"Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?"
Just as Mei was pondering the deeper meaning behind the words Lin had spoken, a voice that sounded incredibly flippant yet strangely familiar drifted into her ears. Mei froze for a moment, and after a brief hesitation, asked tentatively, "Lin?"
"Huh? Who?"
The voice was identical to Lin, but it was so lively and spirited that Mei wondered if something was wrong with her hearing. He had just finished explaining the rules in a voice as flat and stagnant as dead water, yet in less than half a minute, his tone had completely shifted.
"You..."
"Hold on a second." The voice suddenly vanished, reappearing after a brief pause. "Raiden Mei?"
Mei was completely bewildered by his questioning tone. She began to doubt her own senses. "You are Lin, aren't you?"
"Am I? Is that so?" the man teased in an off-key manner. "Am I really Lin?"
"Who exactly are you!" Mei was now certain this was absolutely not the Lin she knew. She had never heard that helmeted man laugh; even when he did things she suspected were part of some mischievous streak, he always spoke in an emotionless drone.
"Oh my, why don't you take a guess..."
"Guess your 'BEEP'—"
Another female voice, clear and cold as ice, interrupted the man. Mei stood rooted to the spot in confusion, having no idea what was happening.
The man seemed intimidated by the blunt profanity. After a long silence, he let out a couple of awkward coughs. "Ahem, Raiden Mei, right? I'll just call you Mei. I'm... just consider me your guardian spirit. Have you read novels? Like the old man in the ring, that sort of thing—someone who can offer guidance."
"Guide your 'BEEP'—"
"..."
"..."
Mei was also cowed by the aura of that voice. It felt like she had encountered a certain elegant and "gentle" red-haired doctor from Anti-Entropy.
"I say, can we not have such a short fuse? I'm just trying to make it easier for her to accept."
This time, the female voice didn't interrupt him or swear. "Get to the point."
"Fine. Anyway, you can think of me as whoever you want. I'm just here to confirm if a certain thing is running normally." The man spoke to Mei in a more normal tone. "Encountering me was a complete accident. Carry on."
"Wait! What is your relationship with Lin? Why do you know who I am? Are you a memory crystal in this space?"
"A memory crystal? Heh... It seems there are no issues then." The man chuckled softly. "And this rule... did he just tweak the one I used to test him and use it on you? Can I apply for a patent? Though, using this method is indeed the fastest way to achieve the 'Soul-Searching' effect."
Mei didn't understand a single word the man said, but he seemed very familiar with Lin and had a grasp of the current situation. She asked again, "Do you know what Lin trial is?"
"He should have told you already, right? Why not try looking for clues through the words he spoke? Of course, I could just reveal the answer to you directly, provided you fulfill one condition for me."
"What condition?"
"Tell me your measurements."
"..."
Mei was shocked. Since entering the Elysian Realm, aside from Elysia prancing around with a megaphone, everyone else was either sharp-tongued or cryptic. This man, however, was even more erratic than Elysia—he was, in Mei's mind, "shameless."
Especially since his voice was identical to a certain stern man, the sense of incongruity and annoyance was amplified. Naturally, such blunt flirtation made Mei blush with embarrassment, but it was quickly followed by a surge of anger.
"So innocent? Hahaha... fine, I'll stop teasing you. Mei, I can't help you. This is a place where you must ask the questions and provide the answers yourself. However, I can tell you a secret regarding the nature of the Elysian Realm."
"A secret?" Hearing this, Mei focused her attention, hoping it wouldn't be another dirty joke.
"To be precise, it's a clue on how to find the secret." The man smiled meaningfully. "There are three people who know this secret: Lin, Mobius, and Mei. But unfortunately, you cannot verify it with the Lin and Mobius in the Elysian Realm. Because the three I'm referring to... are not memory crystals, but the real Lin, Mobius, and Mei."
"What exactly do you mean!"
"Oops~ Time's up. Goodbye, Mei. By the way, you're much cuter than the previous Herrscher of Thunder."
...
"Time is almost up..." Lin eyes, deep as the ocean, swept over the setting sun on the horizon. He whispered a soft sentence to himself, "Success or failure depends on this one stroke..."
"Speaking of which, you haven't given me the gifts you bought yet?"
Lin withdrew the solemnity from his eyes and smiled. "Those... I'll give them to you after I leave."
"Is that so? Then may I look forward to it?"
"Hahaha..." Lin laughed quite brightly. "Of course. I think most people will find them to be a pleasant surprise... it's just that I hope you can tell the others beforehand that Lin has returned, Ellie. You wouldn't want to see Lin beaten into a pulp and lying in a hospital bed for another two months, would you?"
"Then can you tell me... who exactly are you?"
"..."
Elysia words, spoken in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze, instantly caused the warm atmosphere between them to vanish. The last sliver of the setting sun fell on her gentle, smiling face. She, who always greeted friends with a smile, reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her cute elf ears twitched as she locked eyes with the smiling Lin.
"Ellie, do you think this kind of life is good? Being with friends..."
"It's wonderful!" Elysia answered without a second's hesitation, her smile unchanging. "Every minute and every second spent with everyone is the most valuable time in my life."
Lin smile softened. He had always known Elysia would say that. Yes, he didn't even need to ask to know. But he just wanted to hear it one more time...
"It's the same for me." He smiled with all his might, using the smile the person before him had taught him. "I used to be very envious of Kevin. He could throw everything away for the sake of those beside him, even if it meant abandoning the whole world."
And now?
He didn't continue. The bright light in Lin eyes faded, leaving his body along with the last rays of the sun.
Don't worry, he will definitely protect you... protect all of you that I failed to protect before...
Gradually, a familiar color returned to Lin eyes—a color Elysia knew well.
"Lin?"
"...Yeah. I'm back."