Night fell, and the massive moon slowly ascended into the sky as the Golden Tree's glow gradually weakened.
Bai Shi, still waiting in the bush, gazed at the moon, his thoughts wandering.
"That doesn't make sense. The moon is here, so why is there no sun during the day?"
"Wait, the Castle Sol and the legendary weapon Eclipse Shotel are both related to the sun."
"Why did the sun disappear?"
Soon, Bai Shi gave up on the thought. These things were too far beyond his reach.
The Golden Tree's radiance was constantly spread over the land. Even at night, it only slightly reduced visibility.
But that was all Bai Shi needed.
He emerged from the bushes, stretching his left arm. The wound had completely stopped bleeding.
Bai Shi cautiously approached the ruins in front of the gate, arriving at the spot he had chosen beforehand, where no soldiers were standing guard.
He pulled a Kukri knife from his pouch and threw it high in the direction away from the gate.
The knife arced in a wide parabola, flew over most of the camp, and then fell.
Clang!
The sharp sound of impact startled the nearby soldiers. They drew their weapons, held their torches high, and converged on the source of the noise.
Bai Shi quickly ran toward the gate arch.
He needed to take advantage of the cover of night to sprint through the gate, minimizing the time he was visible to the soldiers on the walls.
Bai Shi moved quietly, sprinting from the left side of the gate to the right.
Inside the gate, the crossbowman only saw a blurry figure flash through the arch.
He instinctively raised his crossbow, but the target was gone by the time he aimed.
He stared blankly at the spot where the shadow had disappeared, slowly lowered his crossbow, and returned to his aimless guard duty.
Bai Shi was now at the Site of Grace.
The Grace was nestled at the junction of the stone wall and the cliff face, the two walls behind him giving him a great sense of security.
"Mission accomplished."
"Hah, intelligence is the reason for a king. These soldiers could never understand my profound wisdom," Bai Shi muttered to himself proudly.
After patting himself on the back, Bai Shi didn't forget the main purpose of his trip and reached out to touch the Site of Grace.
A warm sensation enveloped him.
Bai Shi felt the Grace inviting him, urging him to accept it more deeply.
Unsure of what to do, he thought for a moment and then sat down by the Grace, mimicking the action from the game.
Immediately, the light of the Grace expanded, enveloping the surrounding space.
Bai Shi's vision blurred, and the world seemed distant. It felt as if he was in another dimension.
The warm light washed over his body. His left arm, where he was injured, began to feel tingly.
He took off the vambrace and unwrapped the cloth. The wound had healed completely, without even a scar.
He took off his helmet and shook his head. The fatigue from a day of running around disappeared, and his energy was fully restored.
Bai Shi quickly opened the Fling Trainer panel, but unfortunately, the number of uses did not replenish with the blessing of the Grace.
He chuckled at his own wishful thinking. The Fling Trainer was from another dimension; there was no way it could be recharged so easily.
Next, Bai Shi thought about how he would meet Melina soon and couldn't help but feel happy.
But then he started to feel awkward.
'I'm so dirty, and my helmet and vambrace are mismatched. What if she's repulsed by me?'
'How should I talk to her? Should I be warm and proactive to melt her cold exterior? Or should I act aloof to pique her curiosity?'
Bai Shi was amused by his own thoughts.
'Ah, I barely talked to girls in my last life. It's going to be embarrassing if I end up stuttering.'
'Now that I think about it, I haven't even seen myself in a mirror. Is this my old face or the game's default face?'
'What if I just go crazy and confess my feelings to her? I wonder what kind of expression she would have. I really want to see it...'
What Bai Shi didn't know was that Melina, in her spiritual form, was sitting nearby, secretly observing him.
She watched him laugh to himself, then cover his face and shake his head. Melina was a bit speechless.
She stroked her spectral steed's mane and asked:
"...Torrent, is this really the one?"
The spectral steed named Torrent snorted, as if to say, 'Don't you trust my judgment?'
Seeing that Torrent was certain about this person, Melina sighed in resignation.
After all, she had chosen him on the beach because she believed he had the potential to be a king.
The powerful ancient soul quietly residing within him was the best proof of that.
Melina stood up, pulling the wide hood of her cloak over her head.
As she walked toward Bai Shi, her form gradually became visible.
Bai Shi was lost in his own thoughts when a beautiful figure gradually materialized beside him.
Long leather boots encased slender legs, and as she moved, a part of her pure white dress swayed beneath her wide cloak.
A wide hood covered her face, revealing only soft, sweet, candy-like lips and a delicate nose, with a few strands of hair clustered around her pretty cheeks.
She parted her cloak with both hands and knelt beside Bai Shi.
She pulled back her hood, revealing a cascade of rose-gold hair. Her left eye was sealed shut by what looked like a peculiar rune, while her right eye radiated the golden light of Grace.
Melina settled herself and addressed Bai Shi with a sweet voice:
"Hello, one who comes through the mist. My name is Melina."
"I would like to make a deal with you."
When Melina truly appeared before him, Bai Shi couldn't describe how he felt.
Was it excitement and joy? Panic? The emotion of a long-awaited reunion? Or was it love?
Perhaps it was all of them.
But more than anything, a wave of sadness washed over him.
Melina, my second Maiden, I couldn't protect you in the end.
You asked me if I was ready at the Giant's Forge. I thought I was ready back then...
Even if I could use the Frenzied Flame, how could I trample on your resolve and deny the meaning of your life?
Even when I used Miquella's Needle to suppress the Frenzied Flame, you never came back to me.
My Maiden was burned to death, no matter what choice I made, my Maiden was burned to death.
Seeing Melina alive and standing before him, Bai Shi wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.
He just looked at her with a profound sadness, completely silent.
Melina looked back at Bai Shi, but as the moments passed, she started to lose her composure.
'?'
'Why isn't this person saying anything? He's just staring at me.'
'Did I make a bad entrance?'
The light of the Grace flickered slightly, leaving Melina confused and alone in the wind.
Melina! My Melina! / (ㄒoㄒ)/~~
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