Chapter 114 – Witnessed by the Stars

Lin Wei stared at him for a long time.

“Leave here with me, sacrifice your eternal life as an undead creature, and surrender your soul in exchange for just one year of memories. Have you thought it through?”

To trade a lifetime for a single year.

Someone lit a flame, flickering uncertainly in the night.

For this faint flame, the traveler would abandon the long, silent path leading into the eternal night and turn toward it instead.

Just as Adrishig, after witnessing the endless joys and sorrows of the continent, still felt he had not grown old.

Just as the Goddess, after a thousand years, remembered only the few decades she spent following Elvis.

Just as the Lich now said calmly, “I’ve thought it through.”

Sometimes, we do not measure time by its length.

Those deep purple eyes misted over, pooling with water that reflected the stars.

Lin Wei stepped forward.

It was only a few steps, but in those steps—the stars shimmered, the tides of time rose and fell, and after a long journey, they reached the end of time and all things.

He pressed Duan Yu’s shoulders, pinning him against the wall.

Rising on his toes, he whispered in the other’s ear, “If you’ve thought it through… you can’t take it back.”

He met Duan Yu’s gaze, his fingers brushing the Lich’s cool lips.

As he looked, the mist in those eyes dissipated, replaced by a cold stare.

“From now on—I won’t allow you to forget even a single thing. I’ll be in front of you all day, making you think, making you suffer—making you remember at all times that in this world, your enemy is me, your friend is me…”

His voice grew softer, the tone tender yet cold: “And your lover is also me.”

The Lich’s eyes showed a hint of confusion.

But Lin Wei didn’t give him time to linger in that confusion.

Moonlight illuminated the corridor, and at the boundary of light and shadow, the black-haired Duke closed his eyes, pressing the Lich against the wall and kissing him fiercely.

The tendrils of their souls also embraced the other, without guidance or resistance.

They had tested the contract time and time again, so even without memories, their fusion and cohesion felt natural and harmonious.

It was like a cloud drifting in the Celestial Vault, soaked with water.

The heavier the water, the lower the cloud sank, the darker the sky became.

It was no longer as white and soft as fresh cotton in summer, but dark and oppressive.

The weight of the water pressed down on it, and in its pain and fear, it opened its eyes, suddenly realizing it had been dragged from the high sky down to the mortal world.

Finally—the last traces of moisture merged into the cloud.

I was once like a drifting wisp, until I met you, and had to traverse joy and sorrow, love and fear.

I watched you in the warmest, brightest, clearest sky.

I watched you in the coldest, darkest, gloomiest abyss.

The cloud slowly turned, becoming lighter, transforming into a torrential downpour, never ceasing.

The stars and raindrops fell together, lightning tore through the sky, and in that moment, the light illuminated half the heavens.

The final mark of the contract was slowly engraved, and as the seal was fully set, the complex, vast light quietly faded, as if nothing had happened.

The rain stopped, and all sounds returned to silence.

A ray of light broke through the dark clouds, and dawn gracefully arrived.

God said, let there be light.

At the apex of the Sea of Stars, souls that had journeyed here met, merged, and became inseparable.

I give you the most sincere, carefree smile of my youth.

I give you the oldest, most decayed scars that are hardest to face in the depths of night.

All that has passed, I give to you.

It is a covenant that is now, was, and will always be.

Witnessed by the stars.

And then, my soul finds its rest, and your soul finds its guidance.

The Lich was in an ancient castle, its corridors winding and deep, with no windows or lights.

Someone took his hand and led him forward.

The scene was all too familiar, from those years when opening his eyes only revealed darkness.

He boarded a swaying ship from the bustling dock, where three people stood, glowing with elemental light, nothing special.

Among them was a white glow that flickered for a moment as he boarded.

As if saying hello.

From then on—they were never apart again.

They descended the spiral staircase, passed through the gates, and arrived at a sea of roses under the moonlight.

The one who had led him here revealed himself—a black-haired youth who smiled at him and then ran off to the other side.

There stood a man in white robes, his long, dark gold hair softly illuminated by the moonlight. He caught the youth who threw himself into his arms and gently ruffled the slightly messy black hair.

The Lich did not go there but instead walked in the opposite direction.

As the Lich moved, the sea of roses spread out, their fragrance rich and deep. In the distance, on a long bench, sat the black-haired Duke.

His youthful face was so handsome and gentle, yet when he looked into the distance, there was always a hint of weariness and exhaustion.

Seeing him approach, the Duke withdrew his gaze from the infinite horizon and smiled faintly at him.

They both looked toward the other end of the rose sea.

The Summoner led the Mage through the flowers, running at times, stopping at others. One laughed while speaking, and the other listened quietly. The wind lifted the corners of their robes and the ends of their hair, carrying a sweet fragrance.

Suddenly, a massive line split the sea of roses in half, a torrent roaring through, dividing the two shores. One shore remained a deep, passionate red, while the other quickly faded, the deep green stems and leaves of the roses turning into black thorns, the crimson blossoms becoming as white as snow.

“Here is the past, we are the dead,” the Duke said softly. “There is the future, and it will continue.”

“For most of our lives, we were at odds, and it wouldn’t stop until death.” The Duke’s voice was like a sigh. “Dear Leader, I want to see other sights now.”

Their figures gradually became illusory, turning into stardust, entering the river.

—Traveling upstream through the river of time,

To meet you before we became mortal enemies.

On the other shore, the Summoner gently kissed the Mage’s cheek.

“After sleeping for so long, I think it’s time for you to wake up.”

In the realm of the undead, in the corridors of the palace, the Lich opened his eyes.

Lin Wei clung to his shoulders, kissing him deeply. The kiss gradually softened, like the moonlight of this night.

When they finally parted, their eyes met, and for a moment, neither knew what to say.

Suddenly, a strong surge of soul energy came from below. Before they could even begin to organize their thoughts after the long-awaited reunion, they hurriedly left the corridor.

The Goddess’s eyes met the giant eye on the ceiling, a serene contentment in her gaze, her eyes half-closed.

The silver-haired, black-robed undead frowned, step by step approaching her. With each step, the confusion in his eyes deepened, until finally, clarity returned.

He bent down and gently covered Katanaphia’s eyes with his pale fingers.

“Though I saved you, I also harmed you.” His voice echoed in the empty hall.

Dark magic formed around him, streams of black energy coalescing into sharp daggers that pierced her heart.

He had been a powerful Necromancer in life, so he knew exactly how to achieve a second death.

“Since I harmed you, I will save you again.” His soul began to dissipate, and the contract that connected their souls slowly crumbled.

If it were a life-bound contract, the death of one would mean the death of the other.

In a master-servant contract, the death of the servant would only lightly injure the master.

Their contract lay somewhere in between, and its dissolution directly dealt a heavy blow to the Goddess’s soul.

The vast, powerful light of the Goddess’s soul slowly dimmed, becoming a small glow, transforming from a sun into a moon.

“She will awaken, but she will no longer be a Spirit Channeler.” Elvis looked at Lin Wei, his smile and gaze both inscrutable. “She has finally gained a new life and will soon be able to live as a carefree little girl.”

The Necromancer’s body dissipated along with his soul, returning to the Sea of Stars, beginning an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Adrishig walked in, sighed, and gently picked up the Goddess, placing her on a soft blanket to protect her from the cold.

“He remembered—so the Goddess succeeded?” Lin Wei asked.

“That memory wasn’t deeply or vividly etched in his mind. The Goddess tried to awaken emotions with emotions and memories with memories, but all she got was a jumble of fragmented recollections. He only remembered at the very last moment.” Adrishig explained. “Memories are supposed to fade with death, and trying to recover them usually ends like this—well, except for you.”

“His soul comes from the Holy Spear, and its inheritance doesn’t pass through the Sea of Stars but flows through his family’s bloodline, so it’s neither cluttered nor chaotic.” Lin Wei said. “And this memory was just experienced, so it’s vivid and profound, nothing can compare to it.”

“No need to boast to me about it.” Adrishig chuckled, narrowing his eyes. “The harp is right there, why not finish the song first?”

Right—they were about to return.

Lin Wei walked to the harp and began to play.

The music flowed, but this time it wasn’t a journey—it was a return home.

Midway through, the resistance of the rules appeared again, but the life-bound contract had tightly fused his soul with Duan Yu’s, raising his soul’s strength to the apex of the Sea of Stars, so it only caused a slight hesitation.

A graceful glissando ended the entire ballad, and a portal to another space formed.

He took the Lich’s hand and was about to step through when Adrishig said, “Don’t go.”

“Why not?”

The Tower Master looked at the gray-black vortex within the portal. “Do you know what will happen if you enter now?”

Lin Wei looked at him puzzled. “Is it unsafe?”

“Unsafe is an understatement,” the Tower Master said. “We came here from the second timeline, but we can’t return the same way. It’s like a leaf that falls from a branch—it won’t fly back to the branch.”

“The continent connected to this world has disappeared. If you enter now, you’ll enter a void, a temporal abyss.”

“What should we do then?”

“Conveniently, we have a time mage here. I need some time to synchronize the timelines.” Adrishig pointed outside. “For now, it’s your turn to protect me.”

Adrishig didn’t need to explain further, as the thundering footsteps and sharp cries were already closing in on the hall.

The world they were in relied on the Goddess’s power as a Spirit Channeler. With that power gone, all undead creatures lost the guidance of the soul’s rules and began acting purely on instinct.

They would attack the intruders and try to prevent the loss of dark elements and the formation of portals to other worlds.

Side by side, they stepped out of the hall, facing a sky filled with bone wings and black feathers, and an army of skeletons, Liches, and night demons closing in.

Lin Wei looked up at Duan Yu.

A gentle kiss landed on his forehead.

He smiled contentedly.

The Lich formed a bone spear in his hand, and massive wings spread out behind him as he leapt into the air.

Behind him was a Bone Dragon, and on its back, the Summoner.

No one knew each other’s fighting styles better than they did—those memories were etched into their bones from their time on the battlefield, and no one could match their synergy.

Their blades had once been aimed at each other, but today—