Why it never ends

Chapter 399
Looking at the ever-changing expression on Hesta's face, Lico finally understood what Turan had said - taking good care of Hesta not only means protecting her from being hurt by others, but also preventing her from doing harm. Something self-harming, and that's quite possible.

But what to do then, tie her up with a rope for the time being?

It's not difficult to operate, but...

Rico looked into Hesta's blue eyes, she didn't want to think about that scene.

"...Jane." Li Ke called out again.

Hesta covered his face with his hands and fell on the bed again, his shoulders trembling slightly.

There was finally some movement outside the door, Li Ke heard Qianye's footsteps, she looked at the door with relief - Chiba pushed the door and entered.

"You're finally back..." As soon as Li Ke opened his mouth, he felt that his words were inappropriate—as if she had been patient with Hesta for a long time, she carefully glanced at Hesta's side, fortunately, Jane no response.

Qianye asked in a low voice: "Thanks for your hard work... Have I caught up?"

Li Ke glanced at his watch again, "It was almost, I have to lie down for seven hours tonight."

"Alright, you haven't had a good night's sleep since you got on the boat."

"It's strange, I was fine in the afternoon, and I took the medicine on time, why did it suddenly become like this..."

"The condition will recur, the doctor has already said it," Chiba whispered, "Families must be mentally prepared."

Li Ke sighed with some distress, and suddenly remembered something, "... By the way, how is Zero?"

Chiba didn't speak, but just made a gesture of shrugging.

"Really, after all, I suffered such a serious injury..." Li Ge murmured, her eyes were lowered, her expression was dignified, "...It's all my problem, I was too careless, I didn't realize that there were still people on the stage. Others, I should have found out sooner—"

"A person's attention is always limited, don't think too much." Chiba patted Li Ke's shoulder, "Go and rest."

Li Ke turned his head again and looked at his dejected friend.

"Then leave it to you. I'll come back tomorrow morning."

Chiba waved his hand.

……

Late at night, in her sleep, Hesta dreamed again of the firebird.

It flapped its wings and hovered over the top of the pine cone, and the flames fell with the wind and snow.

Every once in a while, there will be several strange vibrations in this boundless wilderness-it is the sound of melting ice and snow in early spring, and the ice layer in the distance is breaking. It echoes for a long time, like the neighing of a group of whales.

The woman under the ice was still sleeping. Hesta stood between her brows, and the biting cold eroded from the soles of her feet upwards.

Hesta knelt down on the ice, and she wiped the remaining snow on the lake with the residual warmth of her palms, exposing the mirror-like ice underneath.

Through this glass-like lake, Hesta finally saw the sleeping eyes of the woman, her closed eyelids, and froze eyelashes... This huge face made Hesta strange and familiar, and she stared at her feet with some doubts. Taking another two steps back, I tried to see from a bigger perspective.

Suddenly, this huge eye opened at Hesta's feet, and in fear, Hesta fell to the ground in panic.

She looked at the light blue pupil—the woman under the ice was looking at her too.

The firebird above his head let out a long, sharp hiss, and the flames under its wings suddenly surged, submerging the entire glacier, and all the pictures began to tear at this moment——

Hesta opened his eyes suddenly, breathing hard.

She felt that she was covered in sweat, and her cold clothes were pressed against her flesh, which made her shiver.Hesta turned over and sat up, looking around.

There is no one around, just the silent night.

"Li Ke..." she called out in a low voice, "Si Lei?"

No one responded.

Hesta got out of bed, and she looked carefully at the furnishings here-this is not her room.

The memory in her mind was intermittent. She couldn't remember why she appeared here, and who brought her here. The last scene in her memory was sitting with Chiba at Bishop's restaurant for breakfast. blacken……

Eat breakfast……

Hesta tried to remember.

After breakfast... it seems like I went to visit a museum...

museum……

Those display racks with numerous bones came to Hesta's mind. She recalled the deep corridors at the bottom of the ship, and thought of the rows of bookshelves full of books...

At the end of it all, someone is resting in a wheelchair.

At this moment, all the memories instantly came to life——the dead bodies in the dark of the theater, the wounds, the deafening gunshots, the flying bullets, the flashing faces of Agnes and Meyer, and, slowly, in the light. Backward zero...

"Anna."

Anna's face clearly came to Hesta's mind.

Hesta closed his eyes and stood silently in the darkness.

The next moment, her eyes were half opened, and she quietly walked out of the room.

……

In the luggage compartment at the bottom of the ship, Anna was sleeping lightly in the study with the cat in her arms. Suddenly, the white cat in her arms arched its back, and began to step on Anna's stomach with its two paws restlessly.

Anna wakes up.

She gently stroked the cat's chin and lifted it off her lap.

The electric wheelchair drove slowly to the table in the dark, and she took out a box of matches from her pocket, and with a sound of "stab--", the fire lit up the world.

An ancient candlestick at the corner of the table glowed with new splendor, and this little warm flame also reflected the silhouette of Hesta behind her.

The flames danced, and Hesta cast a huge shadow behind him.

"You strike a match, and its flame dazzles your eyes," Anna whispered softly, "so in the dark, you can't find what you're looking for, and the match burns out between your fingers, and the pain...makes you forget you what to look for." (1)

She stared at the flame, and when it was about to burn to her fingertips, Anna let go of her hand, and the matchstick that turned into black ashes fell on the silver plate, and broke into several pieces after a slight sound.

"Where is Zero?" Hesta's voice seemed to come from the bottom of the abyss, hoarse and terrifying.

"She's dead." Anna replied in a low voice, "She fell into your arms—"

A dagger shone coldly in Hesta's hand, which was exactly what Anna had shown Hesta in the morning.

"That is to say, no matter what I do now, no one will jump out and stop me."

"Look," Anna laughed, "When you came to my place this morning, you had limited mobility and needed help from others to turn the pages of the book, but now, you have been able to pass through layers of barriers alone and sneak into my study... Have your hands stopped trembling, Jane?"

Hesta raised his jaw slightly, "Did you expect me to come to you tonight?"

Anna didn't look back, but just pointed to another nearby chair, "...Why don't you sit down, the night is long, we can have a good chat."

-

(1) A poem by Henrik Nordbrand, "A Kind of Life"

(End of this chapter)