23 Memory of the Skill (2/2)

Soon, the west gate appeared in their sights. At that moment, Caroline Darrel muttered in Rose's ear while pointing toward a carriage park: \”T-there is the carriage I promised, we can use it to travel quicker.\”

\”There's no need, we'll go flying!\” Rose giggled.

\”Oh…\” Caroline Darrel replied blinking.

Once they were out of Lurep Village, still running, Thorn grabbed Cure Song's hand, and then Rose's hand. He looked at Caroline Darrel and requested: \”Point in the direction we have to go.\”

Caroline Darrel resolutely did as she was told.

Immediately after, Thorn activated his Awakened Skill to make the wind around the four of them his own to protect them.

\”This is going to be so much fun! I myself haven't traveled at this speed before!\” He shouted out as he entered into the state of Final-Star Memory of the Skill.

The scenery around the four of them then abruptly became a blur.

Rose, Cure Song, Caroline Darrel and even Thorn himself gaped in shock! Their eyes almost popped out of their sockets!

They were moving at 10 000 times the speed of sound!

However, Thorn immediately shook his head, and showed an unbearably smug smile on his tilted up face.

\”….\” They could only stare at him in silence, open-mouthed.

(So shameless! Could you not change your expression this quickly?!) They grumbled in dismay.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

In a small region of grassland surrounded by a forest of harmless eucalyptus plant monsters stood five empty camp tents.

*Swoosh...!*

Suddenly, a strong wind blew through the entire region; subsequently Thorn and his companions descended onto the clearing.

\”Well, here we are. How do you plan to track down the kidnapers now, party leader?\” Cure Song asked.

Thorn patted Cure Song's shoulder, and smiling said: \”That's my job.\”

Without explaining anything else, Thorn took flight and hovered above the campsite. Looking down, he released his Complex Energy in all directions. Then he did something only First-Star Memory of the Skill and onward cultivators could do: he connected his senses to the domain of his Awakened Skill. Now, he could feel everything the wind caressed. The air itself had just become his second touch sensor! It was an incredible feeling, especially for he could now feel every square inch of Rose's inhumanly beautiful skin. He had to struggle for a moment there to maintain his calm. Lucky for him, he only needed 2 percent of his brain processing capacity to accomplish this. Considering the 95 percent he constantly occupied to keep his madness in check and the 1 percent he was using to connect his senses to the wind, he had left exactly the 2 percent he needed to do what he had to do next.

Stepping once again into the Final-Star Memory of the Skill, he closed his eyes and searched in the 'memory' of the wind. It felt as though time itself were moving backward. He sensed how moment by moment time dragged him into the past.

One day, two days… five days.

By this point, he could already see four black horse monsters pulling a red and white carriage.

The driver was Caroline Darrel. At that moment, tears were flowing down across her face. She tightly held the reins, her entire body trembling and her teeth fiercely biting down on her lower lip.

When Thorn saw her expression, his cold heart thumped restlessly as the memories of his distant past assaulted him. He knew exactly what emotion that expression represented: desperation. That ineffable desperation born out of the powerlessness of watching the world steal everything that matters to you. There wasn't a worst feeling than that.

As the time slowly continued to go in reverse, Thorn saw the entire process of the kidnaping and understood the situation. Taking a deep breath, he finally deactivated the Wind Technique: Memory.

Caroline Darrel was standing next to Rose. She had been looking up at Thorn the entire time, and was so anxious that cold sweat was falling down her forehead. (Please, please, please… Discover where my family are. Please, please, please…) She fervently prayed.

Thorn descended in front of Caroline Darrel, and looked into her shaky eyes. \”Five days have passed since the abduction. I can bring you to your family, but they most likely are already dead by now.\” He mercilessly stated.

Rose and Cure Song became angry at Thorn's cruelty; but, in the end, they couldn't deny his words.

Caroline Darrel slowly lowered her head to hide her teary eyes, and replied: \”I-I know… But I must go anyway.\”

Thorn couldn't help feel admiration for the little kid. However, there was still something he had to ask: \”If we find them dead, what will you do with your life afterward?\”

Caroline Darrel put both hands on her chest as pain pierced her heart. She lifted her gaze, and her hoarse and weak voice answered: \”I'll cry, and cry, and cry, and cry… until my tears run out. Then, only then, I'll stand up to live on carrying their memories, dreams, and wills with me.\”

Those resolute and heavy words opened a small fissure in Thorn's frozen heart. His eyes involuntarily became gentler. (It seems like she had reached her answer to this question long before I even asked…)

Affected by such an emotional scene, Cure Song firmly clenched his fists as sorrow weighted down his heart.

An unprecedented solemnness on his face, Thorn nodded. \”I understand.\”

Immediately after, he took the fragile kid in his arms and said: \”Let's go.\”

Rose and Cure Song each grabbed one of Thorn's shoulders.

Activating his Awakened Skill and glaring in the direction the kidnapers had went, Thorn darted onward.