Chapter 21 Chapter 20

"The last leg of the journey, are you ready?" Tristan asked, trying to keep his voice light and humorous.They stood outside the cabin, ready to hit the road. "Yes," Dylan replied, with a forced smile, "where are we going?" "This way." Tristan began to walk around the hut in the opposite direction of the lake.Dylan took one last look at the lake.Today the water seems to be calm, with only small waves floating slightly, and the sunlight stirs the small waves, attracting a sparkling wave.She shuddered at the thought of the creepy monsters lurking beneath the lake, and hurried after Tristan, as if to put the unpleasant memory behind her.He stood at the other end of the hut, put his hands on his forehead to shade the sun, and gazed into the distance with a relaxed face.

"Did you see it?" Dylan followed Tristan's gaze, and there was an empty flat plain in front of him.A trickle of water snaked past them, toward the horizon.There is a path running parallel to it to the left of the stream.Beyond that, there was nothing to see except a few bushes. Dylan raised one eyebrow and said in confusion, "Uh, I can't see anything." Hearing what she said, Tristan turned and glanced at her.He grinned and winked, "Take a closer look." "Tristan, there's really nothing there. What am I supposed to see?" He sighed at her, but Dylan could sense that he was complacent about his superiority.He came up behind Dylan and leaned on her shoulder.His breath tickled her neck and burned her skin.

"Look at the horizon." He pointed forward. "See that shimmering place?" Dylan narrowed his eyes and watched.The horizon looked very far away, and she could only vaguely see something flickering at the junction of the blue sky and the earth. This may also be a phantom under the sun, or it was simply produced by staring at a place hard. illusion. "Not very clear." She answered honestly. "Well, that's where we're headed. It's where the Wasteland meets...and the Beyond." "Oh," she said, "and then what happens?" He shrugged. "I'll tell you, I've never been either. That's the furthest I've ever been."

"I know, but what did you see there? I mean, does it look like steps to heaven or something?" He looked at her in disbelief, obviously trying to hold back a laugh when he said, "Do you think there's going to be a giant escalator falling from the sky?" "Well, people don't know." She said angrily, using her anger to hide her embarrassment. "I'm sorry." Tristan smiled coyly. "Usually when they get here they disappear. That's it. They take a step forward and they disappear." Dylan wrinkled his nose. ' She could tell he was telling the truth, but it didn't help her at all.

"Come on, we have to hit the road." Tristan gave Dylan a slight push from behind, urging her to move.Dylan glanced at the horizon again, staring hard at the so-called gleam.can she seeIt's too hard to make out. She just felt a headache after watching it for a while, so she simply ignored it, and only looked at the path in front of them resentfully.At least there is no need to climb mountains anymore, but the destination is still out of reach. "It's the last day anyway..." she said hopefully. "I won't carry you." Tristan interrupted Dylan before she could finish her sentence.He overtook Dylan, who was slumping as he walked, and strode forward.Dylan complained in a low voice, and followed behind with heavy steps.

"You know, I almost drowned yesterday," she went on, knowing he wouldn't be kind enough to turn her back, but the thought of the long walk across the plains was miserable.Yesterday's drowning took a lot of physical strength, and now her legs are stiff, her chest hurts, and her throat is still stinging because she vomited a lot of water yesterday and coughed non-stop. He looked back at her with a strange expression on his face, but then turned and walked on. "Well, since I'm dead now, I probably won't be able to die again, but it still hurts." This time he stopped without turning around.Dylan strode after him, but flinched.His appearance at this time made her cautious.

"No, you might die again." Although his voice was very soft, it still reached Dylan's ears. "What did you say?" she asked suddenly.He looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and turned to face her. "You may still die." Every word was spoken slowly and clearly, every word was like a dagger going straight into Dylan's brain. "Is it possible that I will die again?" she asked, completely bewildered by the words.Will the dead die again?He nodded. "But how can I die again? Where will I go after death? I didn't..." Dylan's words suddenly stammered at the end.

"You can die here. I mean, your soul. When you're alive, your soul is protected by your body. When you die, you lose your body, so the soul is vulnerable." "What if the soul dies too?" "Then you're done." His answer was short and to the point. Dylan stared blankly at the sky, thinking that he was almost completely wiped out, and he was a little scared.Regarding the death of her own body, she didn't complain too much, because after all, she was still here.But knowing that she might disappear completely and lose the opportunity to meet the relatives she was looking forward to reunion, she was too scared to speak.

"Come on. I'm sorry, but we don't have time to lose. It's time for us to go. There are no more safe houses here, Dylan." Dylan woke up from his contemplation when he called his name. "Okay," she whispered.She didn't look at him, just walked forward. Even if her limbs were sore and tired, it was better than being alone in the dark and being caught by demons.Tristan watched her walk away.She held her head high, her steps were quick but limp, she rubbed her throat absently, and Tristan knew she must still be in pain after suffering a great crime yesterday.

"Wait a minute," he yelled, running to Dylan.She stopped and turned to wait for him.Tristan didn't stop when he ran to her, but took a step forward and stood right in front of her.He smiled, his back to her. "Jump up." "what?" He turned to face her, rolling his eyes, "jump up." "Oh!" Dylan's face was filled with relief.She jumped up grabbing his shoulders, wrapped her legs around his waist, and wrapped her arms around his neck.He hooked his arms under her knees and began to trudge on. "Thank you!" she whispered in his ear.

"It's not because it's so pitiful to see you." He said jokingly. Tristan strode forward, and Dylan swayed every time his foot hit the ground.Soon, Dylan felt himself stiff and uncomfortable on his back.The arms around Tristan's shoulders hurt, and Tristan's arms under Dylan's knees hurt her too.Still, it was better than letting her go.Dylan let his muscles relax as much as possible, trying to revel in the joy of being so close to Tristan. His shoulders were broad and strong, and he carried Dylan's extra weight so effortlessly that she felt as light as a feather.She pushed her face into his neck and took a deep breath, savoring the musky scent of him.His blond hair moved up and down with his steps, tickling her cheek.She fought back the urge to run her fingers through his hair. "When we get there, you'll have to get down and go on your own," he said suddenly, startling Dylan. She couldn't help but hug him tighter, "I thought you would be with me." "I am going with you," he said quickly, "but you must get down yourself, and I will follow you." "Didn't you go ahead?" There was hesitation in her tone. "No, you have to go to another world by yourself. That's all." He added, as if the last sentence would convince her. "But you're going to follow me, aren't you?" Dylan asked nervously. "I promise, I said I would follow you." "Tristan," her voice suddenly sharpened with excitement, "I saw it!" Just about half a mile ahead of them, the air seemed to be different.The ground at the front and back here looks the same, but it is slightly distorted, as if there is a transparent screen in front of it, and the intersection point of the screen and the ground is indeed shining.Dylan stared there, feeling his stomach tighten.About to arrive. "Put me down," she whispered. "what?" "I want to go by myself." Tristan put her legs down, and Dylan slid off his back to the ground.A tingling sensation in the calves and feet.She stretched her arms, then straightened her chest to face the end of the journey.Without looking at him, she started walking forward. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest.Although her arms and legs had always been sore, they now felt like they were not her own, not fully under her control.Dylan took a deep, even breath, trying to concentrate and not let his breath become too rapid.The ground seemed to fly under her feet, and now it was only about a hundred meters away from that place.The closer they get, the clearer the intersection of the two worlds becomes. The world beyond the junction appears blurred, as if seen through someone else's eyes.It made her head a little dizzy, so she tried to keep her eyes on the ground, occasionally looking up at the shining line across the path. Tristan studied her carefully.Although she neither saw nor spoke to herself, Tristan could sense that she was paying close attention to her every move.He intentionally kept only one step behind her.When Dylan was still five meters away from the junction, she stopped, breathing evenly, but her face was haggard, and the corners of her mouth were tight.He could see that every muscle in her body was tense. "Are you okay?" he asked. She turned to face him, eyes full of confusion.He'd figured it out a long time ago that Dylan was still holding out on the outside, but he was clearly panicking inside.He was not quite right.Inside Dylan now was a rush of intense emotion like she had never experienced before. The tense atmosphere in front of her made her worry about a few things in her heart, and made her focus on those things that were really important.She didn't know what would be on the other side of the line, and even though he had promised to follow behind, there was one thing she had to say now. Even though the thought frightened her, and even though she knew that saying it would make her emotionally vulnerable, she made up her mind.The experiences of the past few days had given her a better understanding of herself.She is no longer the little girl who hesitated about pretending to be a teddy bear.Now she is stronger and braver.She has been able to face the danger squarely and bravely face her inner fear.Tristan played a huge role in this.He protects her, comforts her, guides her, broadens her horizons, and allows her to experience emotions that she didn't know before.So she had to tell him how she felt, even if it made her stomach cramp, even if it made her neck burn.Just do it, she told herself to herself. "I love you." She didn't dare to take her eyes off his face, trying her best to understand his reaction.The words seemed to hang in the air between them, and every nerve in Dylan tingled, alert, her hormones thumping against the walls of her blood vessels.She didn't want to be so blunt, but she didn't know how to talk about this topic, and she had to speak her heart out.She continued to watch Tristan, waiting for his reaction, waiting for his eyes to sparkle or turn cold.However, he remained expressionless.Her pulse was no longer beating rapidly, but was beating irregularly, and she was afraid it would stop there.As the silence spread, she began to shake, her body ready to be rejected. His feelings were different from hers.Of course, she was still just a child to him.She would have completely misunderstood his words and touch.Her eyes began to sting, and tears welled up in her eyes.She gritted her teeth and tried to restrain herself.Her fingers were clenched into a fist, and she clenched, her nails digging into her palm.But this pain alone was not enough, the pain in her chest made her suffer unspeakably, like a scorching dagger stabbing into the middle of her chest.The pain overwhelmed her other senses, making it difficult for her to breathe. Tristan looked back at her, conflicted in his heart.He loved her too, and he knew he loved her with all his heart.He just didn't know whether he should confess this love to her. Time passed by second by second, and he was still hesitating.He saw her eyes wide open, heard her breath come and go, and knew she took her silence in the worst sense.She thought she didn't love her.He closed his eyes and tried to think the whole thing through.If she had believed that she didn't love her, maybe she wouldn't have suffered so much in the end.Perhaps it would be easier for her to accept that, and it would be best for him not to say anything.He made up his mind, opened his eyes and stared at the tearful Bise. No.Pain, hurt, rejection... These may be the last memories she has of herself.He had to tell her the truth, no matter what it cost them. He opened his mouth, still worried that his voice would tremble. "I love you too, Dylan." She stared at him for a moment, then froze.She chewed his words slowly, her heart beating with joy.he loves her.A smile flickered across her face, and then the smile turned into a beaming laugh.The pain in her chest disappeared without a trace, replaced by a soft light rising slowly down her throat and finally bursting from a smile.She took a small step towards him cautiously, and she could feel his breathing on her face, and the sound of his breathing became more and more rapid.His eyes burned with blue light, and the light shot into the depths of her heart, making her body tremble slightly.She lunged at Tristan, close enough to see the freckles on his nose and cheeks, and stopped. "Wait," she said, stepping back a little distance, "kiss me again when you get there." However, Tristan suddenly reached out and hugged her tightly, "No." His voice was low and hoarse, "Right now." He pulled Dylan into his arms with one hand and put the other on the back of her neck, sliding his fingers through her hair.Dylan's skin couldn't help but feel a chill, and the half-true protest was finally drowned in his throat.His thumb ran up and down the back of her neck, and without blinking she watched his face slowly come closer until their foreheads were touching.He was so close, so close that their breaths met, so close that she could feel the heat of her own body.He reduced the last distance between the two to zero, let go of her hands and neck, spread his arms around her back, and hugged her tighter and tighter.Dylan tilted his head back slightly, closed his eyes and waited. Tristan hesitated now instead.Not seeing her blue eyes as deep as a big forest, doubts suddenly surfaced in her heart.It's not right, it's not allowed.All his feelings for her are wrong, he should not indulge this feeling, it should not happen.But he loved it anyway, and he longed for that wonderful love for which man lives and dies, and it was his only chance.He closed his eyes slowly, and left a kiss on Dylan's lips. They were so soft, that's how he felt at first.Soft, sweet, and trembling slightly.He could feel her fingers slowly inserting into his clothes, and her hands trembling slightly pressed against his waist.She parted her lips to meet his.He heard her moan slightly, and the sound echoed in the tip of his heart.He hugged her tighter and kissed her harder.His heart pounded against his ribs and his breathing became short of breath.His consciousness was in chaos, the only thing he could feel was her warmth and soft body. He felt that she was becoming more and more daring, tiptoeing closer and closer to his arms, and her hands moved away from his waist, grabbing his shoulders and face tightly.He also imitated her movements, running his fingers down her cheeks and cupping her chin. Dylan, who was held tightly in Tristan's arms, was dazzled at this moment—she closed her eyes, and the world around her seemed to disappear.Only the lips he kissed were left, and the hands he hugged and caressed softly.Her blood sings in her veins.When Tristan finally let go of Dylan, she gasped.He held her face in his hand and looked at her for a long time, his lake blue eyes were shining brightly.Then he lowered his head and kissed her softly twice on the lips.He smiled at her with a lazy smile. "You're right," she said pantingly, "it's better to kiss now." She walked away from him, sizing up the line, fear free now.Tristan loved her, and wherever she went, he would be by his side.She took another ten steps confidently, and she had reached the boundary.She looked down, savoring it.This is her last moment on the wasteland, and now she has finally got rid of those demons, and finally can not trek on the mountain road, and do not have to spend the night in a dilapidated house.She took a left foot and stopped just above that line.She took another deep breath and jumped over. She stopped, took stock, and felt no difference.There was still a breeze in the warm air, and the dirt road under her feet still creaked softly with her footsteps.The sun is still shining in the sky, surrounded by mountains. She frowned slightly, although she was a little puzzled, she didn't care too much.She had thought that something great would happen. She turned to look at Tristan, a nervous smile still on her lips.However, the smile froze in an instant, as if a pair of cold hands grabbed her heart, her breathing became rapid, her mouth was open but she couldn't make a sound, as if to say: "No!" There was no one behind. She moved forward, but the shining dividing line disappeared.She reached for it, groping with her hands to find where Tristan had stopped a moment before.Although it looked like there was only air, his fingers touched an invisible wall, which was indestructible, let alone insurmountable.She was alone again now.She has traveled through time and cannot go back, and Tristan is gone. Dylan began to tremble all over. Anxiety, shock, and fear were intertwined, rushing through his veins, making people sick.She swayed, covered her mouth and fell to her knees, as if this would keep her from crying. But she couldn't stop crying, and tears welled up in her eyes, and what started as a quiet sob turned into a wail of agony as the eyeballs rolled down her cheeks and dripped to the floor. He cheated on her.His promise to be by her side only turns out to be deceit and betrayal.She has been fooled by him as a fool, and she believes him in everything. This must have been planned by him long ago. The image of him smiling at her appeared again in her mind, his eyes were shining brightly, but soon the smile disappeared from his face, there was only a cold and indifferent mask on this face, he had already Knew it would be like this. But what about his last sentence?Is it a lie? No, she doesn't believe it.He loved her, she was convinced.They love each other, but they can never be together.She felt that his face had been blurred in her impression, and various local details were disappearing little by little.She couldn't remember what color his hair was or what shape his lips were.She can't keep him in her mind either, memories are like grains of sand that go with the wind. Heartbreaking sounds came out of her mouth, pain burning every nerve in her.Now that she knew she was alone again, with no one to witness her grief, Dylan decided to let despair consume her. She beat the invisible wall with her fists in great frustration, and then pressed her palms against the wall, using all her strength to hope to destroy the wall so that she could go back again. Tristan stood on the other side of the divide, watching her break down like a policeman in front of a one-way mirror.He knew she couldn't see him.His deception worked, and the pain he had caused her was clearly written on her face.He knew that he had lied to her, and this ending was entirely planned by him.She knew she would never see him again, and even though it pained him equally, he forced himself to look at her every tear, to hear her every cry and wail.He longed to rush up to comfort her, hug her, wipe off the water on her face, and hold her in his arms again to feel her warmth and soft body. He lifted one of his hands into the air, and pressed the palm against hers, but felt nothing but cold and pain—a glass wall separated them.Tristan stepped forward, trying to cross the line, but to no avail, he couldn't get through.He let himself confess his love to her, he gave her hope, and that was his punishment.He will bear this self-inflicted pain moment by moment.He just hoped that Dylan would understand that his final confession came from the bottom of his heart.Although he told her many lies and lies, his love for her was sincere. He'd always known he couldn't cross the dividing line with her.His promise was a gimmick, a shameless lie concocted to give her the courage to take the last step. In order to make her believe in him, he exhausted all means.Looking at the grateful and relieved expression on her face, he knew in his heart that this moment would come sooner or later.As he kissed her and held her in his arms, he knew already that he couldn't keep her by his side.He knew that when she crossed the line and looked back, she would see her treachery. He watched Dylan cry his name through the curtain that separated the two worlds, and tears rolled down his cheeks.Tristan was filled with shame, self-blame, despair, and pain.He tried desperately to look away, to hide his eyes from the bitter fruit he had wrought, but he couldn't. "I'm sorry," he murmured.Knowing that she couldn't hear him, he still hoped to understand his mind somehow. Even though each additional second felt like hours of torture, eventually she began to slowly fade from his sight.The outline of her graceful figure began to shimmer and gradually become blurred.Her body began to disappear, and he watched as Dylan became transparent, slowly dissipating, until finally she was a puff of smoke.Her body became more and more hazy, and his eyes stared at her face greedily, trying his best to remember every detail, trying his best to lock the blue color in her eyes in his heart. "Farewell," he whispered, wishing he could go with her.In the blink of an eye, she was gone.He stared at the ground where she had stood a moment ago, suppressed the pain in his throat, took a deep breath, and turned to leave.