OHNIR – Chapter 58
Chapter 58: Dreamscape
A white shadow flitted across the coastline as the distant cries of seagulls echoed from the sky. Seawater, carried by the surf, splashed against the reefs with a soft patter. Nearby, a patch of sand stirred, and a small crab suddenly emerged. It waved its pincers, warily skirting the two girls behind the reef, and wobbled its way toward the ocean.
Kelusta grinned as she placed the pure Golden Beach Roses into Lux’s hands. The latter listened with fresh interest as Kelusta explained, “These flowers grow right out of the sand, you know!” Curious, Lux searched for the grains of sand peeking out from the bottom of the bouquet’s wrapping, clearly delighted with the return gift.
The girl with the delicate features pressed her nose to the petals, and a rich fragrance lingered between them. Kelusta gazed at the tranquil, oil-painting-like scene before her, lamenting that she didn't possess her mother's artistic talent to preserve this moment forever.
The waves churned, caressing the shore again and again with a ceaseless, rhythmic rush. Cradling the roses, Lux drew near the water’s edge, her elbow held steady by Kelusta. She bent down carefully, touching the seawater she had never seen before with a mixture of caution and anticipation.
“It’s not cold at all,” she marveled softly.
“That’s because it’s summer,” Kelusta said with a smile. “When you come back in the winter, it’ll be ice-cold.”
Lux paused for a moment, then turned back and smiled at her, but she didn’t respond to the suggestion of “coming back in the winter.”
It was now evening. The fiery red sunset grazed the tranquil surface of the sea as it gradually sank, its brilliant light plating the water with a shimmering crimson.
Lux stood watching the magnificent sight. The gentle light of the setting sun fell upon her eyes, and at a glance, they looked just like the vast sea before them, swallowing the red sun.
She was intently watching the sea, while Kelusta, who was accustomed to the view, stood behind her, intently watching her.
In the dimming light, her golden eyes deepened into a shade of amber. They reflected neither the sunset nor the ocean—only the figure of Lux, filling her pupils completely.
As the sun continued its descent, more than half of it now buried beneath the surging waves, Lux suddenly turned around. The roses in her hand were rendered a vibrant orange-red by the light, their full blossoms swaying gently. She tucked a strand of black hair, tousled by the sea breeze, behind her ear. Bathed in the sunlight, she extended a hand to Kelusta with a gentle look in her eyes.
It was as if she were inviting her to dance a waltz meant only for the two of them, to the song sung by the ocean.
“Let’s go,” the noble girl said, her voice elegant and soft. “Let’s go home.”
The brown-haired girl blinked and broke into a sweet smile. She took Lux’s hand, and in the slowly darkening twilight, she skipped along, leading her in the direction of home.
That night, perhaps from being in the sea breeze for too long, Kelusta had a rather strange dream.
She dreamed of the primordial ocean… and the primordial continent of Nobili.
It was desolate and silent, ancient and barren. In that most primitive era, there was only this land on the continent. It was cracked inch by inch, exposing withered layers of soil, fragmented by millennia of drought.
Yet, beside it lay a vast ocean.
An ocean that possessed immense magical power.
As time passed, the magic from the ocean gradually seeped into the continent, bringing life to the barren land and forming the primordial “divine power.”
It quietly enveloped the entire land like a transparent, protective layer, waiting only for the right moment to give birth to the destined one worthy of bearing its full power.
Nourished by this divine power, the continent soon underwent its first transformation—a small sapling appeared where the seawater had flowed. It was emerald green, tender, and stubbornly sprouted from a crack in the coastal soil. Though tiny, it was brimming with life, heralding the beginning of change for the entire continent.
After this sapling took root, as if on cue, creatures nurtured in the sea quietly extended their limbs and tentatively set foot on the continent for the first time.
The sea breeze blew the seeds from the sapling, and these land-dwelling creatures carried them to the east of the continent. Clouds gathered and shed raindrops evaporated from the sea. After a very, very long time, countless dense trees grew in the east, gradually forming a vast, boundless great forest.
But the ocean seemed not yet satisfied. It began to relentlessly lash the continent’s northern lands with its cold waters, day after day, year after year. The soil froze and was gradually pushed into mounds by the sea until, finally, the first snowflake fell upon the northern lands. After countless more years, many solitary, towering snow-capped mountains rose up—a land of extreme cold, possessing both jagged, chiseled peaks and bone-chilling glaciers.
Gazing upon its masterpiece, the ocean churned as if laughing. Its waves crashed continuously, and as if a deal had been struck, it reached out and embraced a small piece of the continent, submerging its surroundings in seawater. This land was claimed as the ocean’s territory. The deep blue water spread and converged until, in the fleeting passage of time, it successfully transformed this piece of land into an “island” surrounded by the sea.
All the changes that occurred on the continent of Nobili could be attributed to this boundless ocean.
And the divine power that enveloped the ancient land began to slowly surge and coalesce. It was finally ready to welcome… certain earth-shattering changes that were about to befall the continent.
The sunlight was warm, the moonlight cold. After a cycle of day and night, a pair of sisters suddenly appeared in the center of the continent. The elder sister had white hair and golden eyes, holy and compassionate, bearing six full, pure-white wings of light. The younger sister had black hair and blue eyes, cold and indifferent, with wings identical to her sister’s save for their opposing color. They held hands tightly, surveyed the empty continent, and then, whispering secrets no outsider could hear, they wandered aimlessly away along the contours of the land.
Lush branches sprouted new buds, and pale flowers bloomed where vines intertwined. As the first rays of dawn touched the leaves of the tallest ancient trees, an elf with transparent wings emerged from the eastern forest. Her expression was gentle, and she held a pouch of flower seeds. The fresh scent of plants and trees followed in her wake as she carefully sowed the seeds on the ground, leisurely flying off into the distance with a flutter of her wings.
The snow mountains of the north were cold and solemn, their magnificent peaks covered in a thick layer of ice that never melted. At some unknown time, a man in a black robe suddenly appeared, scaling the ridges and moving across the snow as if on flat ground. A snowflake twirled down and landed on his eyelash. He lifted his gaze; his eyes were heavy, and his handsome face was filled with a cold indifference, like a glacier.
On the island in the western sea, beneath a tall coconut tree, a beautiful woman napping against the trunk leisurely awoke. She opened her pale cyan eyes and stared directly at the shore of the continent opposite her. Her pupils were unfocused, like those of a blind person, yet a fleeting glimmer of light suddenly flashed through them.
At the southern end, on the last stretch of barren land at the continent’s edge, a slender figure appeared amidst swirling black smoke. She had lips as crimson as blood and skin as pale as paper. She blinked her dark, lightless eyes and, looking toward the distant center of the continent, smiled a sweet and bizarre smile.
After these six original gods appeared, the low sound of waves drifted from the distant sea, like a celebratory rhythm, yet also like a series of heavy sighs.
…And there, the dream came to an abrupt end.
Kelusta awoke with a start from the darkness, sitting bolt upright. Her mind was a chaotic blur. She stared blankly at the watery moonlight filtering through the curtains, her heart pounding relentlessly, finding no peace for a long while.
She hesitated. A strange palpitation surged in her chest for some unknown reason. The petite, brown-haired girl took a deep breath, hopped out of bed barefoot, and walked to the window, where she deftly pulled aside the heavy, half-drawn curtains.
The night sky was dotted with twinkling stars, blinking as if they were watching something. Bathed in the silvery moonlight, Kelusta’s gaze traveled over the silent town, as if it could pierce right through the dark houses, and fixed blankly on the distant, churning western coast.
She stared at that spot for a long time, her gaze vacant. Then, for no reason at all, a thought surfaced in her mind: the rhythm of her own heartbeat seemed to be in time with the beat of the waves crashing against the sand…
Exactly the same.
At that moment, Kelusta did not know that everything she had witnessed in this dream—a dream she would forget as she grew older—was the origin of the brilliant and long Age of Gods, an era never recorded in the history books.
And the sea beside Seaside Town was the “origin of origins”… the fundamental reason why the Holy Force Source ultimately chose this place as its resting point.
“Ruth, I want to see the ocean one more time.”
After learning that she and her mother would be returning to the royal capital the next day, Lux secretly pulled Kelusta aside and whispered this request in her ear.
Kelusta froze, her expression suddenly turning crestfallen. “You’re leaving, Lux…?” she asked, her voice filled with worry.
The black-haired girl also lowered her eyes, dejected. Her deep blue eyes were filled with the sorrow and reluctance of parting.
Growing up as a duke’s daughter, she had never made a single true friend. Among her peers—be it the arrogant, red-haired girl from the Charles family or the son of Count Hippol who was always trying to guess others’ intentions—they were all merely “objects of use” to Lux, people she had to greet with a false smile.
But Kelusta was different. She didn’t call her “Lady Gloria” in a fawning or flattering tone, nor was there any false intimacy in her actions.
Around her, Lux didn’t have to constantly remind herself to maintain the poise and etiquette expected of a duke’s daughter, nor did she have to be ever vigilant against malice and schemes from unknown quarters. Every word they spoke was innocent, every action sincere. Only when she embraced Kelusta did Lux realize that she was her truest self.
However, despite her sadness, she was ultimately stronger than Kelusta, who was already on the verge of tears. When Lux looked up again, a faint smile had returned to her delicate little face. She reached out and gently wiped away a tear from the corner of Kelusta’s eye with her sleeve.
“Don’t cry, ‘My Little Shell.’”
Kelusta paused. She pouted and looked up, her attention immediately diverted by the unique nickname.
Her name meant “shell,” but no one had ever called her “Little Shell” so affectionately.
Seeing that she had finally stopped crying, Lux breathed a small sigh of relief. The black-haired girl reached out, carefully pulling her into an embrace. She gently stroked her long, light-brown hair and lowered her voice, comforting her softly, “Didn’t we make a promise? When we grow up, we’ll feed those cute cats in the royal capital together… So don’t cry. Be happy. Even though we have to part ways now, we will definitely meet again in the near future.”
Kelusta sniffled, leaning into the embrace, and said willfully through her tears, “Say it again.”
“…Little Shell,” Lux said with a helpless smile, her voice gentle. “My Little Shell, you’re the best-behaved, aren’t you?”
“If you like me to be well-behaved, then I’ll be the best-behaved and cutest child in the whole world,” Kelusta said sullenly. “Whatever you want me to be, that’s what I’ll be… because, Lux, you’re my best friend!”
Lux was taken aback for a moment, then she laughed again. She reached out and playfully tapped the nose of the girl in her arms, asking sweetly and deliberately, “Better than Kevit?”
“Better than Kevit!” Kelusta said without a second thought. “Because… because I only want to hug you, and I don’t want to hug Kevit at all!”
The black-haired girl burst out laughing. She took Kelusta by the shoulders, gently pulling the delicate little girl out of her embrace, and poked her red nose with a fingertip. “Alright then,” she said cheerfully. “As a reward for that answer… when we go to the seaside, I’ll give you another present, okay?”
Kelusta’s eyes darted, and she grasped Lux’s hand, replying earnestly, “Okay!”
As she spoke, the brown-haired girl blinked her honey-gold eyes and said silently to herself: I’ll give you a gift in return, too.
So that you’ll always remember you once had a friend named “Shell,” who will cross a thousand miles when she grows up to go to the royal capital… and find you again.
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