They traveled north, gradually leaving the city of Ragunna behind, and arrived at the Breezy Waterside.
The night was deep, and silence surrounded them. The only sources of light in this desolate wilderness, aside from the scattered celestial bodies in the sky, were the faint glimmers Phoebe materialized using her Resonance ability, prisms of light she summoned with her own power.
Though faint, it was enough to illuminate the path ahead.
"Phoebe, it's this late and you haven't returned. The Order of the Deep... will that really be okay?" Ray walked behind the young woman, concern in his voice.
The Order of the Deep's control over its clergy was always strict, especially the curfew.
So Ray couldn't help but worry that if Phoebe stayed away from Ragunna this late, she might face punishment upon her return.
The Order of the Deep wasn't as bright and shiny on the inside as it appeared on the surface.
Phoebe shook her head gently, her voice also soft. "It's okay, Mr. Ray. We have one day off each week, and today happens to be my turn. I can return a little later."
"Alright then. But Phoebe, where exactly are we going?"
The Breezy Waterside had a beautiful environment, with plenty of lovely spots suitable for picnicking along the way.
Yet they passed several scenic places, and Phoebe paid them no mind, persistently heading toward the coast.
Could it be that Phoebe wanted to go to the seaside?
Why?
Logically, as someone from Ragunna, she could see the sea every day. There was no special reason to deliberately head toward the coast.
Though many questions lingered in his mind, Ray didn't ask.
If Phoebe insisted on doing this, she must have her reasons.
It wasn't like Phoebe would harm him, right?
"It's just ahead," Phoebe replied softly.
Stars twinkled in the tranquil night sky. Glowing fireflies danced lightly in the twilight, tracing luminous paths through the darkness.
Ray could already smell the salty, humid air brought by the sea breeze.
They stepped onto a beach, a perfectly ordinary beach.
So ordinary... it was hard to find anything special about it.
You could find places like this in any corner of Ragunna.
But why did Phoebe choose this particular spot for their picnic?
"This is it." Phoebe took a picnic blanket and utensils from her small shoulder bag and carefully spread them out on the soft sand.
Anby and the other Echoes helped too, neatly arranging the utensils and pizzas.
Ray didn't understand why utensils were needed for eating pizza, wasn't using hands enough?
He took a plate from Beni, it was a small dish and cup.
Phoebe had even brought freshly squeezed juice from green branch fruit. Though it still carried the characteristic tartness of the fruit, sweetened with sugar, it was refreshing and palatable.
"Mmm, so fragrant! Can we start now?" Anby stared eagerly at the aromatic pizza, drooling with anticipation.
Watching Anby's undisguised eagerness, Ray couldn't help but sigh softly and shake his head.
He picked up a plate and handed it to Phoebe, only to notice the young woman staring into the distance at the sea, lost in thought. She hadn't even noticed his gesture.
"Phoebe?"
Only when he called softly did Phoebe stir slightly and turn her head, a serene smile appearing on her face. "Huh? Oh... thank you, Mr. Ray."
"Daydreaming just now? Something on your mind?" Ray asked.
The young woman paused for a moment. Her lips parted slightly as if to speak, but she hesitated.
Her gaze drifted toward the distance again, her eyes gradually losing focus, as if through the sea surface she could see a distant past.
After a moment of silence, she pressed her hand gently to her chest and murmured in a voice that nearly merged with the sea breeze.
"Mr. Ray must think it's strange..."
"Why I chose this place for our picnic."
"It's so ordinary here. No flowers, no fragrant grass, only scattered rocks. As a picnic spot, it couldn't be worse."
"But to me..."
As she spoke, the young woman's mood seemed to sink, like a flame on the verge of melting in a blizzard.
"This is a place that carries my past."
Ray asked, puzzled, "Phoebe's past?"
"When I was very young, my parents encountered a Dark Tide outbreak on their way to the New Federation..." The young woman unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes. "I didn't understand what death meant back then. Many evenings, I would come here alone, staring at the horizon, hoping to see my parents' returning sails."
"Later, I hid from the orphanage matron and secretly stowed away on a long-distance merchant ship, trying to find them. But maybe I was just too unlucky... that ship was also attacked by tacet discords."
"I don't know exactly what happened. I only remember hiding under the deck, listening to the panicked footsteps above, the people's clamor gradually turning into screams. The ship tossed in the storm, lifted high by towering waves..."
"In the end, I sank into the deep sea."
"To this day, I can't forget the despair of being enveloped by cold, silence, and suffocation."
"But I survived, carried here by the waves."
She pointed toward a rocky outcrop not far away.
"The priests who found me later all said it was a miracle that no one could survive a storm like that, that it must have been the Sentinel's blessing."
As she spoke, the young woman suddenly looked up, her gaze quietly resting on his face.
"Mr. Ray, do you remember what happened in the Riccoli Islands?"
Phoebe lowered her eyelids. Though her voice was soft, the corners of her mouth held a clear smile, a pure and crystalline smile.
"We were attacked by tacet discord back then too, and ended up sinking into the deep sea..."
"That feeling of being swallowed by despair enveloped me tightly once more."
"But this time, it wasn't the Sentinel who saved me..."
"It was Mr. Ray."
"In the past, this place was our secret base, a place only family could know."
"So, I chose to share it with you."
"To share my own small miracle."
The echoes of the waves lingered on this desolate beach.
Beni, beside her, whispered a few words in her ear.
Though Ray couldn't understand the Echo's language, he clearly saw Phoebe's fair cheeks instantly flush crimson.
"Huh? I... I didn't mean it that way. Saying that would cause trouble for Mr. Ray." The young woman waved her hands in a fluster, a trace of panic flashing in her eyes.
Ray looked at Abby. "Anby, what did Beni just say?"
Anby was holding a slice of pizza. It thought for a moment before replying, "Something like 'Phoebe wants Mr. Ray to become new family?' Yeah, that's it!"
"Huh? I... I really didn't mean it like that..." The young woman's cheeks grew even redder. She looked away flustered, not daring to meet his eyes again.
Watching the young woman's shy expression, Ray simply shook his head gently, a warm, soft smile appearing on his lips.
"Become Phoebe's family? Sure, of course I can."
"Mr., Mr. Ray! Please don't say that... I really didn't mean it like that..."
Phoebe grabbed a slice of pizza, turned around trembling slightly, and nibbled at the food in her hands like a little hamster. The sight was endearing enough to melt anyone's heart.
"So... Phoebe doesn't want me to become family?"
"I... I..."
The young woman still had her back to him, but when those words fell, her shoulders trembled noticeably.
"I... I never said that."
Her voice was indistinct, like a quiet mumble.