It was a normal and unextraordinary question. Su'er had heard this question from almost everyone he met in the cave, but only when he heard Think say these words, he... was like a field ravaged by a tsunami.
[It doesn't hurt... and I don't regret it.]
As if to block Think's mouth with his words in advance, Su'er said with an incredibly fast speed.
[We are on the path to success. Your guesses were all correct, and we will definitely win the final victory.]
They were dry words, like a self-hypnotizing slogan. It seemed no different from when he faced Riku. However, at this moment, even Su'er himself realized that in front of this Elf, there was an agitation in his words that was more than just that.
What she saw was not this.
What she wanted to hear was also not this.
The softness that was protected by that hard shell.
"Tell me... in your own voice," As if she hadn't heard Su'er's words, Think demanded almost brutally.
She didn't want to hear this voice that was simulated by magic. Even if every emotion in every sentence was simulated to the extreme, allowing a person who was weak and powerless to talk to others without any abnormality.
Unlike Riku and the others who knew nothing about magic, no one knew more about Su'er's current physical condition than Think. She knew that this man could speak with his own vocal cords, even if it was very weak, even if it was very slow.
But this was precisely what Su'er wanted to avoid.
Silence, more silence. Even the air became hotter. But Think had an imagination-defying patience. She just held Su'er's face motionless, making it impossible for him to even turn his gaze away.
"...Does it have to be this way?" Finally unable to bear this silence, Su'er said slowly in a hoarse voice.
Not speaking for so long had made his mouth and tongue clumsy. The weakness from deep within his body also made it incredibly difficult for him to spit out every syllable, like an infant who was relearning how to speak, going from being awkward to fluent.
"Yes, it has to be this way," Think showed a slight smile for the first time since she entered this cave. However, this smile quickly disappeared.
"...Does it hurt a lot?" Staring into Su'er's eyes, Think asked again, and even the question was the same as before, but both she and Su'er knew that this was different.
"..."
"...Yeah... it hurts," After a long silence, Su'er finally replied in a low voice.
The words that came out of his own mouth were like a vine full of thorns, stinging him all over. He closed his eyes in pain. For Su'er, these words were even a betrayal, a betrayal of everyone.
He breathed deeply. Without any extra comments, Think just changed her posture, burying Su'er's head in her chest, holding his broken body tightly, and gently rocking him.
Her fingers stroked the back of the man in her arms. The strong muscles that were once trained in a harsh environment had long since disappeared. The touch from her fingertips could even be said to be non-existent where skin should be. All that was left there were scars, scars, countless scars, layered on top of each other.
The edges of the solidified scars still had hardened flesh. Rubbing her hands over them still pricked her palms slightly. With a light press, she could touch the pale white bones. Or she could just feel the blood flowing under her fingers just by placing her hands on his body. Even his blood had become slow, as if it had lost its momentum.
Her breathing also gradually became heavy. Think wanted to hold this man in her arms even tighter, but in the next second, she unconsciously relaxed her grip, fearing that she would cause him even more serious injuries.
"...Let's leave," A trembling breath came from her nostrils. Lowering her head, Think's voice murmured in Su'er's ear, licking his earlobe. "...Let's leave this world and go to the worlds of those foreign beings with magic..."
"Let's go find the world where you were truly born. Don't you want to go home?" Think's voice became hurried. The words she quickly spat out were also hurried. "Leave this stupid world and stay away from these dangers."
"The so-called plan is nothing but an unverified guess. Your body might not even be able to last until that day comes. We don't even know if you can truly become the embodiment of the entire Spirit Corridor as you envisioned... At least if we leave now, you can still live—that's the only certain thing..."
Su'er's pupils widened in surprise. At least in Su'er's memory, this was the first time he had seen such a Think. He couldn't see her expression at this moment, but Su'er did hear a suppressed crying tone in these trembling words. It was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.
That eternally proud and confident Elf... is she sad for me?
A sourness that came from the bottom of his heart instantly rushed to his nose, so sour that it was painful. But in the end, it just moistened his eyes.
Even his tears had long since dried up.
Unable to raise his arms to return the hug to the light-golden-haired Elf, Su'er could only slowly move his withered arms. When Think noticed, he gently held her palm. It was warm.
"Thank you, and... I'm sorry."
He said softly next to her beautiful long ear, for the concern that was focused only on him, and also for everything Think had done.
That once-proud Elf who lived in a world that no one else could touch and looked down on everything now had tears. This was an emotion that Su'er had thought would never appear on Think. He had thought that no matter how great the setback, that light-golden-haired Elf would clench her teeth and launch a counterattack that would never admit defeat to the enemy she had chosen, and would never vent her emotions with tears.
But he was wrong.
And when Su'er was walking and searching through his memories, he was surprised to find that on that Elf, even her sharp personality had, at some point, become introverted. What also became introverted were many of the blunt words that were often on her lips. Just like the people in the country where Su'er once lived, she had changed silently because of him.
Like a spring rain, nourishing everything without a sound.
He didn't know when it started, but in his conversations with Think, Su'er had not felt the sense of discord from being in a foreign land and the differences between different races for a long time.
He saw all of it. He remembered all of it in his heart.
But he had no way to repay it.