Chapter 42: Roland Weite

Chapter 42: Roland Weite

Sea breeze, sunshine, laughter, and joy.

Yun Huai felt his hand firmly grasped as they disembarked the sightseeing plane. The man had a warm countenance, chatting and laughing with the woman beside him. The couple occasionally glanced down at him, their eyes filled with love.

Yun Huai's steps were small, but he didn't need to make an effort to keep up, as the two adults slowed their pace to match his. The man smiled and said, "Ahui is so quiet today. Are you still not in a good mood?"

Yun Huai concealed the fleeting, uncontrollable emotion in his eyes and heard his own childlike voice reply, "No, I just feel like we haven't played enough to leave yet."

The man, surprised: "We're not leaving. We'll stay here and play for half a month before going home, okay?"

The woman also looked down in agreement, "We always keep our promises to you. Don't you love watching the sea, Ahui?"

He liked the sea? ...Yes, he indeed had a fondness for the sea.

The sea was a pure deep blue, coupled with gentle winds. Being by the seaside meant vacation and relaxation, something every child would love.

The boy pursed his stubborn lips, quietly kicking the sand beneath his feet, his long eyelashes drooping.

The man and woman beside him were building a sandcastle, not just absorbed in their own activity but constantly watching Yun Huai's movements, inviting him to join them.

Yun Huai took two steps forward and crouched down. He picked up a small shovel, staring at his short fingers before pausing. His nose was suddenly tapped. Looking up, he saw the woman, who had sneakily approached and playfully smeared wet sand on his nose.

“Ahui’s eyes are so beautiful. We all have black eyes, but only Ahui’s are purple.”

The man agreed, “The doctor said it’s natural. They look the best on Ahui’s face.”

Their praise was sincere and full of genuine affection, seemingly wrapping the sensitive and fragile life with infinite love. Yun Huai felt a warm illusion enveloping him as he looked towards the distant sea, hearing the couple's conversation.

“...We used to hold him a lot when he was little, but he doesn’t let us hug him now that he’s grown up.”

“Children get a bit shy as they grow up, but Ahui still loves us a lot. He will never leave Mom and Dad, and we will never leave him.” The woman leaned over, her slender arms embracing Yun Huai, “See, he still lets us hug him.”

“Mom.”

The woman paused for a moment, then looking down, heard the cute and beautiful boy looking up at her, saying, “Your hair smells nice.”

A burst of laughter came from the man, “Ahui is complimenting you!”

The woman, coming back to her senses, tenderly ruffled Yun Huai's hair, “Ahui also smells nice, like the fruity wine Mommy drinks, sour and sweet.”

Sometimes, scents can form very subtle memories.

Once you've experienced a profound scent, smelling the same fragrance years later can instantly pull your memory back to that very first moment.

Like the smell of a childhood birthday cake, the earthy scent of grass and soil after a rainstorm, or even the fragrance of a strand of hair.

Yun Huai blinked, realizing for the first time that a woman's embrace held not just warmth but also this delightful fragrance. If he could store this scent, he would instantly recall the woman's appearance whenever he smelled it again.

He looked towards the man opposite him, who was proudly showing off his sandy hands as a testament to his construction efforts.

Yun Huai shyly smiled at him, his lips curving into a happy arc.

The couple finally seemed to relax, “Don’t worry, this time Mom and Dad will play with you for a long time!”

Yun Huai nodded. After a few seconds, he stretched out his short arms and felt the man lift him up, his strong arms shielding the sunlight from his eyes.

Laughter and playful voices surrounded them, and the faces of people running by became clearer. From his high vantage point, Yun Huai looked out to see a bustling seaside city nearby.

In his mind, he could envision family and friends, as well as a beautiful future. Everything revolved around him, as if he could live this carefree, peaceful life forever.

But, at some point, Yun Huai's grey-purple eyes had turned into a rich, deep purple.

The man and woman were extremely affectionate towards him, their eyes filled with the love he had imagined countless times.

They seemed so real, even discussing which restaurant they would take him to for a big meal later.

Yun Huai lowered his head to look at his small, delicate fingers, then at the man's gentle face and the woman's beautiful hair.

If only this were real.

He thought.

But he didn’t recognize them.

Yun Huai calmly surveyed his surroundings, noticing that the faces of those around him were blurring again, including the faces of the man and woman holding him, whose features were now completely gone.

This was a dream.

It was a dream akin to an ultimate paradise, fulfilling all of Yun Huai's imaginings of his parents, except he never actually saw what his parents looked like.

He had such dreams so often that the moment he entered this dreamscape, he knew everything was an illusion.

The crowd crumbled like sand, and the man's legs began to vanish rapidly. He tilted his head in confusion, silently turning his gaze towards Yun Huai.

The sea breeze brought a hint of the woman's fragrant hair. Yun Huai took a long sniff, understanding why so few could escape Ga Xiu's Azure Dream.

The deeper one delves into the dream, the more real everything becomes. It’s not entirely crafted by the master of the dream but unfolds limitless scenarios based on the dreamer's most regretful memories.

Reality and illusion, illusion and reality, constantly testing the dreamer's limits, shaping those limits into new constraints of the dream world.

The seaside city that wasn't present on the helicopter materialized as Yun Huai was lifted by his parents. The blurred faces, scents, and sounds of conversation all became more detailed with his lingering, making everything seem as real as in waking life.

It continuously hinted at the beauty of this place to Yun Huai, tempting him with what he desired most to stay here forever.

The man and woman turned into piles of sand. Familiar psychic threads appeared at Yun Huai's fingertips. He didn't watch the surrounding collapse; lifting his hand, he found his fingers returned to their familiar slender and pale appearance.

His palm rested on the control stick of the spaceship. Iliad flew around him, slightly worried. Yun Huai turned his head and saw a familiar face etched deeply in his memory.

Lu Rin'an.

He was lazily flicking his fishtail, then pointed outside the spaceship, saying, "Lucky you turned on the autopilot, or we’d have fallen into the sea the moment you were distracted."

A few seconds later, Yun Huai hummed vaguely. He looked to the side to see the familiar spaceship had landed at the sea spaceport, where there were no Ita people, just cold mechanical beings working.

"It's somewhat similar to the main star's spaceport."

"He stepped off the spaceship, and Iliad glared at Lu Lin'an before following him down."

"The spaceship was docked near the sea, where Lu Lin'an jumped into the water from the other side, creating a large splash."

"Yun Huai looked at him to see Lu Lin'an showing off his superior upper body and saying, 'Didn’t you invite me to play? Let's go.'"

"Iliad bared his teeth fiercely at him, Yun Huai pressed down on Iliad and raised his eyelashes towards Lu Lin'an: 'Stop biting device.'"

"Lu Lin'an, with the eyebrows of a stunningly beautiful fish, asked, 'What?'"

"Yun Huai glanced at him, his eyes and facial expression so faint that his true emotions were unclear, 'You forgot your biting inhibitor, I'm not sure if you'll listen to me, but when we're out, no random biting is allowed.'"

……

"In the depths of the Perswilla Sea on Blue Fi Star, a slender figure breathed within an energy shield, not opening his eyes, only his eyelids twitching slightly."

"The man's sleeping face was extraordinarily exquisite, with very fine and long eyebrows, soft silver-blue hair, and a long pearl earring on his left ear, which swayed with the breath inside the energy shield, the part near the earlobe resembled a flourishing flower bud."

"Roland Vette."

"His lips naturally curved up, under his eyelashes a hidden blue silhouette was outlined, even with his eyes closed, one could guess he was having a beautiful dream."

"Gashu moved slightly, but did not wake up, an invisible psychic force radiated outwards with the deep slumber of the dream's master, reaching far and wide."

……

"Lu Lin'an snapped back to reality, just in time to see the spaceship diving below the atmosphere."

"He looked outside, where the dark, turbulent seawater ceaselessly battered the island, with a huge dormant volcano standing majestically on the rugged, craggy island."

"This is the Sea Flame Star."

"Lu Lin'an's eyebrows twitched slightly; it was his birthplace."

"The familiar voice of the Ares resonated in his ears."

"‘Lord Lunilius, how long do you plan to stay this time?’"

"Lu Lin'an: ‘Don't call me by that name.’ Bad luck."

"Ares immediately corrected: ‘Alright, Lord Lu Lin'an, how long will you stay this time?’"

"Lu Lin'an hummed a laugh with an ambiguous tone: ‘You’re being obedient in a way that's unlike the Ares.’"

"Ares compliantly responded: ‘I am your most loyal companion.’"

"Lu Lin'an, with his arms crossed, asked: ‘How did I end up here?’"

"Ares: ‘You said you wanted to come back for a family visit.’"

"Family visit? What family? Does he even have family to visit?"

"Lu Lin'an's expression darkened momentarily as the Ares slowly descended, with a sudden, terrifying gust of wind sounding outside the opened hatch."

"Lu Lin'an abruptly looked up, only to see a giant dragon swiftly flying across the dim sky of the Sea Flame Star."

"Upon landing, he transformed into a human form, his side profile regal and handsome, casting a sensing glance towards the Ares in the darkness."

"Lu Lin'an's golden eyes flickered for a moment, met by another pair of golden eyes."

"Then a deep voice spoke: ‘What a tiny dragon baby, are you the newest offspring of the dragon clan?’"

"Lu Lin'an: ‘??’"

"The other's eyes then surveyed the spaceship behind him: ‘But you’re not that small, looking over twenty. At this age, you should meet the breeding standard — are you here alone? Where’s your mate?’"

"Lu Lin'an: ‘…………’"

"An awkward silence filled the air, followed by a clear disdain from the already matured elder."

"‘Still haven’t found one? Truly a pitiful cosmic failure.’"

"Truly, a pitiful, cosmic failure."

"What a supreme nightmare."

"Lu Lin'an closed his eyes and took a deep breath — he was going to slaughter Gashu."

"Author's note:"

"Gashu: What's this? The King of Babies! Beautifully scoop it up!"

"Gashu: What's this? The Big Bad Wolf! Malevolently step on it!"

"*Private setting of the Nilieus Dragon race, born on the Sea Flame Star, has a population, but currently, Rinzi is the youngest generation and the only one active outside. (I’ve said Rinzi is very young!)"

"*This is just a dream, not a father figure, but representing the existence of a species. The strong Rinzi is also very lonely. (Rin: Please, dream about having a wife next time, thank you.)"