Under a starless moon, the sound of waves folding over and over became the lingering echo of "One Last Kiss." Sea wind, cool and salt-laced, swept across the crescent island and the three figures standing upon it.
Two dark-haired, golden-eyed Rovers, and a blue-haired girl who looked as though she'd stepped out of a dream. Together, they composed the most beautiful scene this stretch of world had ever held.
Tomorrow, Civilization would go to war against the Threnodian. Millions of futures would fork toward life or death, and the fate of the entire world might hinge on the outcome. But here, now...
Looking at the three of them, like a painting given breath...
Anyone would believe the world was still worth saving.
"You... you can actually..."
She stared, golden eyes blown wide. Of course she recognized what stood before her. Wasn't this the blue butterfly that had been glued to them for days? It could become human?!
And so breathtakingly beautiful at that.
The girl had blue hair cascading past her shoulders and luminous violet eyes. A veil of blue and white framed her face, and she wore a dress of matching colors, elegant and simple as a bridal gown. Pale skin showed at the waist where two deep blue sashes trailed behind her like the lower wings of a butterfly.
Beneath the sheer white fabric at her chest glowed a crystal of pure blue, pulsing softly with faint light. It looked like a seed wrapped in silk, or a beating heart. The color of her life itself.
White shoes that resembled high heels floated just above the ground, their wave-shaped soles carrying her weight without touching the earth.
Ethereal. Dreamlike. A girl who might have been born from the sea, or fallen from a sky full of stars.
The truth was, she had grown used to the butterfly's presence.
Every morning when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her partner's face. The second was the butterfly. It had appeared at his side at some point she couldn't pinpoint and never left. Eating, fighting, sleeping, the little blue creature was always there, fluttering near him, perched on his shoulder, or resting on his fingertip.
It treated her with the same affection.
The butterfly showed no fear of people, yet it only allowed the two of them to touch it. Whenever Yangyang reached out, it would dart away and land on one of their heads instead.
She loved that butterfly, because he loved it.
Having something so strange and lovely orbiting her partner made every scene look like art. Over the past few days, she'd been sneaking photos on her Pangu Terminal whenever the moment struck, one boy and one butterfly.
A handsome young man and a beautiful butterfly. Even a careless snapshot made for a perfect wallpaper.
And besides...
Since I tend to absorb Echoes to strengthen myself, Abby usually stays with me. If we ever have to split up for a while, at least he won't be lonely with that butterfly around.
That had been her reasoning. She'd also noticed the creature was absurdly clingy, present nearly twenty-four hours a day. It didn't seem to eat, either. Just yesterday she'd marveled at how a butterfly could fly through the wilderness all day without tiring or sipping a single drop of nectar.
But of course butterflies need nectar.
This one had long since found the flowers she loved best.
Two identical "black" "flowers."
"If I could, I'd have kept this going a while longer," he said, looking at Shorekeeper. "Pretending I didn't know who you were. Pretending you were just a clingy little butterfly."
A pause.
"But right now, we need your strength."
Her eyes went wide, and joy broke across her face.
She had loved those days as a butterfly too. Especially because when he looked at "just a butterfly," his guard came down entirely. He'd accept every bit of her closeness, and return it freely. There were moments Shorekeeper had thought, What if I could stay a butterfly forever, traveling alongside him and her?
But if he'd known her true identity all along, then every tender gesture hadn't been aimed at a small blue insect.
It had been meant for her. For Shorekeeper.
The thought alone sent a heat through her chest that she had no name for. It climbed upward through her body until it colored her delicate face a soft pink.
And when she recalled the reunion that had just taken place...
The warmth in her chest only burned fiercer.
She'd imagined this moment countless times. Rehearsed what she might say when the day finally came. But she had never expected it to arrive so suddenly, so beautifully.
That song was lovely. I don't know what a Mona Lisa is, but if they want me to be one, I will.
She'd already carved out a new partition in her memory, saving every note of a melody she had never heard before.
As for the small regret he'd expressed...
"It's all right. Whatever you wish for, whatever the two of you want to do, I will support it without question. Because..." Her violet gaze rested gently on him. "I am the Shorekeeper, born to watch over those who wander."
A smile surfaced on her lips, one she had almost never shown anyone. Then she turned to the other Rover, who stood watching her in bewildered silence, and spoke with the warmth of someone greeting a long-lost friend.
"Even if you don't remember, that's all right. No matter how many times it takes, I will introduce myself again. I am Shorekeeper, the steward of the Black Shores, and the one who watches over those who drift."
"Shorekeeper... Black Shores..." The female Rover's voice was faint. "Did we really...?"
She stared at the girl before her.
Memory was gone. But instinct wasn't. Something deep inside her reached toward this blue-haired stranger with a pull that was undeniable. It wasn't the same as what she shared with her partner, that bond woven into her very being, inseparable from the moment they met.
This was different. This was something forged over ages, worn smooth by time.
Without question, in the vast forgotten landscape of her past, the girl called Shorekeeper had been someone who mattered.
"We'll have plenty of time to discuss your past," Shorekeeper said. "When that time comes, I'll tell you everything the old you permitted me to share."
The reason she hadn't revealed herself sooner also traced back to the other Rover. An old directive. Unless the Rover sought her out first, she was not to make herself known. Because she had been searching for an answer Civilization had never found before, and the weight of the past would only interfere.
"But the Threnodian in Jinzhou is about to awaken. I understand your resolve. Black Shores will commit its full support to the city."
"That sounds promising," the female Rover said, "but what exactly is Black Shores?"
It clicked into place. This was why he'd chosen to reveal Shorekeeper now. He needed the power of the organization she represented. And if it warranted this level of attention, if it could play a role in a Threnodian-level crisis, it had to be formidable.
Beyond that, she had nothing. Not enough information. Black Shores was a complete blank.
"Right, I should explain," he said. "Black Shores is a remote archipelago on Solaris-3. It gathers the best minds from every field across the planet, all dedicated to fighting the Lament. Think of it as the ultimate world-saving organization. If Fractsidus is its opposite, that tells you everything you need to know."
Understanding dawned on her face at once. The opposite of Fractsidus? Simple enough. One wanted to destroy the world. The other existed to save it.
The world goes left, Fractsidus goes right, but no matter which side you're on, remember: Black Shores serves all of Civilization. He smiled at the thought.
Black Shores' influence was immense. It maintained deep, extensive partnerships with nearly every nation on the planet, and as an organization, its history stretched back further than any living civilization.
Every metric maxed out.
A world-saving order cloaked in mystery. Technology so advanced it surpassed the current era in certain fields by a staggering margin.
The best example was Black Shores' prediction system. Every catastrophe on Solaris-3, the Threnodians, Tacet Discord Tides, Retroact Rain, all of it fell under the umbrella term "the Lament." Black Shores possessed the capability to predict when and where those disasters would strike.
That alone made it the most sought-after partner for virtually every nation and organization in existence. Its status was unparalleled. And despite its secrecy, traces of its influence were everywhere.
During their days collecting Echoes across Jinzhou, the two Rovers had constantly encountered Beacons, the teleportation anchor points scattered across Solaris-3.
Every last one of them was built by Black Shores.
And unlike the trope you see in a hundred other stories, where the leadership rots from the inside and everyone's too busy fighting over power to remember the mission, Black Shores has never wavered. Top to bottom, they've held true to their founding purpose.
"Sounds like an incredible organization." Her eyes lit up. "Why don't we join? Is there an entrance exam?"
Shorekeeper's violet eyes widened. A complicated expression crossed her face, and she fell silent.
Beside her, he didn't even try to hold it in. Laughter burst out of him.
"That... that's the best thing I've heard all day."
"What? What's so funny?" She narrowed her golden eyes at her partner, a dangerous little smile forming, the kind that said explain yourself, or you're sleeping alone tonight.
"Because," he said, rubbing eyes that were almost tearing up from laughing, "Black Shores is something you built."
She blinked. Shock, again.
"I built it? Like Jinzhou? Seriously, again?"
"Surprise."
Shorekeeper nodded, confirming it.
"You once said that when the tides recede and the disasters pass, Civilization will need a shore to carry it forward. Black Shores is where our story began. It was the first mark you left on this era."