Chapter 61: Make A Wish

The area around the house was spotless in less than five minutes, cleaned by swarms of shadows as though the battle had never happened.

Charles slowly walked over to Xia Jiuwei and Lu Nian'an.

"I truly owe you both this time. I don't even know how I could possibly repay you."

As he spoke, he unconsciously lowered his head.

He knew perfectly well these weren't people he could simply ask for help.

But Xia Jiuwei's reply caught him completely off guard.

"Don't be so formal. If anything, I'm the one who should be thanking you."

She casually patted him on the shoulder.

"The life you live is actually pretty fascinating."

A smile spread across her face.

"As a reward, I'll grant you one wish—as long as it isn't too outrageous."

She looked at him.

"So... what would you wish for?"

Charles stood there in silence.

His gaze drifted into the distance until it settled upon the snow-covered peaks beyond the valley.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"Skiing."

"I want to take the kids skiing."

Xia Jiuwei blinked in surprise.

Charles continued quietly, his eyes still fixed on the mountains.

"In this world, skiing isn't exactly safe... or practical."

"The kids see those snowy mountains every single day, but they've never actually had the chance to ski."

"If I could let them experience it just once..."

Xia Jiuwei gave him an odd look.

"You're sure that's the wish you want?"

Charles thought about it again.

But in the end, his answer remained unchanged.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Xia Jiuwei turned and walked away, pulling Lu Nian'an along with her.

After a few steps, she suddenly looked back.

"Oh, by the way."

"You don't mind if we stay on the empty lot next to your house tonight, do you?"

Charles paused for a moment before shaking his head.

Soon, he witnessed something he would never forget.

The empty ground beside the house suddenly split open, as though space itself had been sliced apart by an invisible blade.

Through the opening stood an elegant little villa.

Xia Jiuwei tilted her head as she studied the opening, looking faintly dissatisfied.

A moment later, the spatial rift slowly sealed itself shut, leaving behind nothing but a solitary door standing in the middle of the clearing.

She and Lu Nian'an walked toward it.

When the door swung open, its front revealed the villa's beautifully decorated foyer.

Yet from the opposite side, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary door.

The two women stepped inside.

Before closing it, Xia Jiuwei turned back and waved.

"See you tomorrow."

The door clicked softly shut.

Charles stood there in silence for quite a while.

After witnessing one impossible thing after another, he found himself gradually becoming numb to it all.

In the end, he simply let out a quiet sigh.

"I should go check on the kids."

Then he turned and headed back into the house, making his way downstairs.

Once inside, Xia Jiuwei casually shut the door behind them.

"Let's stay here tonight. Going back to our own world would just mean waiting for the time difference again."

As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around Lu Nian'an from behind, lazily resting her chin on her shoulder.

Lu Nian'an smiled helplessly.

"Alright, alright. But go take a shower first."

Completely satisfied, Xia Jiuwei finally skipped off toward the bathroom.

After her shower, she walked out while towel-drying her hair.

Somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd forgotten something important.

Then she spotted Lu Nian'an standing outside the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes.

Xia Jiuwei suddenly froze.

Her pupils contracted slightly.

Her face immediately filled with regret.

"Eight..."

"Eight people with abilities..."

She clutched her head and began muttering to herself.

Lu Nian'an took one look at her expression and immediately understood.

She reached out and gently pinched Xia Jiuwei's still-damp cheek.

"Regretting that you didn't steal all eight abilities?"

Xia Jiuwei's face fell even further.

"I regret it so much..."

She sounded genuinely heartbroken.

Lu Nian'an nearly laughed.

"You silly girl."

"There'll be plenty of chances in the future."

"If we keep exploring, we're bound to run into more bandits."

"So why be this upset over just eight abilities?"

Xia Jiuwei considered that seriously.

Then she looked up.

"Then come collect abilities with me from now on."

"Of course."

Lu Nian'an agreed without the slightest hesitation.

After Lu Nian'an finished her shower, the two of them went to bed early.

The roof of the little villa remained open.

The sky of the Under-Reality overlapped with reality, allowing the Swiss night sky to revealing the Swiss night sky above them.

Lying side by side, they gazed at countless stars woven together into a brilliant river of light.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Mhm."

Silence followed.

Neither of them spoke again.

It felt as though even time itself had slowed.

After a long while, Xia Jiuwei finally broke the silence.

"Nian'an."

"Hm?"

"Do you think killing people is cruel?"

Lu Nian'an didn't answer immediately.

So Xia Jiuwei continued.

"I don't think I can ever go back."

"I used to think I'd never be able to kill someone so calmly."

"I still haven't completely gotten there..."

"But normally... seeing someone die should make you feel terrible."

"Yet today, looking at those bodies... looking at those horrific wounds..."

"I felt almost nothing."

She stared up at the sea of stars.

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"All I could think was..."

"...that they deserved to face the consequences of their own actions."

"Does that make me too cr—"

Before she could finish, Lu Nian'an gently bit her lip.

Xia Jiuwei blinked in surprise and turned her head, finding Lu Nian'an's face only inches away.

"I told you before."

Lu Nian'an spoke softly.

"I'll always be by your side."

"I'll always be one of your own."

She simply leaned quietly against Xia Jiuwei, the two of them continuing to watch the glittering stars together.

Early the next morning, Charles told the two little ones that they were going skiing.

Lukas and Elena were so excited that they had bundled themselves up before the sun had fully risen.

Their thick winter coats turned them into two round little snowballs.

Each wore a hand-knitted wool hat and a scarf wrapped snugly around the neck.

Even Lukas, who normally hated wearing gloves, obediently stuffed each finger into his snow gloves.

"Dad! Dad!"

"Are the sisters really taking us skiing today?"

Lukas asked eagerly, looking up at him.

Charles smiled and nodded.

"They are."

"Then... where are they staying?"

Instead of answering, Charles simply pointed outside.

Following his gesture, the two children ran toward the lone door standing in the clearing beside the house.

Lukas rose onto his tiptoes, stretching as high as he could.

The door wasn't locked.

With a gentle push, it swung open.

Behind it...

...was nothing.

Just the same empty clearing beside the house.

Lukas blinked.

He leaned left.

Then right.

"Dad's messing with me, isn't he?"

Frowning suspiciously at the inexplicable door, he reached out and closed it again.

The very next second—

The door slowly opened by itself.

Both children's eyes went wide.

The scenery beyond had completely changed.

The empty clearing had vanished.

In its place stood the villa's elegant entrance hall.

And walking out from inside were Xia Jiuwei and Lu Nian'an.

The sudden change startled both children so badly that they tumbled backward onto the ground.

But their excitement over skiing quickly overcame their fear.

Lukas scrambled to his feet.

"Big Sis, are we really going skiing today?"

"We sure are."

Xia Jiuwei smiled and nodded.

"Go get your dad. We'll leave as soon as he's here."

"Okay!"

The two little ones immediately dashed back into the house.

Their short legs pumped furiously, and before long they returned, practically dragging Charles back outside.

Charles was carrying several snowboards.

Shadows spread from beneath Lu Nian'an's feet, wrapping around the equipment before quietly storing everything inside the Under-Reality.

Moments later, the enormous shadow slowly rose from the darkness on the ground.

The two children instinctively shrank back.

Even though they had seen it once yesterday, standing before the gigantic creature again was still intimidating.

Charles gently nudged them forward.

In return, he was met with two pairs of eyes that looked on the verge of tears.

After several minutes of hesitant shuffling, the children finally gathered enough courage to climb onto the shadow's shoulder.

Several tendril-like shadows extended from its body, gently wrapping around their waists.

No matter how much they wriggled, there was no danger of falling.

Once they realized they were perfectly safe, Lukas and Elena quickly became excited again.

Xia Jiuwei and Lu Nian'an sat on the shadow's left hand, while Charles took his place on the right.

The gigantic shadow burst forward.

The wind roared past their ears as it raced across the landscape.

Following Charles's directions, it sprinted swiftly along the mountain roads.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance to the snow-covered mountain.