Chapter Fifty-Seven: Poetry and the Distant Horizon

“It’s already been a week since that happened.” Xie Liu sat helplessly on the ground, watching as a group of children rushed toward him. “Uncle! Uncle! Tell us a story, please!”

“Uncle, what happened to the magical girl Elifa you told us about yesterday?” A little girl with big, shining eyes tugged at his sleeve. She was no more than ten years old, and of all the children, she clung to Xie Liu the most. Holding tightly to his arm, she giggled and swayed from side to side.

“Ah! Velir, you’re too much. Uncle belongs to all of us!” Several girls ran up, trying to pull the girl named Velir away, but Velir clung fiercely to Xie Liu’s arm. “No, no! Velir wants to be Uncle’s bride. Only Velir is Uncle’s bride.”

Xie Liu smiled gently. The world of children was innocent, and for these little ones, to receive affection was a rare gift—one they treasured and feared to lose. “Alright, alright. Are you going to let Uncle tell the story or not?”

“Yesterday, I left off when Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, invaded the magical world. As it turned out, Elifa was actually created by Hades himself. She was made to help him destroy the magical world. So, Hades controlled her.” As Xie Liu began his tale, all the children quieted, some huddling together with nervous anticipation.

…

“In the end, our hero, Liufeng, summoned the Blade of the World with the gods’ power, defeated Hades, and successfully protected both the divine and magical realms.” With the conclusion, the children erupted into cheers, as if they themselves had saved the magical world. Xie Liu watched their jubilation and continued, “From then on, peace returned to the magical world, and people once again used magic to create beauty.”

“So what happened to Liufeng and Elifa in the end?” another little girl asked. Xie Liu’s expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly smiled. “Of course Elifa was saved by Liufeng. Think about it—Liufeng wielded the Blade of the World, his power was equal to the Creator’s, so he could certainly save her. In the end, Liufeng returned all the divine power to the gods, brought Elifa back to the magical world, and half a year later, Elifa became his bride. On their wedding day, all the gods came to celebrate. It was the grandest wedding in the history of the divine realm!”

“Yay!” the children cheered again. Xie Liu patted their heads. “That’s the end of the story. Off you go and play.” The children scampered away in laughter, leaving Xie Liu alone, watching their retreating figures.

“In truth, the real story was that the protagonist used the Blade of the World to kill Elifa, severed the world’s connections, and exiled the magical world to another realm.” Xie Liu’s smile faded. “The protagonist wasn’t Liufeng, not some dashing hero, but a street punk named Xie Liu.” He stood and looked up at the sky. “Elifa, would you blame me for changing our ending so freely?”

Watching the children in the distance, Xie Liu sighed and, turning, saw Lin Yang standing at the corner. He paused in surprise. “What is it?” Lin Yang, arms folded and leaning against the wall, replied, “We’ve got orders. Our leave is over. Looks like we can go back now.”

“Back to fighting again?” Xie Liu murmured. “Lin Yang, tell me, why do we keep fighting like this?”

“For the children, I suppose,” Lin Yang said, glancing at the kids playing nearby. “Or maybe for the money.”

“I think,” Xie Liu closed his eyes and bowed his head, “for me, it’s more about atonement.”

Lin Yang fell silent. After some time, he said softly, “Don’t waste any more time. Let’s pack up and head out.” With that, he disappeared from Xie Liu’s sight.

Xie Liu lingered, staring at the children for a while before turning toward the building behind.

…

“This time, the loss was heavy.” As Xie Liu gathered his gear, he found that nearly all of it was damaged. Even the last Ender Bullet had been fired. But with everyone still mourning Angel’s loss, no one had the heart to question him.

While packing, Xie Liu paused. “What’s this?” He pulled a small box from his coat. It was the one Angel had given him on the Ferris wheel. The subsequent battles had made him forget all about it.

What could Angel have left him? Curiosity piqued, he twisted open the tiny lock. Inside the box, he found a letter and three jet-black bullets.

“Ender Bullets?” Xie Liu examined the bullets in astonishment. How did Angel get these? He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

“To the Strange Uncle:”

Xie Liu couldn’t help but hear Angel’s voice calling him ‘Strange Uncle’ in his mind, and he smiled bitterly. His eyes traced the neat handwriting—Angel had written in her native language, but Xie Liu could easily understand thanks to his translation system.

“By the time you read this letter, Angel will probably no longer be in this world. But that’s okay—Angel will always live on, in your heart.” Xie Liu clutched his chest. In the dim sunlight, he felt a pang of pain. He held the letter up to the light, reading on.

“You must have seen the three bullets. Angel made those. In fact, the bullets you used before were also made by Angel. So, praise Angel more, okay? Isn’t Angel amazing?”

“Amazing. Truly amazing.” Xie Liu pressed his lips together, fighting back his tears, though his eyes stung. He wiped them and kept reading. “You’re probably crying, aren’t you? Angel knows. You hold a lot in your heart, but you never tell Angel.”

“You still have that little bear, right? I bet it holds a lot of stories. Too bad Angel won’t hear them. If you get the chance, could you tell them at Angel’s grave?”

Xie Liu sighed. “Alright, it’s a promise.”

“Actually, Angel has been dead for a long time—not seven days ago, but since the day she was born. So, don’t be sad. Angel was just a child who lived, and then died again. There’s nothing tragic about it. Angel isn’t afraid of dying.”

“Angel’s real life, if you count it, was these last seven days. Only these seven days are worth remembering forever.”

“There were no cold labs, no moldy food. Angel could sleep in a big bed and eat cake and ice cream. But even that wasn’t the best part. The best part was meeting you and the others.”

“No one but Grandpa ever loved Angel like this. Even though these days were spent on the run, Angel was never afraid, because as long as you and the others were there, Angel could sleep soundly at night. As long as you were there, Angel could laugh without worry. As long as you were there, Angel could see the sunrise tomorrow.”

“But Angel can’t stay with you and the others anymore.” At this point in the letter, tears threatened to spill from Xie Liu’s eyes. Angel’s life had been filled with hardship; yet she chose to forget the pain and remember only the seven days of happiness, even if that happiness was shadowed by flight and misfortune.

“So, I’m sorry. Angel can’t stay with you. I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble every day. I’m sorry for always wanting to watch the sunrise. I’m sorry for not trusting you, Strange Uncle. I’m sorry for every—” The writing blurred as if washed by Angel’s own tears. Perhaps even she didn’t know how to go on, so she started a new line.

“I shouldn’t say so many sad things. That’s my fault. What I really want to say is, thank you.

Thank you for fighting for me in those last days.

Thank you for giving me beautiful memories.

Thank you for watching the sunrise with me.

Thank you for letting me be willful with you.

Thank you for sharing in my misfortune.”

The handwriting trembled. The child’s heart must have been warm as she wrote this.

“And thank you, Strange Uncle, for bringing poetry and distant horizons into Angel’s world.”

Tears fell onto the paper before Xie Liu could stop them. He wiped them away, but the last lines were blurred beyond recognition, even by the translation system. Xie Liu peered closely—only the final words remained.

“So, Angel wants to say to everyone—” The last few words were smudged, but Xie Liu could make out that it was a message of thanks.

“Arigatou.” (Thank you)

…

Xie Liu sniffed, glancing around, blinking rapidly to keep back the tears. He folded the letter and tucked it next to his heart, then wiped his eyes and pocketed the three Ender Bullets before getting back to his packing.

“Xie Liu, we’re heading out,” Lin Yang called from afar.

“Alright, I’ll be right there!” Xie Liu answered.

…

Walking down the corridor once more, Xie Liu saw from afar that a group of children were gathered around Professor Nan Feng in the main hall. He was surprised and went over. “Professor Nan Feng, what’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s you!” Professor Nan Feng’s aged face broke into a smile when he saw Xie Liu. “What’s this, are you leaving already?”

“Yes. Thank you for everything during this time.” Xie Liu returned the smile. Nan Feng shook his head and patted the children on the head. “Say hello to Uncle.”

“Hello, Uncle!” the children chorused sweetly. Nan Feng patted them again. “Go on, outside.” The children laughed and rushed out into the garden.

“It’s a beautiful day,” Xie Liu said, looking up at the bright sun. “What will happen to these children?”

“I’ve already applied to set up a special orphanage for them. I’ve also contacted the media to get their story out. Many people in the city have offered to adopt them. But I want to live with them for a while, until they can adapt to the world,” Professor Nan Feng said, watching the children. “I’ve lived most of my life already. The first half was spent on research. For the second half, I want to atone for myself. I’ve applied to be the orphanage headmaster, and it seems the authorities agreed.”

“Congratulations,” Xie Liu said with a smile. Nan Feng shook his head. “We’ll be leaving today too, taking the children to the orphanage. I’ll be off, then.” He chased after the children, but after a few steps, he turned back. “Take care of yourself. The road ahead won’t be easy. And if you can, keep protecting those who need you, just as you protected these children—at least be a hero in the eyes of children.” With that, he walked away, into the sunlight.

Xie Liu was moved. He whispered, “A hero to the children?”

He smiled bitterly and shook his head. “I always hoped heaven would give me a chance to be a hero, but in the end, these childish dreams only lead to lonely sorrow.”

He gazed at Professor Nan Feng’s retreating figure. Sunlight haloed Nan Feng’s kindly smile as he led the children toward the bright distance. By contrast, the hall where Xie Liu stood was shrouded in shadow. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding sun.

Through the gaps in his fingers, he watched the children grow smaller in the distance. He murmured, “Those who live in the light do so because someone has kept the darkness far away.” He clenched his fist. “If I can, I’ll keep the darkness at bay for you.”

Behind him, darkness reigned. Lin Yang’s figure appeared in the shadows. “Why are you still here? Everyone’s waiting.”

“Alright, I’m coming.” Xie Liu nodded. Lin Yang placed a hand on his shoulder, and the two of them vanished into the gloom. Far away, Professor Nan Feng looked back at the dark hall, nodded slightly, then called to the laughing children and led them away.

May you all find your own light. If I can, I’ll willingly lose myself in darkness for you.

…

Amidst the verdant trees, deep within the forest, a small grave stood quietly in a clearing. Xie Liu and the others had set up a new headstone: Angel’s Grave.

No one spoke; the mood was somber. Xie Liu opened a bottle of wine and poured it over the stone. “Angel, you were born on this land—I hope you can rest here forever,” he whispered, sniffing back tears. “The task you gave me is done. All the children have been given new lives, though…”

“Though hardship and injustice still exist, please believe that the future will slowly become brighter.” He stepped back to join the others. Together, they bowed deeply. “Angel, rest in peace…”

…

Franney had called Ye Ling out, and the two of them walked slowly through the woods until they reached the sea, where gentle waves lapped at the golden sand. “It must be uncomfortable being with all those men,” Franney said kindly, her smile warm as spring. Ye Ling thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, it’s very uncomfortable.”

“I asked around about your situation. I heard you applied for a transfer?” Franney’s eyes were keen, fixed on Ye Ling’s face. “Come join our team. I can offer you a place.”

Ye Ling’s eyes widened in surprise. She looked at Franney to make sure she wasn’t joking, then bowed her head in thought.

“If you’d made this offer half a month ago, I’d have accepted without hesitation—no, I’d have been overjoyed to accept.” Ye Ling tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “But now…”

“These guys—well, not just sometimes, but always—have no faith, care only for immediate interests, and think only of themselves.” She gazed into the depths of the woods. “They’ll never be heroes. Never.”

“That’s what I used to think.” Ye Ling gave a wry smile. “But now I realize—why be some grand, upright hero? Maybe it’s enough to be a hero in your own heart.”

“The way they are now, you could call them heroes.” Her voice grew gentle. “Franney, thank you for the invitation, but I’ve decided—I want to stay.”

Ye Ling’s eyes, once lost, were now firm. Franney smiled, “You’ve found your answer. Congratulations.”

Ye Ling only shook her head calmly. Whether the choice was right or wrong, she couldn’t say. But when she remembered how those once-task-driven men risked their lives to save a child, her heart trembled.

“I just want to understand them better…”

…

“This is where we part.” Franney stood on the beach and held out her hand to Xie Liu. He took her small hand. “We’ll meet again someday.” Franney smiled, and Xie Liu smiled too.

“By the way, Lin Yang, this is for you.” Wendy tossed him an object from behind Franney. Lin Yang caught it, surprised. “Is this—the Phantom Dance?”

“Yes, the third of the seven high-frequency lightsabers. This one’s gold—much better looking than your pink one,” Wendy said, laughing behind her hand. Lin Yang tossed it back. “I can’t accept this. It’s too valuable.”

Wendy threw it back again. “I use two swords. This was meant to be my backup, but my sister gave me her heirloom, so I don’t need this one. You might as well have it.”

“Take it,” Franney said. “Wendy never takes back a gift.”

With Franney’s approval, Lin Yang relented. Xie Liu waved. “Farewell, until fate brings us together again.”

“We will meet again,” Franney replied, then, gathering her people, she floated into the air. Xie Liu and the others could only marvel—Franney was truly unfathomable.

“Xie Liu, I’ll wait for you!” Angela, who had been hiding behind Wendy, suddenly called out, her face blushing crimson as she ducked behind Wendy again.

Xie Liu froze, then felt several murderous glares from behind. “You’ve misunderstood. Really… ahhh, help!”

His piglike squeals rang out across the beach, blending with the sound of the waves, echoing who knows where.

(End of this volume)