If I hadn't chosen to retire, if I had fought alongside An Ya, would things have turned out differently?
I don't know the answer to that question and maybe I will never know. An Ya's death, like a raging inferno, turned what was once a fairytale story into ashes.
All I can do is reminisce over those burnt pages, endlessly blaming myself.
I want revenge, but I am not without attachments. I know how strong An Ya was, and I can imagine how dangerous her killer must be. If something were to happen to me during my quest for revenge, what would become of my daughter?
But if I don't seek revenge, that poisonous fire constantly scorches my heart.
I've embraced those past dreams countless times in my sleep, and upon waking, I've fumbled hopelessly at the empty side of the bed, the anger and sorrow almost becoming an inescapable curse, locking me firmly in the past.
Eventually, I could only tell myself helplessly that I'm just an ordinary person, that I couldn't and shouldn't think about these things anymore.
So I might as well focus on my work, focus on raising my daughter. As a single father, that might be the most normal choice.
If everything really could just stop here. If my daughter had never stepped into the world of magic.
But when everything happened, when the shadows lurking in Fangting City, even in the Donghua Region, emerged and even threatened my daughter, then such "normalcy" could be discarded.
"I don't have lofty ideals. What I want to do is just protect the people around me. But I fled before, I failed, I didn't keep my promise, I didn't follow my own heart."
"So this time, I will not allow it to happen again."
"Black Ash Dawn, I've come to know your actions, understand what you've done, and see the ugliness you've shown. No matter what part you played in An Ya's death; no matter what you're still plotting in the physical world; no matter how much you hate the material realm. My stance towards you is unequivocal."
Emerald Sparrow lifted her head, her pupils overflowing with magic power shone like a bright moon in the night sky:
——"Starting today, get out of Fangting City, or I'll personally drive each one of you out."
Silver-blue threads cascaded from the night sky, interweaving layers around her, a vast structure began to take shape within the web of threads, enclosing the central district of Fangting City.
Like the grandeur of a fairy tale story, a cerulean castle radiating pure light stood majestically.
This was Emerald Sparrow's wonderland.
It was as magnificent as the castles children imagine belonging only to princesses and princes in fairy tales. Yet, it wasn't made of stone, but of countless intricate Magic Silk threads woven together into a spectacle.
The night sky, once tinged with purple-black magic power, was instantly isolated by the immense castle. Regardless of whether they were magical girls, Mosi, or those Remnant Beasts on the ground, all were enveloped by the castle.
Furthermore, beyond the castle, endless threads stretched out in all directions, extending throughout the entire Fangting City.
The chaotic streets, the shattered houses, the crowds that had been fleeing, all couldn't help but look up, watching this miracle unfold. The ferocious and agitated Remnant Beasts also inexplicably calmed down.
It wasn't because they were marveling at the silk rain in the night sky, but because those threads traversing the sky were heading for them.
Infinite blue threads descended from the sky, immobilizing every Remnant Beast that roamed the city, and then, the threads connected them to the castle.
Someone in the crowd asked tentatively at first, but soon, more daring individuals approached the Remnant Beasts, reaching out to touch the fearsome creatures.
The Remnant Beasts, which had still been wreaking havoc and killing moments before, now stood like statues, motionless. And then the people realized, the attacks of the Remnant Beasts were truly over.
"We're saved! We're saved!"
"It must be a magical girl!"
People began to cheer, to weep. The disaster had come so suddenly and ended just as swiftly, miraculously, leaving the survivors to revel in the gratitude of being alive.
And this scene wasn't just playing out in the city. Unseen, amongst the ruins of what was once the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, where "Remnant Beasts" that had been hung from the ceilings, now sprawled among the rubble, were also peacefully, quietly sleeping.
——"Out of control? No... their magic power has been deactivated. Why? This is unprecedented, and there's no reason for it."
Inside the silver-blue castle, Mosi felt the changes in the magic power inside the bodies of the Remnant Beasts and felt an inexplicable unease. It asked the figure wrapped in threads not far away: "What did you do?"
Emerald Sparrow didn't respond immediately.
It wasn't that she didn't want to engage with Mosi — although that was indeed the case — but because she felt as if her body almost didn't belong to her anymore.
Intense, excruciating pain filled her consciousness, as if threatening to tear apart her soul. She clenched her jaw tightly, worried that if she let out even a whisper, she would scream aloud.
Clinging tightly to the threads in her hands, as if to conduct the pain away, she slowly lifted her head amidst waves of agony, glaring intensely at Mosi.