Blind Box World - SSS-Rank Eye of Truth

Ethan woke when sunlight had already pierced through the gap in the window, casting a long stripe across the floor.

He lay still for a few seconds, slightly disoriented.

No explosion had jarred him awake, no killing intent or sense of danger to make his body tense up instantly. Outside there was only the sound of villagers talking, occasionally mixed with children running past on the dirt road. The smell of grilled meat drifted in on the breeze, and only then did Ethan realize he had slept in quite late.

’It’s been a long time since I slept like that.’

Ethan tilted his head.

The right side of the bed was empty. Laira had probably left early. But Ruo Yan was still lying on his left, and she had apparently been awake for some time.

The two of them lay facing each other, barely a hand’s width apart. Ruo Yan’s black hair was slightly mussed, a few strands fallen across the pillow. One of her hands still rested on Ethan’s chest, and her dark eyes were looking at him without any attempt to look away.

Ethan let the corner of his mouth curve. "Good morning."

Ruo Yan didn’t answer right away. She looked at her own position, then at Ethan, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Did you carry me onto the bed last night?"

"Yeah. You fell asleep slumped over the edge. I couldn’t let you sit like that all night."

Ruo Yan was quiet for a few seconds. Ethan had expected her to be annoyed, but she only shifted a little closer, her head nearly touching his shoulder, and said calmly, "Then do the same next time."

This time it was Ethan’s turn to be mildly surprised.

Ruo Yan caught the look in his eyes, and the corner of her lips curved faintly. "What? You thought I’d hit you for picking me up without asking?"

"I did consider the possibility."

"Before, I probably would have." Ruo Yan braced a hand against his chest and sat up. Her black hair slid off her shoulder, a few strands brushing lightly across Ethan’s face. She didn’t get off the bed right away but leaned down to check the left arm encased in the Primordial Armor, the playfulness in her eyes fading. "Does it still hurt?"

"Just a dull ache."

Ruo Yan placed her hand on the metal, her fingertips tracing the purple-silver lightning patterns. She felt it for a moment, then looked up at him. "Don’t hide it from me. Yesterday when you said ’it’s not serious,’ your face was whiter than the corpses in the ruin."

Ethan laughed. "This time I’m really not hiding anything."

"I’ll believe half of that."

After saying so, Ruo Yan still didn’t pull her hand back. Her gaze lingered on Ethan’s face for a while, and then she unexpectedly leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

The kiss lasted only an instant, but the motion was perfectly natural.

Ethan went briefly still.

Ruo Yan had already sat up straight, her expression almost unchanged. Only the faint curve at the corner of her lips revealed that her mood wasn’t as calm as her exterior suggested.

"Consider it thanks for yesterday."

Ethan raised his hand to touch the spot she had kissed, puzzled. "For what?"

Ruo Yan looked at him, her gaze slowly growing more serious. "You realized Ryan was following us but didn’t lead him here. If you had kept going back at that point... Vesna and the people in the village would have been in danger."

Ethan looked at her for a few seconds, then shook his head. "No need to thank me. The people here once saved me and Laira. I’m not stupid enough to repay them by dragging disaster to their door."

Ruo Yan said nothing more, but the look in her eyes when she watched him had clearly softened.

Right then, Laira’s voice rang out from outside the door.

"Ethan! How long are you planning to sleep? The meat’s almost gone!"

Ruo Yan turned to look outside, then stepped straight off the bed. Before leaving, she glanced back at Ethan still sitting there, a teasing note in her voice. "Are you getting up or not? At the rate she eats, give it a little longer and you’ll have nothing left but bones to chew on."

Ethan watched her back disappear from the room, his hand still resting on his cheek.

’She really has changed quite a bit.’

He shook his head with a smile and finally got up.

...

The central yard of Spring Village was livelier than usual today.

Ruo Yan had been missing for quite some time, so after learning she had returned safely, several Partners in the village had brought food over on their own. A large stone stove was set up in the middle of the yard, piled high with meat and vegetables. Children ran circles around it while the adults prepared food and asked each other about what had happened while Ruo Yan was gone.

Laira was also helping out.

At least it looked like she was helping.

When Ethan arrived, she was standing next to the stove holding a skewer of perfectly grilled meat. In front of her stood a little girl with two small horns on her head, hands on her hips, her young face full of displeasure.

"You’re eating again. That’s for everyone to share."

Laira calmly finished chewing the piece of meat in her mouth before looking down at the girl. "I’m helping you all test whether the meat is cooked properly."

The girl immediately pointed at the empty plate beside her. "But you’ve already tested seven pieces."

Laira looked at the plate, then at the skewer in her hand, her expression as serious as someone weighing a very important matter. "Because each piece cooks differently. If I don’t check thoroughly and someone gets a stomachache, what then?"

The girl clearly wasn’t buying it.

Laira hesitated for two seconds, then took another piece of meat and discreetly slipped it into the girl’s hand. "This one’s for you. Don’t tell Ethan about what just happened."

"I already heard."

Ethan’s voice came from right behind her.

Laira stiffened for a moment, then slowly turned around. The instant she saw him, the guilty look on her face vanished, replaced by a perfectly natural smile.

"Ethan, you’re up."

Ethan glanced at the empty plate, then at the skewer in her hand. "Yeah. If I’d slept a little longer, breakfast probably wouldn’t exist anymore."

"I was hungry." Laira showed not an ounce of shame. She stepped forward, looped both arms around Ethan’s neck, and leaned her whole body against him. "I’ve been fighting for days. Is eating a little extra really a problem?"

Ethan felt her soft body press against his chest and could only place a hand on her waist to keep his balance. "Did I say it was a problem?"

"Good that it’s not."

Laira smiled with satisfaction, then pulled his neck down and kissed him directly on the lips.

She didn’t care at all that there were plenty of people around. The kiss wasn’t some token peck either. Both arms stayed wrapped around Ethan’s neck, her body practically fused against his, and several seconds passed before she finally pulled away.

"Good morning."

Her orange-red eyes curved upward, her mood clearly excellent.

Ethan looked at the face right in front of him and laughed as well. "Good morning."

"Ahem."

A deliberate cough came from nearby.

Ruo Yan stood a few steps away, still holding a plate. Her gaze swept over Laira’s arms wrapped around Ethan’s neck, then settled on his lips.

Laira not only didn’t let go but deliberately pressed closer, her soft chest nearly flush against Ethan. She turned to Ruo Yan, the corner of her mouth curving. "What? Jealous?"

Ruo Yan looked at her for a few seconds, set the plate down on the table, and walked straight over. "What’s there to be jealous of?"

She stopped in front of Ethan, grabbed his collar, pulled him down, and kissed the other corner of his mouth.

This time the motion wasn’t as quick as it had been that morning.

Ruo Yan held her lips there for a moment before letting go, then very naturally reached up and wiped a bit of grease from the corner of Ethan’s mouth.

"Now we’re even."

Laira blinked.

A second later, she doubled over laughing.

"Ruo Yan, I like you more and more."

Ruo Yan glanced at her, but this time didn’t argue back.

Ethan stood between them, watching the Partners around them struggling to hold back laughter or pretending to be busy with something else, and could only sigh.

’So much for this place being peaceful.’

But the corner of his mouth was still curved.

...

After breakfast, Ruo Yan returned to her old house.

The moment the door opened, her steps slowed.

Inside, everything was nearly the same as the day she had left. The wooden table, the bed, the few puppet-crafting tools in the corner of the room, all unchanged.

Only three spots in the room were empty.

Before, the three wooden puppets had always been there.

One usually stood near the door.

One beside the crafting table.

The last one would sit next to the bed whenever Ruo Yan slept, like a tireless sentinel.

Ruo Yan stood in the middle of the room for a long time before sitting down by the table. She took out the three Puppet Cores and set them down in front of her one by one.

Her hand slowly touched each one.

The room was very quiet.

After a while, footsteps came from the doorway.

Ethan walked in.

He looked at the three Puppet Cores on the table, then pulled up a chair and sat down beside Ruo Yan. They sat very close, their knees nearly touching.

Ethan didn’t ask if she was sad.

Questions like that meant nothing.

He simply looked at the three cores in front of them and said, "I still remember the promise I made. I don’t know how long it’ll take right now, and we don’t have enough materials yet, but I’ll find a way to fix them."

Ruo Yan was still gently stroking the Puppet Core in her hand. "I know."

"They might look different after being repaired."

"I know."

"There’s even a chance that..."

"Ethan."

Ruo Yan turned to look at him.

Ethan stopped.

She looked at him for a few seconds, then slowly leaned her head against his shoulder, still holding a Puppet Core against her chest. "I already said I know. You don’t need to explain further. As long as you haven’t forgotten that promise, that’s enough."

Ethan tilted his head slightly, his cheek resting against her soft black hair.

"I haven’t forgotten."

Ruo Yan closed her eyes.

Her other hand had, at some point, taken hold of Ethan’s right.

The two of them sat like that for a long time.

...

That afternoon, Vesna found Ruo Yan by the stream behind the village.

Ruo Yan was sitting on a low stone slab, bent over washing the cloth stained with Ethan’s blood from the night before. When she heard footsteps, she only glanced over once and continued.

Vesna sat down beside her.

The two thin structures like butterfly wings at her temples trembled softly.

"You’ve changed a lot."

Ruo Yan wrung out the cloth, her tone even. "I know. Everyone who’s seen me since this morning has noticed."

"I’m not talking about the bond between you and Ethan."

Ruo Yan’s hands paused.

Vesna watched the water flowing over the stones, quiet for a while before continuing. "Before, every time I stood near you, I always felt there was a door shut very tight. You wanted people to stay, but you didn’t dare let them get too close. Because in your heart, you had already prepared yourself for the day they’d leave."

Ruo Yan lowered her gaze to the cloth in her hands.

She didn’t deny it.

After a while, she asked, "You could really sense all that?"

Vesna smiled faintly. "Not always clearly. But the things a person tries hardest to bury are sometimes the easiest to hear."