The Second Dream: The Lighthouse
"I'm close to death..."
"But I can still survive..."
"As long as I have enough faith points!"
Faced with the threat of death, her mind raced, her breathing quickened. In this cold, endless mist, she glimpsed a sliver of hope for life.
She stared at the extra hour that had appeared, thinking frantically:
"...Where did that one faith point come from?"
Standing in the silent fog, she slowly fixed her gaze on the man.
"Was it him..."
The man on the ground had a bluish frost on his face. He chewed on a mushroom in the freezing mist, but his movements were growing slower and slower.
According to Li Le's observations—he was about to die.
"So, did he develop a dependence on me? Did he take me as an object of faith?"
"Is that where that faith point came from?"
Li Le whispered to herself in the fog, her eyes—once lifeless—regaining their spark as she looked at the system interface before her.
In contrast, the man trapped and consumed by the mist finally stilled, unmoving, the tail of the mushroom still at his lips.
He was dead now, just like the other corpses scattered here.
Fate does not favor everyone; only Li Le remained, an exception.
She felt little grief—if anything, it was a sense of vague loss.
In this boundless sea of mist, her final companion was gone.
Her eyesight was still limited. Though she could see a short distance, anything farther faded into blur.
"But... I have to live!"
Li Le glanced around from afar, determination hardening in her gaze—a terrifying will to survive.
Her thoughts were clearer than ever, her movements faster than ever.
She stripped a coat from a corpse that seemed relatively intact, tying it into a bundle and slinging it over her shoulder.
At the same time, she packed the mushrooms she'd recently collected and a dagger into her bundle.
"These things... I might need them in the future... I must stay alive!"
She muttered to herself as she packed.
Fortunately, there wasn't much to take; soon, she had everything ready.
Li Le had always been decisive; with her emotions dulled, she was even more so now.
After checking her bundle to make sure nothing would fall out, she chose the direction where the mist was thinnest and set out.
The world was utterly silent within the mist, devoid of any living beings. Occasionally, she would come across the corpses of dead creatures.
Being unconscious was one thing; but with awareness, trekking alone through this dense, endless fog was enough to drive anyone mad.
Li Le was no exception. In this darkness, aside from occasionally gathering some older-looking mushrooms, she could only silently count down the time—finally tasting the long-lost bitterness of solitude.
So as not to become numb or forget how to speak, Li Le desperately recalled songs she once heard, softly humming:
"You forgot—the cold wind that brushed the wound—"
"You believed—a life can pass with neither pain nor itch—"
"Why do you want to sing when the snow begins to fall—"
"Why does the moment you let go—bring tears—"
"One by one, they walk away—"
"One by one, they're missed—"
"Over and over, it happens again—"
"Again and again, you let it go—"
...
Her song drifted on as she walked through the deep mist, passing one corpse after another, their faces pale and bluish.
[Remaining Life: 38 days (912:54:22)]
...
"Because you savor its brilliance—"
"Because you endure its decay—"
"You say not to love—but can't bear to part—"
"So life is bitter as a song..."
...
Li Le kept singing, as if tireless, like an ascetic tasting a hint of sweetness in the cold, bitter fog.
[Remaining Life: 36 days (864:35:29)]
...
"You may sleep, but time marches on—"
"You fear, you raise your head and wake from the dream—"
"You'll quietly hold a spark through the darkest moment—"
"You'll be shattered when familiar whispers pierce your ears—"
...
The dead silence of darkness held not a single word. The damp, chill mist clung to Li Le, greedily drawing out her remaining warmth.
[Remaining Life: 33 days (792:42:13)]
...
"You must see the flowers bloom—"
"You must wait for the swallows' return—"
"If they never come back—"
"Then I'll live and die for these things—"
...
[Remaining Life: 31 days (744:22:54)]
Music holds power.
With her singing, Li Le placed one foot in front of the other, as if performing a grand and rare concert in the darkness.
She was trained in music, her voice ethereal and clear, her figure slender and beautiful; her song in the mist carried a resilient, airy quality.
She was like a stubborn blade of grass, growing with unyielding persistence.
She walked quickly, always heading for the thinnest part of the mist.
Finally, when the system's countdown reached 30 days, she saw a glimmer of light in the far distance—so bright that not even the fog could hide it.
Staring at that light, a surge of indescribable emotion welled up inside her, and tears rolled down her cheeks:
—That was the light of civilization;
—That was the light of humanity;
—That was the lighthouse!
Her steps quickened as she glimpsed what looked like the outlines of buildings, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably. Like a moth to a flame, she rushed toward it.
One cannot truly appreciate the value of light until one has endured utter darkness.
Li Le had thought she had abandoned emotion, but the moment she saw the light, she realized how fierce and profound that inner joy truly was.
——
At the city gate, several strong men stood guard.
Suddenly, the leader, a stern-faced man, sensed a disturbance in the mist and called out:
"Something's there?!"
"Everyone, on alert!"
The other men reacted instantly, raising their spears toward the mist at their leader's command.
The stern-faced leader, eyes sharp as blades, hefted his javelin—like a panther stalking the darkness—fixed his gaze on the treacherous fog.
Suddenly,
A figure dashed out of the mist.
Several javelins ripped through the air with explosive force.
The leader's pupils contracted sharply. "Wait!!"
Quick as lightning, he sprang forward, stamping the ground hard to intercept the flying javelins.
Clang—crack—
Metal clashed with a piercing screech.
The javelins were knocked aside, but one was too fast—cutting a deep gash in the man's arm before half the shaft buried itself in the earth.
"Chief!"
"Captain!"
...
The voices of the strong men rang out in alarm.
But the stern-faced man paid them no mind. He pulled the javelin from the ground and turned to Li Le, whose eyes were red with tears, asking:
"Are you hurt?"
Li Le stared blankly at the stern man standing before her, speaking a language unfamiliar yet understandable. In that instant, her tears fell uncontrollably.
No one could fathom the loneliness and terror she endured through those endless days—when she finally saw another living person, all those repressed emotions burst forth like a broken dam.
She wept uncontrollably, her tears blurring her vision.
Seeing her eyes redden and tears streaming down her face in fright, the stern man's expression softened just a little.