[Silver Ash] - Become The Strongest In Another World
CHAPTER 295: Unnamed Memory

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Nightfall. Somewhere not far from the lake in the middle of the forest, Noelle finally finished preparing a tent for her and Tania to sleep in.

It had been a few hours since they had found the Spirit Hunter nest, and now the two were in the process of waiting until finally the monster in question returned to its nest.

After making sure the final nail was firmly fixed, Noelle dropped her body on a pedestal she placed right in front of the tent, facing directly on the brightly lit bonfire.

Daydreaming at the starry sky, Noelle finally let out a tired sigh.

Inevitably he admitted it; he was already too used to the fickle lifestyle.

Her life as Noelle was very free, and also happy. While Noah Ashrain has many limitations, Noelle is somehow able to adapt to an unbelievable pace. Now, she begins a new life as Grei Noctis; an adventurer who is just about to make his public debut.

So far, everything has gone well. Although it is actually hard to believe, Noelle managed to go through everything very smoothly.

Just like the stars in the sky. Although not so visible, they keep moving. That's how Noelle lives now; a stagnant life, with no visible change, but in fact moving on.

Noelle, who had returned to her true form was just silent while looking up at the sky. When alone, or with Tania, Noelle will immediately return to her true form. For him, this was the most comfortable form to use.

His hands pointed one by one at the moon in the sky.

"Ishka, Lecca, and .. Pan-dora …."

Noelle fluently mentions the names of each of the satellites, and then her attention falls on Pan-dora, who until now still calls her.

Noelle didn't know where the feeling came from, but she couldn't get rid of it. Perhaps, he has a strong connection with Pan-dora.

In addition, Pan-dora is also the destination of Voyager. Noelle herself still does not know if the Pan-dora they mean is the same as Pan-dora that she knows. But, it would be better to assume that everything is interrelated. That way, Noelle could think of all those problems at the same time.

Noelle was quite confident in her way of dividing attention. He can think of something, or daydream, while paying attention around. Even so, he remained shocked as his ears caught something, as his gaze traced through the cosmos and his fingers arranged a pattern of constellations.

The sound he managed to catch was from the direction of the lake, where Tania was currently. Noelle could guess who was making that sound. However, he remained silent as the sound he produced continued with the beautiful melody.

It's Tania's voice. He was singing something.

The singing was very soft and smooth, although the sound used was a little hoarse and low volume.

The lyrics are also broken. Even so, Noelle somehow felt very familiar with the song, although in the end she could not remember what it was.

"Alone in the midst of the land of suffering, seeking to study the words of the stars. Ah, together must be fun."

The lyrics were hard to understand, but Noelle clearly understood every meaning behind it.

"True, we still suffer even now. Looking forward to an uncertain future, trying to maintain our love for this rotten world."

Not that he could understand every word that was characteristic of 'poetical', but because he understood very well the emotions that Tania was trying to convey, who was singing them.

As Noelle already knew, Tania was a difficult and awkward person in expressing herself. That's why, when she tried so hard to convey her feelings by singing this song, Noelle somehow immediately understood all the feelings she was trying to convey.

What makes everything so soothing for Noelle is not the beauty of her voice. Instead, Tania did not seem to be trying to beautify her voice as she sang. He just focused on trying to convey the words arranged in the form of songs.

Feeling attracted by the song, Noelle got up from her place, and walked over to the location that was the source of the sound.

It was not far from the tent he had built. Just needing to pass through rows of dense trees and shrubs, he had reached a small lake surrounded by the Cold Forest.

Surprisingly, although it was cold, the water in this lake did not freeze at all. That was what caused Tania to want to try taking a bath with him.

And he's still doing that now.

By the time Noelle came, Tania had gotten to the last two lines she remembered.

"True, we still suffer even now. Fighting for unreasonable dreams, ignored by reality, declaring ourselves to be heresies hated by heaven."

"Is this my curse? Or ego? Which makes us suffer in meaningless struggle. Rightly so? "

Although the pronunciation was a little stammered, and there were some parts that disappeared, Noelle was somehow able to 'translate it', and still understood the entire content of the lyrics, even though the lyrics themselves were not so clear.

Reciting one word after another, Tania also swung her legs forward and backward as she sat on the rock that was by the lake.

Noelle was slightly unexpected, and she was also about to leave immediately upon seeing. However, it is a pity that his existence has been realized first.

Tania, who was in a condition of not wearing any clothes, turned her head and turned to face Noelle, giving her an astonished look.

Meanwhile, Noelle only fell silent as her gaze was fixed on Tania's figure.

Noelle saw everything, without the slightest sensor. A beautiful figure, without any thread a single strand covered her skin, was bathed in moonlight.

Aware of the situation, Tania then took a towel from the side, and began to cover her front body with it.

There is no red color that shows shame. Instead, she simply looked at Noelle as if she was curious about something.

He then tilted his head, and pointed at Noelle with one finger. "Speek? "

"No," Noelle answered almost reflexively.

The two fell silent, turning the situation even more awkward. However, Noelle did not intend to stall for longer, which is why he would immediately let out his thoughts.

"What song is that? "

Initially, Noelle wanted to ask 'where Tania heard the song from', but she immediately changed it because it might be too strange.

Noelle has absolutely nothing to do with this song. It's just that he felt familiar with it, and the lyrics that the song was also quite surprising Noelle.

In response to her question, the first thing Tania did was to turn back around, playing her feet that were only inches above the water surface.

It took a long time until finally the answer that Noelle Kluar wanted. However, that answer did not disappoint at all.

Tania bowed contemplating for a moment, and muttered, "I .. often heard someone singing that song in my dreams, but I don't really remember, which is why the lyrics are incomplete."

(Dreams ..)

One keyword has appeared. Noelle didn't take this as a simple matter anymore.

"How was your dream? "

Noelle ignored Tania's appearance which was only covered in a sheet of towel, and walked into the edge of the lake.

Tania knew the song from her dream, and 'dream' was a word Noelle was very wary of. After all, he had encountered many strange occurrences involving dreams. The song Tania sang also brought her nostalgic feelings. Because of this, Noelle was able to quickly make a conclusion.

Not far from her position, Tania sat still. His eyes stared blankly at the reflection of the moon on the surface of the water.

"I. .. don't remember very much. But, I do remember that this song was sung by a girl, who stood in the middle of the chaos of the—medan war, I guess …."

Tania raised her head, and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the sky filled with sparkling stars.

"The girl was crying. I knew that the one singing there wasn't me. But, I wonder, what kind of scenery, and what feelings the girl had when singing it."

Noelle didn't really understand this part. Because from the beginning, he only heard his song from Tania, not from the original singer who only existed in Tania's dream.

If Noelle had gotten the chance to hear the song firsthand, then perhaps she could understand the feeling of the girl singing it, even though it might be difficult, she said, considering Noelle can already see how complex the feelings of the singer are contained in the song lyrics composed by Tania.

"The words the girl had brought me asked a lot of questions. What is my purpose? What do I really want? And what does my life really mean? "

Noelle didn't know how, but it seemed like Tania was able to understand this song much better. Actually it was not surprising, because Tania did hear the song directly in her dream.

It's just, this made Noelle surprised.

Noelle had only heard four lines of the entire song Tania had sung. It wasn't very clear either, and he connected the lyrics with his own assumptions. However, exceeding her estimates, Tania read the meaning of the song much better, even though she claimed not to remember the exact lyrics.

"What title? "

Tania shook her head in response to Noelle's question.

"Don't remember."

"I understand …."

Not everyone can remember their dreams. Most will only remember a quarter of the contents. That was also true for Noelle, although Noelle also often remembered everything, and wrote all the contents of the dream before she forgot it again.

"You ... want to hear my opinion? "

"the opinion? " tania asked while tilting her head.

Noelle nodded as a confirmation, and she jumped up, then sat on a large rock not far from Tania's place.

After sitting down, Noelle began to sort through whatever she had to reveal to Tania.

"I'm ... investigating something that might be very hard to believe."

"Whatis that? "

"Repetition of time."

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Repetition of time, was what Noelle wanted to tell Tania.

She didn't know how to explain it, but the nostalgic and familiar feeling Noelle got after she heard Tania's song made her think; that she had heard the song in the past.

"Repetition of time …."

This was a completely foreign term to Tania. He has not fully—haven't even understood the slightest bit about this topic. But that doesn't matter, because Noelle intends to explain it until she understands.

To make it easier for Tania to understand it, Noelle had to explain it in a better way.

"It's hard to believe, but I also dream of something a lot. A dream that usually brings me memories, even though I'm sure they're not my memories."

As soon as she heard it, Tania raised her face, and quickly turned to Noelle.

His eyes twinkled, and his face clearly poked out a light implying that he was excited.

"You ever dreamt like that too? "

Noelle smiled wryly. "Maybe a little different, but overall, our case is the same. I sometimes dream of meeting someone, and having a long conversation with him. But I won't remember what happened the moment I woke up. In addition, there were also times where scenes that did not come from my memory appeared in my dreams just like that."

"At first I didn't know what was going on, but the longer I started to understand. There was an incident where I was walking casually in the city, and suddenly everyone around me disappeared, then reappeared as if nothing had happened."

Tania lowered her head, trying to digest everything Noelle said.

"Is that what makes you think that time has been repeated? "

Noelle nodded. "Actually, not only that. There's a lot that makes my theory stronger, but it's hard to explain because you probably won't understand."

Even though Noelle planned to explain it to Tania, she had no intention of spending long hours just to talk about the repetition of time involving a girl named 'Charlotte'.

Instead, Noelle took out an object from her spatial warehouse, and threw it at Tania.

Tania awkwardly caught it, and began to notice the newly arrived thing in her hand.

"This ... mask? "

What he was holding now was a black mask, which only covered part of the eye, having a pattern that reminded Tania of a crow.

"All my thoughts begin with that mask."

Noelle then explained everything related to the black mask, and summarized the explanation to be as brief as possible.

Until now, he still could not confirm the whereabouts of an old man who gave him the mask. He had also never found it despite having conducted an investigation while still in the Kingdom. To be sure, the mask fell into his hands thanks to a complicated game of fate.

From the hands of an unknown stranger, it was later passed down to the family of the old man who guarded it, and finally given to Noelle— who according to the old man of the family heiress was worthy to hold it.

The mask had traveled for countless lengths of time, and was guided by the power of fate, which from the very beginning was very difficult to understand.

After explaining it long and wide, Noelle finally lay down on the rock, and looked at Pan-dora who was still giving a vibe as if she was calling out to him.

"memories and things related to the previous timeline will come to the present timeline as dreams or sensations of deja vu. At least, that's what I understand for now."

Tania pondered for a long time, before finally handing the mask back to Noelle.

"It feels hard to believe …."

This time not with a flat face, Tania said it while giving a thin smile, which she probably put out with her best ability to express the feelings she had.

Tania still did not understand too much about the repetition of time. However, he understood the outline.

His foot swing over the water surface became increasingly rapid, and a red hue appeared on his face along with the strengthening of the grip against the towel covering his front body.

Noelle who saw this from the side inevitably re-evaluated her opinion regarding Tania.

Contrary to what she pointed out, Tania was probably a very emotional girl. He just didn't have a chance to express it.

(It feels satisfying to share your thoughts with someone ..).

Noelle sighed lightly with a smile, then rolled up her pants, and jumped down from the rock.

He landed right where the lake was starting to deepen, and his sudden appearance scared away all the fish that had previously been swimming quietly.

Without caring for them, Noelle raised her face to look up at the sky, and her hands seemed to be trying to reach what was up there—right at Pan-dora.

(One day, maybe not far from now, I will reach the truth.)

Because after all, the mystery of time repetition was the biggest challenge Noelle had to face. Because only then can he understand everything, from history, fiction or reality, and even himself.

Tania is still in her place as she watches Noelle trying to reach Pan-dora. She did not move in the slightest, just staring at Noelle in surprise.

Then, that astonished look changed as her eyes narrowed slightly, and looked at Noelle with pure happiness.

Then–

"hmm?! "

Noelle stopped moving. His eyes narrowed sharply at the forest across the lake, and he was full of vigilance. Instantly bowing, Noelle manifested the Langen-Verstand sword in her hand, and jumped in the direction she had been wary of earlier.

Tania who was still in place could not give any reaction other than complete confusion. From Noelle's reaction, she must have sensed the presence of living things around, but strangely Tania was unable to sense that.

Either because she was off guard, or indeed her detection ability was not good enough to find the presence that Noelle was after. What was clear, the dazed Tania quickly became alert, and took the sickle-shaped 'accessory' beside her, and manifested the true form of that 'accessory.

With one hand trying to hold the towel that covered the front body, while the other hand was holding a scythe, Tania vigilantly walked towards Noelle disappearing.

But, before he could find anything, the clanking sound of two metals clashing appeared, and ended with the sound of the shattering of something that sounded like a chunk of glass or crystal.

Finally, the voice disappeared. It took quite a long time until Tania finally reached the closest distance to that location. Even so, he was still in the water.

As Tania tried to get closer to check on the situation, Noelle had already emerged from the bushes first, with a bright smile on her face as she displayed a beautiful bright blue crystal in her hands.

Unmistakably, it was the heart of the Spirit Hunter.

"Hehe, the mission is done quickly" Noelle said as she walked up to Tania who was in the water looking at the crystal chunk in her hand.

Search target has been found. In this way, the two can return to Alten tomorrow.

Seeing that, Tania was also happy. He smiled sincerely at Noelle, and walked up to her after returning Zephiroth to the form of accessories.

He carefully reached out his one hand and held Noelle's hand which held the heart of the Spirit Hunter, then said, "Unlike her body, the Spirit Hunter's heart is extremely soft. You must be careful not to destroy it."

Tania carried Noelle's hand holding the Spirit Hunter's heart tightly into the cold water of the lake, and submerged it for a while.

"The heart is also quite cold, so we can wet it to cover it with ice from frozen water."

Noelle did not argue much, and let Tania lead her. After all, Tania knew more about this.

However, still, the situation was a bit bad now.

Tania still did not use any clothes other than a sheet of towel held with one hand, painstakingly covering an important part of her girl's body. Even so, Noelle would not deny it, she did see a little through the small gap created as Tania moved.

Undoubtedly, Tania was indeed a beautiful girl with a very well-proportioned body. Anyone would be amazed when there was a figure like him, with just a sheet of towel covering half or three quarters of the front of his body, standing in front of them.

Her own gaze fell on the chewy part that would be exposed whenever Tania moved, and it would show everything, including the beautiful pink little protrusion at the end.

(The size fits, or maybe a little bigger for my hand ..).

As that inappropriate thought flashed through her mind, Tania had raised back Noelle's hand which submerged the Spirit Hunter's heart into the water. And as he said, the heart now has a thin layer of ice protecting it.

"You're right …."

Noelle was slightly surprised as she looked at the thin layer of ice on the Spirit Hunter's heart. Even so, his shock only lasted for a few seconds, before his attention focused on something else.

Tania removed her hand from Noelle, and now held the towel tightly with both hands. He smiled gently before finally turning his face the other way with a faint red color spreading across his face.

The only thing that prevented Tania from turning around right now was the fact that her towel was only able to cover the front of her body. So, if she turned around now, Noelle would definitely be able to see the back of her unprotected body, and it would be an inappropriate sight, as well as a shame even for Tania though.

The change, of course Noelle realized it.

(He's getting softer to me? )

The way Noelle called out also changed, as if a new arrangement had been applied to her head.

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