Muffin

Aina led Xia Lun through one spatial rift after another. All around them, streams of multicolored light shifted and transformed without end, like a palette overturned and spilling its colors recklessly through the void.

The Aina before him felt somewhat unfamiliar to Xia Lun, yet strangely familiar at the same time.

She possessed both the coldness of a thousand years ago and the tenderness of the present, as though the two had merged into one.

Those two qualities blended perfectly within her, creating a unique air about her—decisive yet gentle, resolute yet carrying a hidden concern for others.

She could wipe out a large group of enemies before her without changing expression, then immediately take Xia Lun’s hand and hurry toward their next destination.

“Aina, why don’t you go on ahead by yourself?” Xia Lun suddenly said as they traveled through the spatial rifts. His voice sounded faint in the void, as if it might be torn apart at any moment by the energy surging through the rifts.

“I’ll just wait here.”

“W-Why… why, Xia Lun?” Aina’s tone suddenly grew tense. She turned to look at him, the panic in her eyes plainly visible, like ripples spreading across a still lake after a stone had been thrown into it. “You don’t plan to act with me?”

“I can’t keep up with you. You’ll be able to move faster on your own and save more people.” Xia Lun shook his head and looked earnestly into Aina’s crimson eyes. “I’m not much help right now.”

“Don’t say things like that!” Aina suddenly seized him by the wrist, gripping so tightly that she nearly crushed his bones.

“I have never considered you a burden. Quite the opposite, Xia Lun…” Her voice suddenly softened, like the night breeze brushing through the treetops. “With you by my side, I can use my power more effectively. Your presence is what allows my heart to remain at peace.”

Aina continued to hold Xia Lun’s hand tightly, as if she feared that the moment she let go, he would vanish without a trace.

“Go, Aina.”

“I…” Aina bit her lip, her eyes still filled with reluctance.

“Otherwise, I’ll go wait for you at the Star Temple. Hopefully, by the time I arrive, you’ll already have dealt with those guys.” Xia Lun smiled and offered a compromise. “If I get back early, I might even make it in time for lunch with Xia Yi and the others.”

“Then… be careful, Xia Lun.” Aina finally relented.

She knew how proud Xia Lun was at heart, and she understood the struggle he must have gone through to make such a suggestion.

She could not let his feelings go unanswered.

“Don’t worry. I may not be as strong as you, but I’m still pretty powerful.” Xia Lun reached out and patted Aina on the head. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

Aina leaned forward and planted a forceful kiss on Xia Lun’s lips. Then her figure transformed into a crimson shooting star and swiftly vanished from his sight.

Xia Lun breathed a sigh of relief before looking around and scratching his head.

So… where was he?

The surrounding void stretched endlessly. The nearest planet was still tens of millions of kilometers away, like a lonely pearl suspended against black velvet. The stars glittered coldly, scattered across the heavens like diamonds.

As for the Star Temple’s location… Aina had given him its coordinates. At that moment, they existed like a faint, intangible thread, guiding him through the depths of space.

With his current strength, he could certainly fight the monsters spawned by the Chaos Demon Gods. However, he lacked the wide-area attacks possessed by Aina and the Mechanical Prophet—attacks capable of covering everything in their range.

At most, he could smash those monsters into pieces, but he had no way to purify them all.

No matter how finely he chopped those things up, it would ultimately be pointless. They would quickly recover, like nightmares that could never truly end.

Physical attacks were basically useless against those monsters.

The Fire Sword’s output was limited as well. Xia Lun obviously could not rely on a single weapon to unleash magic on the scale of the Hellforge.

He was merely a weak and helpless warrior. There was very little he could do to help.

With Aina’s strength… she clearly did not need him to stay by her side and protect her.

A meteor several kilometers in diameter flew straight toward him. Xia Lun was in such a gloomy mood that he had no intention of dodging.

He clenched his fist, and the muscles in his arm suddenly tensed. The instant the meteor entered his range of attack, he threw a punch.

Boom!

The meteor shattered amid a deafening roar, breaking into countless fragments that shot in every direction.

“Ah…”

Xia Lun let out a long, melancholy sigh.

He took one last look in the direction Aina had gone. His figure gradually turned transparent, finally dispersing through the void like smoke.

…

“Aunt Liyana, where did Father and Mother go?”

Xia Yi tilted his little head back and asked Liyana.

Liyana paused slightly before putting on a bright smile. “Who knows? Perhaps they went off to save the world.”

“Will they still come back for breakfast?”

Xia Yi looked at the breakfast set aside for Xia Lun and Aina, now nearly cold. A trace of worry appeared in his eyes.

“They probably won’t make it back in time for breakfast.” Liyana’s smile gradually turned bitter. “Don’t worry. They’ll definitely come back.”

“Really? They won’t make it back in time?” Xia Yi drooped his little head, looking rather dejected. Then he suddenly raised it again. “Then can I eat Father’s pancake?”

Liyana blinked. “Huh?”

“Only Father’s,” Xia Yi emphasized as he swallowed.

He didn’t dare sneak a bite of Mother’s pancake. If Mother came back halfway through and discovered that he had eaten it while she was away, he had no idea what might happen afterward.

Of course Xia Yi knew that Mother loved sweets.

“Go ahead, go ahead.” Liyana rubbed Xia Yi’s head with an exasperated laugh. “You little rascal. Aren’t you worried about them?”

“Nope. Father is a hero, so no monster can possibly defeat him… And Mother is really strong too. She seems even stronger than Father… No, wait. Maybe Father is still a little stronger.”

Xia Yi frowned, apparently unable to decide who was stronger, his father or his mother.

In his memories, Father would sometimes shrink back and admit defeat in front of Mother. Yet at other times, Mother would obediently follow Father’s suggestions…

The world of adults was truly impossible to understand.

“Just eat your pancake.”

Liyana ruffled Xia Yi’s hair roughly, not even bothering to hide her annoyance.

This time… Xia Lun and Aina might really have run into some trouble.

After all, as far as Liyana could remember, they had never rushed off so frantically before. No matter what happened, they had always seemed completely calm and unhurried.

Naturally, she did not tell Xia Yi any of this. It was a good thing that the little fellow was so carefree, and Liyana did not want to see him wearing a worried frown.

Xia Yi took a bite of the sweet pancake in his hand, then pursed his little lips.

For some reason, it seemed to have no flavor at all.