Douluo Dragon King: Embarking on the Path to Godhood from the Start

Chapter 22: A Moment of Stillness, The Final Farewell

The waves remained churning in mid-air, their splashing foam frozen into white sculptures. Na'er, standing nearby, watched him with some surprise.

"Boss, your eyes..." Na'er approached in surprise, her purple eyes reflecting those burning golden pupils. "Is that your soul skill? It feels so powerful!"

"Yes, I call it Time Zero." Yu Chen answered every question and walked towards her. Within the realm of Time Zero, every step he took appeared unhurried and composed.

"It will give me... a little more time."

"Boss, this must be really taking a toll on you." Na'er keenly noticed the fine beads of sweat on Yu Chen's forehead and his slightly pale face. "Why are you doing this?"

"Well, you're leaving now, aren't you?" Yu Chen said in a nonchalant tone, but judging from his efforts to maintain the zero-time domain, it was just a stubborn refusal.

"Boss, how did you know?" Na'er didn't deny it, but asked softly.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Yu Chen walked up to her and reached out to ruffle her hair—a gesture that seemed exceptionally slow and gentle within the realm of Time Zero.

"When I found you, you had amnesia. You should have regained your memory by now. And you've been especially clingy these past few days, as if you want to compress a lifetime of time into these few days."

He tried his best to keep his tone calm, but in the end, he still wavered a little.

"Boss, aren't you going to ask me why?" Na'er didn't refute, clearly acknowledging it. Her eyes held guilt, reluctance, and a sense of responsibility that Yu Chen couldn't understand.

"Haha, everyone has secrets," Yu Chen laughed, a bitter laugh.

"For example, you, and me. And everyone has their own responsibilities. I believe that only when a strong little firecracker carries a heavy responsibility will it leave me."

This time, his words were calm again, clearly a deliberate attempt to control his emotions. He didn't want Na'er to see his vulnerable side when they parted. He was the eldest, a father figure, and even if he was heartbroken, he had to appear reliable.

"So, boss, how should we say goodbye now?" Na'er asked with a smile, but tears were already streaming down her face, looking like two silver lines in the moonlight.

"Yes, goodbye." Yu Chen repeated the word, feeling a tightness in his throat.

He was silent for a few seconds, then slowly began to speak, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps to the entire night:

"Yes, goodbye."

"How should we say goodbye? Should we start with the evening breeze when we first met, or with fleeting memories of the past two years?" Yu Chen recalled the scene when the two of them met in the evening breeze.

I used to think that separation was something far away for us, but now I understand that life is unpredictable, and there's no such thing as wishful thinking. From now on, we will be separated by mountains and rivers, north and south, east and west. Even if we are separated by thousands of miles, I only wish that your eyes remain the same as before, and that you are carefree.

At this point, Yu Chen could no longer control his emotions. Tears streamed from his brilliant golden eyes and slid down his cheeks.

The immense burden of timelessness forced him to kneel on the beach, hands on the ground, panting heavily—but he maintained his domain, still exempting Na'er from it. He wanted her to see his complete self, even his most vulnerable self.

At the same time, a silver light gate slowly appeared behind Na'er. Although Yu Chen had activated Time Zero, the light gate still formed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Looks like the time is almost up~"

Na'er noticed the change in herself. She wiped away her tears and tried to smile, but the tear tracks on her face still reflected the moonlight. She spoke to Yu Chen, her voice unusually gentle.

Then, she took out a small silver pendant from her bosom. The pendant was a silver gemstone, a perfectly round gem with some sharp edges, threaded with a silver thread. Inside the gemstone, it seemed as if starlight was flowing, mysterious and beautiful.

Na'er walked to Yu Chen, who was kneeling, and gently placed the necklace around his neck. The gemstone pressed against his chest, providing a warm, smooth touch. Then, she gently leaned down and lightly kissed Yu Chen's forehead.

The kiss was light, like a feather brushing against you, yet it carried a burning heat.

She straightened up, reached out and tucked the strands of hair that had been blown about by the sea breeze behind her ears, then put her hands behind her back, tilted her head and smiled at Yu Chen—that was her most classic move, she would do this every time she succeeded in a prank or cheated:

"Boss, after I leave, will you still think of me? Will you still remember me?"

Yu Chen clutched the necklace to his chest, feeling the slight warmth emanating from the gemstones. He could hear his own heart pounding, feel the blood rushing through his veins. He raised his head, his golden eyes burning in the moonlight:

Even if time and space shatter, mountains turn to ash, and faces wither, I will still think of you, miss you, and wait for you to come back. Little Firecracker, remember, wherever you are, your boss will always be there.

He gave his answer without hesitation, each word like a vow.

"Well, boss, we should say goodbye. I should leave our home too." Na'er's voice trembled slightly, but she still tried to smile.

"Home is where Na'er is..." Yu Chen repeated these words, taking a deep breath. "We will meet again eventually, but there's no rush, Na'er. I have plenty of time to find you. I believe we can meet again, and I believe the waiting will eventually come to an end. Goodbye!"

As they were about to part, Yu Chen felt a sense of relief. The tears in his golden eyes stopped flowing, and the domain of Time Zero began to crumble. Without the support of Time Zero, the portal behind Na'er stabilized completely, its silver light flowing, revealing a deep void within.

"goodbye!"

Hearing Yu Chen's farewell, Na'er turned back for one last look at him. That look was deep, as if she wanted to etch his image into her soul. Finally, without looking back, she stepped into the silver gate of light, her figure vanishing instantly. Immediately afterward, the silver gate of light also disappeared swiftly, as if it had never existed.

Yu Chen was the only one left on the beach. The sound of the waves returned to normal, the bioluminescent sea was still glowing, and the moonlight was still gentle.

It all felt like a dream.

......

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Aolai City.

A luxurious black soul-guided sports car, worth tens of millions of Federal Credits, was already parked by the roadside. Its streamlined body gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the soul-guided patterns on its body revealed its extraordinary performance. Na'er's figure appeared out of thin air beside the sports car, as if stepping out of the void.

"Miss, your memory has finally returned!"

A middle-aged man, muscular and incredibly strong, wearing a brown leather jacket, stepped out of the sports car. His movements were clean and efficient, clearly indicating rigorous training. He approached Na'er, bowed respectfully, and then inquired:

"It's been two years, and we still haven't found any trace of you. Have you suffered any injustice all these years, Miss? If so, then all the humans in this city should prepare to be buried with you!"

His tone was respectful, but the murderous intent in his words was genuine.

Na'er didn't answer immediately. She turned around and looked towards the sea, though she couldn't see anything through the buildings and trees. After a long while, she whispered:

"No, I'm doing... pretty well. There's someone who takes good care of me."

Her voice was soft, as if she were reminiscing. The boss who always looked disgusted but would share his meat with her, would buy her lollipops, and would call her Little Firecracker... and finally, those burning golden eyes, and the way he looked when he said, "I will wait for you to come back."

"Let's go." Na'er withdrew her gaze, her face regaining a calmness beyond her years. She calmly stepped into the soul-guided sports car, and the door closed silently.

The sports car started up with almost no noise, sped away, and quickly disappeared into the night.

Inside the car, Na'er leaned back in the soft seat, her fingers unconsciously stroking the window sill. The scenery outside the window rushed by, but what she saw was a different picture—the seaside, fireflies, and the leader kneeling on the beach, his golden eyes filled with tears yet still smiling.

"We'll meet again eventually, boss. It seems like parting wasn't so sad after all~"

She murmured to herself, a slight smile unconsciously curving her lips. That smile held the bitterness of parting, but even more so, a resolute anticipation.

One day, she will come back. Or, when the leader becomes strong enough, he will come to find her.

Meanwhile, at the beach, Yu Chen was still kneeling on the sand. He held the silver pendant on his chest for a long, long time, until the first light of dawn appeared in the east.

He stood up, brushed the sand off his knees, and looked out to the horizon.

"Little firecracker, just you wait. The boss will become stronger, strong enough to traverse any distance, strong enough to face any obstacle."

The golden eyes shone for the last time in the darkness before dawn.

Then he turned and walked towards home.

A new day has begun. But his journey is still very long.