Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 189 Is loneliness a never-ending journey?

The teacher’s words shocked me greatly, because they were completely contrary to me and our inherent cognition.

People always believe that as long as they find companions, they will no longer be trapped in cold loneliness. Therefore, since ancient times, people have learned to live in groups, share the warmth of the campfire with their companions, and gain a kind of comfort that is very different from loneliness from their caring words and eyes.

However, my teacher told me: No one in this world can escape loneliness.

Because loneliness is neither a curable disease nor a solvable problem, but a destiny we are born with.

"Life and death take everything away."

At that time, the teacher looked at the drizzle outside the window, gently stroked my hair, and told me: "The emotions we had in life will be isolated by death and cannot be communicated. Is it because they are not deep enough? Or is it because the connection between each other is not close enough? I don't think so. It's just that things in the world follow the established rules. If they are violated, terrible disasters will occur. Therefore, on both sides of this huge gap, the souls of the living and the dead are equally lonely."

"When you were a tree in your lifetime, but could not defy the will of time and gradually withered and aged, the birds that once sang on the branches, the beasts that once stayed under the tree, and the people who once told you stories about the tree, all gradually faded away in your old age, and even disappeared. This is the loneliness that we are destined to endure, which once disappeared temporarily because of coming to this world, but now it is only lost and regained."

"If trees are like this, how can people be any better, Princess?"

In her words, the life and death of a person and the withering and flourishing of a tree are linked together by the same loneliness. I was confused and murmured, "So, will I still be alone in the end, teacher? Will my father, mother, and you all leave me in the end?"

"Don't cry, Princess." The teacher's hand gently wiped away a tear from the corner of my eye. Only then did I realize that I was crying. The tears that fell were as transparent as the rain on the window glass. Are they also sad? Is it the sky crying? Do you understand that the moment you leave the clouds, you have become a lonely wanderer forever?

"Like a tree withering and falling, it will never see the familiar scenes on the earth where it grows again. However, its flowers, fruits and seeds will be blown away by the wind, leaving new traces there. As the years go by, the annual rings are also covered. Birds from afar bring branches and buds to build new nests; young animals out of the den see the world for the first time and play and fight; one stranger after another, walks under her shade again. Perhaps she will look at the faces of these people and try to find a kind of longing passed down from the past life, even though this is a meaningless act, because any memory of the previous life will no longer interfere with the trajectory of this life, but new encounters will be born in it and become the only medicine to dispel loneliness."

Her answer without hesitation made my body tremble. What was my mood at that time? Anxiety or uneasiness? Sadness or panic? It seemed to be a little bit of all. I believed that the teacher would never lie to me, so I felt deeply desperate.

“Rain is the season of parting.”

"Please don't just put your emotions on the people around you. If you do that, when the time comes to separate, it will make you even more painful and sad."

"A tree has its own destiny, and a person has his own destiny. The two are two parallel lines that will never intersect. However, a tree may become a person in its next life, and a person may become a tree in his next life. Through some incredible laws, they exchanged each other's destinies, each seeking care and warmth in their own world, fighting against a destiny that can never be escaped, but they also feel more satisfied because of it."

"So, I would like you to remember one thing, Your Highness."

"Because after the rain there will be sunshine, and after the separation there will be a new encounter."

I once longed to make more friends and gain more friendships, so that I would not feel lonely in every silent night. However, even such a small wish could not be realized in the end?
"I think it should be like this - no one can stay with another person forever. This is the only truth I understand after many years, even more than the truth I seek from plants or branches."

The teacher suddenly said, without looking at me, but quietly watching the drizzle outside the window, watching the violet petals withering and the leaves dripping: "Every rain in this world will remind me of the separation at that time and the words we confessed. Princess, do you know why we know that our fate is loneliness, but we still stubbornly pursue the warmth from others?"

However, the teacher had not finished speaking.

Her voice suddenly became distant and ethereal, like singing a long-standing ballad, looming in the sound of the pattering raindrops. To this day, when I think of my teacher's face, I feel a little vague, but the words she taught me were not about how plants should grow or how violets should bloom, but about how the soul should find temporary companions on a lonely journey and convey the truth of short-lived warmth -

"In the limited time of life, why not look forward to more distant scenery, and look forward to what kind of encounters are waiting for you in the world after the rain. Don't look back at those who have left behind or those who have left you behind, because no one has ever stipulated that the memories of the past must affect the future. Do you remember what I said, that trees have their own destiny?"

"Go ahead, Princess."

Her fingertips brushed my hair, as if to send me to a very far away place: "The birth and death of life, the prosperity and withering of plants, the encounter and separation of emotions, the past life and present life of the soul... In fact, they all have the same meaning." "To you."

“Loneliness is a journey that never stops.”

……

Many years later, the woman with the teacher's face sat on the swaying wooden boat with a smile, her expression as serene as when she was looking at the rain outside the window. However, she no longer reached out her hand to gently wipe away the tears from the princess' eyes.

It was Ovilla herself who wiped away the tears accumulated in her eyes with her sleeves, and at this moment she suddenly remembered what she had forgotten.

That was a precious "encounter" that she had again in her lost and regained life.

"Alice." She whispered, "Ling Ge, Miss Saint Xia Liya, and Miss Saint Xia Liya's sheep..."

His palms loosened and tightened, and he asked in a low voice: "I haven't heard their voices since a while ago. Teacher, I want to know, where are they now?"

"It's not important, Princess."

The woman on the boat smiled faintly, and her faint singing echoed in the dark water. She still stretched out her hand, representing a tempting invitation: "As long as I am here, it is enough. I will accompany you until you get rid of the painful loneliness. From now on, you will no longer be alone..."

“This is wrong!”

The princess interrupted her, looked into every empty hole in her eyes, and said word by word: "No one can get rid of loneliness, because it is neither a disease that can be cured nor a trouble that can be solved, but a fate that each of us must bear."

"I really want my teacher to be by my side. Not only my teacher, but also my father, mother and everyone in the past. I hope they can stay by my side and accompany me through the long lonely years. However, people cannot live in the past forever. It is immature to hope that someone can stay. Their souls have their own paths to follow in their previous lives and this life. The only thing I can do is to embark on a new journey, find new encounters, and gain new sustenance after parting with them."

She raised her hand. Unknowingly, she had already grasped the pale blue holy sword in her hand. The blade without an edge pointed directly at the familiar face in her memory. The sacred code floated beside her and the golden chains entangled in the void... The power that the princess gained from the new encounters in her life would help her have the courage to fight against loneliness.

Although it is not a complete escape, life in this world is a lonely journey. Having a temporary travel companion or a short period of comfort is already a very lucky thing. How can you ask for more?
"Alice, Lingge, Miss Saint Charia and her lamb... They gave me courage, taught me the meaning of longing, and accompanied me through such a long journey. They are all the care and warmth that I have lost and regained."

"so now--"

Suddenly, an astonishing light burst out from her body. The sacred light was woven into soft silk threads, covering her neckline, waist, sleeves, and hem, embroidered into gorgeous and complex patterns, setting off the princess's expression in the light, holy and awe-inspiring, and even her voice was firm and inviolable: "Take my companions."

"give me back!!!"

As soon as the words fell, the surrounding scene completely froze. The dark water surface no longer rippled, the floating wooden boat no longer swayed, and even the smile of the woman on the boat was frozen into a blurred arc... Everything turned into things in the mirror, coated with dim and hazy colors. Only the big tree covered with dead branches still stood in the water, maintaining the deep and heavy dark paint color after years of erosion. Its silent silence seemed to be telling the heavy meaning behind life and death.

The next moment, a sharp clicking sound came from my ears.

Then, except for the tree, everything else visible to the naked eye shattered and turned into fragments of the mirror, which were blown by a gust of wind that accidentally swept past the princess. The mirror reflected everything about her beliefs and enlightenment, which was verified in the dusty memory.

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)