Chapter 24: Frozen Memories

The chill crept up from her palms and knees, seeping through the cold ground beneath her. Gu Xuanyu tried to grip the railing to pull herself up, but her hands shook violently.

Her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, independent and uncontrollable, defying her attempts to clench them tightly.

To make matters worse, the iron railing, frosted over, was colder than she had imagined. It greedily sapped the warmth from her palms, leaving her fingers numb after just a few touches.

The biting cold was brief, but it left her unable to feel anything beyond the tingling in her fingertips. Gu Xuanyu slumped to the ground, leaning on the railing, her gaze fixed on the rushing river below.

Without her magic, she felt incapable of doing anything. In that moment, she couldn’t even remember her own name.

The river water crashed against the rocks, sending whitecaps swirling in eddies that mirrored the turmoil in her red wine-colored eyes.

Her inner struggle and pain seemed to be swallowed by the vortices. For a moment, she stood silent.

Then, with a sudden surge of strength, she wiped away the tears from her eyes and stood, limping as she made her way back in the direction she had come. Though clumsy, she refused to give up on her life.

She couldn’t return home, but she could walk a little further, toward Ye Qing. Even if she couldn’t recall her name, the thought of Ye Qing brought her a sense of comfort.

The fading magic seemed to pause, allowing her vision to clear. In the distance, a familiar bridge arced over the river, casting shadows on the banks.

From there, it was just half a walk to Ye Qing’s side. The bridge was twelve meters wide, and it took exactly twenty steps to cross under the arch.

Gu Xuanyu remembered this because every time she walked here with Ye Qing, she would slow her pace, focusing on her steps to resist the urge to kiss the person beside her.

But Ye Qing never noticed, her attention always on the silver-haired girl. At these moments, the black-haired girl would naturally wrap her arm around Ye Qing’s, then gently lean in to kiss her cheek.

The clumsy bear costume, with steps no lighter than the silver-haired girl’s, finally reached the bridge arch. Ye Qing never counted her steps, but after Gu Xuanyu mentioned it, she remembered.

After all, as long as she could safely escort the silver-haired girl home, the number of steps didn’t matter. Through the gaps in the costume, Ye Qing’s amber eyes locked onto the silver-haired girl limping across the river.

She tugged at the costume, struggling to run, and caught the girl in her arms. In the moment she caught Gu Xuanyu, the bear costume vanished, revealing the petite black-haired girl.

Without the strong arms to support her, Ye Qing nearly tumbled to the ground, but she managed to steady herself and catch Gu Xuanyu.

“I knew you’d come…”

The girl choked back a sob, no longer hiding her vulnerability.

Tears like broken pearls fell onto Ye Qing’s collar. She forgot what to say upon their reunion, and Ye Qing remained silent, simply holding her tightly in the shadows of the bridge.

“Come home with me.”

“Okay.”

Ye Qing didn’t summon the costume again, but instead gently slipped her left arm out of her wool coat and wrapped it around Gu Xuanyu.

The two girls huddled together under the single coat, supporting each other as they walked home.

***

“You called again so soon. What’s wrong?”

The voice on the phone was An Yueying, unusually direct.

“How do I turn the others into evil minions?”

“This isn’t something to discuss over the phone. Let’s meet at your place.”

“Okay.”

Ye Qing hung up, her expression cold and unreadable, like a layer of frost. But her amber eyes burned fiercely, as if ready to pierce through something.

The last time she had such a look was when she glared at An Yueying, who had mentioned her sister.

Beside her, the silver-haired girl hesitated before speaking softly, “I’m sorry, I still can’t remember…”

Ye Qing gently touched the girl’s silky silver hair, her eyes softening.

“It’s alright. Just call me Qing from now on.”

“Qing,”

Gu Xuanyu repeated, her glassy red eyes brightening, like a sky clearing after rain, and a smile played on her lips.

No matter how hard she tried, Gu Xuanyu couldn’t remember the name ‘Ye Qing,’ even though each character was simple.

When she attempted to say it, her mind went blank. Similarly, she had no memory of being a magic girl, her memories ripped away, leaving a void that couldn’t be filled.

The silver-haired girl was like a clumsy child, trying to express her love but only managing to apologize.

“I’m sorry, I’m so stupid…”

Ye Qing bit her lip, trying to find the right words to comfort her, but she fell silent.

She feared that speaking would only make things worse. After a long pause, she finally spoke, “Then, let me take care of you.”

Seeing the silver-haired girl nod slightly, Ye Qing’s face, rarely seen to smile, showed a hint of a grin. Though she had been forgotten again, she felt a strange sense of peace.

She had once worried that she would be a burden to Gu Xuanyu, holding her back and preventing her from soaring freely. But in that moment, Ye Qing had a different thought.

Perhaps it was better to keep the imperfect version of herself by her side… Someone knocked at the door, and Ye Qing snapped back to reality.

She hadn’t expected An Yueying to arrive so quickly.

“Were you nearby?”

“No, I just had a feeling you might need me, so I left early.”

An Yueying was still wearing her thin black coat, looking almost frail, but there was no sign of her being cold.

“To be honest, I think you should calm down,” Ye Qing replied calmly.

“I can’t calm down.”

An Yueying raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“What? You ran into that annoying white-haired girl too?”

Ye Qing furrowed her brow.

“White-haired girl?” Seeing Ye Qing’s confusion, An Yueying smoothly changed the subject.

“Anyway, since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll start your training early.”

An Yueying glanced at the silver-haired girl sitting inside, her eyes flashing with meaning. Ah, so it was because of her, after all?