373 The Last Advice (1/2)

Amidst the collapsing and burning city, under the rumbling and screaming, the gentle song flowed. It was whimsical like a hallucination. ”Please give me the courage to fly.” The tender voice resounded amongst the flames. It evaporated like a dream and scattered. Only the echo remained. ”Test my heart; don't say you regret it…”

There seemed to be a music box spinning slowly under the voice with a clear melody. The song was gentle and out of place in this cruel world.

”The old house is glowing yet sighing. There is only silence for evermore…”

The song was so clean and clear that it felt fragile as if it would break at a mere touch. Ye Qingxuan raised his head and stared blankly into the distance. He crawled out of the ruins and stumbled toward the song. He could still remember. It was Elsa's voice.

She was still alive!

Ecstasy supported Ye Qingxuan. He tossed down the cumbersome weight and raced through the ruins, searching clumsily. He followed the gentle and weak voice.

Along the way, he saw the shattered bodies of demons and the distorted metal of the Knights Templar after they were torn apart. He also saw broken cocoons. The bloody bodies within had been yanked out. They were speared with bayonets and hung in the burning wind.

Finally, he found the source of the song on the burnt street. The long hemp-colored hair was covered in dust. The white nightshift was charred and dusty as well. She curled in the corner of the street, alone, hugging her knees and watching the chaotic world. Beside her, a broken music box spun with difficulty. Finally, after managing a circle, the gears cracked. The voice cut off too.

Elsa looked down at the broken box. She opened her mouth but did not know what to sing. Without the box, she could not remember the melody clearly. Her memory was evaporating rapidly.

”Elsa?” Seeing her, relief filled Ye Qingxuan. ”You're still alive!”

She looked up with confused eyes. ”Do you know me?”

Ye Qingxuan nodded. He reached over to pull her from the crack but she did not move. She just looked at him as if he was a stranger.

Rumbles sounded in the distance. Some knights were swallowed by demons and blinding light exploded from their helmets. After the light and explosion, both knight and demon were gone. All that remained was the scorched earth.

In the shaking, Ye Qingxuan asked, ”Why aren't you hiding?”

Elsa tilted her head. ”Why should I hide?”

Ye Qingxuan blanched. He wanted to ask why she wasn't afraid that this world had become so crazy. But then he realized that maybe she did not remember what the world should be like. Maybe she thought it was always like this, with fire burning, the ground pitch black, the sky burning like a red sea.

The best comfort when living in hell was not knowing that one was in hell. That was why she did not run away. She still thought she was at home. This was how to feel happy…

”Where's your…dad?” In silence, Ye Qingxuan looked around for Caligula but he was gone. There was no trace of him. He may be dead or may have gone into the abyss long ago.