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墨書 Inktalez
Time flies, and the years pass like a shuttle.
In the long stretch of time that seemed to have no end, he indeed kept his promise, remaining by the riverbank without leaving.
Even though he had forgotten everything...
"What do you remember?"
"Hmm?" He looked up at me, bewildered, from where he sat beside a pile of stones. "What do you mean?"
"Do you remember why you are here?"
"…I'm sorry, I don't know." After pondering for a moment, he smiled awkwardly. "I can't recall..."
"Then why do you still stay here, unwilling to leave?" I asked calmly. "Why not return to the world to gather resources for a boat and depart, instead of choosing to waste time here?"
"Well... Although I don't remember the exact reason, I feel that there must be something compelling me to do this." He gazed thoughtfully at the mist-covered surface of the River of Oblivion and murmured softly, "There must be... something very important..."
"But if you have forgotten that reason, then what significance is there in continuing to stay here?"
"Significance..." He sighed with a gentle smile. "To be honest, I want to know what that 'significance' is too. So I believe that as long as I keep waiting, one day I will find out."
"Why do you think that? What if in the end, nothing comes of it?" I countered skeptically.
"Even so, it doesn't matter." He smiled lightly. "Even if in the end there truly is nothing, that would still be an answer. I just want to know, to witness with my own eyes what I've longed for all this time, and what awaits me in the end..."
Clang—
"Hmm?"
A sudden, unexpected sound caught him off guard. Curiously, he reached into his pocket, which felt oddly different, and to his astonishment, pulled out a gleaming gold coin from what had been an empty pocket.
"What is this...?" He stared in shock at the coin that had appeared out of nowhere.
I glanced at the coin in his hand, which was starkly different from those held by other souls, and I felt a wave of surprise wash over me.
This was the first time since I became the Ferryman that I had witnessed someone obtaining a coin through a century of memories.
"Congratulations, your hundred-year limit has been reached. You have earned a chance to board the ferry." For some reason, I felt a sense of relief wash over me, and I smiled genuinely at him as I extended my hand. "Ferry fee: one gold coin."
However, he merely stared thoughtfully at the coin in his hand, making no move.
"...Do you want to board the ferry?" I asked, puzzled by his stillness.
It seemed he recalled something; his expression shifted from shock to realization, then to conflict, eventually darkening into gloom.
After a long pause, he offered me a sorrowful smile.
"Um... do I really have to board the ferry?"
"Don't you want to take the boat?" I asked in confusion.
"What would happen if I don't?" he replied.
"To be honest, I'm not sure about that either, but I think it's best not to try carelessly." I couldn't help but frown and whispered a warning, "In any case, this is your last chance to take the boat..."
"I see..."
He fell silent for a while, then looked up at me as if he had made a decision, apologetically saying, "I'm sorry, but I've decided not to go."
Upon hearing this, I felt a wave of shock.
"Why?"
"I just remembered my initial reason..." He looked down with a bitter smile, playing with the coin between his fingers. "Actually, from the very beginning, I had no intention of taking the boat."
I silently watched him, waiting for him to continue.
"Because what I truly want to sever is not those entangled and complicated meaningless connections, but... my existence." He tossed the coin up and caught it, repeating the action over and over. "What I really desire is not simply death, but disappearance. A complete and utter vanishing without a trace, as if I had never existed."
"...Why?" I couldn't understand.
"I have always felt deeply out of place in this world; no one is willing to accept me, and there is no place that feels like home. I can't find a reason for my existence... Since this world rejects my presence, I hope to leave it behind, to be completely free from its constraints..." He said hoarsely with pain in his voice, "However, so-called death is merely entering a cycle, repeating meaningless mistakes over and over again without escaping anything..."
He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm the twisted expression on his face. "So, if I don't board the ship, let this endless cycle of fate come to an end here."
"Is this the outcome you wish for that woman you deeply love to witness?" I asked.
"I believe she would feel comforted and give her blessing knowing that I have finally achieved complete liberation," he replied with a smile, though he couldn't help but add with self-deprecation, "But honestly, if she truly exists and has self-awareness, upon learning that the world has finally lost another crazed admirer entangled with her, she would probably just breathe a sigh of relief."
Seeing his unusually resolute expression, I understood that unless he suddenly changed his mind, no amount of persuasion from me would make a difference...
"You should know that if you don't board this time, there will truly be no more chances," I warned heavily.
"Mm." He continued to smile lightly, unfazed.
"By the way, here." He held out a gleaming gold coin towards me. "After all this time I've owed you, I should at least give it back."
I stared at the shining coin without making a move.
"I told you, if you don't board the ship, this coin will only turn to ashes in my hands."
"At least it's a token of my sincerity," he insisted, still offering it. "Before it completely turns to ashes, let it serve as a memento."
After a long silence, I finally reached out and accepted it.
"Thank you for everything during this time, my friend." He smiled with relief and looked at me sincerely.
"How can you call me a friend yet not give me the chance to hold onto you?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, this is a place of no fate," he replied, a look of regret on his face. "All our encounters are limited to this moment and this place. Once we part, there will be no further connection. No matter what, it seems we are destined to be without fate."
He actually used my words against me! Though it felt somewhat out of place, I couldn't help but laugh.
"So this is what they call meeting the right person in the wrong place?" he sighed with a wry smile. "Ah, I suppose I just don't fit into this world. Look, even at the last moment, I can't escape the tricks of fate..."
As I watched his figure gradually become transparent, I couldn't help but say, "If you're having second thoughts, it's not too late to board the ship now!"
He looked at me and gently shook his head with a faint smile.
"Anyway, I'm glad to have met you in these final days," he said, revealing that familiar smile. "I truly mean that!"
Until his figure dissolved into the mist, leaving no trace behind, I softly spoke to the gray haze before me:
"...Yes, I'm very glad to have met you."
In the next moment, the gold coin in my hand suddenly turned to ash and slipped through my fingers like dust.
Nothing remained.
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