Morning.
Navia, as usual, was in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
The breakfast for three was quickly ready. She brought it to the dining table and went to wake Callas, who was still asleep.
At the dining table, the father and daughter ate breakfast like they did every other ordinary day.
"Navia, why did you make an extra serving of breakfast?" Callas suddenly asked. "Did you know your Dad didn't eat enough last night?"
Navia was a little stunned.
Yes, why did she make an extra serving? There were only two people in the house—herself and her father.
She turned her gaze to the other side of the table. Wasn't there supposed to be another person there—someone she was very familiar with?
She thought for a moment but couldn't come up with an answer.
"I don't know. I just felt like I should make three servings of breakfast."
Upon hearing this, a look of concern appeared in Callas' eyes.
"Daughter, what's wrong? You seem a bit off."
Navia hesitated for a moment before giving a light laugh.
"I'm fine. By the way, how's your health, Dad? Don't forget the doctor told you to stay active."
"The doctor?" Callas looked even more puzzled. "What are you talking about, daughter? When did I go see a doctor?"
Navia froze for a moment.
That's right, her father was in fine health—why would he need to see a doctor?
Why did she say that just now?
She smiled awkwardly.
"Maybe I mixed things up. It's nothing. Let's just eat breakfast, Dad."
After breakfast, Callas, as usual, dealt with matters related to the Spina di Rosula and Poisson Village, while Navia sat in front of the house under the eaves, lost in thought.
She propped her chin in her hand, gazing into the distance, her mind wandering.
It felt strange—no matter what she did today, she couldn't muster any energy. It felt like she had forgotten something very important.
What had she forgotten?
She tilted her head and looked beside her, as if someone should be standing there. Was it Clorinde?
No, no... it should be a guy.
A cool breeze suddenly blew through, sending a slight chill down her spine.
Navia stood up, intending to go back to her room and change into something warmer, but she suddenly realized that a blanket had appeared on her without her noticing.
It was warm.
Looking at the blanket that had somehow draped over her, Navia was once again stunned. Her pupils trembled slightly.
"Yuxie..."
Memories flooded her like a tidal wave. She remembered now—the person she had forgotten was named Yuxie.
The Yuxie who had already become a part of her life.
She suddenly became frightened and rushed into the house, wanting to find any trace of Yuxie.
But the room where Yuxie used to stay had turned into a storage room, and all traces of Yuxie that had been left in the house were now gone.
It was as though Yuxie had never been there at all.
Navia couldn't believe what she was seeing. She looked around, terrified, tears uncontrollably spilling from her eyes.
"Yuxie... where are you?"
"Answer me, Yuxie!"
She shouted for Yuxie like a helpless little girl, but no one responded.
......
The morning sunlight shone through the window, and Navia opened her eyes.
She slowly sat up and realized she had been sleeping on the couch, with a blanket draped over her.
"It was just a dream... How did I fall asleep on the couch?"
She reached up and gently wiped her eyes; the tears were still warm.
That dream had felt so real, and the fear she had felt in the dream seemed to linger in her heart, refusing to fade away.
She placed the blanket back on the sofa and hurried to Yuxie's bedroom door, knocking.
"Yuxie?"
She waited a moment, but there was no response.
Navia gently pushed the door. It wasn't locked and opened right away.
The room was empty. Yuxie was not there.
"He didn't come back last night?"
Navia thought for a moment, recalling the blanket that had been draped over her when she woke up.
"No, he must have come back, but..."
It was very strange. The deep fear she had felt in the dream seemed to have crossed over into reality, spreading throughout her entire body.
It was as if... she really might never see Yuxie again.
Could it be... that it wasn't just a dream?
Without thinking too much, Navia rushed out of the room and headed for Fontaine.
On the way, she had no mood to appreciate the scenery around her. Her steps were faster than usual, almost as if she was in a great hurry.
Suddenly, a figure appeared ahead, moving quickly.
It was Clorinde.
From Clorinde's expression, it was clear that she was just as anxious.
The two of them stopped at the same time.
"Clorinde!"
"Navia, is Yuxie in Poisson Village?"
"He didn't come back last night. I'm on my way to look for him."
"How could this be... I just searched around Fontaine and didn't see Yuxie either." Clorinde's eyes were filled with worry, matching Navia's own. Both of them seemed to fear that they might never see Yuxie again.
"Last night, I had a dream. At the beginning of the dream, I forgot about Yuxie. Later, I remembered him, but I couldn't find any trace of him." Navia said anxiously. "It was a strange dream, but I feel like it wasn't just an ordinary dream."
"I had a similar dream..." Clorinde responded after hearing what Navia had said, her voice filled with disbelief.
"What?" Navia's eyes widened, equally in disbelief.
If one person had such a dream, it could be seen as a coincidence, but for two people to have the same dream? That seemed a little too unlikely to be a coincidence.
And to top it off, Yuxie hadn't returned last night... this...
"Navia, let's split up and search. We'll find Yuxie." Clorinde said, not questioning why, and trying to calm herself down.
"Right, we'll split up. We'll definitely find him." Although Navia's expression still showed worry, her tone was firm and resolute.
Time passed, and before long, the day was coming to a close.
In the span of one day, Clorinde and Navia had searched almost all of Fontaine, even the corners of the Fleuve Cendre, but they still hadn't found any trace of Yuxie.
Though they were frustrated, with the sun setting, Clorinde and Navia had no choice but to return to Poisson Village and regroup.
"Uncle, what made you decide to cook today?"
"I don't know why, but I feel a lot lighter, like I've returned to my younger days. Since Navia went out, I thought I'd cook for a change."
Fear and worry still lingered in Clorinde and Navia's hearts, but the sight before them stunned them.
Yuxie was standing right there in front of them, laughing and talking with Callas.
"Clorinde, Navia, you're back." Upon seeing the two of them, Yuxie greeted them with a smile.
In an instant, the tension in Clorinde and Navia's hearts eased.
The weight that had been hanging over them finally came crashing down.
It was just a dream after all. Dreams and reality are different.
Yuxie was right here. He hadn't left.
He wouldn't leave now, and he wouldn't leave in the future. It had to be this way.
End of chapter
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