Night Journey

Chapter 6 Turning Point

Around noon, Mick replenished the missing supplies according to the purchase order, while Tim went to the armory to maintain rows of gleaming weapons.

Cillian swung his hammer and began hammering and banging on the parts.

"Can it move now?"

Cillian turned around and saw Ava appear outside the workshop after finishing her morning work.

The girl looked at Cillian with shining eyes, full of curiosity and longing.

"almost."

With a proud look on his face, Cillian tapped the motorcycle's exterior, twisted the throttle, and with a few loud roars, the wheels spun rapidly, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Cough cough!"

Dust splattered in Ciri's face, causing him to cough repeatedly.

Releasing the accelerator, Cillian picked up a damp towel, wiped his face, and stroked the rusty car body.

“The overall structure is still a bit poor. I’m afraid it will fall apart halfway through its journey in the wilderness. That would be a real disaster.”

The thought of that night spent in the wilderness sent shivers down Cillian's spine.

“I’m going to give it a new shell. Look at this, it’s all rusted, and this shock absorption system too. I’d also like to give it a cool paint job.”

As Cillian's vision drew closer to reality, his excitement gradually turned into disappointment.

"But this preparation isn't enough to traverse the wilderness. I need camping gear and a large reserve of soul essence..."

His voice lowered as he put the tools back on the shelf, looking exhausted.

"It's still very difficult."

After a pause, Cillian repeated.

"Leaving Baiya Town is still a very difficult thing."

Even though the motorcycle could travel safely in the wilderness, and Cillian had enough soul essence reserves and various supplies, there was still one thing he could not avoid.

Gray fog.

That gray mist, filled with chaotic power, carried countless demons.

For an ordinary person to travel alone in the wilderness is ultimately too dangerous.

Therefore, long ago, Cillian realized that if he wanted to control his own destiny in this crazy world, he had to at least become a superhuman.

"It's alright, Cillian, I believe you can do it."

Ava patted Cillian on the back and smiled at him, expressing her approval.

She brought up the past, saying, "I remember when you first tried to repair this thing, everyone said you couldn't do it... but you succeeded."

"Thank you."

Cillian gave a bitter smile.

“Relax, you’re really amazing,” Ava said earnestly. “I knew you could do it from the day I met you.”

Cillian packed up his tools and subconsciously asked a question in return.

"why?"

“I think you’re different from everyone else,” Ava emphasized again. “Completely different from the people in White Cliff Town.”

Cillian looked at her in confusion, only to hear Ava begin to describe herself as she saw herself.

"This is a terrible world. People are born to survive. As long as they can fill their stomachs and get a good night's sleep, they will feel satisfied. But you are different. You always look to the world beyond the high walls and fantasize about what lies at the end of the wilderness."

Ava gently stroked Cillian's black hair, her slender fingertips combing through it. "I still remember the light that shone in your eyes when you found this motorcycle buried in the yellow sand."

Ignoring everyone else's advice, you spent half a month painstakingly moving it back to the town, and then started learning how to repair it...

You are a very vibrant person, Cillian. A vibrant person will succeed at anything.

Cillian blushed slightly and said shyly, "Actually, I'm not that good."

"That means you have plenty of room for improvement," Ava said with a grin.

"Alright, wake up, I have something to tell you."

She squeezed Cillian's shoulder hard, intending to relax his muscles, but found that she wasn't strong enough.

After years of training, Cillian, though young, has physical abilities that are unmatched by ordinary people.

"what's up?"

"My father has invited you and your teacher to dinner tonight."

Ava added, "I think it's not just about having a meal; I want to discuss something with you."

"Okay, I'll be there on time."

"Hmm, see you tonight."

Ava gently patted Cillian's head, then disappeared into the afternoon sunlight with a smile.

Cillian's gaze lingered on the direction Ava had disappeared, unwilling to look away for a long time, when a gruff voice came from behind. "What, still thinking about Ava?"

Tim arrived unnoticed, leaning against the doorframe, clicking his tongue in amazement, "Sigh, Ava was so obvious, and yet you..."

"No, that's not what I'm thinking about."

Cillian shook his head, interrupting Tim's suspicions. "I was wondering why the teacher and I were invited, instead of the teacher and the three of us."

Tim was stumped by Cillian's question. The three brothers were always in sync, but this time only Cillian was there, so something must have gone wrong.

Cillian analyzed, "Perhaps it has something to do with me spending a night alone in the wilderness."

"You mean..."

Tim and Cillian locked eyes, their gazes growing increasingly serious.

"Do you think it's that matter?" Tim asked, somewhat incredulous. "The teacher hasn't mentioned it in almost ten years."

"Who knows?"

Cillian thought calmly, "White Cliff Town has been out of contact with the outside world for more than 20 years. Its reserves of various materials are still in good condition, but the reserves of soul essence are gradually running out."

"To alleviate the depletion of the Soul Essence of Baiya Town, it has always been the teacher who has been donating blood and refining it, but he is ultimately alone."

Without any hesitation, Cillian immediately voiced the worst possible scenario.

"It can be said that the key to the survival of Baiya Town rests on the shoulders of the teacher alone, but the teacher is also a human being; he will get hurt, grow old, and die."

Cillian's words were like a sharp knife, dissecting the existential crisis of White Cliff Town.

"Baiya Town needs another extraordinary person... another torchbearer."

Tim walked over to Cillian, his expression serious, and said, "Do you think the teacher intends for you to become the Torchbearer?"

"Probably, after all, I came back alive from the wilderness safely."

Cillian recalled the so-called resistance to chaos, and then recalled the complex look in Nunn's eyes when he awoke that day. Perhaps he had already prepared to do so back then.

“No…this won’t do, this is too dangerous,” Tim said sternly. “I’ll go talk to the teacher, he can’t do this.”

"It's alright, Tim."

Cillian was about to try to comfort Tim when he saw Tim's red eyes and his firm tone.

"No, you don't understand, Cillian, you didn't see that scene!"

Tim realized he was losing control of his emotions, so he slowly backed away and sat down on a chair by the wall.

He took a few deep breaths and whispered.

You should know about these things, right?

“I only know the general outline,” Cillian understood what Tim was referring to. “It was a tragedy, and everyone tacitly agreed not to mention it anymore.”

"Yes, that was more than ten years ago. Back then, you hadn't been taken in yet, and Mick hadn't been accepted as a student."

Tim slowly began to recount the past, “Back then, the Soflowa brothers were the same as they are now, there were three of them, but I was the youngest.”

"Our teacher recognized the crisis in White Cliff Town very early on and tried to make us extraordinary beings..."

This time, Tim remained silent for a long time, and only after he had mentally prepared himself did he continue his story.

"The ritual failed, and my brother transformed into a demon. Chaotic power poured out from his body. The teacher cut off his head in time, but the surging chaotic power still caused great pollution."

Tim needs to take a deep breath before he can speak; it's a childhood nightmare that still haunts him.

"To protect me, my other brother was also contaminated. After struggling in agony for more than ten minutes, the teacher granted him peace as well. In addition, many townspeople died because of this... including Mick's parents."

This is a nightmare for Baiya Town. The townspeople almost never mention it and try to forget it, but no one can forget it.

Nunn never kept his extraordinary power to himself, never sharing it with others.

He tried, but no one could bear it.

"If no one makes a sacrifice, Baiya Town will disappear completely into darkness in the not-too-distant future."

Cillian was not intimidated by Tim's story and remained remarkably calm.

"Besides, people have to take responsibility for their choices. I don't think they ever regretted it until the moment their teachers chopped off their heads."

Tim said no more; he knew his brother's temperament.

Cillian is a contradictory person. He is optimistic and carefree, but at times, he is also terribly stubborn.

It's as if something terrible is hidden in their heart.

He spent half a month traveling back and forth between Baiya Town and the wilderness, just to bring back a pile of rusty scrap iron.

Tim and Mick had mocked Cillian's stubbornness, but when they saw the motorcycle taking shape, neither of them could utter a word of ridicule, only admiration for its terrifying power.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, Tim."

Ciri spoke words of reassurance, gazing into the distance.

"I want to see the outside world, so I must become an extraordinary being."

(End of this chapter)