming’an’s palm was extremely warm, as if crushing a quiet constant star.
Noel’s warmth lingered at his fingertips for just a moment, and life dissipated like that.
The image of the Shadow of the Seventh Thrones slowly faded, Noel’s death prevented Its arrival here.
"Crash—crash—crash—"
The blond-haired boy’s corpse lay among the floating black water, light as a phoenix feather, with strands of hair swaying in the water’s rise and fall, entwined with scattered starlight.
Su Ming’an closed his eyes, instinctively wanting to store the heart in his backpack grid, but after a moment, he frowned, crouched down, gently peeled away the decaying flesh at the boy’s chest, and placed the heart back in the boy’s chest cavity.
The blue-red heart lay quietly, no longer beating.
Su Ming’an silently withdrew his hand.
This was not his possession.
This was not his collection.
What belongs to the individual should ultimately be returned to the individual. The heart that belongs to whom must return to whose chest. They are not his possessions; everyone has the right to pursue, he should have realized this earlier.
Holding steadfastly onto the anchor point without letting go was his fault, so when the crucial moment arrived, he exposed such obvious instability and collapse.
The mistake was his.
He should have let go sooner.
He once thought he was no longer a solitary island.
But he forgot, "travelers gazing across ships"—at its core, travelers remain on different ships, never coming together, never sitting on the same ship.
He also forgot, "solitary islands no longer alone"—at its core, solitary islands only clear the fog to see each other from afar, yet remain independent solitary islands.
He forgot too much, ignored too much.
Leading to solitude.
Leading to pain.
...
["When you wake up, we’ll play together for three days, celebrate the New Year’s Eve together. I’ve prepared lots of fun activities, wanting to share them with you... We will make dumplings, prepare New Year’s Eve dinner, play board games, watch weddings. Bring Lin Yin, Yamada, Luna, all of us together." Noel held Su Ming’an’s hand, pressed it against his own heart.]
[It was still beating there.]
[He was still smiling.]
["I won’t die."]
["I promise."]
...
Su Ming’an placed Noel’s heart back, looking at Noel’s face that lost its color.
Those blue pupils lost the purity of the sky and the warmth of the ocean, leaving only the calm that belongs to death itself, calmly staring at him.
Death has always been quiet.
A moment later, Su Ming’an coughed to confirm his throat could still produce sound.
Ripping apart dry lips, tearing off some blood skin, letting the voice circulate.
Picked up the books Noel left after his death, opened them.
As if providing background music for reading.
Slowly, humming:
...
"♪"
"I fear revolutionaries losing faith, creators abandoning their radiant pride."
"Fear the children forgetting dreams, and the bluebird unwilling to fly here..."
...
![Read The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]](http://static.novelbuddy.com/images/the-royal-military-academys-impostor-owns-a-dungeon-bl.png)
