1.
In the distant future, Earth is ruled by a newly born intelligence of technology, reducing humanity to a mere adjunct. To begin anew, the "Kunpeng" sets off into the vast cosmos, carrying the Nuwa System designed to reboot civilization.
"Elementa...
Startled by Raina Grace's touch, Flame Wave stepped back. "Don't touch it. How have you seen this before?" He thought she was just a curious little girl.
Raina Grace shook her head, "May I touch it?"
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Flame Wave looked at her disapprovingly, hoping she would drop the idea. However, Raina Grace didn't withdraw her hand, and Flame Wave, not wanting to upset her over something minor, took off the mask and handed it to her. "Just take a look. I don't wear it often, so don't make a fuss every time." He hoped she wouldn't ask why he wore the mask.
Thankfully, Raina Grace was just feeling it. She touched it earnestly and confirmed, "I have seen this before."
Her serious expression showed she wasn't lying, but Flame Wave was sure he hadn't shown it to her before. "Where have you seen it? Is it a Silver Wolf mask identical to this one?"
"Is this mask called Silver Wolf?" Raina Grace felt a familiar and even intimate connection with the mask. "Do you remember the cave where you woke up after falling into the water? I felt something made of the same material deep in the cave's pond."
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"The cave's pond?" Flame Wave believed her, remembering Jade Thistle liked to play in that pond. Had Jade Thistle hidden something in the cave? When did she do it? Before they left the Surface Domain, or when she returned? Was it something useless she didn't take with her, or did she leave it intentionally, waiting for an unlikely day of discovery?
Flame Wave looked at Raina Grace with mixed emotions. If it weren't for this girl who also loved water and accidentally discovered the "Cave of Fleeting Lives," whatever Jade Thistle left there – if it really was hers – would never have been found. Was Jade Thistle betting on that slim chance?
"Can you retrieve it?" Flame Wave asked softly, as if speaking louder would extinguish that faint hope, "I'll go with you."
The cave was still dark and cold, and the pond deep, but the water was warm to Raina Grace. However, it lacked the endless sea's magnificent colors. Only the deepest part of the pond had a faint glow, where it connected to the endless sea.
Raina Grace closed her eyes, feeling a familiar sensation in the confined space, like a call or an omen. She was a bit scared and wouldn't have touched anything if it weren't for Flame Wave's eager look.
