Chapter 603
Eivass: Then follow me.
Seeing this scene, Eivass’s eyes widened slightly.
When he saw the Fey Harp, these clues finally connected in Eivass’s mind.
“…So that’s how it is.”
Eivass murmured softly.
In the original history, since Yunus never contacted Sherlock, he handled the Anastasia matter himself.
But it was clear he ultimately messed up.
One piece of evidence was that when the Player followed Yunus back here, they never saw Maxim and Madam Grace – perhaps they had left, or perhaps they refused to open the door.
In conclusion, Yunus led the Player to a tree and told them the story of seeing a “girl ghost” here, displaying the “harp the ghost gave him,” hoping the Players could see if there were any ghost reactions here. Finally, finding no trace of Und appearing here, what he saw might indeed have been illusion or phantom.
Thus, Yunus, who did not get an answer, played a nostalgic little tune and sang a melancholic song.
After that mission ended, the Player obtained a replica of this harp, as a transmogrification for their main hand weapon, “Musical Instrument.” Just as the transmogrification of melee weapons affects the sound effects of strikes, the transmogrification of musical instruments also changes the timbre of skills. And the timbre of this harp was crisp, like the flow of icy spring water.
That harp, it now seemed, was made from Anastasia as material.
…Clearly, Anastasia did not like being placed in the Fey Realm by her parents.
Although that would prolong her life, surviving under such duress was too painful. What meaning did a childhood of merely “living” and “adhering to adulthood” hold for Anastasia herself?
This was why she was so attached to Yunus, wanting him to come find her at her home.
With this as a pretext, Anastasia could use “wanting to see Yunus again” as an excuse to leave the Fey Realm.
Upon re-contacting the Material Realm, her Petrifying Sickness quickly set in. It was faster and more rapid than Eivass, or even her parents, had predicted – she was tired of this painful existence, but unwilling to refuse her parents’ kindness. Thus, she chose this method to end her life in the Material Realm.
As a final gift, she fashioned a harp from her own tree trunk and gave it to Yunus.
But because Maxim and Madam Grace claimed Anastasia was already dead, Yunus only thought the girl who flashed before his eyes was a ghost.
To avoid causing trouble for her parents, Anastasia did not reveal the whole truth, nor did she show Yunus her true form.
Yunus thus inexplicably took the Fey Harp, and was then resolutely shut out by Anastasia’s heartbroken parents, thereby “losing the possibility of further investigation” and cutting off the subsequent questline.
Only Anastasia’s parents knew what had happened.
But they probably didn’t know… Anastasia’s insistence on leaving the Fey Realm was not just because she was saved.
—Rather, it was because when she fell outside, she caught a glimpse of the “outside world.”
It was that experience that worsened her Petrifying Sickness; had it not been for such an experience, Anastasia’s heart would not have become so chaotic.
After all, shortly after Anastasia was born, she only lived within her home and the Fey Realm. Let alone going abroad… she had never even come into contact with outsiders all these years.
She had never seen people of other races, nor the cultures of other races and countries.
A person who has never seen the sun after birth will not worry about the lack of sunlight.
—It was during that accident that she met Yunus.
Yunus probably wanted to comfort the frightened girl, so he tried his best to make Anastasia laugh.
Anastasia had just spoken of Avalon’s Gryphon, of deserts and flowing springs… and for someone who had not left the Fey Realm for decades, her ability to know these things could only be because Yunus had told her these stories back then.
From that moment on, the girl’s heart soared to the heavens.
The earth of the Fey Realm could no longer bind her soul.
At this time, merely looking at Yunus’s trembling gaze, one could sense his shock and impact.
“…Miss Anastas…ia.”
Yunus’s lips moved, but in the end, he could say nothing, only stammering the other’s name.
He didn’t know if he had done something wrong.
He gazed at the increasingly petrifying Anastasia, rationally understanding what was happening, but emotionally, his mind was a complete muddle.
“Mr. Yunus…”
Unlike the hesitant Yunus,
Anastasia, whose voice grew drowsy and low, appeared resolute and serene.
This girl, who by human lifespans was older than a long-lived elder, yet to elves was so young as to be underage, already possessed a mature soul unknown to her parents: “I know what you are worried about…”
“But you did nothing wrong…”
“—I am grateful to you.”
The girl expressed her feelings in three breaths.
Yunus carefully held the harp, took stiff steps, and slowly approached.
Maxim’s formerly scrutinizing and cold gaze gradually calmed, returning to warmth. It just became sorrowful; he took off his glasses and silently wiped his eyes.
Clearly, he knew his daughter very well. Of course, it was also possible that when he visited the Fey Realm a few years ago and saw Anastasia, he learned of this matter and thus knew the outcome today.
So when Yunus came looking, he welcomed him enthusiastically; but when he asked to see Anastasia, his attitude turned cold.
But clearly, the couple would not know that Anastasia’s Petrifying Sickness had already neared its critical point – as soon as she left the Fey Realm, it would immediately enter the final stage of petrification.
If they had known this, they surely would not have let Anastasia leave the Fey Realm.
However, Eivass had a different view.
But Eivass did not speak.
It was Sherlock – who witnessed everything – who spoke leisurely beside them, calmly to the point of being cold: “I’m afraid Miss Anastasia had already surpassed her limit. She was just waiting for Mr. Yunus to arrive before giving that gift and expressing her final gratitude.”
“…She just didn’t want to break her word… to miss the appointment.”
Eivass shook his head and added softly.
This was probably also why Anastasia became close to him immediately after hearing Eivass’s story.
Clearly, her pure soul, walking the Path of Devotion, had long wanted to do this.
But no one had ever taught her if this was the right thing to do. That’s why she was in distress.
She not only heard Eivass’s story and felt his kindness—but also because her own bold thought was affirmed.
Under the silent gaze of the several people, Anastasia, no longer suppressing her power, grew at a visible rate.
Releasing all her stored power, she no longer felt pain, and her expression immediately became peaceful.
Clearly, she had not revealed her state externally before. Even Madam Grace had only seen Anastasia under illusion, and rarely her true form.
“…Did I do something wrong, Mr. Eivass?”
Madam Grace murmured.
Eivass shook his head slightly: “No.”
Undoubtedly, Madam Grace and her husband did nothing wrong; they only wished their daughter could live a little longer in the human world; Yunus also did nothing wrong; he merely told a naive and lonely little girl the stories she was curious about; Anastasia also did nothing wrong, because she didn’t want to live like this, but was curious about the world she had never foreseen and would never encounter; the giant tree was certainly not wrong, because this was a Promoted state in terms of life form—Anastasia would enter the Dream Realm and attain true immortality earlier than her parents, and from another perspective, this was a form of “early graduation.”
“—No one did anything wrong.”
Eivass replied.
“…But no one is smiling.”
Fairy Nilim hugged Eivass’s collar and whispered cautiously: “Why?”
For the Fey, the heavy and solemn atmosphere before them seemed too painful.
“Because they don’t know.”
Eivass said softly, “They only know themselves, and not others.
“They don’t know others’ pasts, don’t know others’ pain, don’t know others’ abilities. Nor do they know others’ wishes.
“If it’s not spoken, no one can know how much the other is already suffering…”
As he spoke, he suddenly stepped forward.
Including Anastasia, the several people cast their gazes over.
“Miss Anastasia,” Eivass said, “I actually have a better way. A way that does not require parting, does not require slumber, and that no one will grieve over…”
As he spoke, he took out a box of Tarot Cards from his embrace, much emptier than normal.
At that moment, Sherlock’s eyes changed.
He remembered something.
A few months ago, Eivass had also displayed this Mystical Art before him…
Eivass looked at the girl who had turned into a tree: “You only need to make a choice here… ascend to the Dream Realm and fall into slumber. Until you are awakened by the song of the next ‘Brave’.
“—Or follow me and see the whole World with your own eyes?”
(End of this chapter)
