Chapter 253: Strengthening the Will and Steadfast the Cognition

"Hmm...what...is going on..."

A young man woke up vaguely, looking at the dim and damp coast in front of him, his expression full of confusion.

He still remembered that he was chatting and dating his girlfriend just now, and was about to enter the hotel and then step onto the "ladder of adulthood"... How did he end up here in a daze?

and...

"The fog is so thick..."

The young man murmured in a low voice.

In front of his eyes, everything was covered with a thick layer of fog. Coupled with the dim sky, the surrounding fog also appeared gray, making it difficult to see things in the distance.

But... there was one thing he was clear about.

"There is the sound of waves..."

The young man scratched his head and muttered to himself in confusion.

"Besides, the air around here is very humid... Could it be that I have suddenly come to a beach?"

The young man became a little frightened. He had heard that coastal areas are now high-risk areas, and almost all coasts have special forces stationed and defending... It is said that a disaster called Honkai often breaks out on the seashore, and monsters called Honkai beasts will crawl out of the sea like a tide.

"But... there are no other indicators nearby..."

The young man looked around. There was still gray fog. Only the sound of waves echoed in his ears as if guiding him.

"Well... if I go there... it should be okay, right? Since there are troops stationed in the coastal areas, I should be able to get help if I go there?"

The young man talked to himself, and he felt that his inference was correct... There was no other way, he had no other reference points to look for, and could only rely on the sound of the waves to determine the direction.

"But... to be on the safe side, let's not go towards the sea."

The young man decided this... After all, they were told that the ocean was a dangerous area, so it would be better for civilians like them not to provoke Honkai.

'Relying on the waves, and walking along the seaside area, I should be able to encounter the troops stationed here?' The young man thought so.

"I'm glad you decided that."

A female voice that was somewhat crisp and had a hint of clarity in its words came from beside him.

"Um?!"

The sudden sound startled the young man. He took a step back away from the female voice and turned his head to look in the direction where the sound came from.

"If you use the sound of the waves as a guide and head towards the ocean... it would be dangerous, even though this is not a real ocean."

"Um...do you see my [light]? I'm here."

She said so.

Soon, the young man saw a ray of fire gradually appearing in the light gray fog, faint and hazy.

But as the fire got closer, the young man found that it was a bright enough fire, a red fire that radiated warmth and a sense of security.

Even the thick fog around it seemed to be afraid of the fire. When it approached, the fog quietly retreated to make room for the fire, giving people a feeling that it had "illuminated" everything around it... No, it really illuminated everything around it.

Because the fire was burning in a lantern, and the person who was speaking was the holder of the lantern.

Retracting his gaze from the lantern that was filled with warmth and security, the young man looked at the girl in front of him. She was a little petite but had a gun and a rapier on her waist, and a pair of black wings on her head that looked like a headband. She was obviously a "non-human" girl... He knew that the girl in front of him must be one of the heroes promoted in the news.

'In other words... I was saved?' This was the young man's first thought.

Then, a question mark popped up in his head.

"What do you mean when you say... this isn't the real sea?"

"It means exactly what it says. You can treat everything here as an illusion, or you can treat it all as your [dream]... Anyway, don't worry about it for now."

She...or rather, Irine explained it briefly, but considering the current situation it was difficult to explain it clearly in a few words, so she quickly dropped the topic.

She raised the [lantern] in her hand slightly, her eyes focused slightly, the [light] swayed slightly, and then burned more violently, the blooming light became more dazzling, and the originally warm feeling suddenly became a little... hot?

But in the young man's perception, this "heat" is still within an acceptable range... It is better to say that in such a damp and cold environment at the seaside and with heavy fog, this hot feeling makes him feel quite comfortable and warm.

The thick fog around... quickly retreated as if it had encountered some "natural enemy". Although the fog still did not dissipate, under the dazzling [light], the young man could see the surrounding objects clearly... Unfortunately, there were still no reference objects around, only the ground that was obviously wet.

"Okay, follow my light, pay attention to the fog around you, and... pay attention to the sounds of the waves and tides."

Irine held up the [lantern] and spoke in a steady but stern tone.

"If you feel the sound of the waves approaching you, tell me immediately, okay?"

"Okay, I understand. I'll follow you closely."

The young man nodded repeatedly, took a few steps forward, followed behind Irine, and walked with her in the thick fog.

After a while, the young man saw a camp where there were many civilians who were obviously as confused as he was. At the same time, there were also several soldiers holding lanterns like Irine.

"Ah...Captain Irine!"

A soldier who was obviously on guard saw Irine coming back, so she quickly ran over with the [lantern] in her hand and saluted Irine... However, the height of this female soldier was much taller than Irine, which made the scene look a little funny to the young man...

However, the temperament exuded by Irine and the attitude displayed by the tall female soldier in front of him still made the young man maintain his respect for Irine.

"Well, this is another civilian I found... He's pretty good. He didn't follow the sound of the waves to the beach... I'll make a record of him later and keep it on file. After this incident is over, I'll ask the higher-ups to pay more attention to him."

"Clear."

"Eh? Ah? No, no, no, I'm just an ordinary citizen. I can't go to the battlefield."

Listening to the conversation between the two, the young man was still a little confused and subconsciously thought that Irine was going to ask him to do something.

"No, we don't mean to send you to the front line. That's what we should do then... but you are a rare person who can resist the persuasion of the ocean with your own consciousness in this incident... so we want to learn some information from people like you and see what all this is like in your eyes."

Irine explained as briefly as possible, then turned around and motioned for the young man to follow her team members.

"I have other things to take care of. You will stay in this base for now. Don't worry, it's safe here. My team members will stay here to take care of you. There's no need to panic... Just wait for this to be over."

"Oh..."

The young man nodded and walked obediently towards the base that was illuminated and protected by many [lights]. Irine nodded to her teammates, then turned around and walked into the thick fog again.

......

Crash——

The sound of the waves echoed in her ears, and the humid air rushed directly into her nostrils through the thick fog.

[Ire...ne...]

There was a faint call echoing in her mind, noisy, distorted, and full of weirdness... No, that's not right! It wasn't coming from her mind but from all around her!

"Hmm..."

Irine covered her head in annoyance... Everything in front of her was not real, and the sea in front of her was not real, but why could she still hear this kind of "hallucination"?!

The flame in the [lantern] flickered slightly, as if the wind was trying to blow it out as if water was trying to put it out, but...

"Hiss... huh…"

Irine closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing. When she opened her eyes again, her silver-gray eyes were full of determination. The flame in the lantern instantly stabilized and shone brightly again.

The heat of the flames dispelled the humid air, and the bright light swept away the surrounding thick fog, finally revealing... the seawater less than a hundred meters away from Irine.

"...Sure enough, this distance is still too far."

Irine frowned... However, she did not intend to go back. There were only a few people who were capable of moving in this strange space, and she was one of them... She had to search for civilians who accidentally came here in the thick fog and bring them back to the safe base.

Especially in this area which is getting closer to the sea, if those bewitched civilians are not brought back in time... what will happen, Irine doesn't know, after all, she has not yet escaped from this spiritual world.

But she knew that if she came into contact with seawater, the consequences would not be good...either in reality or here.

"Uh-huh?"

Irine continued searching along the beach, but after a while, she saw another cluster of fire in the distance... no, it should be a ball of fire with a vaguely human shape.

"Hua?"

After getting a little closer, Irine finally saw the true appearance of the fire - it was the flames burning on Hua's hands, but they were burning so violently that they enveloped her entire body.

"Ah...well, it's you, Irine."

Hua seemed to be in a daze, or perhaps she was startled by something. After Irine called her, she slowly withdrew her gaze from the sea and turned to look at Irine.

"...Hua, you should know that you can't get close to seawater. It's too dangerous...even for us."

Irine frowned. Hua's behavior just now seemed as if she was somewhat bewitched by the ocean, so she gave him a warning.

"I know that the ocean is a mutation caused by the Honkai, and my relatives, friends, and people I know all left me because of the Honkai... I will never forgive it, and I will never be bewitched by it."

Hua raised her hands which were still burning with flames and clenched her fists slightly. The flames seemed to have heard her words and sensed her consciousness, burning even more fiercely, dispersing the moisture around them, and even causing a faint feeling of heat.

"Fighting the Honkai to the end for humanity... This is our duty, and I will never forget it."

"Only..."

Hua paused slightly at this time, with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"I just saw the captain... on the other side of the sea."

"Captain?"

"Yes, that is... the former captain of the fifth team, the one who saved me, Himeko."

Hua nodded and said softly.

"I can't mistake her. That figure and that fiery red hair."

"But she has already sacrificed herself."

Irine was silent for a while before she stated this fact with some difficulty.

"...Yes, she has already been sacrificed, I know."

Hua also paused for a moment before responding softly.

"... Never mind. Maybe I saw it wrong, or maybe Honkai is tempting us in some new way."

Hua shook her head, reluctantly gave herself an explanation, and turned around.

"I'm going to change the direction of the search... I'll leave the area behind to you."

"...Yes, I understand."

Irine also knew that after what happened just now, Hua might want to stay away from the area close to the sea, so she did not refuse but just nodded in agreement.

"Thank you very much."

Hua also understood that Irine was taking care of her, so she nodded and continued to walk into the thick fog with the flame... As for her safety, Irine was not worried. After all, Hua's ability as a fusion warrior included fire, so it was easy for her to dispel the thick fog around her.

"But... an illusion? A new way of bewitching?"

Irine frowned, and looked towards the sea again in the direction Hua had just looked...but she saw nothing, only the increasingly dark sea fog.

"Never mind."

Irine withdrew her gaze and continued to move forward with the [lantern].

What is more important right now is to find the civilians who are lost here.

[Irine...]

In a trance, Irine could hear someone calling her name in the water, on the other side of the ocean...

It was a very familiar voice, a voice she remembered.

"...teacher?"

The familiar voice made Irine subconsciously turn her gaze and look toward the ocean.

And then... Irine saw it, it seemed like it was standing on the sea, its lower body covered by thick fog, only its upper body was relatively clear... Nozomi?

Relying on the enhanced vision of the fusion warrior, Irine could indeed vaguely see that it was indeed Nozomi's face, the face of her teacher, but... the hair color was wrong, the pupil color was wrong, and more importantly... the expression was wrong!

Her teacher didn't have such white hair like waves, and the gold and scarlet colors in his pupils wouldn't be so numerous and bright.

More importantly... her teacher would never laugh so weirdly, so "evil" like some big devil!

Absolutely not!

"hiss..."

Irine closed her eyes, blocking out her visual perception, her hands unconsciously clenched, and the flame in the lantern flickered gently a few times.

[Irene...]

"shut up!"

Irine let out a low roar, and the [lights] suddenly lit up, dispersing the thick fog that was approaching.

"you are not allowed to use my teacher to deceive me!"

Irine warned the ocean in a low voice, her silver-gray eyes filled with anger, and even her other hand was on the sword at her waist as if she would pull it out at any time.

Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes again, the figure of Nozomi had disappeared, as if it were just an illusion that Irine saw.

"sigh..."

Irine was silent for a moment, slowly retracted her expression, and adjusted her breathing.

She now understood why Hua had that expression just now.

but...

"I will do it, teacher."

Irine whispered to herself, as if she was making a promise to someone, or as if she was encouraging herself.

Immediately, she held the [lantern] in her hand and continued to walk forward with a firm look and steps.

Maybe there are still people lost in this area, and she wants to bring them back to a safe place.

…

......

"She is as determined as you expected, Nozomi."

Somewhere along the coast shrouded in thick fog, Aponia stood gently on the shore, with her hands folded in front of her, her body slightly leaning forward, and spoke to Nozomi with a hint of respect.

"Well, of course, I know she can do it."

Nozomi said with a smile.

"The lights are prepared for her."

"…You seem to have made plans."

"Haven't you seen it? Through the [thread] on my body."

"Indeed… that's the case."

Aponia paused for a moment, hesitated for a while, and then spoke again.

"But I still want to..."

"Goodbye."

Nozomi interrupted her bluntly.

"If you want to [move forward], you must pay a [price]. This is inevitable... Aponia, you can no longer continue to show your mercy at this point."

"Especially, you can't use 'commands' to make people maintain their own understanding of people... any similar 'commands' are not acceptable."

Nozomi warned seriously.

"...I understand. If this is your expectation and your decision, I...will definitely follow it."

Aponia hesitated... but finally nodded and agreed.

"Well... that's good."

Nozomi's tone softened again, and his expression returned to his usual relaxed and cheerful look.

"After that, go help Dystopia. She's being received by my 'blood relative'. She might be in a lot of trouble... Just help her out and she'll leave on her own."

"After that, I will evacuate this area... This incident will be over for now."

"You have to work hard for everything that follows, okay? After all, your position is also crucial in 'this time', my [Miss Nun]~"

There was a hint of frivolity in Nozomi's tone, which made Aponia stunned for a moment.

"This time... Come to think of it, you seem to have a lot of special [threads] on your body. No, have they become more?"

Aponia thought for a moment before asking softly with a hint of uncertainty and inquiry in her tone.

"I can see that the [thread] between you, Eden, Sakura, and Dr. Mobius seems to be very special."

"Besides this, there is another more special and increasingly conspicuous [thread]... Is it the 'blood relative' you mentioned?"

"No, why are you asking this?"

Nozomi's expression looked a little strange.

"No... I'm just confirming something."

Aponia shook her head slowly.

"Although I cannot see the path you have taken, I know that you must have stepped on thorns and waded through hardships to finally get here, to this moment, and finally make up your mind."

"Because of this, I am more and more convinced that only they, only those who have a special connection with you, can support you to this moment... It is they who give you the motivation and will to move forward."

"I am... increasingly convinced of this."

Aponia said softly.

"...Really, the privileges He has given you are outrageous."

Nozomi said as if he had a headache.

"That's my duty."

Aponia said so.

"Well... let's just leave it at that."

Nozomi did not discuss this topic too much. After making some guesses about a certain aspect of himself, he was more or less reluctant to mention it... Of course, more importantly, he still had not completely rewritten the [ending] and had not turned this [story] into what he wanted.

He still has a lot to do and a lot to change.

So... he didn't want to discuss this topic yet, nor did he want to talk about anything related to "Him."

"But you are wrong about one thing, my [Miss Nun]."

"Um?"

"If I really want to talk about it, what has supported me to this point is..."

Nozomi moved his gaze back and looked at her. The corners of his mouth raised slightly with a smile that contained a hint of tenderness. He stretched out his hand and pointed at her in the air, signaling to her.

"It should be [you]."

"ah..."

Aponia was stunned for a moment, her eyes drooped slightly, as if she were in a moment of shock and thought.

"…Well, it's just as you said."

In the end, she just lowered her head devoutly, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and agreed to Nozomi's statement without any intention of refutation.