“It seems you've made your decision. Now, it's time for me to wake up Little Star!”
Noah took one last deep look at the three of them before slowly closing his eyes.
At the same time, Starlight’s body, now devoid of control, slumped limply against the treant’s broad back.
Starlight, completely unaware of the events in the outside world, was currently looking around a space filled with pale blue mist, having no idea of the emergency unfolding beyond.
“My head is so dizzy... what happened?”
“Where is this? Wasn't I at the bottom of the tomb in District One with Po Kong? And Moen and the others... how did I get here?”
“Right... we were fighting an ancient god named Taros... Noah! Are you there? Noah!”
Starlight shouted into the unfamiliar space, but no one answered him. There was nothing around him, and not even an echo returned.
Just as he was starting to feel at a loss, the mist in front of him silently parted to reveal a small path, seemingly guiding him in that direction.
Seeing this, he hesitated for a few seconds. But after waiting a moment and seeing no other movement in the swirling mist, he could only carefully follow the path deeper into the fog.
In this strange world, Starlight couldn't even hear his own footsteps. He felt as if he were walking on a piece of slightly elastic cowhide; the sensation was quite subtle.
After walking for a while, he finally passed through the lingering white mist. The scene before him gradually became clear, and a small house came into view—exactly like the image he had depicted in his heart countless times.
This house was the home where he had spent over a decade in that nameless valley. Even the surrounding vegetation remained just as it was in his memories, without the slightest change.
However, slightly different from his memory was a graceful figure in a green dress standing quietly beneath the eaves.
Starlight looked closely. The woman in green, who had her back to him, had deep blue hair that fell all the way to her waist. She was holding a small bundle in her arms.
Flowing from her lips was a quiet and beautiful song. The voice was like a bubbling mountain stream, gentle and pleasant to the ear, carrying endless maternal love and care. Every note seemed to hold magic, making the surrounding air peaceful and serene.
“That’s...”
Although Starlight had never seen this woman with his own eyes, the familiar aura she radiated allowed him to understand everything in an instant. A name, both strange and familiar, quietly surfaced in his heart.
“Mother...? Is it you?”
Starlight stood frozen in place for a long time. A thousand words surged in his heart, but for a moment, he couldn't find the right words to express them.
Ultimately, he could only call out that name he had dreamed of for over a decade in a faint voice.
Hearing his call, the figure in the green dress trembled slightly. She then slowly turned around, revealing a face identical to the portrait in Carlos's secret chamber.
“Oh! Little Star, you're here! Why are you just standing there? Come here~” Moen-White finally noticed Starlight standing there in a daze, and a brilliant smile blossomed on her face as she called out to him cheerfully.
Starlight walked slowly toward Moen, his voice filled with disbelief. “Mother... aren't you already... but how can you be here? Where is this place? Could it be that I’ve also...”
Moen did not respond directly to his questions. Instead, she met him with a gentle smile, her gaze shifting between Starlight and the delicately featured infant in her arms. She said softly:
“It seems a lot of time has passed. Little Star, you’ve actually grown so much! Hmm... you really do look like your father, but your eyes and hair are more like mine.”
“...I... I missed you... every day...” Starlight finally reached Moen’s side, speaking as he looked at his mother’s strange yet familiar smiling face.
“I know~ And not just that, I know everything about your current situation!” Moen reached out a hand and gently placed it on his black hair, slowly stroking it with eyes full of warmth.
“Look, you were only this small here, but now you’re so tall that I have to raise my hand just to touch you~ Sigh... what a pity... I’ve missed so much time.”
As Moen spoke, she suddenly sighed, appearing somewhat unhappy.
But Starlight couldn't see a hint of true dissatisfaction in her dark eyes; that complaint sounded more like she was acting spoiled toward him.
“Mother... what are you saying? Aren't you standing right here, alive and well? Where have you been all these years...”
Starlight was about to ask more, but Moen’s hand gently lowered to cover his mouth.
She shook her head slightly, her eyes carrying a hint of helplessness and resignation as she spoke.
“Actually, you’ve already realized it, haven't you? This isn't the real world. Although I really wanted to see you again, this wasn't a good idea!”
“I wasn't supposed to meet you under these circumstances, but it seems there was no other way. You can blame that guy Carlos for that~”
“But I also wanted to take this chance to look at you a bit more. After all, after this time, there might not be another chance...”
As Starlight listened intently to his mother’s words, a sudden sense of dread crept into his heart.
He realized that Moen’s body was gradually becoming transparent, and even her voice was starting to grow faint, as if it were being carried away by the wind.
“Little Star... Little Star...” In its place, Carlos’s voice began to drift in from all directions, becoming increasingly clear.
As his voice grew closer, the pale blue space began to twist and warp, looking as if it could collapse at any moment.
Just as Starlight was at a loss for what to do, Moen pulled him into a tight embrace with her almost completely transparent body, comforting him with a voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
“It’s okay, Little Star. I’m already satisfied just being able to see you once. You’ll have to forge your own path from now on. Face your fate bravely... Goodbye, my child!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Moen’s body completely vanished into thin air before Starlight’s eyes. The world lost its original color and shape, shattering like a cracked mirror with a sharp crack.
In the next second, Starlight snapped his eyes open amidst a flurry of noise. He looked around at his surroundings blankly, finding himself back in that dark underground tomb.
Although his body was still a bit stiff, his spirit was exceptionally invigorated, as if he had just experienced a long and sweet dream that had swept away all his previous fatigue, yet a sense of inexplicable loss lingered in his heart.
“Mr. Starlight, are you alright?” Moen, who was beside him, saw him open his eyes and immediately leaned over, looking at him with concern.
“I... how long was I out? I think I just... what was I dreaming about?” Starlight held his head, feeling a bit confused. It felt as if something important had vanished from his memory.
Rate on N.U.
