Tuanyuan fell asleep in a corner by the bed inside the room after eating and drinking to his heart's content.
Celia sat obediently on the chair, allowing Nors to comb her hair carefully. From childhood, Nors had always personally cared for Celia, finding joy in even the smallest tasks.
The strands of hair in his hand were smooth and silky, carrying a faint fragrance of soap from her bath.
He gently lifted a wisp of her flowing hair, his fingers softly passing through it. Suddenly, his fingers paused. There was a small lock of silver, strikingly different from her golden hair.
His heart tightened slightly, but his face remained calm.
"It's changed back again," he murmured, his tone filled with complexity and tenderness.
Celia didn't respond, simply waiting for Nors's next move.
Nors picked up the scissors from the table, gently cutting off the strand of silver hair. Then, using fire elemental magic, flames sprang from the crest, lightly consuming the silver hair that had fallen to the ground.
The silver strands turned to tiny sparks, dispersing into the air as if they had never existed.
Celia suddenly turned her head, her lips moving as she looked at Nors, hesitant to speak.
Seeing her expression, he sighed softly, patting her head gently to comfort her.
"Is there something you want to say?" he asked.
"If we really destroy the archways, we might never be able to return," Celia said, her brows furrowed, her mouth unconsciously turning downwards.
The seals were unreliable, and if they didn't destroy the archways, she worried that those people might bring disaster. They even had quantum guns, whose destructive power was undeniable.
In such a situation, the balance of this world was severely disrupted, with uncertainty and danger possibly lurking in every corner.
Hearing her words, he knew she was overthinking things again. This little girl always had so many thoughts.
He himself forgot that he wasn't much older than her.
Sighing inwardly, he gently cupped Celia's face, his gaze soft and profound.
"Do you want to go back?" he asked softly. "I have a feeling..." Celia paused, glancing cautiously at Nors before continuing in a low voice, "I might originally belong here."
Nors's face remained impassive, signaling her to continue.
"Before Elder Yu died, he gave me a silver key, saying it was related to my origins. He clearly knew who I am, but I have no memory of this key."
Celia took Nors's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm before continuing, "This place is nice, but the other side of the archway might be where you originally belong, brother."
"Brother Yun, don't you want to go home?" Celia raised her head, stubbornly looking into Nors's green eyes.
Nors helplessly pulled Celia into his arms. "I think I've told you many times, why don't you ever remember?"
Celia remained silent, listening to Nors's heartbeat, the only sound that could calm her.
Nors's thoughts drifted back to his birthplace, a technologically advanced interstellar world on a planet called A32026.
One afternoon, his father brought home Celia, covered in wounds.
Her disheveled silver hair fell over her shoulders, and she was visibly injured, curled up in his father's arms.
At first, he was unhappy with this sudden appearance of a "sister," feeling like a lion whose territory had been invaded, and he even spoke harshly to her.
But Celia just listened quietly, not reacting much. From initial resistance, he gradually accepted her and eventually treated her sincerely.
His father's authoritative figure, his mother's gentle smile, and Celia's bright, lovely face. Oh, and the playful Tuanyuan.
Life should have been peaceful and orderly, but later...
Nors stopped thinking about it, letting the painful past stay in the past, with Norsing worth lingering on. But the truth of everything was still too vague for him to draw a conclusion.
Those people had better not disrupt his life with Celia, or else...
A brief flash of coldness appeared in Nors's eyes, quickly hidden away.
"Brother, I should share a room with Scarlett now. Besides... I'm grown up already," Celia said, fidgeting with her skirt.
"So? Now that you're grown up, you don't need me anymore?" Nors, snapping back to reality, immediately became alert.
"That's not it! You know it, Brother Yun!" Celia's face turned red as fire, suddenly realizing she had spoken too loudly and quickly covered her mouth.
Brother is really terrible! He knows that's not what I meant!
She puffed up her cheeks in anger, looking exceptionally cute.
Nors felt like shouting internally; it was almost unbearable! He couldn't help but laugh.
"Hmph! You even tell people outside that I'm your sister!" Her resentment ran deep.
Nors held back his laughter, placing her head on his shoulder, gently stroking her hair. "When you turned eighteen, I told you. Whatever you want me to be, I'll be. Don't feel pressured."
His emerald eyes sparkled as he looked at Celia. "Whether as a brother or as myself, I like you, I love you."
Even though she had heard these words when she turned eighteen, Celia still couldn't resist the deep excitement in her heart. Her eyes sparkled, her lips curling into a sweet smile, but she still said proudly, "Hmph! It's because you think I'm young! Afraid I'd think it's an illusion, telling me to think carefully. Hmph! Don't even think I'll agree in less than ten years!"
Nors was helpless. This was the consequence of his own actions. Back then, he feared that Celia's feelings were merely attachment to a brother, a sense of admiration, so he told her not to make decisions lightly, which ended up angering her and making her hold it over his head.
"Yes, yes, Princess. It's late now, can we sleep?" He led Celia to the bed, making sure she was comfortably tucked in.
"Good night, brother."
"Good night." With that, he swiftly planted a light kiss on Celia's forehead.
This simple yet heartfelt gesture made her feel deeply cherished and loved.
Celia's eyelashes fluttered, and to hide her shyness, she quickly closed her eyes.
But the kiss echoed in her heart for a long time, like an enduring sweet melody.
Watching her pretend to be asleep, he chuckled softly before extinguishing the nearby candle.
The room plunged into darkness, and he moved to the other side of the bed. Tuanyuan was sprawled out, sleeping comfortably. He glanced at him, then lifted the blanket and lay down to rest.
The sweet atmosphere lingered throughout the night.
The next morning, the village was filled with noise. As Miller had said, those people only appeared during the day.
Nors and the others hid in a secluded corner of the village early in the morning, watching the group closely from the shadows.
These people were somewhat different from those who attacked the academy. This time, their clothing was more peculiar and exaggerated. They were all covered in what seemed like high-defense gear, but the styles varied greatly, looking quite strange.
These armors weren't part of a unified series, each having unique characteristics. Some glowed with various colors, while others were rough leather adorned with peculiar symbols and patterns.
There were five people in total. The leader, fully armed, walked at the front. He strutted arrogantly, hands in his pockets, head held high, with an air of self-importance that was almost laughable.
Observing from the shadows,Nors suddenly noticed words appearing above their heads, especially the leader, whose head displayed "I 94 Your Dad LV15."
Nors immediately turned to Celia, urgently asking, "Do you see the words above his head?"
Celia followed his gaze but saw Norsing above the leader's head. She shook her head, indicating she saw Norsing.
This phenomenon made Nors even more certain of his suspicions.
These people had initially referred to the residents of this world as NPCs, with a series of strange armors and the impossible appearance of quantum guns.
Missions... exploration, system prompts at the beginning.
All pointed to one possibility—
This world was viewed by them as a virtual game world!
If these people from aNorser world truly saw this world as a virtual game, they might lack sympathy for its residents, treating everything as game elements.
No wonder they dared to kill in the strictly regulated Seraphian continent.
To them, we are all NPCs!
But he knew clearly that this was a real world.
It wasn't virtual data. Here, emotions were real, people bled when injured, aged, and died.
Every life was unique.
So, those people treated the inhabitants as NPCs, slaughtering at will?
Why had it come to this?
Why here? How was it done?
Was the other side of the rift his original world?
He clenched his fists, knuckles turning white from the force. His anger surged like a torrent, but his face remained calm.
This anger was not only directed at the "invaders" but also at the powerlessness of the entire situation and the fear of the unknown.
Ethan suddenly noticed something was wrong with Nors's emotions, feeling very puzzled. He had a sense that Nors seemed to know what these people were.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Suddenly, Miller's voice broke Nors's train of thought.