That night.
On the sickbed, the middle-aged man with a cast on his right hand was already asleep.
Fu Hua sat beside the bed. By the clear moonlight spilling in through the window, she quietly watched her father sleep in peace.
Even now, her right hand was still being held tightly by his callused left hand.
After a reunion separated by far too long, after learning of all the suffering and hardship his daughter had gone through in the future, this old father felt both heartache and a deep powerlessness.
That was a world he could not reach at all.
He had died too early.
And his death had weighed less than a feather.
He believed he had not given, and could not give, his precious daughter any help at all.
For a father, this was undoubtedly the most painful thing.
Fortunately, everything had begun again.
"Little Hua, our family can just live an ordinary life. That would be fine too."
In the dream, Fu Hua's father was saying this.
And in reality, a vivid feather was hovering beside the sickbed.
Fu Hua had no other thoughts.
She only knew that her father was injured right now. His body had been wounded after fighting a Honkai zombie.
He needed proper rest.
But today, after she came to this hospital room and "passively" exposed her identity, her father had completely forgotten about resting and recovering.
He only wanted to listen properly.
To hear what Fu Hua had gone through in the future, across those long fifty thousand years.
He would feel sorrow for her.
He would feel anger for her.
He would feel pain for her.
Especially that blond Rakshasa bastard.
If the other party were standing in front of him now, he would have wanted to smash that scum's head apart with one punch.
"Little Hua, the one thing we people of Shenzhou must never join hands with is that kind of beast. The kind that ignores another person's will and forces them to sacrifice."
In the dream, Fu Hua heard her father's stern teaching, absent for so long.
To that…
"But at the time, I was already powerless to protect Shenzhou…"
"If the Shenzhou of that future era needed to rely on that kind of beast to protect it, then it would not deserve to be called by that name."
When Fu Hua's father said this, his expression was extremely serious.
Even though his daughter's face showed helplessness at that moment, and even a little grievance, he showed no intention of changing his words.
"Little Hua, only in this matter, you were wrong."
Fu Hua's father softened his tone a little.
"You should not have decided Shenzhou's fate alone. That is arrogance taken to an unreasonable extreme."
"Shenzhou will always be the Shenzhou of thousands upon thousands of people. It belongs to the people."
"It is not a place where the 'Immortal' alone gets the final say."
"At least, in our era, what we believe in is our own ancestors who bled and sweated for us, not some empty, distant thing."
"We only know that we must strengthen ourselves without rest. We know that those not of our people will not share our heart. We know dignity only exists at the edge of the sword."
"From ancient times to now, we people of Shenzhou have never blamed Heaven and cursed others just because we 'cannot do it right now.'"
"And we would never become dogs for beasts."
In the hospital room, in reality…
"…"
Fu Hua clearly felt the palm holding her right hand tighten even more.
His words were becoming harsher and harsher.
But what his heart expressed was still full of pity for his long-lost daughter.
Those words of discipline spoken in the dream were not a release of negative emotion.
They were not just blame.
If she had to describe it, perhaps it was…
A scolding kind of love?
Fu Hua was silent for a while.
Looking back over her long life…
She had gone to Canghai City to study at fifteen. Within only a few months, the Third Honkai Eruption had broken out.
Her father died. The neighbors were gone. Her close friend had not been saved either.
Within the network of relationships she once had, only she remained alive.
Or rather, everyone died until only she was left.
After that…
Although Captain Himeko saved her, the captain only taught her how to fight and how not to give up hope.
Later, Captain Himeko also died.
Later still, after this era's war against the Honkai was declared a failure and Finality descended, after a long hibernation, Fu Hua acted together with Danzhu and Cangxuan.
But they could only stand beside her as friends, worrying that after living too long in the future, she would gradually become all alone.
Without question, all of these people were worth treasuring.
But among them, not one person could teach her the simplest truths.
What was right?
What was wrong?
What did it mean to live?
These were things her father should originally have taught her.
Originally, if after that promised "half-year," she had truly had the chance to return home, then when she brought the things she had seen and heard during her first journey away from home back to her father, when she talked with him and poured out her troubles…
Just like today.
At that time, Fu Hua would have received her father's teachings, born from the experience of a life lived.
But fate had played its tricks.
Her father's early death meant she simply did not understand.
She had no way to even touch those truths.
And by the time she had to protect Shenzhou in the next era, by the time she became the legendary Red Kite Immortal…
Everyone around her had long since become her juniors.
From beginning to end, her life experience had been incomplete.
Damaged.
Until today…
Until these teachings from a strict father, teachings that had arrived far, far too late, were finally heard by her and remembered in her heart.
"Yes."
Fu Hua sighed inwardly.
"It was my fault."
"To protect Shenzhou is not the same as protecting 'my Shenzhou.'"
The difference between the two was enormous.
"Now you know just how many absurd things you did, right?"
Inside her mind, Xiao Shi deliberately made a snide comment.
To that…
"So that is why, back then, you called me a failure, right?"
Fu Hua murmured this to herself.
Hearing it…
"Wait, Old Timer, I didn't mean… No… Tch."
Xiao Shi clicked her tongue in irritation and stopped talking.
Just then…
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the hospital room door from outside.
Fu Hua had just wanted to turn around, but because her right hand was being held tightly by her father, she could only turn her head halfway.
Then she saw the familiar figure pushing the door open and entering.
"Kevin?"
The look on Fu Hua's face instinctively became guarded.
Seeing her like this…
"Hua, you don't need to be like that."
Kevin walked to the other side of the sickbed. He leaned against the window on one side of the room and said in a low voice, "We are no longer enemies."
"At least not right now."
"…"
Fu Hua fell silent again.
To be honest, when it came to Kevin, she had always held rather special feelings toward him.
Of course, these feelings had not the slightest connection to romance.
Rather…
Once, Kevin had personally killed Captain Himeko, the person Fu Hua respected.
Later, he and Fu Hua had fought as comrades on the moon, throwing themselves into the Finality War in a desperate situation.
After that, he and she had both become forerunners of the Current Era.
Then…
When Fu Hua began acting under the identity of "Fu Hua," the two sides once again stood opposed.
And the reason was that white-haired girl who would later save her.
"Hua."
Kevin spoke again.
"Do not get involved with them anymore."
"I…"
Fu Hua opened her mouth and was just about to say something.
But Kevin interrupted her first.
"This is the most direct advice I can give you."
He explained seriously, "I know your relationship with them is close. So, in the survival struggle that will decide the future of two eras, you do not need to act against them."
"You only need to protect yourself, your father, and… those friends who were lucky enough to gain a 'second chance.'"
"For example, Captain Himeko."
"As for the rest, you do not need to interfere."
"Leave it to us."
Hearing him say this…
"…"
Fu Hua did not give a clear answer right away.
Kevin understood her and waited patiently.
Fu Hua turned her head again, looking at her father as he slept and rested, able to talk to her in dreams because of Fenghuang Down.
"Wait."
She suddenly reacted.
"Kevin, just now you said… us?"
"Yes."
Kevin nodded.
"The people we know have already begun gathering, one after another, under the same banner."
"They are standing on the same front now."
"I only hope that you will not become the enemy of all of us again."
"For yourself, for your father, and for everyone else in this era."
"Please."
At this moment, facing the sincere request of her former comrade…
"Haah."
Fu Hua let out a long sigh.
She looked at her father on the sickbed.
At that broad, reassuring hand that refused to let go of hers.
Clearly, she had already made her decision.
"Kevin."
Fu Hua looked at the white-haired young man (?) by the window and said each word clearly.
"This time, I will protect the era that truly belongs to us."
"After all these years, I'm tired. I don't need… and I don't want to carry those overly heavy reasons anymore."
She smiled faintly.
"This time, I want to be a little selfish and fight only for myself."
At this point, she unconsciously tightened her grip on her father's hand too.
"Because my life…"
It was very small.
But it was also precious beyond measure.
It…
"Is right here."