Chapter 1224 Stage

Night fell over St. Freya Academy. Amethyst stood in front of the French window of her room, and outside the window was the brightly lit night scene of the academy.

He had just finished an encrypted communication, and the image of Bishop Otto with an elegant smile slowly disappeared from the holographic screen.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Amethyst whispered to herself, her fingertips unconsciously running across the cold window glass.

Otto's message was clear: the remaining consciousness of the weak "Li" was like a candle in the wind. Although its mental fluctuations were weak, it had never really escaped from the monitoring network of destiny. It was like a moth caught in a spider web, struggling in vain, its strength was constantly draining away, and the possibility of recovery was very small.

"At the end of one's strength..."

Zijing chewed on the word. When he stripped Li's spirit body in Changkong City, he had already felt the weakness and exhaustion. Now Li was more like a prey waiting to be caught than a threat.

It’s just… the problems that I was worrying about how to solve before, now I can do them easily, it feels like a dream.

Just as he was concentrating on thinking, an extremely subtle sound of music quietly entered his ears.

The music did not come from any radio or player. It was ethereal, pure, and had a penetrating power that went straight to the soul, circling gracefully in the silent night sky.

Zijing's thoughts were interrupted, and he listened slightly. This music... was familiar. It was Eden.

Is she coming too?

He pushed open the balcony door and followed the faint melody. The night breeze was cool, and he walked through the quiet dormitory area, along a moonlit path, to an observation deck near the edge of the school with a wide view.

The moonlight poured down like mercury, shrouding the entire viewing platform in a hazy glow. On the edge of the terrace extending from the viewing platform, a figure stood with his back to him, bathing in the moonlight.

eden.

She was wearing a simple moon-white dress, with her dark brown hair draped behind her like gorgeous brocade. She tilted her head back slightly, closed her eyes, and immersed herself in a world that only she could perceive. Her hands were suspended gracefully in front of her, and her fingertips gently plucked and stroked in the air, as if she was playing an invisible harp.

Zijing didn't want to make a sound to disturb them, but Eden had already noticed his arrival.

The music gradually faded, and the last note disappeared quietly like a dewdrop blending into the moonlight. Eden did not look back, but slowly lowered his hands, with a faint light still lingering on his fingertips.

"Sorry, I suddenly had an idea. Did I disturb you?"

Eden asked with a hint of apology.

"No, it's a beautiful melody." Zijing's voice was particularly clear in the silence. "I just thought that it is a luxury to be able to hear such a performance."

Eden turned her head, the moonlight outlining her perfect profile, and her golden eyes were like warm amber in the night.

“It’s an equal luxury to be able to play for anyone who is willing to listen.” She responded softly, her voice as sweet as the music flowing from her fingertips.

After a brief silence, Zijing took the initiative to speak: "By the way, Eden. How did we meet before I lost my memory? I always feel that I should ask you in person."

The corners of Eden's lips slightly lifted up, forming an arc of reminiscence, and that smile contained a hint of nostalgia and a very light, barely perceptible teasing.

"The first time we met was in a very ordinary dessert shop." She spoke softly, as if she was afraid of disturbing the fragment of memory. "You, Grayshu, and Kosmo were in trouble because of the problem of lost money. As a stranger, I helped you pay for the desserts."

"A typical way of meeting."

Zijing commented. The fog of amnesia shrouded his past, but listening to Eden's story, those vague fragments seemed to be given color and temperature.

"The second meeting was more dramatic."

Eden's tone was full of wonder and emotion. "At that time, you seemed to be involved in some trouble and were wanted by the local police. I was sitting in the car, and you suddenly opened the door and got in. Your movements were so fast that I almost thought I was a robber."

amethyst:"……"

He hadn't expected it to unfold like this.

"and then?"

"Then," Eden turned to look at him with a mischievous light in her eyes, "you said to me very calmly: 'Miss Eden, please do me a favor, the person chasing me is behind me.' In a hurry, I asked you to hide under the cushion next to me." She paused, as if she could still feel the tense atmosphere in the car at that time, "You curled up inside, and I tried to maintain a normal expression and accepted the police's questioning and search."

Zijing imagined himself curled up in a mess under the seat of the singer's luxury car, while the elegant Eden was covering for him in front. A strong sense of absurdity and inexplicable embarrassment came over him. He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead: "... This sounds really... difficult for you."

"It was indeed a bit unexpected at the time," Eden chuckled, "But I believe you are not a villain. Besides, the experience that day is enough to be written into a song."

"What happened that day? What else happened?"

"Yeah," Eden nodded, his smile fading a little, "That day was originally the day for my concert. The venue, the band, the lights... everything was ready."

"However, during the concert, disaster struck. Fire, chaos, the roar of destruction... replaced the music that was supposed to sound. Even I almost lost my life in that disaster."

Zijing could sense the deep emotions in Eden's words. He was silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on Eden's elegant and calm profile.

Tens of thousands of years have passed. Has the desire for the stage in the heart of this artist, who, in Alicia's words, soothed countless hearts with her singing, also been permanently changed?

"Eden," Zijing said, her voice gentler than the night breeze, "After going through so much... do you still have the idea of holding a concert now?"

Eden did not answer immediately, but just raised her head slightly again, looking at the eternal bright moon in the sky. Her fingertips unconsciously hovered in front of her again, as if plucking invisible strings in the void. The ethereal music that only existed in the depths of her soul seemed to flow quietly in the silent night sky again.

After a long time, she slowly lowered her eyes, and a complex and transparent smile appeared on her lips. That smile contained too many things: regret, relief, nostalgia, and an obsession with beauty that has never been extinguished after going through vicissitudes of life.

“The stage…” She spoke softly, her voice like a sigh blending into the moonlight, “Perhaps, it has always been there. It just… has changed into a different form.”

Her gaze finally fell back on Amethyst, with a hint of gentle expectation.

"Maybe one day, when the real 'overture' plays, I will stand there again. For... reasons worth singing about."