Chapter 221: Have I now… become a Shoreguard you can be proud of?
“Then, equivalent exchange.”
“It is done……”
Grey's words fell like dewdrops on a calm water's surface.
Upon the originally tranquil River of Time, endless ripples began to spread.
“You…”
High above in the distant sky, the Gravekeeper Angel slightly opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something more…
But it was all already too late.
Boom——
Within that twisted, torn time, a phantom of a stone stele suddenly reflected forth.
Unlike the imagination of others, who pictured a grand, mysterious Holy Relic… this stele appeared exceedingly ordinary, only about half a man’s height.
On its rough surface were carved crooked and jagged symbols—these were the very first characters born at the dawn of human civilization’s fire.
This was the true form of the “Eternal Night Stele”… although seen by later generations as a mysterious Holy Relic passed down from the Age of the Gods, in truth, it was merely an ordinary stone block etched with crooked figures using a sharp rock.
It was not that the “Eternal Night Stele” itself possessed anything special, but because it was the first stone tablet carved with the words of civilization, that later history bestowed value upon it.
The phantom materialized.
In the next instant, that simple stele suddenly shattered, radiating light.
At that moment, countless ripples were released from the shattering stele, surging forth as if breaking free of shackles, stirring wave after wave in the eternal River of Time of the present world.
At the same time, within the surging River of Time, countless hazy shadows were slowly taking shape, converging into an endless tide and torrent.
These were the reflections of the past, echoes of history, and the lingering resonance of time etched into the stone.
They were countless memories buried under the dust of history, long lost in the ages.
…
In the earliest era, ancient dragons, giants, high elves, bloodkin, skywing species, demon wolves… these innately powerful races were the true protagonists of the mythic age.
In contrast, humans were nothing more than insignificant supporting roles in the tide of that era.
No fangs, no claws, no magic eyes or special abilities inherited from bloodlines… even less the innate connection to the Magic Web, which allowed mythic races to cast spells as easily as breathing or eating. For humans, such feats required a lifetime of effort to study and master.
They also lacked the near-endless lifespans of the long-lived races.
The average human lifespan was only a few decades. What other races considered merely their childhood was already the entirety of a human’s life.
The vast majority of humans, even across their whole lives, would never touch the realm of the extraordinary.
According to natural development, humanity would remain forever weak… surviving only as a vassal race, clinging to life under the protection of stronger races.
But—
During that era, there emerged an unnamed, slow-witted human.
He believed that every enemy in the world, every danger, every difficulty, had corresponding knowledge—and that knowledge could be transformed into skills and tools to resist them.
However, the knowledge, skills, and tools any one person could accumulate in a lifetime were limited.
Thus, in order for weak humans to resist dragons, elves, bloodkin, and other powerful races… he wove together a certain kind of ability that only slow-witted humans could wield.
Though humans had no fangs or claws, no powerful bloodline gifts or long life spans…
The transmission of knowledge, the passing of the sparks of civilization… this was a treasure that only weak humans could understand and use to overcome powerful foes.
From the method of creating fire using stones, fallen leaves, and twigs; to the technique of laying traps to hunt massive beasts…
From the experience of identifying edible fruits, to the know-how of using herbs to treat illness…
Even if, at the beginning, the knowledge passed on was just a few unremarkable summaries…
So long as it was handed down, generation after generation, and refined with time and the course of civilization’s history… improved, completed, expanded by each generation—
One day, those faint sparks would eventually become a blazing wildfire, setting the entire world alight.
And so, in the end—
All of those hopes became reality in the future.
The method of making fire by rubbing dead leaves and sticks evolved into nuclear power plants that burned like stars, enough to light up dozens of cities.
The knowledge of treating illnesses with herbs transformed into modern medicine that could reach the deepest cellular structures of all living organisms—even decoding their genetic makeup.
And humanity’s past yearning, standing on the earth and gazing at the clear starry sky… turned into artificial celestial bodies drifting in cosmic deep space, shining like stars.
…
“Damn it…”
High in the sky, thunder and storm raged.
It was the Angel’s authority—the Gravekeeper Angel had unleashed all his power, trying to prevent this from happening, trying to stop the historical reflections recorded on the Eternal Night Stele from flowing back into the real world.
But it was futile.
This was an equivalent exchange agreed upon by Grey and fate, a transaction that, once completed, could neither be altered nor reversed.
In the words of the Gravekeeper Angel himself—
This was the law of the heavens, this was destiny.
“You lunatic!”
“What benefit does this bring you? What you wished to protect has already vanished into nothingness!”
“All for those so-called ideals and obsessions, as fleeting as a dream or bubble? And you’d drag others down to die with you?”
“Those are things that bring angels no benefit, that only become shackles—everyone who ever bore those shackles is dead, whether legends or angels!”
The Gravekeeper's furious roar echoed through the sky.
As an angel, there should have been nothing in this world left that could stir his emotions… but Grey's actions had truly gone beyond all his expectations.
“You’re right. They are shackles… and manacles too.”
Grey's voice sounded softly, with a hint of haze.
“Only, everything I’ve done—was never meant to drag anyone else down with me…”
“And instead… to open a new path for future generations.”
“Just as Senior Ciel once did for me during the Battle of the Fractured Coastline.”
The River of Time, solidified into substance, manifested behind Grey. It roared and surged, and even the girl’s figure became illusory and transparent.
“O Angel of the Gravekeeper.”
“You have already become an Angel, reigning beyond the flow of time, upon that eternal throne for far, far too long——”
“So long… that you have forgotten what it felt like to be human.”
Boom——
A thunderous rumble echoed from the edge of the distant sky, yet sounded as close as right beside them.
The River of Time overflowed through the rift formed by Grey’s wish, making everything nearby shimmer and glimmer with radiant light.
Countless images from the past, belonging to the future, from different points in time, intersected and collided within this collapsing timeline.
Within the Eternal Night Stele, the reflections of past days, echoes of old times, and remnants of history buried by the Gravekeepers were quietly released…
And gradually, they began to converge, becoming ever more distinct and real.
At last, within that deepening night, something took form.
A product of countless shards of the past and fragments of history merged together… the seed of a brand-new world.
An unsprouted seed of the “Nightworld”.
……
“So——”
“The one who opened the Nightworld… it really was you, Grey.”
Rast looked at the grey-haired girl drifting within the River of Time, whose figure was gradually turning illusory, and murmured softly.
Even though he had speculated countless times in his heart, run through endless rehearsals…
But in this very moment, to personally witness the grand endeavor of the Nightworld’s genesis—he was still left utterly overwhelmed.
“But……”
“You, who ‘opened the Nightworld’, who made such a grand wish to Fate——”
“What exactly… must you pay in exchange?”
Rast’s lips trembled slightly as he whispered.
Clearly, according to Aimeith’s explanation, she merely used her power to send Rast and Dean Silver to a future node within the River of Time, without actually letting them enter.
This was a battlefield belonging only to Angels, far too dangerous for Rast in his current state… so their status now was clearly that of spectators, as if watching an old tape sealed in dust for decades.
However——
At this very moment.
As though, through the great power of destiny itself, she had sensed someone watching her across the flow of time—
That grey-haired girl also faintly turned her head.
It was a gaze exchanged across hundreds of years—one upstream, one downstream—meeting through the thunderous River of Time.
“Price… is it?”
Grey’s voice rose softly.
Up until now, even when facing another Angel from the Gravekeepers, Grey had always remained calm.
But now, on her pale and delicate face, there was clearly a trace of indescribable emotion.
“The price worthy of the great wish to ‘open the Nightworld’——”
“Must surely be everything I possess… as an Angel, mustn’t it?”
She was obviously smiling, yet her expression carried immense sorrow.
Exactly like when she parted from Rast by the Fractured Coastline back then.
“To fall from the throne of Angels, to be exiled to the deepest part of the starry sea… as an ordinary person——”
As if in response to her words, the River of Time roared and surged, stirring one twisted vortex after another.
Within each vortex, Grey’s reflections appeared.
They were the imprints she had left throughout history, in her time as an Angel.
Every Angel bore an overwhelming Temporal Uniqueness, existing in every moment and corner of the River of Time, each instant marked by an Angel’s imprint.
And Grey, as an Angel of the Fate Sequence, left far more marks upon the River of Time than any other Angel… even in death, as long as a single imprint remained in the endless time nodes, she could return again.
That was the Angel’s undying nature—the throne named “Eternity”.
But now, at this very moment, Grey was falling from that throne, slowly losing her immortal nature.
Behind her, the twisted vortexes grew ever more violent, and the reflected images within became clearer and clearer.
These were all imprints she had left in history as an Angel—her footprints, so to speak.
And now, every footprint, every imprint Grey left behind, was being slowly peeled away from the River of Time…
As the price for the great wish she made to Fate.
……
After listening to Aimeith’s heartfelt words in the hospital, Grey had made up her mind, and alone in the room at the Watchtower, she began recording a message for Brother Rast.
……
Her second wish to Fate, however, brought about an unforeseen calamity.
After the Temporal Collapse, she wandered in a daze through the burning ruins of Canaan, filled with fire and smoke, until she found the little boy buried under the rubble—and held him tightly, tears mixed into her smile.
……
During the Second War of Legends, when faced with the pressure of the King of the Iron Cross and the beast tide, she broke through to the Legendary realm mid-battle, thoroughly purged the entire Western Continent, and brought an end to centuries of darkness, formally leading the Sixth Era into the era of the Federal Civilization—Grey, the leader.
……
After the Battle of the Fractured Coastline, upon that reef-filled stony beach, she listened to Brother Rast’s battered and wounded farewell—Grey, who forced herself not to cry.
……
On the cliff of the Paradise Royal City, after hearing Brother Rast’s betrayal with her own ears, and being ravaged once more by him, she knelt helplessly in the murky mud, crying like someone abandoned by the whole world—Grey.
……
In the new recruit training camp at the Watchtower, walking the street alone like the little match girl… but upon hearing Brother Rast’s voice, those emerald eyes of hers reignited with light—Grey.
……
These were all the footprints Grey had left behind in this world.
They were also the most precious things deep within her heart—shining like diamonds, memories that had not faded even after centuries.
But at this very moment…
All those imprints, all those memories, were being gradually wiped away by the River of Time, leaving behind nothing but pure void.
As though someone had pressed rewind on Grey’s life, everything was being traced back, bit by bit—only to be erased, bit by bit.
Until it reached the very end of memory, the origin of everything.
A small town in the darkness, endless white mist.
This was the place known as “Frozenwater Town”, and also the starting point of the girl named Grey’s life.
It was here that she first encountered Brother Rast.
……
The end of memory was a dim room.
Back then, still naive and ignorant of the world, Grey had sneaked into Rast’s room, intending to steal the Shoreguard Medals belonging to Rast and Hiltina.
At that time, she believed that as long as she got the medal, she could join the Shoreguards and receive protection from the strongest people in this world.
And it was also on that day that Rast gave her the name “Grey”—and for the first time, she possessed something called an ideal.
“‘Shoreguards’ do not represent the safe and stable life you imagine.”
“It is a set of manacles, a pair of shackles—even… a curse.”
“A curse that will follow you all your life, like a festering wound clinging to your bones, never to be broken free from, not until the end of your life.”
“Before you truly resolve to shoulder this curse, do not lightly speak of ‘becoming a Shoreguard’.”
That was the conversation that took place back then, in the dim room of Frozenwater Town.
And now, it mirrored that moment exactly.
“Back then, in that dark room of Frozenwater Town…”
“Brother Rast, you solemnly refuted the childish thoughts I held, speaking such grave words——”
“Brother Rast, you said that with the resolve I had at the time, I was not qualified to speak of ‘becoming a Shoreguard’.”
Grey’s whisper drifted across the River of Time, slowly reaching Rast’s ears.
“Then… what about now?”
“Brother Rast.”
Grey simply smiled faintly like that.
The flowing afterglow of time fell upon the side of her face, outlining her clear and deep features.
“Now, have I…”
“Become a proper Shoreguard, one you can be proud of?”