Chapter 1971 - 1971: Far Away

A ray of light seeped under the heavy eyelids.

Rupert thought she was already dead, but the eternally shifting ground still roused her from an indistinct slumber.

The gentle rocking seemed to awaken some childhood dream, making her again and again believe she was back on that ship called the 'Istania Crescent.' It once was the flagship of the fleet personally built by her father and mother.

——It was the dream of the Istania People chasing distant horizons.

Unknowingly, tears started to fall like raindrops, and an indescribable sorrow inexplicably lingered on her heart. Her breathing weighed heavily, as if a sharp thorn was lodged beneath her throat, with burning pain surging and crashing like waves, engulfing her entirely.

But even amidst such heaviness, she gently trembled as she lifted her eyelids——A ray of light seeped under the heavy eyelids——through the blurred teary vision, the princess saw two intersecting shadows, and the infinite light beyond them.

She gazed at those two cross shadows, seemingly understanding something, her heart suddenly quieted, slow in listening to her faint heartbeat, one after another.

Two phantoms intersected in midair, each leaving a bright trail, and as they crossed again, all sounds vanished, leaving only that seemingly peaceful dream.

Rupert slightly opened her mouth, shook a bit, and her hand searched inch by inch on the ground, slowly supporting herself to get up. She coughed heavily a few times, the blood droplets seeped through her fingers, dripping onto the ground, bright red like fire.

Once again, the ground shook intensely.

The princess almost fell, but used her elbow to leverage herself from falling. Rupert raised her head, finally seeing the last scene beyond the endless light——

A towering shadow in midair stood imposing like a solemn executor, raising the Great Sword in hand, slashed downward forcefully, as another shadow plummeted from the sky.

"Princess."

At this moment, a pair of hands supported her from the side, gently helping her up.

The next moment, Rupert felt a sword in her hand, a cool touch responding from her palm, bringing her a trace of clarity——It was her own sword——She lowered her head, quietly observing the blade, on which circulated a layer of shimmering azure glow.

That radiance, imprinted deep in her eyes.

"Princess," the voice softly said, "Go now."

"The path ahead, you must walk it alone."

Courage seeped into the depths of her heart.

She looked up, the ground slightly tilted, the world inverted, as if the entire world were leaning into an Abyss beneath.

And amid all this upheaval, she saw the shadow kneeling on the ground.

It was Dika, a young girl, but sometimes transforming into an old man; he had a thousand faces, but now merged into one. The princess clutched the sword in her hand tightly, gently raised it.

"I will return," the man looked up and said.

The princess pursed her lips.

"But we will defeat you again, Dika."

She swung it forcefully.

The expression on the man's face seemed somewhat relieved, calmly looking at him, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, the gray temples seemingly etched into her heart. Rupert watched that face, at once familiar, but somewhat distant.

The sword in her hand fell onto the ground with a sound.

"Father?"

...

The Grand Princess suddenly opened her eyes, her complexion appeared somewhat pale.

She sat absentmindedly from her bed, looked around at the silent palace, and the diaphanous veils dancing gently, the afternoon sunlight slowly streaming through the lattice windows, and beyond the window, the courtyard flowers bloomed like snow.

All the Phantom Realm had vanished, the infinite light, intersecting shadows, the world tilting, and her sword, all faded away.

No, perhaps the sword was still there——

She gazed at the battered sword resting beside her bed, its blade's edge still seemed to reflect a narrow beam of light. It served as a witness, witnessing the past, witnessing this city, witnessing all that the Istania People had experienced——

So it all ended.

It was just a dream after all.

"Father..."

Tears had silently started to flow.

The girl covered her face with her hands, silently sobbing.

Outside the courtyard, the sound of footsteps rustled louder than the low sobs within the palace, as Guards and Maidservants turned to watch the birds flying afar, passing over the sea of courtyard flowers, flying higher and farther.

It was the Istania Swallow, heading to a warmer southern shore, to return again as the end of summer approaches.

Just like the Istania People, pursuing distant dreams——

Distantly, the noisy sound echoed from outside Kashan Palace.

It was the protesting crowd, faces of anger and silence gathered together, those who lost loved ones in the War, fury and unease spreading among them.

"It was His Majesty the former king who brought all this!"

"He was utterly driven by that Blind Followers of Seniman!"

"The Royal House of Penelope must be accountable for this!"

Aleph's gaze stretched beyond the ramparts, looking at the dense crowd below.