The beating had stopped throughout the city, replaced by tremors and tears.

  Should they keep going? Keep trying? Why, if such creatures were watching them, getting closer? Playing with their lives as one does with mere ants. After all, what was the worth of their lives? Many of them still couldn't find an answer to that question...

  The cold weighed on them, not just in the environment, marking skin where blood no longer flowed, making it lighter, paler, and rigid.

  With a small dagger in hand, Ting carved a stone plaque that had been precisely cut into a rectangle. The strips fell away before the shining blade as if they were nothing but foam, offering no resistance. Each new cut marked a new tear engraved on the clear surface. A memory, a feeling, marking it.

  — What's this book about, Aunt Ling? Is it another fantasy story?

  — No, you sweet, clever little girl. Not this time. — Picking up a small, fragile Ting in her arms, Ling hugged her from behind. The book unfolded in her hands, the pages overlapping as the child's eyes struggled to keep up until they came to a stop. — This one's a bit different. It's about a place in the north that we'll visit someday.

  — Are we going...? — the girl looked at her without much joy or confidence and then shrank back, clutching her clothes, even though Ling had answered positively with a nod.

  On the worn, yellowed pages, a vast landscape with mountains and valleys rose up.

  — That place doesn't look very fun, Aunt...— she said.

  — That's because you're only seeing drawings, the real thing is much more amazing.

  — Have you been there?

  Ling looked away.

  — Not exactly...— she cleared her throat. — But I've heard many stories, so it's almost as if I've been there. You believe me, right? Have I ever lied to you?

  Shaking her head, Ting said no.

  — And what's it like there...? Is it just mountains and nothing else? — she asked, as she studied the rough, thick drawings on the pages.

  — Of course not, that would not be fun. — Flipping through the book, she stopped at a page that looked more like a painting. From the top of one of the mountains, what seemed to be lines stretched side by side across the sky. It was beautiful, even though the lack of color didn't let the picture be complete. — They say you can see the world and all of life from the top of those mountains. Many say it's the most beautiful place in the world, where gorgeous colors cross the sky, blending together while staying unique. Aren't you curious to see a place like that? Don't you think it would be fun?

  Nodding, the girl ran her tiny hands over the book as if trying to feel the place through the pages. Amazed, she could only imagine something she never thought she'd actually reach. It seemed incredible to her, but maybe that was just because of Ling's words, carefully chosen to impress her. She needed to see it with her own eyes to form her own conclusion.

  —...Is it over...?

  Clutching the edge of the stone, Ting gritted her teeth. She could not hurt herself or break that plaque, not after what they'd done for her and since it was the only thing she'd been able to do for Ling.

  She stood up, leaving the knife stuck in the ground.

  — Yes...— the answer slipped through her lips amid sobs.

  The wind shook the leaves of the trees nearby, while the waters of the waterfall sparkled like crystals under a heavy, deafening silence.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Approaching the largest tree, an open grave was revealed. Its sides and bottom lined with stone, and in the center, Ling lay resting with a smile that made Ting's chest tighten the longer she looked. But she couldn't stop or look away. Regardless of the tears, she needed to go on and watch her until the end.

  —...Can I begin? — Fusu asked regretfully. He felt as much as Ting did, but couldn't show it. He couldn't give himself that luxury. He needed to be the safe harbor, the one she could lean on in such a situation.

  Her fingers snapped and the edges of the plaque in her hands suffered a slight crack. She trembled, a lot, but had to nod. It was time to let her rest.

  A massive stone plaque floated into the hole, fitting with the rest of the structure that made up the tomb. Soon came the biting cold wind, as if pushing the earth to fill the gaps with subtle movements.

  A place where you can see the world and life...

  Ting walked to the tree with the carved plaque in her trembling hands. Tears marked her path, rolling through the short grass.

  If I go to a place like that... She knelt, placing the plaque at the foot of the tree and fixing it there. Could I have you back?

  She didn't want to leave. Still, she knew Fusu needed a moment alone as well. She got up, her heart heavy.

  — I... I won't go far, don't worry. I just want to be alone for a bit now.

  He opened his mouth but said nothing. Instead, he nodded.

  Steps receded, taking the silence with them and bringing back the sound of strong winds.

  After watching her walk away, Fusu sat, leaning against the tree trunk.

  — I can't believe you raised her so well... I could never have done it alone.

  Silence remained for a while as the breeze continued to flow and follow its path.

  — I'm sorry...— he said, avoiding looking at the tomb beside him. — A long time ago, staying with the two of us stopped being your job, but still you— his throat closed up, stopping the words. From his spatial pouch, he took a dark ceramic bottle, took a sip, and was able to continue, — I ask your forgiveness for keeping you by our side for so long, for not letting you live the life you surely deserved, and especially for not letting you live your dream.

  He clenched his fist, but didn't dare break the bottle.

  — For making you sacrifice it for my own desires for so long...— He took another sip, tears not falling from his eyes but flooding him inside. — I don't think I'll live much longer, but if I do... When you walk these lands again, as beautiful and lively as you always were, I promise I will do everything to make sure your life will never be afflicted by such suffocating troubles again.

  Fusu poured some of the red liquid over the smooth stone and left the jar with the rest on top of it. Then he stood up.

  — The family you always wanted, I promise it will live as happily as a mortal possibly can... just as you always wished.

  With a distant, lost gaze into the wind, he slowly walked away from the graves. There he found Ting, who, as he expected, was sitting behind a nearby tree. As much as the pain of loss, now her tears carried the guilt for everything his words had revealed to her. Each drop heavier than her own body.

  On the carved plaque — Ling — was all it said, because Ting had never heard her surname.

  — You shouldn't feel guilty about everything you heard, because she didn't stay with us out of obligation... She did it because she loved you. You understand that, don't you, Ting?

  Wiping away tears that wouldn't stop, she nodded. The pain was sharp and restless, but her heart was never and had never been cold. Guilt remained, but it was the longing for Ling that truly consumed her.

  — Right...— Fusu pulled her close, comforted her, and kissed her forehead. — So don't forget this, and remember everything she taught you all these years. I believe that's the best way you could honor her now.

  Ting sniffed and gave one last painful look at the grave. The colors seemed faded, dull, and dark. Still, if Ling would always be by her side, she needed to stand firm. Walking toward her future, even if uncertain, moving forward step by step, making sure the sacrifice for her safety would not be in vain...

  That place, like all the others you told me about... Even the other side of the world... I'll show them to you. So please, keep watching over me and looking after me from wherever you are now... Do it together with my mother...

  Walking along the bluish path, where even the trees appeared frozen and no beasts had life or movement, scattered through the forest like statues of ice, Ting felt the cold wind tossing her hair. On her shoulders, it felt like the gentle touch of fingers. She looked around and saw nothing. Still, she chose to believe it was a sign she was not alone. She needed to...

  At the end of the trees, a desolate place appeared. They were home again. The will to set foot around it was less than zero, but what would be the consequence of breaking a promise to the one who now slept there? She didn't want to find out. For her, that look she had received, seeing her as insignificant, was more than enough to decide. She would have to follow, be bound to that being until it let her go... There was no way or nowhere to run.