Chapter 251
Lorena held Maximus’ hand and asked once again, “Do you know where Mom is?”
Maximus hesitated, his deanor contrasting with what he had shown so far. His eyes, like worried buttonholes, t Lorena’s gaze.
“Do I really need to know? As long as she’s here, it’s safe. We can live happily and have fun forever. Outside is dangerous—a cold, frightening place.”
Lorena playfully scolded Maximus for his concern. In truth, she found the wintry sanctuary quite appealing. It seed to encapsulate the happy mories of her childhood with her brother.
“If only we had more ti,” Lorena thought. But she was no longer the crying child who mourned Maximus’ disappearance. She had grown into an adult who would seek out what was lost.
Being an adult ant facing the cold reality, even if it ant leaving behind the sweet, nostalgic mories of childhood. She recalled a quote from a book: “The most beautiful mories are those we hold in our hearts from our innocent, tender years.”
Suddenly, the face of Duke Beowulf flashed in Lorena’s mind. “Yes,” she resolved, “we must move forward.”
Theo nodded in agreent. “I want to know too.”
Maximus’ expression darkened. He didn’t want to reveal Helena’s location, but Lorena and Theo’s determination eventually wore him down.
Maximus gestured toward the window. The cityscape outside was a mix of vibrant colors and grayscale. The boundary between the two seed delicate, as if the monochro was devouring the colorful world.
“What’s going on?” Lorena wondered aloud.
Theo focused his power, and they all saw it—the battle happening at the border between color and black-and-white. Faces were indistinct due to the distance, but the struggle was evident.
“Are those scarecrows?” Lorena asked.
“They appear that way, but it’s hard to tell,” Theo replied.
Lorena hesitated. “Is Mom in that black-and-white realm?”
“Yes,” Maximus confird. “Helena is there.”
Determined, Lorena and Theo exchanged resolute glances. “Thank you, Maximus. We’re going.”
But as Lorena tried to break the window, Maximus stopped her. “No, it’s dangerous out there. I can’t bear to watch you in peril. So...”
“Let go. We have to go,” Lorena said coldly.
Maximus’ eyes widened as she struggled. Suddenly, he pushed her away, and countless dolls sprang up from the ground. These were the dolls from their mories, now blocking their path.
“Sorry, Maximus,” Lorena whispered, her wire in hand. She expertly bound Maximus’ struggling form.
“Theo, take care of the bear dolls. We’ll handle this,” she instructed.
Theo nodded, and they moved into action.
Maximus’ eyes filled with sadness. “This should be enough to survive in the black-and-white realm.”
Lorena agreed, and they both knew that saving Helena was their priority.
“Leave it to ,” Theo said.
Maximus smiled. “Make sure to rescue Helena.”
* * *
The three of them hurriedly left the Duke’s castle and headed toward the city. The cityscape was as chaotic as the castle, with buildings of varying sizes. So shops rivaled the grandeur of the Winter Court, while others were tiny.
The fountain was almost like a small lake, and a building that seed like a blacksmith’s shop was so small that Lorena wondered if anyone could fit inside.
Lorena and Theo noticed sothing: “Places steeped in mories seem to erge larger,” Lorena mused.
“And that tiny blacksmith’s shop—I’ve never been there,” Theo added.
As they continued their conversation, Yan pointed to a specific area. “Is that the black-and-white realm?”
There, amidst the colorful city lights, lay a completely desolate land. It resembled ruins, filled with dilapidated buildings and discarded objects.
Theo exclaid, “Look!”
All three turned their gaze to where Theo was pointing. A battle unfolded at the boundary between color and monochro.
In the black-and-white zone, eerie monsters advanced toward them. anwhile, on the colorful side, armor-clad figures, wielding swords and wearing dresses, fought back.
One of the monsters, under attack from several armored warriors, extended its claw.
Swoosh!
The armor disintegrated into pale dust, and the boundary between color and monochro subtly shifted.
Yan sighed, understanding the situation. “We get the gist of what’s happening.”
* * *
At that mont, a woman faced off against a mountainous monster, reminiscent of a colossal peak.
“Is this the seventeenth ti?” she wondered aloud.
Her na was Helena. The Duchess of Beowulf’s court, she concealed her true identity as one of the Seven Sins—a woman responsible for governing lust.
Helena extended her hand, pointing at the massive creature. In response, an enormous number of tentacles burst forth from the ground, piercing through the monster. Although its corporeal form lost three segnts due to the attack, it swiftly regenerated.
The monster roared, slashing its colossal claws toward Helena.
Snap!
Helena’s body split into five parts, torn apart. Yet, like the monster, her torn form writhed and fused back together.
An endless battle unfolded—one where neither side could prevail. Helena’s despair stemd from knowing that even if they killed each other repeatedly, nothing would change.
Unlike the monster, devoid of consciousness, Helena grappled with eternal loneliness. And now, sothing more.
“Again,” she sighed.
With each death, cherished mories faded from her mind. She had already lost so much—details of als, her daughter’s preferences, her son’s proud boasts about wielding a sword.
Countless mories slipped away.
Then, the monster, which had fought on instinct for ages, spoke.
“Why bother? Other immortals have perished by now. Why won’t you die?”
Its voice, incongruous for a creature the size of a small hill, dripped with apathy.
Helena recognized the speaker—the embodint of Sloth, one of the two most powerful among the Seven Sins.
She taunted him. “Do you think I’m weak?”
But Sloth wasn’t indifferent. Rather, he found the provocation tireso.
“Then live your life diligently,” he retorted. “But I don’t understand. Death is inevitable, and you’ve lost more than half your mories. Why persist in this tireso fight?”
Tireso—it echoed in their exchange.
The monster attacked Helena, who deftly parried its strikes. She couldn’t give up. To surrender ant never seeing her beloved family again.
Her physical form would perish, and her consciousness would be devoured by Sloth.
Yet, even as she resolved to fight on, her limits lood.
She tried to compartntalize useless mories beyond the boundary of imagination. But Sloth’s black-and-white realm encroached, threatening even the core mories of happiness.
In this mont, Helena wondered, “Wouldn’t dying be better? To preserve those joyful mories?”
Her body weakened, and the tentacles attacking the monster lost vigor.
Helena’s determination wavered.
And then, the monster’s claw reached her.
“Ahh...”
Helena closed her eyes, tears tracing her cheeks.
Suddenly—
Crash!
A thunderous sound.
Eek-!
The monster, which had attacked her, scread as it tore apart.
Helena’s eyes snapped open.
The sight before her froze her in place.
“How...?”
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