"It really is this absurd!"
Watching the tips of her feet leave the small boat and rise into the air among the white mist, Sonia was so thrilled that goosebumps broke out all over her body. Much like when she first saw Daidalos's theater play on the light screen, she was stunned by this miraculous spectacle.
"Don't get too excited, calm down," Yaxiu reassured her. "We have to coordinate. If we make a misstep, we'll fall right back down."
At this moment, Sonia was unexpectedly confident. "Didn't you say there's a bond between us? If that bond really exists, this level of tacit understanding is nothing to fret about."
She glanced at Yaxiu, her left hand tightening its grip on his right, as if doing so would bind their hearts together. Their Silver Wings flapped at the exact same rhythm, like birds flying wing to wing, supporting each other as they flew in tandem.
"We went through so much trouble to find all those clues about the Golden Fish, deduced the truth of the Golden Fish with great difficulty, and finally discovered the right way to fly..."
Yaxiu cleared his throat ceremoniously. "I was the one who deduced the truth, and I was the one who discovered the way to fly. Though of course, Sword Princess, you made a tremendous contribution as well..."
"Yes, yes, Watcher, you're amazing," Sonia smiled radiantly. "I declare that tonight, your standing in my heart can be mentioned in the same breath as Daidalos!"
"Only tonight? And who even is Daidalos?"
"She's my most revered idol! Even if it's just for one night, you ought to be satisfied! Compared to your previous status in my heart, at least this time I'm comparing you to a human being."
"I'm actually quite curious what sort of thing you compared me to before..."
The two shared a silly laugh for a good while. Yaxiu curbed his laughter, looked up at the murky gray sky, and asked seriously, "Ready?"
"Yeah." Sonia nodded firmly.
"Watcher, let's fly."
*Flap!*
With the flapping of the pair of Silver Wings, they soared into the white mist like birds, spiraling upward. The Sea of Knowledge grew farther and farther below them, and Yaxiu's Void Realm Map began descending into chaotic static. The higher they went, the thinner the white mist became, until at its very end, a faint golden glow could be seen!
"How did sorcerers in the past find companions to fly with them?" Sonia asked suddenly. "Could other sorcerers form teams to explore the Void Realm together too, besides us?"
"Perhaps, though I suspect an even more unbelievable possibility."
"What possibility?"
"That they encountered their friends from reality inside the Void Realm."
"Coincidentally meeting another sorcerer in the Void Realm, who happens to be a friend they know, both of whom happen to have unfolded their Silver Wings, and both of whom happen to know the truth of the Golden Fish? So many coincidences relying on sheer luck..."
"It's precisely because it requires so many coincidences that it can be called a miracle."
As they drew closer to the sky, the white mist grew fainter and thinner. But the higher they flew, the heavier their bodies felt, as if the gravitational pull of the Sea of Knowledge had intensified. Their hands, feet, and entire forms felt as though filled with lead.
The Sea of Knowledge was halting stowaways.
If the two of them had truly relied on a miracle to fly, they likely would have been stopped here. Just like the Explorer, soaring dreams would be dragged down by the crushing gravity, crashing heavily into the deep sea to shatter like crystal.
Yet the flapping of their void wings seemed to require no effort at all, effortlessly slicing through the white mist and resisting the gravitational pull. Even if their souls were bound by the Sea of Knowledge, the void wings still allowed them to roam freely between heaven and earth.
Watching the golden glow draw closer and closer, seeing that she was about to smuggle herself from the Sea of Knowledge to the Time Continent, Sonia nonetheless felt a growing panic within her heart, her breath turning heavier.
She suddenly couldn't suppress her emotions, unable to hold back the question buried deep in her heart: "Why me?"
She didn't even understand her own feelings. Clearly, she could have asked this question after it was over, asked tomorrow, or asked in the future, yet she insisted on having an answer at this very moment, even if it wasn't the answer she hoped for.
Clearly, this had the potential to harm her own interests, but at least at this moment, Sonia felt that some things were more important than advancing to Two Wings.
Yaxiu gave her a surprised look. Though the question lacked context, he understood what the Sword Princess was asking.
He had originally planned to make a joke, but when the words reached his lips, they turned into the truth. "It was just a coincidence."
Sonia masked the tremor of emotion well, offering a professional, practiced smile. "I knew it. Looks like I was quite lucky—"
"I'm the one who got lucky," Yaxiu said softly. "It's precisely because of this coincidence called you that a whole series of miracles followed.
"'Some things can't be locked away. Even if you bind their hands and feet, they'll still grow wings and take flight.'" He suddenly recalled those words. "Sword Princess, I was able to fly not because of the Silver Wings, but because of you.
"When my hands and feet were bound, when I was trapped in prison, you became my window to explore the Void Realm, and you helped me obtain the power of a sorcerer."
Yaxiu looked at Sonia and smiled. "Sword Princess, you're the one who is my wings."
Sonia stared blankly at him. Beneath the increasingly dazzling golden light, the black mist obscuring the Watcher's face rapidly dispersed, revealing a finely chiseled, smiling face and a pair of radiant, spirited eyes.
After knowing him for so many days, Sonia finally saw his face.
At this moment, the dissatisfaction, grievances, worries, and everything else that had long lingered in her heart vanished like smoke. In all her life, she had never felt like this before—happier than wearing new clothes for the first time, more thrilled than seeing Jialesi for the first time, sweeter than tasting ice cream for the first time... It was like... like an emptiness in her heart that she had never noticed had been quietly filled.
In the end, she gripped Yaxiu's hand tightly, let out a soft murmur, and whispered:
"You're my Golden Fish too."
Yaxiu burst into a chuckle. "What a weird metaphor. Makes me feel like I'm just your stepping stone."
"That's not what I meant..." Sonia weakly defended herself.
"Just kidding, I know what you meant. So, next up... let's go see the real Golden Fish!"
*Flap!*
As they flew past the outermost layer of white mist, what entered their view was a mirror-clear, ocean-vast expanse of gold that spanned across the entire sky.
With the flapping of the Silver Wings, the golden sea in the sky seemed to be stirred, churning up wave after wave. The tumbling golden waters reflected each distinct feather of the Silver Wings, and at a sudden glance, they looked just like layered fish scales!
In the blink of an eye, the boundless golden sea transformed into the belly of the Golden Fish!
"This is... the truth of the Golden Fish!" Sonia murmured softly.
Yaxiu was also deeply awed by this wondrous spectacle, but without lingering for a second, he wore a satisfied smile and held the Sword Princess's hand as they flew straight into the golden sea!
In the next second, the world turned upside down!
Chapter 120