Cloud Thinking

When Yuros opened his eyes, all he saw was a soft, snow-white scene.

He was as cold as ice, but the surroundings were abnormally warm - Helia hugged him tightly, as if to transfer all her body temperature to him.

But he was afraid that he would crush the person by using too much force, so he restrained himself carefully.

But the strange thing was that the warmth was like a layer of ice wall, and it couldn't penetrate into his body.

He moved slightly and woke up the person who was holding him in front of him. A lock of red hair brushed across his face, and was soon replaced by a pair of extremely warm hands.

"Euros, how are you?" Helia tightened the cloak around him, but the coolness from her fingertips made her worried.

"Sister..." Yuros called softly. His tense body suddenly relaxed, like a baby kangaroo returning to its mother's pouch, knowing he was in the warmest and safest place in the world.

The snow pit they were hiding in was so small that only one person could fit in. Surrounded by thick snow walls, and above them, it was unusually quiet, indicating that the horrific natural disaster was over.

Helia curled up and held the huge Euros tightly in her arms. Except for the base clothes, she wrapped everything else on Euros.

But even so, Euros still couldn't warm up.

Next to her was a twisted bronze rod, the hand of a clock that had been broken off from Osinotto's body, its tip coated with ice crystals.

Apparently, that's how she dug out this shelter.

"You're so cold, what should I do?" Helia was a little at a loss, her voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

Yuros's current condition is like he is about to die. He can't get warm again no matter what he does. The heat is disappearing bit by bit along with his vitality.

Her magic power was exhausted, and the final blow to Osinoto almost drained all her strength. After all, that was a blow that could kill a god. If she didn't use power comparable to that of a god, how could she kill a god?

She exchanged a lot of magic crystals from the system to replenish her magic power, and then continued to pour her own magic power into Yuros' body, but it was like mud flowing into the sea, and there was no echo.

She could only eat the magic crystals over and over again, and then pour the magic power into Yuros' body, repeating this cycle over and over again. Finally, she was too tired and fainted.

"It's okay, sister..." Euros tried hard to force a smile. He wanted to reach out and touch Helia's face to comfort her, but he found that he was wrapped tightly in clothes, like a silkworm, with only his head barely able to move freely.

"It's okay, you're colder than the snow." Helia frowned and touched his face with her other hand, trying to dispel his coldness with her own warmth.

Eurus looked into her eyes that were filled with his own reflection, and the heart in his chest that had long stopped beating seemed to feel the long-lost throbbing again.

This sudden happiness is too fragile, like a drop of melted water hanging on the tip of an ice ridge, which may fall and shatter at any time.

He struggled to pull his hands out from under the heavy fur cloak, but Helia's dissatisfied gaze was like an icicle, repeatedly stopping his movements.

But looking at his lips as pale as fresh snow and his eyelashes covered with frost, she finally let that cold hand hold her.

"Sister, do you feel it?" Eurus took Helia's hand and slowly placed it on his cold chest.

In the darkness, the white mist they exhaled intertwined into spider-web-like patterns, and was quickly frozen into tiny ice crystals by the cold air seeping down from the cave ceiling.

"Osinoto has fallen..." His voice reflected off the snow wall, as if coming through a thick layer of ice. "You devoured his godhead, plus his three brothers..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the rustling sound of snow above his heads, and a few grains of ice fell on their clasped hands.

The faint light of the snow seeped in from the cracks, cutting out fragmented light and dark on Yuros's face.

Those amber eyes glowed with a beast-like light in the dim light, and the surging emotions were more intense than a snowstorm - nostalgia was the seeds buried deep under the snow, love was the thorns that entangled the prey, and blame was the ice needle that pierced the bone marrow, and finally all turned into a reluctance that was like solidifying ice crystals.

Helia's fingertips curled slightly against his chest.

She was so familiar with this expression, just like she was familiar with the lines on her palm.

Even if you cover his mouth, the thoughts that have long been rooted in his bones will seep out with every breath.

"But with such power..." His Adam's apple rolled in the shadows, "Facing those ancient gods, we are still..." Another puff of snow fell, and he had no choice but to put his lips to her ear and continue, "...lambs to be slaughtered."

He suddenly chuckled, and the curve of his mouth reminded Helia of the first time they met. That skinny but hopeful little boy flattered her by calling her sister, his eyes sparkling, as if holding all the beauty and hope.

"Take me away, so you can truly fight them." His fingertips traced her brow bone, as if memorizing the final outline. "I long to... become one with my sister."

"This way, we will never, ever, ever be apart again."

Every breath Helia took was like a knife cutting pain. She took a deep breath, her chest bulged, and she felt a tightness in her heart.

She remembered the sight of Tarod's blood splattering on the snow as he fell.

That really made her feel heavy in the pit of her stomach, as if she had accidentally stepped on a carefully cultivated flower.

But that kind of regret was too faint, as faint as the morning mist, which disappeared without a trace as soon as the sun shone on it.

Even if he didn't die here, she would break the thorny rose with her own hands sooner or later - whether to eliminate hidden dangers or to gain power.

But Euros is different.

She didn't know why, but the voice in her heart kept telling her over and over again that Euros was different and unique.

When he trembled and called out "Sister" for the first time, Helia clearly heard the roar of a glacier breaking in her chest.

The feeling was too strange, as if someone had taken a piece from the depths of her soul, and at this moment, that empty piece was getting hot in Yuros's hand.

Kidnapping, imprisonment, those whispers in the long dark nights... These crimes that should have been abhorrent were now like words written on parchment, easily blurred by tears.

She felt an inexplicable debt to him, and the realization made her temples throb with pain.

In some time and space that she has not yet experienced, there must be a bond between them that is deeper than blood.

Euros looked at her as a night watchman gazes at the last light that remains on.

She had been waiting, waiting for the torrent of memory to burst through the floodgates and wash the pearls buried by time to her feet.

But until this moment, the tide has not yet arrived.

So, she would not allow Euros to die here.

Even if God wants Him to die, she will fight against God.

She pursued that supreme power in order to protect herself and everything she cherished.

If she cannot protect Euros now and wants to give up Euros, then she will end up in the same group as the gods in the future.

She doesn't want to.

So she fought.

Helia tilted her head, her canines piercing the fingers of Euros pressed against the side of her face.

Blood gushed out instantly, stinging the eye on his pale skin. It flowed down his slender knuckles to his palms, like red silk wrapped around ice and snow.

She suddenly held the wound in her mouth.

Euros shuddered.

Warm lips and tongue wrapped around my fingertips, and I could clearly feel the lines where Helia's tongue brushed across the wound.

The swallowing sound was particularly clear in the silent cave. He watched his blood stain her lips red, and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.

The wound was clearly itchy, but my whole body was stiff and unable to move.

"Well……"

Only when the blood disappeared from the corners of Helia's lips did she let go reluctantly.

At this moment, Yuros's face was red from cheeks to collarbone, even his fingertips were pink, and his moist eyes were wide open, like a bullied large dog.

"Sister, you..." Her voice trembled.

Helia raised her eyebrows: "As expected, a capital M..."

His fingers brushed across his slightly hot cheek—his body temperature had indeed risen.

"Sister...you..." Euros blinked, finally figuring out Helia's intentions. Biting his lower lip with a look of grievance, he said, "I don't want this..."

"Really?" Helia didn't believe it.

Yuros turned his face away and said, "No."

The voice is muffled, but the ending tone is floating.

He did not want Helia's charity and mercy, nor did he want Helia to make choices that would put her at a disadvantage based on rational judgment.

What He wants is pure love, a choice made without reflection and from which the other person enjoys or benefits.

Helia curled her lips helplessly, then, while Euros wasn't paying attention, quickly pecked his forehead.

Ok?

Uh-huh?

Eh!

With a loud bang, Yuros turned red as if smoking.

Helia had already turned around, and Theodore's figure appeared in her palm.

The moment the wand descended, an ancient humming filled the cave. The once plain ebony wand now shone with the luster of liquid gold. A closer look revealed that the wood grain was embedded with extremely fine golden threads, like divine blood flowing through veins.

The silver vines wrapped around the head of the staff fully awakened, and each metal leaf stretched to its limit, holding up the pigeon blood gem in the center - which now flickered with Helia's breathing.

The most astonishing thing is the end of the staff. The originally smooth tip is cracked with fine lines, revealing the dark red crystal cluster hidden inside, like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting.

It is truly a gift from the gods, and only now has its true power been revealed.

Helia had made a great purchase on it.

But perhaps, only in her hands can it regain its former glory and unleash its full power.

Theodore was so long that he seemed particularly cramped in this narrow cave.

The moment the magic wand was summoned, its two ends hit the snow on the cave wall with a "bang". The wand bent slightly and the snow fell down, making people worry that it would break.

Helia gently stroked Theodore's staff, her fingertips rubbing over the familiar lines - the marks left by her years of use.

She silently apologized in her heart, then reached out for the blood crystal embedded in the staff.

The crystal glowed faintly in the dim cave, like solidified blood or burning embers.

"Sister, no!"

Euros burst out with strength from nowhere and suddenly pounced on Helia and grabbed her wrist tightly.

His fingers were cold but strong, and his fingertips were trembling slightly.

He knew what this seemingly ordinary blood crystal meant to Helia.

With Helia's status and position, she could have any number of magical gems more precious and powerful than this.

But the value of this blood crystal never lies in its material or magic, but in the person who gave it to her - Mobichues, the teacher who always has a stern face and speaks harshly, but cares about her more than anyone else.

He was the mentor who led her on the path of magic, the guiding light when she was most confused, and the spiritual pillar that supported her along the way.

The most important thing is that he is "He Liya's" teacher. From the beginning to the end, the one he came into contact with was the soul from another world.

Britney once misunderstood that she was distinguishing between Belei and Helia's friends, but in fact, what she really distinguished was the interpersonal relationship between "herself" and "the original owner".

Mobichues is one of the few people who truly belongs to "her". He is the witness and guide of this new life after time travel.

The stingy old man gave her most of all scolding and extra training.

This blood crystal was one of the few physical gifts he could offer. I remember him muttering at the time, "Take it, don't die out there."

So she had always treasured it and inlaid it in Theodore - her first wand, which had accompanied her from a magic apprentice to her current existence.

These two things carried her entire magical career and witnessed her whole process from confusion to determination.

And now, she wants to take this unique and irreplaceable blood crystal and use it to save Euros.

There will never be another blood crystal in the world that carries the aura of Mobicius, just like there will never be another mentor like her in her life.

Helia took a deep breath, her fingertips already touching the edge of the blood crystal.

"Sister, don't." Euros' voice trembled slightly, and his fingers tightly grasped Helia's sleeve.

He didn't want to see her put into such a dilemma for him.

His long eyelashes, dyed silver by frost and snow, drooped, casting a shadow under his eyes - He came to her side to share the burden and to protect her smile, not to become a burden to her and force her to sacrifice the things she cherished.

Helia ignored it.

Her nails dug deep into the gap between the blood crystal and the staff, her fingertips turning white due to the force, and her nail beds turning an unnatural red.

The snow above their heads made an ominous "crunching" sound, and tiny ice crystals fell down, forming a thin layer of frost on their shoulders.

A slight "click" sound was heard, and the blood crystal was finally forcibly peeled off, leaving a shallow blood mark on her palm.

"Here." She spread out her palm, and the blood crystal lay quietly in the palm with crisscrossing lines, emitting a dark red glow in the bleak light of the sky filtered through the snow.

The air in the cave was thin, and every breath was as cold as ice and snow. She thrust her wrist forward, pushing the heavy burden of her feelings towards Euros.

"Euros, remember?" Her voice was soft, as if she was afraid to disturb the precarious snow layer above her. "I once said that I just wanted to live an ordinary and happy life, and I was afraid of the responsibilities imposed on my shoulders."

A bitter smile curved her lips, and her gaze passed through Euros, as if gazing into some distant time and space: "It's a pity that I am now drifting further and further away from that simple dream."

Her fingers tightened, gripping Euros's cold palm and placing the blood crystal in his hand.

The man's knuckles were long and slender, but now they were as stiff as ice sculptures.

Helia could feel the faint beating of His pulse, like a kite whose string could break at any moment.

A muffled sound came from deep in the snow, as if the entire mountain was slowly sinking.

"I can't be so selfish as to let you bear the weight of my choices and then turn around and blame you for the path you chose for me."

Her thumb gently stroked Yuros's finger, where there was an unhealed scar, the mark of her bite just now.

"Right now, I can't honestly accept all the feelings I've given you." Her voice grew fainter, the mist from her breath condensing into frost before her eyes. "Because I haven't yet experienced those memories that are so precious to you. I, who know nothing, am not the complete Helia you know."

The thick layer of snow blocked out almost all sounds from the outside world, and the only sound in the cave was the interlocking breathing of the two people.

Her red hair was covered with tiny ice crystals, which looked like a handful of stars in the dim light.

"I'll say it again—these don't belong to me now." She looked directly into Euros's reddened eyes, her sapphire pupils reflecting his pale face. "Please leave them for my future self, the me who has all the memories, the me who might love you as deeply as you love me."

The cave, oppressed by the snow, suddenly fell into an eerie silence; even the sound of ice crystals breaking could be clearly heard. "So, I won't allow you to give up on yourself here. Because—"

The pale face of Euros was reflected in her eyes, and her voice was as firm as ever:

"There is another Helia, waiting for you at the end of time."