Abbas did not know who that white figure was, nor what that person intended to do in Avalon. He could not fathom why Avalon appeared in this painting, nor why this white reaper had already stood in opposition to the Secret Party twice, seizing the Secret Party's two most crucial dragon bones, and perhaps even coming close to killing Principal Ange. He knew none of these things, yet he stared fixedly at that pale white figure, as if it were a living person standing right before him, ready to turn around at any moment and offer him a faint smile.
"Hey, I say, let's steal the old man's gold bars and run away."
Why? Why did that obnoxious kid's face suddenly surface in his mind? Clearly, that was a hateful kid—what did he have to do with this white reaper?
He was entirely certain that this pale white reaper had never appeared in his memories, yet at a single glance, he felt an overwhelming familiarity with the figure. Although it was still only a sketchy silhouette in a painting, that sense of familiarity could not be wrong; it felt like a memory carved into his very bloodline, carried across past lives into the present.
Yet that obnoxious kid's face appeared in his mind once more. Damn it, why couldn't he control these memories? He knocked on his own skull, wanting to see the memory clearly—clearer still... at least to make out that kid's face.
Yes, for some reason, even though those memories were etched into his bones and he could remember even the tiniest details of that time, he could not remember the faces of the people in them.
The stories he told Caesar were all true; they were deeply engraved in his mind and had never been forgotten. But what he didn't tell Caesar was that the people in those memories—from the mayor and the orphanage director to those seven brothers—seemed impossibly close to him, yet he could not recall what they actually looked like. He could remember blood staining that kid's face, could even remember the blood smears on his temples and cheeks, but he simply could not make out his brows and eyes.
Until now, some sealed memories seemed to be loosening. He felt as if he were about to see that kid's face clearly!
An emotion called rage flowed through his heart, his green eyes seemingly reflecting that burning snowy night.
He had regretted it countless times: why hadn't he been willing to believe the old man's words, instead telling the old man's secrets to the other kids? Why hadn't he gone for help and instead fled in panic? That was the first "home" in his life, and the only one.
Yet his family was gone. That house had been burned to ashes, and he would never again have the chance to return to the place he could call "home." Buried deep in his heart was an unquenchable fire of rage—directed at those seven kids, and at himself.
He had betrayed the quail-like old man who had been so very good to him, leading to his death, and he hadn't even tried to save him, choosing to run away instead.
Only after running far, far away—with no one even pursuing him—did he suddenly realize that what he was trying to escape from wasn't the murderous kids, but fear.
The fear of losing something.
Yet the more he feared losing things, the more certain things were truly lost.
He ran back desperately, cutting through the cold snowy night back to the burning villa, but it was too late. From then on, he never saw those seven kids again, nor could he ever see the quail-like old man.
Even later, after entering Kassel College and searching almost the entire world with EVA's help, those seven people could not be found, as if they had vanished from the face of the earth.
"Hey, once we have money, we can go to the outside world. The outside world is so much more interesting."
"Hey, we're going to take the old man's gold bars anyway, do you want to come along?"
"Go pack your things quickly, we're leaving here tonight, let's go to the outside world together."
"Listen, if you dare scream or tell anyone, we'll bury you in the cellar too!"
Yet the memory that cut the deepest was still that old man, standing smilingly beside him, showing off his collection of gold bars.
"See? I really do have a lot of money. I can send you to college in the outside world, and even pay to release a record for you."
Did that old man really look upon him like a son? Yet he hadn't regarded him as family; it was only after the old man died that he realized what he had lost.
And yet, once certain things were lost, they could never be recovered.
How could he not hate those who had stolen his home? They were so-called brothers who had grown up together, but that so-called brotherhood had long since shattered. He searched the world for them; he would make them pay the price for what they had done!
Yet they vanished completely after taking the gold bars. It was only upon seeing the reaper in that painting that Abbas suddenly remembered the story of that year.
Why? But why was this happening? He didn't know, but if he could find that white reaper, perhaps he would find the answer.
"How are we supposed to get to Avalon?" Professor Schneider asked.
Snow had previously mentioned the existence of Avalon, the Sunset Land, and they could all guess that it must be a Nibelungen constructed by a Dragon King-level target. Now that Rybalko had come to tell them Avalon truly existed, he surely must know of some way to reach it.
"I found some clues in the former captain's notes after he left," Rybalko said. "There are two with a high degree of credibility. First, Avalon opens only once a year. Second, when it opens, the 'Goddess's Skirt' appears in the sky."
"The same as the girl's description." Schneider nodded.
"Where will it open?" Abbas asked. His voice was somewhat stiff, and Professor Schneider turned his head to glance at him.
"I have a set of coordinates," Rybalko mused, "left behind by the former captain. But we pass those coordinates every year and have never seen any sign of Avalon, so they aren't very reliable."
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Professor Schneider asked in a deep voice.
"You didn't tell me your true purpose either," Rybalko shrugged. "We're even."
"Then you must know more about Avalon." Abbas's voice rose again. His eyes stared straight at the flickering flames, and for some reason, Rybalko seemed to sense an indescribable sorrow emanating from the young man.
"I do know a bit more." Rybalko lit a cigar and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come looking for you."
"In my memories, I once saw that Sunset Land, the legendary Avalon."
Schneider and Abbas suddenly widened their eyes, a flash of gold vanishing from the depths of Abbas's gaze.
Rybalko paid no attention to his two listeners' expressions and simply continued: "On the day we encountered the 'God's Skirt,' we ended up on the wrong course due to some accidents. When the aurora appeared, the sea surface was eerily frozen over, as if the temperature had suddenly plummeted. If it had just gone on like that, we might have missed it."
"But a huge iceberg happened to drift past, smashing open the frozen sea surface, and so we were fortunate enough to witness a miracle."
The crucial part of the story was coming. Schneider and Abbas leaned forward in unison, terrified of missing a single detail, while Paci stood guard outside the door with a blank expression.
"Beneath the cyan sky, the entire sea reflected cyan," Rybalko slowed his pace, his gaze shifting to the oil painting. "We saw the reflection of this island in the water, every single detail identical, yet there was nothing on the surface of the sea!"
Abbas hesitated for a moment and asked, "Could it be a mirage?"
In truth, both he and Schneider knew very well that an island with subtropical trees could never appear inside the Arctic Circle, nor could it be refracted to form a mirage. Combined with the story Snow had described earlier, this mysterious Avalon was very likely a Nibelungen hidden beneath the sea! But Rybalko knew nothing of the Dragon Kind; Abbas asked this question merely to test him.
"Absolutely impossible. We're seasoned sailors; there is definitely no such subtropical island in the Arctic Circle. That island must be hidden underwater," Rybalko said firmly. "Remember what that little girl said earlier? That scientific expedition sailed toward that small island, and they really did reach it."
Professor Schneider fell silent and slowly said, "You mentioned just now that the sea area was eerily frozen over?"
"Yes," Rybalko nodded. "The seawater froze at a speed visible to the naked eye. Freezing such a vast expanse of ocean took only a few seconds."
Here he paused and added, "Just like what the little girl said."
Schneider nodded. He did not doubt that Rybalko was exaggerating; he had encountered a similar situation in the Greenland Sea, where an entire sea area was frozen over in an instant by a Dragon King's Spiritual Word.
"The time it opens," Abbas said suddenly.
"What?" Rybalko didn't react in time.
"You said Avalon only opens once a year. When is that?" Abbas asked.
Rybalko pondered for a moment and said, "Christmas Eve. We were in the middle of holding a Christmas party that night."
"That's the day after tomorrow!" Abbas stood up abruptly.
Schneider patted his shoulder, and Abbas realized he had lost his composure—a rare occurrence for him in the past. He gently pressed his palm against his chest, trying to calm the churning undercurrents in his heart.
"Yet Snow said earlier that they found the Sunset Land as well," Professor Schneider said. "That means even when the door isn't open, one can still go in."
Abbas and Schneider exchanged glances. To enter a Nibelungen when it was not open, there were only two possibilities: either carrying a brand, or being chosen by the master of the Nibelungen.
They did not know which category the expedition fell into, but judging by the results, they had indeed entered Avalon and brought something back out from within.
"Thank you for sharing, Captain Rybalko." Schneider nodded to Rybalko. "This is extremely important to us. We have two days left to find Avalon before it opens."
"First, we need to extricate ourselves from our current predicament." Rybalko gave a wry smile.
"I trust the elite we sent out," Schneider said, "and you should trust your employers as well. They will make it back in time."
Rybalko gazed into Schneider's eyes—those eyes beneath the mask as calm as water. It was clear he wasn't just saying that to encourage Rybalko, but genuinely and firmly believed that Caesar and Finger would arrive in time.
Rybalko removed his hat, held it to his chest, bowed to Professor Schneider, and strode out of the cabin.
"Your emotions were quite agitated today," Schneider said.
Abbas lowered his head and remained silent.
"You are my student, Abbas." Schneider placed a hand on Abbas's shoulder, forcing him to look up and meet his mentor's gaze.
"I'm fine, Professor," Abbas said.
"I saw hesitation in your eyes," Schneider said. "Is something on your mind?"
"Yes," Abbas admitted.
"Because of Avalon?" Schneider asked.
Abbas nodded. "Snow said that anyone who has seen God will be killed by God, yet we are still alive."
Schneider was stunned for a moment. "Are you worried about Caesar?"
"I trust Caesar," Abbas shook his head. "I'm just troubled by some doubts I can't figure out for the moment. Don't worry, Professor, I'm fine."
Schneider slowly nodded. "I trust you, Abbas."
After a brief pause, he added, "Regardless of whether you truly are or not, as long as you have been my student, I will always be your teacher."
"Thank you, Professor." Abbas nodded.
He had ultimately concealed from Schneider the memories that had been suddenly triggered. Schneider was one of the people he trusted most in the world, yet for some reason, he still couldn't tell him, because a feeling lingered in his heart that doing so would bring danger to Schneider!
Regardless, that was his own past, his own remorse. If Professor Schneider were truly to meet with danger because of him, how could he ever forgive himself? He had already lost the person who treated him like a son; he could not lose the person who treated him as a student.
Whatever that reaper was, he had a premonition that once he reached Avalon and found that fellow, he would find the answers.
At that moment, a commotion broke out outside. Abbas stood up abruptly; if those superstitious crew members wanted to harm Snow again, he wouldn't mind letting them know what true rage felt like.
He held a special affection for the little girl Snow. The power Snow displayed when killing those snakes had astonished them, but astonishment was immediately followed by sorrow. This was a girl cursed by her bloodline; the dragon blood within her was already stirring and would awaken before long. When that happened, the dragon blood would inflict immense damage on her body, and she might even directly degenerate into a Ghouls.
How could he not feel pity for such a pitiable girl who regarded him like a father and brother? In her destined short life, she should not suffer unprovoked harm again.