AWB Chapter 446 [Empire] Bad Thoughts
Chapter 446 [Empire] Bad Thoughts
Those words drifted softly into my ears, a casual whisper and a hint of resignation, like a faint voice on the wind. The nightingale's whisper echoed in the stillness of the night, yet it felt unreal, as if it had traversed some inaccessible depth, leaving only a faint trace in my fading consciousness. In that instant, my heart suddenly tightened, but with it came an incomprehensible emptiness.
"As you wish, I am just an ordinary human, without a lifespan comparable to yours... Even if I am forever, I am destined to be only a part of your journey..."
The meaning of these words seemed to come from some distant place, an unforeseen prophecy, a destined farewell. But perhaps because I was too exhausted, too sleepy, these profound words did not fully sink into my heart. They did not crash into my heart like a huge rock, but instead like a leaf floating on the water, slowly drifting away, gradually disappearing at the end of my consciousness.
I don't know why Nightingale said this. Perhaps he was still drunk, or perhaps some hidden emotion deep inside him couldn't find an outlet, so he could only whisper it out. I tightened my arms around him, as if trying to hide something from him in this silent companionship, trying to give him some warmth and strength, even though I couldn't fully understand his pain at that moment.
In that moment, I felt so insignificant and powerless. I could choose to remain silent, to pretend I didn't hear, to continue holding him as he slept, but somewhere deep inside, I couldn't ignore the deep pain and helplessness. The distance between us wasn't just a gap in time; perhaps it was the essence of life itself. No matter how hard I tried, how I tried to understand him, he ultimately had his own world, and I was just a passing visitor.
But I still choose to stay with him, even if it is just temporarily, even if it is just a short period of companionship.
I fell into a deep sleep in a daze, and the murmur still echoed in my mind, like an unfinished song, carrying unspeakable sorrow.
I remained silent for a long time, everything before me blurring and becoming complex. In truth, I wasn't sure whether I was an "ordinary woman" or a "new woman." This body wasn't originally mine; I was simply borrowing her shell and identity. In this interstellar world, "ordinary woman" and "new woman" aren't simply gender distinctions; they represent completely different biological states.
I've never been sure how to define myself—after all, I'm only borrowing an external body, while the spirit and power within are entirely different. I possess memories and abilities that don't belong to this body. Those abilities, never belonging to an "ordinary woman," have gradually seeped into every fiber of my being, permeating every connection I have with the world.
But thinking about it, the healing abilities I initially used with this body were already different from those of its original owner. Gradually, I discovered that I could not only extend her lifespan, but even a lifespan far exceeding that of an ordinary person—hundreds of years, or even longer.
The identity of the "New Woman" isn't a physical change, but rather an evolution, a biological form shaped by technology and genetic engineering. In this world, women and the New Woman have even evolved into two distinct "genders"—"ordinary women" live only a few decades, while the "New Woman" maintains youth and longevity through constantly enhanced genes and energy. Living for hundreds, even thousands of years, no longer seems an unattainable fantasy for them.
And I, unknowingly, seemed to have crossed this boundary. The original "me" had become a different entity in this interstellar world: neither a completely ordinary woman, nor a pure "new woman." I seemed to wander between these two worlds, possessing a long lifespan, yet unable to escape the strangeness between this body and its original owner.
Nightingale, on the other hand, was at the other extreme. A few decades was already his limit. He was an ordinary man, his life span much shorter than mine, almost certain to end at some point. Despite his extraordinary abilities and experiences, he still seemed so small and powerless in this world filled with diverse species and longevity.
This is the interstellar world, where everything is determined by the cruelty of time and evolution, and we can only find our own place in it.
The nightingale may seem powerful, but he can never transcend the limitations of time. What about me? How far can I go? Sometimes I can't help but wonder if I will eventually become like him, a brief interlude in someone else's life, ultimately abandoned by time in the long river of history.
But no matter what, we cannot escape our own destiny and the insurmountable time difference between us.
Perhaps, this is my destiny, like a meteor in the interstellar space, short and brilliant, which will eventually cross the sky at some point and disappear without a trace.
A cold thought surfaced in my mind, casting a shadow over my thoughts. I had time, I had opportunities, and he didn't. This wasn't fair. Perhaps I could profit from this inequality. After all, his time was limited, and he couldn't even control his own future.
I, on the other hand, have limitless possibilities. I can make countless choices, experience countless reincarnations, and change what I've missed. Every choice is a new beginning, and every second of waiting is a moment he can no longer recapture. I can slowly experiment, lose myself, and grope through the long years, while he can only make decisions again and again within a limited timeframe. Perhaps, as he himself said, we meet fleetingly on each other's journeys, fleeting yet glorious.
Perhaps it was some kind of evil in my heart that made me smile, thinking that I had more time to make choices, but he could not live as leisurely as I did.
I tightened my arms around Nightingale, clinging to some kind of fulcrum. Though he seemed still asleep, I knew I was holding him not just for a moment of comfort, but more so, to secretly exploit the unfair "advantage" I had gained during this brief journey. Even if it was just a tiny bit, collecting a little interest from him while he was still unaware, it was enough to make me feel like I had a modicum of control in this relationship.
Perhaps I'm too selfish, too cold-blooded, or perhaps this thought shouldn't exist. But who can say that the passage of time is fair? After all, some people are destined to be just a passing moment in someone else's long journey, while others can continue on this journey and become eternal.
As for Nightingale, he is always the one with "time limit", but I have more choices.