Chapter 58: Chapter 56: I Want to Tell You So Much
"Walnut, I’m here to see you."
Every time I hear these words, I know it’s my strange husband Xiaoke coming over.
Strange appearance.
Strange voice.
Over the years, even his way of dancing has been consistently strange.
Xiaoke often comes to see me, bringing snacks and playing with me.
Those times are always the happiest days for me.
Ah, I really like it.
So one day, I danced before him.
He watched, clapping his hands without understanding.
"Walnut seems very happy today, though I don’t know why, but the dance is quite beautiful."
He said that.
I was furious.
Idiot, idiot, idiot!
Can’t even understand the meaning of a dance?
Fortunately, the silly upright ape next to me was somewhat smart and told him:
"It’s trying to court you."
Xiaoke showed a strange expression at that time.
But the next day, he waved his arms and made cawing sounds.
He responded to me.
I was stunned.
Because... he danced terribly.
But... I like it!
That summer, Xiaoke and I made a lifelong promise.
From then on, every time I saw Xiaoke, I would dance happily, and he would awkwardly respond to me.
But sometimes, I’d be unhappy.
"Darling, you seem to have someone else’s scent on you!"
I, Walnut, am quite possessive!
Of course, I knew he couldn’t understand what I was saying.
So I was only upset for a little while.
Later...
Later, when he came to see me, there was no other scent on him.
Huh?
Even if he couldn’t understand, did he know why I was angry?
But once, he still upset me.
That day, a reporter from the Ethereal Emblem Daily came over and started snapping pictures.
I wasn’t too keen on interacting with her.
Weird human female.
But she went to find Xiaoke, saying she wanted to interview him or something.
That day, I stared at the female reporter intently, then started preening my feathers.
Hmph, I’m getting jealous and angry.
But it seemed Xiaoke understood me.
He told the woman:
"Walnut’s shifting its attack power, it feels offended and is declaring territory, so let’s hurry and finish the interview."
Hmph hmph.
Xiaoke is indeed smart.
But there are times when I’m also unhappy.
For example, when he helps me groom my feathers, I thought he would do something rough.
But he really just helped me groom, making me lose interest.
Sometimes when he notices my disinterest, he would curiously ask:
"Is there something I did to upset you? Can you tell me?"
At that time, I instinctively said:
"I’m afraid of pain, but you could be a bit rougher."
Alas...
This time, he couldn’t understand again.
So I started brooding in silence again.
Frustrated.
Why can’t we communicate well with each other?
"Why is communicating so difficult!"
"Do you not want to see me anymore?"
"If you don’t want to see me, then don’t! I won’t like you anymore! Go away!"
Furious.
Other White-crowned Crane couples are inseparable.
But Xiaoke disappears for two days every week.
He says it’s... a Sunday double day off?
Clearly, the manager uncle is working all the time.
Once or twice is fine.
But if it goes on for long, I get very angry.
But when Xiaoke picked some nice branches to pacify me and helped me build a nest, I softened again.
Actually, I had long understood.
I knew it all.
Even though I always said Xiaoke was strange.
Disappearing inexplicably for two days every five days.
And he divides his attention between me and other Magical Creatures.
He never eats the food I give him and eats strange things.
But I know.
The strange one is actually me.
Sometimes I try to resist this idea.
Try to feel dislike.
But I just couldn’t manage to dislike him.
Because I like Xiaoke too much.
So, as long as he stays with me a bit more, that would be enough.
At least before I leave...
Every night, when I look up at that Red Moon in the sky, strange thoughts arise.
It feels like I’m going to merge into the Red Moon.
That feeling is so clear.
Every month, when the broken Red Moon is at its brightest, I dream.
In the dream, I become someone else.
A person whose shape and features are more like Xiaoke, a real person.
In that moment, I would hear a voice.
"Kallen, I grant you indestructible matter, even if you are eroded by the rain and wind, oxidized into the breeze, turned into the bubbles scattered from a beer, become the dust nestling under streetlights, just as the atoms of the universe will not vanish, we will meet again."
The one claiming to be my father always says this to me.
But I clearly remember, I have no father.
Just sometimes, I hear people mention the great existence in the Star Realm, the nemesis of the Evil God, the King of Redemption.
At those times, a sense of deja vu always wells up.
As if I had seen that existence many years ago.
So, am I part of the Red Moon?
I don’t understand.
I can’t tell.
I really can’t tell.
Clearly feeling like I’m about to be consumed by the Red Moon.
But why, why do I have a feeling of reuniting?
After that, the feeling became clearer.
It felt like Xiaoke’s watch, bit by bit, ticking towards my destined fate.
I really want to see Xiaoke again.
But it seems he has to go explore the Maze again.
Really, why do humans have so many things to deal with?
If I could become human too, and stay by his side, that would be good.
Thinking about this, I felt the approaching fate of convergence.
Like the hands of a clock signaling the end of a day.
This day, finally came.
I wasn’t afraid.
Just really wished to see him one last time before leaving.
Then...
He really came to me.
"You’re leaving, aren’t you?"
He quietly fed me, I pecked at my feathers, no longer dancing like in the past.
Because I couldn’t move anymore.
I heard his calm but urgent voice.
"Law of Blessing."
"Law of Life."
"Law of Life."
"Law of Life."
...
Warm powers flowed into my body, but before the Red Moon Power, all forces were silent.
Then he said: "Optimize!"
At that moment, I heard the sound of the Extraordinary Origin within him shattering.
Heartbroken, I nuzzled his hand, telling him to stop.
But he still unhesitatingly called out the third time.
"Optimize."
Another Origin left him, and his once-surging Life Energy plummeted like an avalanche.
Yet the Red Moon’s power continued to spread, I heard his voice, so calm it felt devoid of pain.
He whispered to me:
"Walnut, I’m out of strength."
What was that overwhelming feeling that surged forth at that moment?
I couldn’t understand anymore.
"It’s okay, Xiaoke..."
With the Red Moon precipitating, I could finally communicate with him in human language for the first time.
"And, thank you."
It was time to say goodbye to him.
But why does it feel so hard to part?
Ah, I understand now.
It’s because I want to see you.
Really want to be with you again.
...
On the hospital bed, a tear escaped from the sleeping Lilith’s eye.