Chapter 727: The Wind Chaser
My eyes slowly widened.
Even if others didn’t know, Sister Siwei definitely did.
Brother Gu Yu had told us that if anyone said "bet your life" to any of the "Zodiacs," failing would turn them into a "Wanderer" in this place.
"Leading over a thousand people... to bet their lives against the 'Divine Dragon'..." I murmured. "Why...?"
"Because of 'faith,'" the long-haired sister answered. "People in this world can die for their 'faith,' even if it's a false one. She was like that, and so were those who followed her. The only difference was the 'faith' they followed."
"Faith...?"
"Little brother, the strongest power in this place is 'faith.'" She reached out and squeezed my shoulder, as if trying to comfort me. "As long as you have enough 'faith,' it can help you achieve anything."
But I didn't want anything. I wanted my sister back.
"Your sister had a strong enough 'faith' to do all this for you," she said softly. "In her eyes, you are a true hero, worthy of everything she did. But since she tricked over a thousand people into vanishing into thin air, she also wanted to stay there to atone."
"'Yinguo,' let me go," I said. "I don't want to be arranged by others... I want to choose my own outcome... I've been arranged by others for over a decade... This time, I want to decide my own fate."
"I can't." She shook her head, her expression sorrowful. "I promised that girl I would keep you here for an hour. If you leave, I won't be able to explain it."
"But..." I gritted my teeth, my whole body trembling. "Do you even know what my sister means to me...?"
"I can probably imagine, but this really won't do." The long-haired woman shook her head, a sad scent clinging to her. "Child, close your eyes. It'll be over soon. I came all the way here from far away. If I don't get this done, there's no point in me coming at all."
"'Yinguo'... you have no idea. I've spent more time with her than with my own family... She's the flesh and blood that grew on me, the light in my heart, the swallow by my side... You can't do this to me..."
"Flesh and blood will fade, light will dim. What about the swallow?" the long-haired woman asked. "Whether you want to admit it or not, this is the best ending between you and her. Your 'cause and effect' was sealed from the moment you met."
I stood there trembling, tears pouring from my eyes.
She had left the others in the room so I could escape. She had left those who could produce food so I could survive.
She had been thinking of me the whole time... No wonder she always carried that heavy scent.
Her lie was too big... She became the "Divine Maiden" to kill everyone in the city, and she ascended to this throne for me.
"'Yinguo'..." I choked out. "Fifty minutes."
"What?"
"Let me go after fifty minutes..." I turned my head, tears streaming down my face. "Give me ten minutes to say goodbye to my sister... okay?"
"This..."
"Please, just ten minutes..."
"Child, not everything in this world can go your way," the long-haired woman said. "You should understand that."
"I'm begging you... I'm really begging you..." My heart ached so much I could barely speak. "I didn't talk to my sister last night... I didn't know that was my last chance!! I don't want to say goodbye to her like this! Let me say a proper goodbye... I'm begging you... just ten minutes..."
I felt like I had never been this willful in my whole life, but if I didn't act now, I would have nothing left.
Adults always said that if I just obeyed, I could have everything. But I had been obedient all this time, and everything had been taken away from me.
A flicker of emotion crossed the long-haired woman's face, and then she let out a deep sigh. "Child, if you go to say goodbye... you'll only get a wound that will never heal. The same goes for her... She wouldn't want you to see her die miserably."
"Just a few words..." I wailed. "I have so much to say to my sister... Let me see her one more time..."
She pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright, I'll give you ten minutes. But when you get there... it might already be too late."
"That's okay!!" I shouted. "That's okay! I will see her!"
"Then... think carefully about what you want to say in your goodbye."
I nodded frantically, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what to say... Ten minutes... What could I say in ten minutes?
Ten minutes should be long... I could say so many things.
Memories of the past kept flashing before my eyes.
I remembered the first time we met, when she asked me, "Such a tiny little baby, how did you become a hero?"
I remembered her stroking my head and saying, "Wherever the Happy Prince is, there is the Swallow. They've always been together."
I remembered my sister lying on the cold floor and saying, "I've figured out a way to set both of us free."
My sister had been looking out for me from the very beginning... But what had I ever brought her? If she had never met me, she wouldn't be in this situation now.
I had to say so much to her... I had to tell her everything I could think of. I had to say "I'm sorry" and "thank you."
I would remember her forever. I would tell everyone that I once met a really good sister, and I loved her as much as I loved my parents.
But my mind was too chaotic. I couldn't think of anything for the rest of the time. I just sobbed and wailed.
Twelve years we could have spent together, and all I got were these last ten minutes.
I had never stood in the street and cried my heart out in this "prison" before. I was so sad. My wails echoed all around me, and it felt like the entire city was drenched in bitter, salty tears.
In both the real world and the "prison," all farewells could lead to reunions... But not this time. I was about to lose my sister forever.
I didn't know how much time passed before the long-haired woman said to me, "Go, child."
My legs regained feeling instantly. I bolted forward as if my life depended on it. Every second I ran faster was a second longer I could talk to my sister.
The wind along the way tore the tear streaks from my face, scattering them into the air. But I didn't care. I was chasing time.
I was chasing time with the wind, chasing time with a life, and chasing time with the twelve years of my past.