Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 179 Are all the stars in the sky a reflection of my longing?
That day, my mother took me to her room to watch the stars. We looked up at the stars and talked a lot. Time passed so long and it was so boring that I gradually forgot the scene at that time, what her tone and expression were like, whether she had a warm smile when she said "I love you deeply"? When she pointed out the position of each constellation for me, did she have a kind of expectation of love?
Time is a river. Important memories will be like dead leaves floating on the river, drifting away with the flow of water. But I can still hear her voice vaguely, and hear her say to me at that time: "You know, Olivia..."

Long ago, people believed that the stars in the sky were actually the souls of the dead. The dead would reincarnate in the underworld and be thrown into the night sky, becoming a star in the vast sea of ​​stars, shining on the people on the ground every moment, every minute and every second.

They have forgotten many things, but never forgotten the faces of their loved ones. Therefore, whenever they see a familiar person in the sky, they will flash and flash desperately, hoping that their light can cross the long and distant distance of the universe and reach their loved ones to relieve their hardship and loneliness. In this way, they will accompany them through the miserable years on earth, until their loved ones also leave and turn into stars, and then they will feel at ease to extinguish the light and dim. That means they have successfully reincarnated and are about to become the next soul to come to the world.

So, the speed of starlight is actually the speed of yearning. The deeper the yearning is, the faster the speed of starlight will be. The stars in the sky are countless years of yearning being transmitted.

"If one day, I will leave you."

My mother gently stroked my hair. At that time, my face was full of confusion and puzzlement. I didn't know why she suddenly said such words, but my mother didn't stop talking. Because she knew that even if I didn't understand these words now, I would understand them in the future. It might be a very sad way, but human sadness is also a part of missing: "Please don't stay where you are and stop moving forward. That will only make the people watching you in heaven feel sad."

"You must be strong, Olivia, and believe that you are not alone in this world. There are as many stars in the night sky shining on you as there are people in the world who love you. Their love gathered together is a light brighter than the sun and the moon, and it will surely guide you out of the darkness of confusion and see your true self."

"I'm sorry that I can't stay with you forever, because there is always a time limit for people to get along with each other. If you are too greedy for warmth and exceed the time limit given by fate, it is likely to cause trouble to others. Olvera, you are a good child. Do you want to cause trouble to others?"

Of course I didn't want to do that, because I always wanted to be a good kid and be liked by everyone. So I shook my head vigorously.

"Then let's make a pact."

The gem in his hand is the star in the sky, and the holy books surrounding him are the core where the magic elements surge and gather, spreading an infinite aura of power like a storm.

Olvera's eyes were slightly red, with traces of tears still lingering in the corners of her eyes, but her expression was so firm, as if she had never felt lost for a moment: "The stars in the sky are not the so-called proof of atonement, nor are they the weapons you use to judge!"

"This is your atonement, Princess of Belmang."

She rested her forehead against mine, and our eyes met at a distance where we could hear each other’s breaths, conveying her tenderness and my confusion: “After I leave you, if you miss me very much, go look at the stars in the sky.”

“What—!?” The dark magician was startled, and a hint of surprise appeared on his cold face: “How could you…”

……

A clear, soft, yet firm girl's voice came from the deepest part of the starburst. Immediately afterwards, the infinitely dazzling incandescent light gradually shrank, condensing the light released by the stars into bright gems, which were held in the palm of a slender white hand. Each ray of light flowed out from between her fingers, covering her with a sacred robe. Those floating beams of light formed dazzling patterns on the robe, and the hood hanging down at the back, with white feathers of flying birds sewn on the top, looked pure and solemn.

The majestic and cold magician watched this scene quietly, without a trace of warmth in his words: "You will stop moving forward because of the suffering you have brought upon yourself, until you have redeemed yourself from all your sins. Every star in the sky is proof of your repayment, and also a judgment given to you..."

"Because, the stars in the sky."

“That’s not the case!”

"It's all about my thoughts of you."

A star fell from the night sky, bringing with it a tidal-like storm of light that instantly engulfed the darkness and annihilated the tower, swallowing up the girl's shadow like an incandescent monster.

"Nothing is impossible." Olvera interrupted her: "The stars in the sky are all thoughts. And the speed of thoughts is faster than light, so they can cross the vast universe and bring me my mother's memory. She is such a gentle person, she has never complained about anything, and she would never distort the meaning of starlight and turn it into proof of pain like you do!"

"I've already said it before, I'm not her." The other party replied coldly: "I am a phantom born from your memory. It is your own guilt, self-blame and regret that shaped my current appearance..."

"Guilt, self-blame, regret, they are all excuses!" Avella interrupted her again, took a step forward, her eyes brighter than the stars in the sky: "But it's not my excuse, it's the excuse you find for your own existence! Everyone has dark thoughts, but trying to replace reality with illusions is to go against the original emotions! What's more, my mother once said it herself-"

She said she never regretted giving birth to Olvera.

She said that everyone will take action only after they have the awareness of taking responsibility. She also made the mental preparation before she made up her mind to raise a new young life.

She also said that she has been happy every minute of every day since Olvera was born.

……

It was these words that gave Olvera the confidence to face her sadness again.

Her body seemed to be glowing, and the dazzling light was too dazzling for the enemy to resist. He could not help but take a step back, gritting his teeth in hatred: "Anyone can say such things verbally. If you really have no guilt or regret, then come and try to stop me!"

"Do you still have the will to fight now?"

She raised her hand, and her fingertips slightly plucked the invisible string in the void. In an instant, the ocean of stars roared and surged, and countless gems on the tops of countless high towers began to shake, falling towards the ground with even more terrifying power. The brilliance of the stars was so vast that it almost occupied the entire field of vision, making people feel that there was no way to escape.

However, Ovilla did not think of dodging. Instead, she raised her head and looked directly at the dazzling starlight in the sky, taking them all in with her own eyes.

"Of course I'll stop you!"

"Stop you from wantonly distorting your mother's words and tainting the purity of the starry sky!"

"This is something that is absolutely not allowed!"

In the girl's attribute panel, two lines of words were shining:
[Drawing strength from past memories, you gain the desire to "overcome pain." ]

[Overcome Pain: Increases all your attribute values ​​to 300% of the base value; makes all your magic no longer need to be chanted; makes all your magic exempt from cooldown; increases the speed of your ATP slot growth by 100%; makes all the magic you use attach and directly detonate the erosion mark of the corresponding attribute; during this state, your magic value is fixed to the upper limit. Remaining duration: 180 seconds.]

Olvera, current MP: 9999/9999.

"This is!"

The girl gently raised her hand, exerted a little force with her palm, and crushed the remaining crystal of the star.

"The stars in the sky gather——"

The holy book was overflowing with stardust and automatically floated into the air. The five elements of water, fire, light, wind, and thunder surrounded the girl, surging with magical light.

“The power of longing!!!”

boom--!
Elements exploded, and brilliant magic shook the entire space.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)