Back in those days...
She was so young, she had absolutely nothing to do with that war.
And it was from that moment that the unending, burning rage became a curse that drove him mad for three thousand years.
Most of the time, he was in a state of chaos.
Because whenever he regained clarity, seeing his daughter still as innocent as before, seeing her pure, happy gaze, he would recall that scene from back then, remember the descent of that blood-red blade.
He had been living in that war-torn night all along.
So he never wanted to, nor was he willing to, acknowledge all the time that followed, unwilling to acknowledge these three thousand years of hellish journey, unwilling to face the present...
Because in his memory.
His daughter had always been only that big, always that sensible child who would cheerfully pounce on him in the morning, affectionately calling him Daddy...
In an instant.Turbulent, scalding tears streamed from his chaotic eyes, each as large as a house.
Even snot came gushing out.
"Is this an illusion?"
Yes.
It must be an illusion.
It must be the chaos brought by the curse, making him lose his mind once again.
But if he could truly preserve this scene before him, then he would rather never be clear-headed again, forever living within the curse brought by chaos.
And as if sensing their presence.
The little girl, as big as a small mountain, who was holding Lynn and rubbing against him, twitched her ears, then turned her head puzzledly, looking in their direction.
The moment their eyes met.
Titan Head and Godweaver Head shuddered instantly, even holding their breath.
And in the very next moment, the golden-haired little girl's eyes suddenly lit up.
A sparkle appeared.
"Daddy! Mommy!!"
Little One quickly jumped up from the ground, holding Lynn, happily cheering and skipping, pattering over in their direction.
And when they heard her call out those four words.
Both Titan Head and Godweaver Head trembled greatly, tears and snot uncontrollably surging out all at once.
"Dau... daughter..."
The next moment.
Little One cheerfully hugged the two heads, closed her eyes, and pressed her cheek against theirs.
It was as if they had instantly returned to many, many years ago, to a very distant past, within those distant memories that had already become blurred and hard to recall.
It seemed such scenes used to happen every day.
Peaceful, serene, carefree.
In an instant.
Feeling the warmth of their daughter's cheek, sensing her real, physical body, Titan Head and Godweaver Head could finally no longer hold back and burst into loud sobs.
That was an echo of the past.
A kinship taken away by time and curse.
In this hell, within this dark, mysterious world, they had even forgotten what they looked like when they were alive.
But why, why did they remember this child before them so clearly?
So clearly that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't forget.
Loud sobbing.
Crying unrestrainedly.
They held on tightly for a long time.
Even their words were choked up, unable to be spoken.
Lynn, who had been held against Little One's chest the entire time, was now squeezed in the middle in a way that no one would notice, though due to the excessive size, Lynn was somewhat terrified of being crushed to death.
But raising his head, looking at Little One's parents crying with tears and snot.
He still felt a trace of comfort in his heart.
Actually.
If it weren't for this Dark World.
In the world they lived in before their deaths, they were probably a happy family of three too.
He hadn't really planned anything deliberately, and being able to see such an outcome would probably make anyone feel very happy.
He closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and a small, almost imperceptible smile crept onto the corner of his mouth.
...
Ten minutes later.
Little One sat on the ground in a "W" shape, blinking her eyes, holding Lynn against her chest, her long golden hair swaying in the wind like an autumn wheat field.
"That's how it is!"
Little One lifted Lynn up, happily rubbing her cheek against him again.
"It was the awesome doctor who gave Little One a body, really, it's like a miracle, really super amazing!"
[Ding! Little One's Affinity towards you +1]
[Ding! Little One's Adoration value towards you +1]
Instantly, Titan Head's serious gaze fell upon Lynn.
And Godweaver Head was still wiping tears beside Little One, her long tentacles gently combing through Little One's long golden hair as if touching a treasure afraid of breaking.
"Because of—him?"
Titan Head's gaze was serious, his eyes full of doubt.
Lynn looked up, coughed, and said, "It's not that amazing, just an ability I was born with, allowing me to reproduce things from the past. After I roughly understood Little One's situation..."
"I just tried it casually, didn't expect it to actually succeed."
He looked up, saw Little One blinking down at him from above, his old face reddened, and he coughed, saying:
"Sorry, I actually never thought Little One used to be this cute~"
Stare—
Lynn instantly felt two incredibly terrifying gazes stabbing into him.
Lynn widened his eyes, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, raised his hands, and said:
"I was just saying randomly."
Titan Head's gaze towards him still held some doubt, some disbelief, because this was simply unimaginable.
In his view, this guy was just a somewhat capable, weak human.
Apart from knowing how to charm his daughter.
He had almost no merits!
But he truly never expected that this guy actually possessed such a bizarre ability.
"Can—it—be maintained permanently?"
Titan Head spotted the key point.
Lynn seriously raised a finger, adjusted his cracked monocle, and said:
"One hour, that's my current limit."
Even though he had guessed this ability couldn't possibly be permanent, a full hour still exceeded his expectations.
Because in this Dark World, they are practically root-level entities at the ceiling.
Titan Head said gravely, "What is this ability of yours—called?"
Lynn closed his eyes and said, "Echoes of the Past."
Titan Head murmured those four words.
Echoes... of the Past...
A fitting name indeed, an ability that allows the dead to finally reappear as they were in the past... is it?
His gaze towards Lynn became complicated.
"It's just an appearance—she hasn't really changed back—right?"
Lynn looked up, met his gaze, and said:
"Yes."
A trace of gloom flashed in Titan Head's eyes.
Lynn knew what he was thinking.
But that was absolutely impossible.
Because that would mean reversing time, reversing life and death, something he absolutely couldn't achieve. Even if this skill could do it, it would undoubtedly come at a significant cost.
His [Echoes of the Past] is merely a reproduction of the past.
A real phantom.
And beneath the phantom's appearance, nothing has actually changed.
Little One is still a root-level Headhunter, she still... had her head severed...
Silence fell around them.
And Lynn suddenly felt Little One's hand move, then he was placed in her palm, lifted to her face, so close he could even see her lake-like, large jade-green eyes up close.
She blinked at Lynn.
"I like you!"
(✪ω✪)
She suddenly said playfully.
Lynn was stunned for a moment.
Then he saw those pure, flawless, lively eyes.
Lynn smiled slightly, leaned against her hand, gave her a thumbs up, showing his white teeth.
"Same!"
[Ding! Little One's Adoration value towards you +1]
Lynn: "!!!"
Wait! Wait! Stop! Stop!
Lynn panicked instantly.
"Little One, you need to understand, when I say 'same', it's the kind of liking between normal friends, without any other elements mixed in, purely the liking between good friends, do you understand?"
Little One looked at Lynn with (✪ω✪) eyes and said, "Understood!"
Lynn let out a sigh of relief and said, "That's good."
[Ding! Little One's Adoration value towards you +1]
Lynn: "!!!"
What's going on!
Why is it increasing even faster now!
(ΩДΩ)!!
And as if seeing Lynn's embarrassment, Little One mischievously showed her white teeth, her eyes sparkling, and then immediately hugged him like a doll.
Happily holding him against her chest.
"Like~~♥ Mwah~"