The Creatures That We Are
Chapter 1238: Horizon

Chapter 1238: Horizon

Chen Ying smiled, her tears quietly streaking down her face.

Then the wind stopped, and her tears dried. Shadows cast by the canopies stilled, as well as the light scattered through the stencils of leaves and branches.

A tall, slim man walked into the forest. His eyes were deep against the paleness of his face, his hair tied into a short ponytail. Holding a white camellia, he trod upon the fallen leaves.

Chen Ying knew that Gao Yang had woken up, so she wasn’t surprised to see him. Her first thought when she saw him was that he had lost even more weight—not physical weight, but mental one. He seemed less substantial.

“Captain.” She stood up to greet him.

Gao Yang nodded at her and placed the flower on Nine Frost’s grave. Then he walked to War Tiger’s grave and left a pack of cigarettes. Twisting a bottle of liquor open, he poured some of it on every grave. The remainder he gulped down in one go.

Once all that was done, he turned to Chen Ying and said, “My condolences.”

Chen Ying nodded and returned, “My condolences.”

“I heard that you haven’t completely recovered the memory you lost?” Gao Yang asked.

“Yes.”

“Dr. Jia can help.”

Chen Ying shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ll remember what I have to remember.”

“Of course.” Gao Yang shared the sentiment. “It’s long decided what each of us will remember and forget.”

“Yeah.”

They turned to Nine Frost’s tomb at the same time, as if this were a conversation between three people, and they were waiting for him to share his opinion.

After a long moment of silence, Gao Yang said, “I heard you’ve been looking for Dragon.”

“Yes,” Chen Ying said bluntly. “What he did made me uneasy.”

Gao Yang was equally direct. “You think he’s an enemy?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t trust someone I don’t know at all.”

Gao Yang didn’t deem that a response. “Found anything?”

Chen Ying shook her head. “I searched throughout the Mist World but didn’t find Dragon.”

“If Dragon wants to hide, Sensory isn’t going to find anything.”

“I know, but I have to do something.” Her eyes twitched. “The Battle of the Curtain Call ended. The Mist didn’t disappear. Doomsday is still coming. If things end when we’ve come so far, I won’t be able to face those we’ve lost.”

“Same for me,” Gao Yang said.

“Captain.” Chen Ying looked up with heated eyes. “What do we do next?”

“Wait patiently.”

Chen Ying nodded after a beat. “Understood.”

For some reason, the fact that Gao Yang had woken up eased Chen Ying substantially. He was like the horizon at night—distant and vague, but visible to everyone.

And humans were creatures that would believe and wait for dawn as long as they could see the horizon.

...

Beiyong District, dawn.

Spring Equinox Lake, botanical garden.

The gentle moonlight cast the countless camellias into a carpet of snow. The one spot of red in its heart enlivened the scene like a red beauty mark adorning a face. The young man wearing black quietly looked at the tree blooming red flowers with a bouquet of white flowers in his arms. Then he vanished.

He teleported into the cave system underground. Crossing the narrow tunnel, he entered the mine of purple crystal at its depth. This was the resting place of the Spectres.

Gao Yang laid a carnation each on Spring’s and Waking Insects’ tomb and bowed deeply. Then he placed a bouquet of forget-me-nots before Fresh Snow’s tomb.

He sat down and crossed his legs, looking at the beautiful tomb consisting of purple crystals. He started a conversation like it was the natural thing to do, “Sorry, Fresh Snow. It’s been a while since I visited. I slept too long after the Battle of the Curtain Call. I didn’t wake up until yesterday...”

“Ah, I have to thank you. You saved me again...”

“How are you doing on the Fresh Snow Planet? I’m doing okay here. I’m...happy. Don’t worry...”

He talked to her for a long time before moving to the very heart of the mine. There stood a giant purple tombstone trapping a young blond man. Topless, he looked like a drowning man suspended in water with his head lowered and his eyes closed. Under the light reflected by the crystals, the scene looked strangely beautiful with a mix of holiness and bleakness.

Gao Yang looked up at the young man for a long time.

“You’re finally awake.”

Said a familiar voice that sounded sweet and soft, yet elegant and aloof. White Dew emerged from the shadow in a black evening gown.

“Your friend’s still unconscious.” She looked up at Wang Zikai. “Can’t tell if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

Gao Yang didn’t respond.

“No one knows if he’ll wake up as Wang Zikai or Pride. You should decide whether he should be killed or spared. You’re the leader after all.”

“I can’t decide,” Gao Yang said, “Not now.”

“Then what?”

“Just like you, I’m running away from my problem.” Gao Yang admitted easily.

White Dew snorted and broke into a faint smile. “Good for you.”

Gao Yang took a step forward and placed his hand on the purple crystal. It flickered gold for a fleeting moment. He explained, “An Absolute Barrier will take form as soon as he wakes up. I’ll resupply it with energy once every three days. We wait until he comes to.”

“Alright,” White Dew said.

Gao Yang thought of something else then. He asked without sugarcoating his words, “Why are you still alive?”

He didn’t mean to be rude, but it was strange that White Dew had survived for so long when the other Spectres had died not long after the Malediction’s death.

White Dew narrowed her eyes slightly. “I find it strange, too. I thought I would die after the Battle of the Curtain Call. I used up too much energy that night. And yet I recovered slowly afterward, and my curse didn’t get worse.”

“Ever think about why?”

“Of course I do.” White Dew hesitated. “And I have my hypothesis.”

“Can you tell me?”

“I can.” White Dew gave it a moment. “You know that the last awakener I ate was my boyfriend.”

Gao Yang had heard her talk about it. “You believe he was the key?”

White Dew nodded. “Perhaps there was something special about him. I managed to survive to this day with his energy. It’s like Fresh Snow becoming unable to feed on anyone else but you. There was a special connection formed.”

“Reasonable guess.” Gao Yang thought for a moment. “What’s his name?”

“He never said. I only know his codename.”

“What is it?”

White Dew smiled sadly, her lips parting.

“Cerulean Dog.”