On the edge of the Opas Upper District, the lights of Starry Sky Paradise flickered on one by one in the deepening twilight, splashing clamorous and cheerful colors into the evening air.
Jiang Ming had kept his promise.
Elvia was like a bird out of its cage for the first time, full of curiosity about everything, nearly lunging at every glowing stall she saw. Her first stop was firmly locked on an ice cream truck emitting a chilly mist.
“Wow — this pink one! This chocolate one with sprinkles! And that green one… Brother, Sister, which one should we buy? Can we buy a few? I want to try them all!” She clung to the window, her eyes reflecting the multicolored frozen treats. When she turned back, her face was filled with unreserved longing.
Elvira stood on Jiang Ming’s other side, holding a freshly bought marshmallow shaped like a small rabbit. She took a tentative little bite.
Hearing her sister’s words, she habitually tried to exert her authority as the elder sister. “Elvia, don’t be greedy. Just pick one. Eating too much cold food for your newly recovered body — ” Before she could finish, she saw her sister’s eyes instantly dim, along with the indulgent smile on Jiang Ming’s profile. Her tone involuntarily softened. ” — Two at most.”
“Sister is the best!” The gloom vanished instantly, and Elvia beamed. She turned and grabbed Jiang Ming’s sleeve. “Brother, pay! I want the pink one and the one with chocolate sprinkles!”
“Alright,” Jiang Ming agreed with a smile, pulling out some coins.
He noticed Elvira quietly sigh in relief, though the tips of her ears were tinged with a faint red. Today, she had traded her signature deep ink-blue combat uniform for a simple set of casual clothes. Her long hair was tied up neatly, making her look less sharp. Under the shifting warm lights of the park, she exuded a softness that belonged to a girl her age.
With an ice cream in each hand, Elvia took a lick from the left and then the right, her eyes curving into crescent moons from happiness. She naturally walked between them. “Sister, look over there! The merry-go-round! The music is so pretty. Let’s go on that!”
Light and shadow swirled in front of the merry-go-round as the music tinkled. Elvia pointed at the white Pegasus at the very front, decorated with feathers and gems. “I want to ride that one!”
“Go ahead,” Jiang Ming nodded.
“But…” Elvia suddenly hesitated. She tugged at Jiang Ming’s sleeve and looked up, her voice softening with a hint of dependency. “The back of that horse looks a bit high. I’m… I’m a little afraid of falling. Brother, will you sit in that carriage next to it with me? That one has seats. It’s stable.” She was pointing at a dark, classically decorated royal carriage seat next to the white Pegasus, which was clearly a double seater.
Elvira was lost in thought, but at these words, she looked up. Her gaze swept between the double carriage and Jiang Ming, and she let out a light cough. “Elvia, you aren’t a Spirit Body anymore. You have a physical form and a stable center of gravity. Just be careful. Jiang Ming… might not necessarily enjoy playing this.” Her reasoning sounded sound and her tone was calm, but her gaze lingered for a split second on the spacious carriage seat.
Jiang Ming looked at Elvia’s eyes, which were full of expectation and a hint of timidity. He understood the situation and gave a helpless smile.
“It’s fine. I’ll sit with her. Safety first,” he said warmly, leading Elvia toward the carriage.
Elvira watched the two of them board the carriage. She remained standing where she was, not choosing another horse.
The cheerful music began, and the merry-go-round started to spin. The colored lights flowed across Jiang Ming’s calm profile and Elvia’s brilliant smile.
A strange, slightly bitter emotion quietly welled up in Elvira’s heart. She leaned against the railing, watching it all.
‘Sister… she wouldn’t be doing this on purpose, would she?’
After getting off the merry-go-round, Elvia was still energized. Her sharp eyes spotted a shooting gallery stall.
“Brother! Let’s play that! I want that giant bear!” She pointed at a plush bear on the prize rack that was nearly as tall as a person.
Jiang Ming agreed.
The result was predictable. Elvia, holding a gun with her own hands for the first time, had terrible aim. She missed several times in a row, making her cheeks puff up in frustration. “Why is this so hard!”
Seeing her cute expression as she struggled with the toy gun, Jiang Ming stepped forward. He naturally stood behind her in a semi-embracing posture, placing his hand over hers on the gun. He guided her in a low voice. “Relax your wrists. Don’t use too much force. Eye, sight, target — three points in a line. Keep your breathing steady…”
Elvia’s body stiffened instantly. The warmth coming from behind her, the deep voice near her ear, and the dry, warm sensation on the back of her hand made her cheeks burn fiercely. Her heart raced out of control.
As for what Jiang Ming actually said, she didn’t hear a single word. All her senses were concentrated on the reassuring yet flustering aura enveloping her from behind.
Somehow, with Jiang Ming’s assistance, she managed to hit a few balloons and won a smaller rabbit plush.
“Brother, you’re amazing!” Holding the rabbit, she turned to smile at Jiang Ming. Her eyes were bright, and her entire world seemed to be filled with his figure.
At that moment, the silent Elvira picked up another toy gun. She didn’t strike a standard pose; she just casually raised it. *Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!* A series of swift, steady shots rang out. The hanging balloons across from her burst one after another in a crisp rhythm, drawing the attention of the stall owner and nearby tourists.
After clearing a section of targets, she put the gun down. She didn’t look at the largest teddy bear. Instead, she carefully searched the prize rack and finally chose a small, brass compass charm.
She walked over to Jiang Ming and handed it to him, her voice flat and steady. “This might be useful.”
Jiang Ming was a bit surprised. He took the compass, which still carried the faint warmth of her palm. It felt heavy in his hand. “Thank you. It’s very practical,” he said earnestly.
Elvia looked at the compass in Jiang Ming’s hand, then at the fluffy rabbit in her own arms. Suddenly, she stuffed the rabbit into Jiang Ming’s arms as well. “I’ll give you mine too! You can hold it when you sleep at night. It’s warm!” Her tone carried a hint of competitive intimacy, and she tilted her chin slightly at her sister.
Jiang Ming smiled and tucked the doll back into Elvia’s hands, patting her head.
Elvira turned her face away, looking at the distant lights and smiling. That mysterious bit of bitterness seemed to be scattered by the evening breeze.
—
Night had fully fallen. The massive Ferris wheel in the center of the park turned slowly, like a giant wheel of light encrusted with diamonds. It was the quietest and most eye-catching presence under the night sky.
Without needing words, the three of them walked toward it.
The transparent gondola rose steadily. The brilliant lights of the park below gradually spread out into a sea of radiance. Further away, the silhouette of the Opas districts appeared in the night. The stars and the lights of the human world seemed to merge into one.
Inside the gondola, Elvia sat right next to Jiang Ming’s left side, nearly leaning half her body against him. She shouted excitedly while pointing at the shrinking scenery outside.
Elvira sat on Jiang Ming’s right, quietly watching the window. Her profile looked soft and serene under the shifting lights.
As the gondola neared its highest point, Elvia also grew quiet, awestruck by the tranquil beauty that made it feel as though they were in the middle of the starry sky. In that peaceful silence…
*Boom — Crash!*
In the distant night sky, the first massive, dazzling golden firework exploded without warning! Immediately following were the second, the third… crimson, indigo, silver-white, emerald green… countless brilliant bouquets of light bloomed in competition. They were continuous and ever-changing, completely ignining the deep night sky and turning it into a flowing, magnificent waterfall of light.
This wasn’t just a side show for the park. Its scale was so grand that it covered nearly half the Opas sky. It was clearly a city-wide celebration of fireworks!
“Wow! Fireworks! So pretty! Brother, Sister, look!” Elvia immediately pressed herself against the glass window. Her entire face was lit by the changing colors as she marveled.
Elvira’s attention was also completely captured by this sudden, grand spectacle. The sky’s brilliance was reflected in her crimson eyes, where stars seemed to revolve.
As another wave of fireworks reached its densest, brightest peak, and the roar momentarily faded, she suddenly spoke softly into Jiang Ming’s ear.
“Today is Opas Foundation Day… and it is also the day, 100 years ago, when Lord Protector Jiang Ming announced his retirement and left the center of power.”
Jiang Ming’s body jolted slightly.
Elvira didn’t look at him, still gazing at the fireworks that continued to bloom and fade. Her voice sounded exceptionally clear and calm in the intervals between explosions. “Many people miss him, and there is much controversy. But to me… the reason a legend is a legend isn’t because of how long he stayed, but because of what he left behind, and… whether those who come after still remember and are willing to continue forward along the difficult but correct path he once illuminated.”
She paused for a moment and finally turned her head slightly. Her gaze fell on Jiang Ming’s profile, which was lit by the flickering lights from the window. “No matter what the road ahead is like, or how identities change… once certain people and certain paths are decided upon, one never wants to take a second one.”
“And I want to walk my path with you.”
Jiang Ming felt a tremor in his heart. He turned and met Elvira’s gaze. Reflecting the fireworks in the sky, her crimson eyes were like two clusters of calmly burning flames — hot and eternal.
Just then, Elvia on his left also turned her head back.
She reached out, but instead of a pinky swear, she gently grasped Jiang Ming’s left hand where it rested on his knee.
“Brother,” her voice was crisp, carrying the directness and purity of someone who hadn’t seen much of the world, yet it was equally full of strength. “I don’t really understand those big principles… but I know that when the Ferris wheel at the amusement park reaches the highest point, watching the prettiest fireworks with the people you love most is the best kind of ending that only happens in storybooks!”
She tightened her grip on his hand, her eyes sparkling under the light of the fireworks. “I’m… I’m greedy. I don’t just want today; I want many, many more days like this. I want to always be able to hold Brother’s hand and be with Sister, watching fireworks, eating ice cream, riding roller coasters… I want to fill all the ordinary, glittering days that I could only watch others have before, and all the ones yet to come, with both of you.”
“Brother, you said that Poetry Has No End… Then, let me and Sister stay with you to keep writing this poem forever, okay?”
*Boom!*
Another wave of incredibly brilliant fireworks reached its peak outside the window, making the entire gondola look like a radiant crystal palace.
The light unreservedly illuminated the two sisters’ faces — both beautiful yet entirely different in temperament. One was reserved, like magma burning silently beneath the deep sea; the other was passionate, like the morning sun bursting forth at dawn.
Jiang Ming gazed at the seemingly endless, brilliant performance outside. His gaze passed the fireworks, looking toward the vast and real city lights below, before pulling back.
The fireworks continued to roar and bloom in the night sky. The Ferris wheel slowly reached its highest point and paused for a moment. Along with the brilliance in the sky and the lights of the world below, the moment was engraved into the history of Opas tonight, and into the depths of three souls whose fates were deeply intertwined.
Poetry Has No End.
And those who hold the pen to walk beside him were already at his side, their hearts connected.