464 Harmony
Selma Payne’s POV:
My father was the only one who was barely holding on, but his environment was not optimistic. Those conspiracies, those open spears and hidden arrows, those daggers hidden in smiles, those wind blades and frost swords had tormented my father for so many years. His lover and family had always been the solid pillars that supported him. Now that the house was about to collapse, how much longer could my father hold on?
If my father fell, what would the future hold?
Could our family be destined to face a catastrophe? Otherwise, why would so many inexplicable disasters befall our family?
Looking at my mother’s dodging expression and resistant movements, my father’s tired expression, and undetectable sadness, I suddenly felt the air thin. Every breath seemed to hide invisible needles, blowing up my windpipe and lungs.
The cold blood flowed through my body, turning me into an ice sculpture from head to toe. I could only helplessly endure the endless torture.
I felt pain and nausea in my stomach as if something had dissolved. A strong acid erupted and gradually eroded my bones and internal organs.
Intense pain struck my body, and my overloaded nerves sent a danger signal to my brain. My self-protection mechanism tried to escape the torture by fainting.
In the last moment of the darkness, I saw my father’s anxious face and mouth opening and closing.
I didn’t hear anything.
‘Father…’
‘I’m sorry…’
The wind, the melodious wind.
No matter how chaotic the outside world was, this wasteland was always calm and peaceful. The stream flowed to an endless distance. The breeze swept the low or lush grass, bringing a few black and gold moths flying toward the sky.
I woke up in the stream. The cold water washed over my body. My soft wet hair floated in the clear stream, gently swaying like seaweed and goldfish.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
I remained silent.
The fluttering black-gold moth rested on the tip of my nose for a while, giving me an itchy feeling. I sneezed, scaring away the black-gold moth and breaking this moment of silence.
“Are you alright?” she repeated.
“I don’t think so,” I replied.
“Oh, really? Why?”
“There are many reasons, but I can’t explain them all.”
“Alright,” she said. “If you don’t want to tell me, forget it.”
So we fell silent again.
This wilderness was always high and wide, making people feel open and happy, wishing there was such a pure land in the real world.
But how could there be so many wishes in life? I was already fortunate to be able to come to this paradise in my fantasy.
After lying in the stream for a long time, my body didn’t feel cold, but my heart told me it was time to get up.
The stream water evaporated and brought a cool sensation to my skin. Then, the soft wind wrapped around my naked body like a veil. Only then did I realize I was completely naked, not wearing anything. But I didn’t feel ashamed at all. In front of myself, there was nothing to be ashamed of.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“I’m wondering…” I raised my hand and looked at the dampness in my palm. “Why can’t I move? ”
My feet were firmly stuck to the mud at the bottom of the stream, like a lotus root, ready to move and grow into a lotus.
“That’s normal because you’re melting,” she said with a smile.
Was I melting?
I looked down. My feet had mysteriously disappeared. They had turned into something like the roots of the plant. They were inseparable from the mud and the stream water.
“Why is this happening?” I asked.
“Because the time is up,” she answered.
“What time is it?”
This time, she didn’t answer me. She disappeared, and the field was silent again.
More and more parts of me ‘melted’. I became a root, a flower bud brewing an unnamed matter. However, I still maintained my human form, but my inner self had changed. My concept was being shattered and reassembled.
This was a mysterious feeling. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, either. On the contrary, the joy of a new life was gradually seeping into my soul.
All the negative things had disappeared. At this moment, I no longer cared about my husband, my children, my parents, and my friends. It was not that I had become cold-blooded, but I had temporarily lost things like ’emotion’. Everything was being shattered and reassembled, and nothing could be ignored.
This was an experience that no one was familiar with, just like the time at the Rocky Mountains. However, I managed to retain my full consciousness the last time. I could clearly sense what was happening and control the direction of every piece of flesh and blood.
But now, I could let go of everything and give everything to…
All to…
To whom?
I was lost for a moment, and then the confusion disappeared.
It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter whom I handed it to.
I thought optimistically.
No matter who it was, I knew I could trust her. Even though I didn’t know her, even though I didn’t know her name nor who she was, I could trust her.
As time was up, everything should be complete.