Guann colpsed onto the living room sofa, his body heavy with exhaustion. His gaze drifted upward, losing itself in the cracks of the ceiling until Iliya's voice pulled him back to reality.
"Was that too cruel?"
He turned his head slowly toward her but said nothing. Iliya settled beside him, her voice softening. "Remember how you once wandered in the same haze? Lost for so long?"
A shadow crossed Guann's eyes as bitter ughter escaped his lips. "Thanks to you. Though you were also the one who pulled me out—I can't deny that." His fingers tightened around the armrest. "The cost was just... too high."
His vision blurred as memories surged forth—four years ago, in the gss conservatory of Arcata Headquarters...
*"Breaking up? What are you saying? I don't understand!"*
Young Guann stood frozen, his reflection fractured in the greenhouse panes. Before him, Iliya traced the petals of a blood-red orchid, her back turned. The white sundress hugged her curves, and the golden owl csps on her boots gleamed as she shifted her weight.
*"It's exactly what you think. We're not right for each other."*
*"Is it something I did? Tell me—I'll change!"* Desperation cwed at his throat.
She never answered.
The memory dissolved into a montage of self-destruction—liquor bottles piling up in his dormitory, missed missions, and the day Boros found him by the Yena River behind Arcata Castle. His once-proud mentor had knelt beside the stinking, bearded wreck he'd become, shaking him awake.
*"Why?"* Boros's voice had been calm, but his eyes burned. *"Why throw yourself away?"*
*"Iliya... She left me."* Guann braced for ridicule, but Boros merely tilted his head.
*"And?"*
The unexpected question had stunned him into silence.
*"Then... nothing matters anymore."*
Boros pointed to the moon hanging over the castle spires. *"Beautiful, isn't it?"*
When Guann failed to respond, his mentor began pacing, each step crunching the frost-den grass. *"You cim nothing has meaning? Then tell me—what meaning does your* life *hold?"*
*"Are you drunk too?"* Guann muttered.
Boros's ughter rang out like cathedral bells. *"The sun rises, the moon sets—both unfailingly, yet most never notice. Does that make their dance meaningless?"* He stopped, his shadow engulfing Guann. *"You didn't lose a lover. You lost the* purpose *you'd foolishly tied to her. No person—not parents, lovers, nor children—should bear the weight of your existence. Or their absence leaves you hollow."*
As Boros turned to leave, Guann shouted after him, *"Then what* is *my purpose?!"*
The old man vanished in a thundercp, his final words lingering:
*"Tonight's moonlight is as precious as tomorrow's dawn."*
"Hello?!" Iliya's shaking snapped Guann back to the present. She scowled, pointing outside. "Look!"
Through the window, Qin Hong strained against the cart's ropes, his shouts carrying on the sunset breeze. Though his muscles trembled, the boy charged forward with renewed fury.
A smile tugged at Guann's lips. "He's stronger than I was."
For a fleeting moment, Boros's ghost seemed to stand beside the cart, nodding approval. Guann blinked—the vision faded, leaving only Qin Hong's determined silhouette. His throat tightened.
"I'm going to shower," he muttered, climbing the stairs.
Iliya pouted. "Wait for me~"
---
**Meanwhile, in Wenrose Central Hospital...**
Wen adjusted his mother's knitted cap, its yellow yarn stark against her ashen skin. Her skeletal fingers gripped his wrist as a coughing fit wracked her body.
"Son... let's go home."
"After chemo," he soothed, wringing out the washcloth. The water had gone cold.
She gestured weakly at the IV bag. "This money... your job..."
"Promoted to VP, remember?" Wen fshed the paid medical bills—a small fortune. When her tears fell, he dabbed them away with practiced ease. "No crying. See? All settled."
As the heart monitor beeped, he kissed her forehead and donned his sungsses. "See you tomorrow, Ma."
Outside, he leaned against the door, jaw clenched. The red 470S parked across from his fruit shop caught his eye—too conspicuous. He detoured to a café, watching its reflection in his shades.
*Not near home. Never near home.*
---
**At Madame Fat's Parlor...**
Xiaoyu's silver-ringed finger traced holographic streets as red dots bloomed across Wenrose's map. "Every stolen car owner's address converges here."
Sisi gasped. "They form a perfect circle around—"
"*Here!*" Three fingers stabbed toward Wenshang Avenue.
---
**Simultaneously, at Arcata HQ...**
Aiko's gloved hand magnified the fruit shop's grimy awning on the war table. "Team One ys bait tonight. Team Two provides backup. Target: Wenshang Avenue!"
A young officer frowned. "The gap between Chunjing and Qiuzhen Roads is too wide."
The hologram zoomed in—revealing the shop's rusted sign: *"Golden Harvest Fruits."*
---
**Twilight on Heldor Isnd...**
Guann watched Qin Hong's training through the window. "I'm leaving tonight."
Iliya's nails dug into his sleeve. "One more day. Please."
"You know why I can't." He pried her fingers loose, voice dropping. "And tell Lyias—hiding from me is pointless. She'll answer for what she did."
The venom in his whisper made Iliya recoil.
Outside, Guann materialized atop Qin Hong's cart bricks.
"New mission?" the boy panted.
"I'm departing."
Qin Hong skidded to a halt. "What about me?"
"Stay. Train." Guann's form crackled with electricity. "True growth begins when you open your own doors."
With a thundercp, he vanished.
---
**Reunion Dinner...**
The restaurant door burst open to Sisi's squeal. Madame Fat fussed over Guann while Xiaoyu scanned the doorway.
"Where's Qin Hong?!"
"Covered in scars~" Guann teased until Sisi stomped his foot.
As Xiaoyu presented their findings, Guann devoured Peking duck, nodding absently.
"Then we strike tonight?" Sisi pressed.
"Who said anything about striking?" He refilled her pte.
Madame Fat chuckled. "Our troublemaker has become someone's foundation."
