Night fell, and a great moon gradually rose high in the sky as the brilliance of the Erdtree slowly faded.
Hiding in the bushes, Bai Shi gazed at the moon as his thoughts began to drift.
"This doesn't make sense. The moon clearly exists, so why is there no sun during the day?"
"No, that's not right. The Shaded Castle, and the legendary weapon, the Eclipse Shotel, are both related to the sun."
"Why did the sun disappear?"
Soon, Bai Shi gave up on the thought. These questions were still too far beyond his reach.
The Erdtree's radiance shone upon this land at all times. Even at night, it only dimmed enough to slightly reduce visibility.
But for Bai Shi, that was enough.
Bai Shi emerged from the bushes and flexed his left hand. The bleeding from his wound had completely stopped.
He cautiously approached the ruins before the gate, making his way to a spot he had picked out earlier, one without any soldiers on guard.Taking a kukri from his bag, he threw it high in the air, away from the gate.
The blade carved a great arc through the air, sailing over half the encampment before clattering to the ground.
"Clang~"
The crisp sound of impact alerted the nearby soldiers. They drew their weapons one after another, raised their torches high, and converged on the source of the noise.
Bai Shi sprinted toward the gate.
He had to use the cover of night to dash past the entrance in one go, minimizing the time his silhouette was visible to the soldiers behind the wall.
Keeping his footsteps light, Bai Shi ran as fast as he could from the left side of the gate to the right.
The soldier inside holding a crossbow saw only a blurry shadow flash past the gateway.
He instinctively raised his crossbow, but by the time he had, the target was gone.
He stared blankly at the spot where the shadow had last been, then slowly lowered his weapon and resumed his aimless watch.
By now, Bai Shi had reached the Site of Grace.
This Site of Grace was located at the junction of the wall and a cliff. Having walls behind him on two sides gave Bai Shi a great sense of security.
"Just as planned."
"Sigh. Wisdom is the very reason for being king. These soldiers will never understand my world-shaking intellect."
Bai Shi muttered to himself, thoroughly pleased.
After patting himself on the back, Bai Shi didn't forget the main purpose of his trip. He reached out and touched the Site of Grace.
A warm sensation enveloped him.
Bai Shi felt the Site of Grace beckoning him, inviting him to accept its blessing more deeply.
Unsure of what to do, Bai Shi thought for a moment, then imitated the action from the game and sat down beside the Site of Grace.
Instantly, the light from the grace expanded, enveloping the surrounding space.
Bai Shi's vision blurred. It felt as if everything in the distance had become indistinct, as though he were in another dimension.
The warm light washed over his body, and the wound on his left hand began to tingle.
Bai Shi took off his vambrace and unwrapped the rags he had used as a bandage. The wound was completely healed, without even a scar left behind.
He took off his helmet and shook his head. The fatigue from a long day of travel dissipated, and his spirit felt fully restored.
Bai Shi quickly opened the Fengling Yueying panel, but unfortunately, the number of uses had not been replenished by the grace's power.
Bai Shi chuckled inwardly at his wishful thinking. Fengling Yueying was from another dimension; how could it be recharged so easily?
Next, Bai Shi thought about how he should be meeting Melina soon, and he couldn't help but feel happy. But then a sense of embarrassment washed over him as he thought:
I'm so grimy, and my helmet and vambrace are just scavenged pieces. Will she be disgusted with me?
What should I say when we meet? Should I be warm and proactive to break through her shy exterior? Or should I act cool and aloof to pique her curiosity?
Bai Shi was amused by his own thoughts.
Ah, I barely spoke to any girls in my past life. It would be so embarrassing if I was too tongue-tied to speak later.
Come to think of it, I still haven't looked in a mirror. Is this my own face, or the game's default face?
Heh, what if I just completely lost it and confessed my love to her? I wonder what her expression would be. I'd love to see it…
What Bai Shi didn't know was that Melina, in her spirit form, was sitting nearby, secretly observing him.
Watching him giggle foolishly one moment and then cover his face and shake his head the next, Melina was a bit speechless.
She stroked her spectral steed's coat and asked:
"...Torrent, is it really him?"
The spectral steed, Torrent, snorted, as if to say, *You don't trust my judgment?*
Seeing that Torrent was set on this person, Melina sighed as if resigning herself to her fate.
After all, back on the beach, when they chose him, Melina too had acknowledged that he possessed the qualities to become a king.
The powerful, ancient soul quietly residing within him was the best proof of that.
Melina stood up and pulled the large hood of her cloak over her head.
As she walked toward Bai Shi, her body began to materialize.
As Bai Shi was agonizing over his dilemma, he suddenly saw a beautiful figure gradually appear beside him.
Long leather boots encased slender legs. As she walked, a section of pure white dress hem, visible beneath her large cloak, swayed with her movements.
A wide hood concealed her face, revealing only soft, sweet lips like candy and a delicate, small nose, with a few strands of hair framing her lovely cheeks.
She pushed back her cloak with both hands and knelt beside Bai Shi.
Flipping back the hood, a cascade of rose-gold hair fell loose. Her left eye was sealed shut, as if by a peculiar sigil, while her right eye shone with the golden light of grace.
After settling down, Melina spoke to Bai Shi in a sweet voice:
"Greetings, traveler from beyond the fog. I am Melina."
"I offer you an accord."
When Melina truly appeared before him, Bai Shi found it hard to describe his feelings.
Was it excitement and joy? Was it panic? Was it the moving feeling of a long-awaited reunion? Or was it adoration?
Perhaps it was all of those.
But more than anything, it was a sorrow that welled up in his heart.
Melina, ah, my second maiden. In the end, I still couldn't protect you.
At the Forge of the Giants, you asked me if I was ready. At that time, I thought I was…
Even if I could embrace the Frenzied Flame, how could I trample upon your resolve, how could I deny the meaning of your life?
Even after using the Unalloyed Gold Needle to suppress the flame, you never came back.
My maiden was burned to death. No matter what I chose, my maiden was burned to death.
Seeing Melina standing before him, alive and well, Bai Shi wanted to say something, but he couldn't open his mouth.
He just looked at Melina sadly, without saying a word.
Melina silently met Bai Shi's gaze, but as time ticked by, she couldn't maintain her composure any longer.
'?'
'Why isn't he saying anything? He's just staring at me.'
'Did I make my entrance the wrong way?'
The light of the grace flickered slightly, leaving Melina utterly bewildered.
Melina! My Melina /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~