"..."
"..."
They looked at each other in silence.
The people of the Moth of the Flame had long been accustomed to Lin's aloofness and taciturn nature, but this still required a transition period for Kevin.
Lin looked at the Moth of the Flame uniform on Kevin's body.
Kevin looked at Lin, whose state was like a specimen preserved in formaldehyde.
After a long silence, Kevin sighed softly, lowered his head, and said gently, "Lin, I joined the Moth of the Flame."
"I can see that."
"...Are you angry?"
After coming to the Moth of the Flame, Kevin only then understood what Lin had been doing all this time, and he finally understood the truth Lin had been concealing—all to protect him and Mei.
But now, Mei had joined the Moth of the Flame, and Kevin, following her, had voluntarily joined as well. Their decision essentially made all of Lin's efforts pointless.
"No." The voice was slightly distorted through the intercom.
"Okay... Lin, are you really alright?"
"I'm fine. I should be transferred to a regular ward from here tomorrow."
The matter of Honkai energy corrosion was not announced externally. Lin's reputation soared after the defeat of the Third Herrscher. For the Moth of the Flame, this was a crucial time to boost morale, so they deliberately promoted him as a human hero.
Lin was indifferent when he learned of this, in a way tacitly approving of what the Moth of the Flame was doing.
In reality, he wasn't entirely without opinion on the matter, he simply felt it was meaningless.
If a person is a hero, they will eventually become a leader of the world. In contrast, a soldier who is simply pushed along by the current of the times, no matter how perfectly packaged, will not become that meaningless hero.
"Good. Then, Lin, I'll visit you again tomorrow. I'll ask Mei to come... Never mind, she's very busy lately... Don't worry, I'll come see you. Once you're better, I'll get you an album from Eden!" The white-haired young man, despite having gone through the Third Honkai Eruption, was still able to show a strong and cheerful smile. This allowed the heavy stone Lin had carried in his heart to drop, and he responded with a nod.
Lin gazed at Kevin's retreating figure.
Humans are a very peculiar species.
What often destroys their spirit is not sudden disaster or terrifying catastrophe; those things mostly only make people more united, stronger, and more powerful.
Instead, it's the imperceptible, small things that accumulate unconsciously.
Like the erosion of soil and water, sand being swept away. The change doesn't happen overnight, but when it is noticed, it is already irreversible.
...
Lin moved slowly in his wheelchair under the lights and quickly found the room number he was looking for. He reached out, knocked on the door, and pushed it open.
The gray-haired girl stood by the bed, utterly lost. When she heard the knock, she started to open the door, only for Lin to enter one step ahead of her.
Lin glanced at the well-furnished room that was essentially unused, then at the ragged, un-changed uniform on Hua's body.
"You are..."
Lin's current appearance was that of a body completely wrapped in bandages, necessary protective layers applied to prevent damage to his newly grown skin. But this nearly mummy-like appearance prevented Hua from recognizing him immediately.
Fortunately, when Hua saw Lin's sharp eyes, the kind that could fire "Space Cleavage Eye-Shock," she guessed who he was.
"You haven't left this room since you arrived. You don't eat anything except the necessary food, and you won't accept the conditions to return to society." Lin repeated what others had told him before he came, giving her a moment to think, then said, "I'll be blunt first: the Moth of the Flame will not keep pigs who only eat and sleep."
Hua's long eyelashes trembled.
"I know you're confused right now. Most people in the Moth of the Flame have had similar experiences, but that doesn't mean we will let you stay here until you figure things out. In fact, I'm here to give you psychological counseling, and my attitude has always been the same: Go, or stay."
Lin tossed the somewhat cruel words to Hua.
He was forcing Hua to choose. He could see that Hua was someone who didn't know how to act without a goal—the kind of person commonly referred to as indecisive, usually needing others to help her make decisions. But Lin was giving her a choice, not making the choice for her, so no matter how cruel, she had to face the reality.
"Go... stay..." Hua murmured distractedly.
"Your father died in the Third Honkai Eruption. I regret that. If you want to return to normal society, the Moth of the Flame will make the arrangements for you. Anywhere you want to go, you can even travel... Of course, severely affected areas are off-limits."
Leave?
That might be a good choice. She knew nothing about everything. The Moth of the Flame didn't lack her presence, and she could find a new life purpose in her remaining years.
At that point, Hua might thank Lin for giving her the power to choose.
But right now...
"I..." Hua clutched her head in pain. She leaned against the wall and muttered softly, "Please tell me what I should do..."
"What you should do is your business, not mine."
"But, I don't know... You said I should live for myself, but I can't..."
Living for others.
Hua had always lived that way.
Lin suddenly felt the painful girl in front of him overlapped with himself.
Hua clenched her fists, seemingly using all her strength in this question. She gritted her teeth and said, "Please tell me. What are those things, and what is the goal I need to pursue? You are the one who saved me; you are the one who granted me new life."
"..."
Lin was silent, a rare occurrence not due to an unwillingness to speak. He assessed the girl's expression—fragile, easily shattered, like a piece of art.
Again, people like her were certainly not lacking in the Moth of the Flame.
But it was always these people who, fueled by hatred for the Honkai, stepped onto the front lines and then died on the battlefield.
No matter the perspective, they died for humanity. Even their hatred, in the end, transformed into the compassion that continued the flame of life.
And so, he spoke.
"The Moth of the Flame is an organization that fights the Honkai."
Lin's introduction was brief and powerful, and it was the only definition he gave the Moth of the Flame.
"I am a soldier of the Moth of the Flame. You will also become a member of the Moth of the Flame, but I hope you don't become a soldier, but a warrior."
"Also..."
Lin remembered the voice he had heard at that time.
"If you don't know who to live for, then live for me."