When Xiao Lin and Gu Xiaoyue woke up from their coma, Silverlight was still lying on the ground. At first, Gu Xiaoyue did not pay her any mind. The aftereffects of Rewind were obvious, and there was clear discomfort in their bodies after waking up.
However, when ten minutes had passed and Silverlight did not show any signs of waking up, Gu Xiaoyue started to feel that something was amiss. She walked over to feel her forehead, and her expression transformed. She immediately called Xiao Lin over.
Silverlight’s state looked very strange, and Xiao Lin gently touched her arm. The physical contact allowed him to confirm that, at that moment, Silverlight had not returned to the state of a soul. Silverlight’s eyes were closed calmly, her face frighteningly pale. Her exposed skin had also become wrinkled, akin to an elderly of the age of 70 or 80. Silverlight had been able to maintain a young woman’s appearance and attitude for millions of years.
What shocked Xiao Lin the most was that Silverlight’s entire body was ice-cold, like ice cubes freshly removed from a freezing cellar. Xiao Lin and Gu Xiaoyue, who stood beside her, could not help but shiver.
“She can’t be dead, right?” Gu Xiaoyue said hesitantly. They looked at each other, neither knowing what to say.
It appeared to be a dead body no matter how one looked at it. The problem was that Silverlight was not a living person to begin with. Although Xiao Lin had no idea what technique this woman used to be able to freely switch between her real body and soul form, there was no doubt. Silverlight said it herself: she was already dead. It was impossible for any ordinary human being to be able to live for so long–for millions of years.
They both seemed helpless. After thinking for a long time, they decided to first take Silverlight away from the ocean floor. While preparing to carry Silverlight’s body, Xiao Lin suddenly noticed that the third eye on the woman’s forehead had opened again. At that moment, when Xiao Lin’s eyes locked onto it, he felt the sky spin again and he fainted.
When Xiao Lin opened his eyes, he found himself in a bizarre world. It was an otherworldly beautiful garden with various flora and fauna around him. The sound of birds could be heard among the fragrant flowers, amidst the lush green grass, and gurgling stream. It was beautiful beyond comparison. Xiao Lin looked around in dazed confusion and found a figure that looked like Silverlight sitting on a bench not far from him. She looked sideways, as if she was enjoying the scenery.
Xiao Lin shouted as he walked over at a quickened pace, “Silverlight! Is that you? Where in the world are we? Don’t tell me your Rewind reactivated again.”
Silverlight turned her head. Xiao Lin immediately stopped as he took a clear look at her face, almost toppling over. Frantically finding his balance again, Xiao Lin was dumbfounded. “Who are you?”
Sat in front of him was a very old lady. The wrinkles on her face were comparable to the creases on the bark of century-old trees. Under her long white dress was not silky, plump skin but limbs as skinny as twigs. Apart from the vague similarity in her charm and dress, there was nothing else that resembled Silverlight.
However, the old woman sighed heavily and said, “You’re not wrong. I am Silverlight.”
Her voice was cool and light, as it always had been, and Xiao Lin was convinced. Xiao Lin had a vague idea, but he was still unsure. He hesitated and asked, “Why do you look like this?”
The old woman smiled lightly. Silverlight always wore a long sullen face as a young lady. Yet, in this old aged look, her smile came so softly and naturally.
“This is actually how I really look. If a woman lived for ten million years, would you expect her to look young? What you saw was just a secret technique of the royal family, by giving up the body as storage for my life force. I told you that my current state is very strange. That’s roughly how it is. I am now a living person in the state of death.”
Seeing as Xiao Lin displayed no signs of comprehension, Silverlight shook her head and laughed. “Forget it, you would understand it if you spent a few years in the study of Necromancy. However, I will become an actual dead person soon.”
Xiao Lin’s heart sank. What he was worried about was happening. Frowning, he asked, “Why? Is this the price you have to pay for casting Rewind? Or did you use up all your stored life force when you sealed Poseidon earlier?”
“Those two indeed play a part, but they were not the main cause.” Silverlight thought for a moment, then slowly said, “The secret technique that I use can indeed make me live for almost all eternity. However, there is no true eternity in the world. Even if what happened today did not happen, I would be able to exist for another 100 years at most. After that, I will just die, and that would be true death. Not even my soul will remain then.”
“No wonder!” Xiao Lin was a little surprised. “Gu Xiaoyue doesn’t seem to have any signs of exhaustion on her vitality. It was because you were helping shoulder some of her loss of vitality, right?”
Silverlight nodded. “That girl is very special; she’s interesting. Unfortunately, time is running out…”
Facing the inevitability of death, Silverlight appeared very calm. Xiao Lin did not know what to say. She was actually a very pitiful woman. A lifespan of ten million years seemed eternal, but it was actually long-drawn suffering for Silverlight. She shouldered so much burden, resentment, and pain, like the demise of her country and the death of her relatives. No ordinary person can easily live through this experience.
“I’m sorry.” In the end, Xiao Lin could only utter these two words to express how he felt. He was grateful to Silverlight. No matter her motivations, Silverlight had saved Gu Xiaoyue’s life.
“No, I’m the one who should apologize. Please forgive me, Xiao Lin.” Silverlight raised her head. Her old but clear bright eyes looked toward Xiao Lin.
“It’s okay. Uh, no, I mean, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Xiao Lin was a little confused.
Silverlight let out a guilty sigh and lowered her head again. She pondered for a long while before saying, “I used you. Actually, I already knew that the wall of time would be broken. Yet, I still brought both of you into the corridor of time, and I never thought to stop you. Although I had no way of anticipating the things that happened later and their consequences… Anyway, I am very sorry.”
Xiao Lin felt his brain start to overload. He rubbed his temples with his knuckles, then waved his hands and said, “Hold on, I remember you told me that the wall of time is an indestructible existence. Even if people with legendary powers come along, they would not be able to break it. So, you lied to me?”
“No, I wasn’t lying about that. Time and space are both so-called forbidden areas for human beings. If they can be so easily destroyed, then this world–no, this universe–is in chaos.” The corner of Silverlight’s lips curled in a small smile.
Xiao Lin threw open his hands in helplessness and said, “You also knew that I was just a new student that had been freshly enrolled for a few months. I didn’t know much about time and space. If the wall of time is a forbidden zone, why was it suddenly breached today? Did you anticipate this?”
“It was not a matter of anticipation, but I knew for sure that something like this would happen.”
“Why?”
“Because of you!”
The conversation came to an abrupt stop at this moment. The two looked at each other. Silverlight’s eyes were calm, and Xiao Lin’s were puzzled.