Memory of Heaven:Romance Written By Fate Through Beyond Infinity Time-Chapter 431 An Empty Road to a City Without Promise — Leaving Ravenhull
Chapter 431 - 431 An Empty Road to a City Without Promise — Leaving Ravenhull
Morning in Ravenhull isn't about light.
It's about the colors that are held back—the muted orange trapped behind the fog, and the bell tower's chime that never seems to ring on time. Joanna and Rui stand at the eastern city gate, their bags light, yet their steps weighed down.
In her mind, Joanna recalls the warm moments in Ravenhull, where every corner of the city holds sweet and bitter memories she longs to remember and forget. She remembers her laughter echoing among the ruins, and how sunlight touched her face as they spent time in the garden surrounded by wildflowers. Stories swirl, deepening the ache of parting.
There were no farewell hugs.
No names calling from the windows.
Ravenhull was a place that gave them space to breathe... but not a place to grow.
"So... where are we going?" Rui asked, squinting toward the north.
"Wherever the road hasn't erased us," Joanna replied.
They walked through the Silean Forest, where the trees stood like ancient temple pillars. The leaves were a cold, purplish gray, and the branches did not shed dew—rather, they cast strange fragments of light like snow from long-dead stars, creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.
Joanna could feel the mysterious aura enveloping the forest. Every step they took brought a whispering breeze, as if the forest itself had stories to tell, secrets waiting to be revealed to those brave enough to listen. Her curiosity grew as they continued their journey.
It was here that they paused for a moment.
Joanna made a small fire.
Rui sat quietly, gazing at the sky through the gaps in the leaves.
"I know Jeanne is gone," she finally said.
Joanna turned slowly to look at her.
In those moments of silence, she felt the weight of sorrow vibrating in her soul. She knew Rui missed Jeanne too, someone who had filled a space in their lives. In Joanna's heart, there was hope that even though Jeanne was gone, her memory would always live on within them.
"But sometimes... when I look back... I feel like she is still walking a few steps ahead of us."
Joanna nodded, her bright eyes fixed on the flickering fire. The dancing flames reminded her of a spirit that never wavered, even though the pain of loss felt so profound. She felt Jeanne's spirit surrounding them, a light guiding their way through the darkness. "Because this path... she was the one who opened it," she said softly, as if inviting Rui to share in her sense of loss.
The flickering flames reminded her of a spirit that never wavered, even though the pain of loss felt so profound. She felt Jeanne's spirit surrounding them, a light guiding their way through the darkness. "Because this path... she was the one who opened it."
That night, they shared bread and listened to the sounds of the forest. The calls of nocturnal creatures mixed with an odd vibration from the earth—as if the world was holding back tears. The wind whispered gently, carrying messages from Jeanne who had departed. Joanna gazed at the sky, hoping to see the stars, but dark clouds obscured everything, as if reminding them of the unavoidable loss.
Joanna took a small object out of her pocket.
A locket. Its shape is cracked. But inside, there is still a lock of Jeanne's hair. She feels warmth flowing through her fingers as she caresses the locket. In Joanna's heart, a new hope is born—hope that, although Jeanne is gone, the bond between them remains unbroken, bridging the distance between their worlds.
"Jeanne is not waiting for us in the next city. But she... has already reached the end of the road we've yet to travel."
"And we... are chasing the light she left behind."
Rui lowers her head, her hand touching the locket. She feels a weight on her chest, a sadness that intertwines with the stillness of the night. In her heart, she knows that every journey carries memories that cannot be severed, and although they move forward, those memories will always be a part of them.
"Then... let's make sure she doesn't wait alone."
However, despite its orderly and beautiful appearance, this city harbors a suffocating silence. It is an unnatural tranquility, as if something unspoken envelops their atmosphere, haunting every corner they pass, creating a chilling ambiance.
Too quiet. Shadows of the past haunt their steps, as if the city guards secrets too heavy to share. Joanna senses something unusual, something that seems to evade their gaze, building a wall between the life that was and the life that is now.
"This place... seems to be unfamiliar with sound," Rui murmured.
"Or it once had it... and chose to forget," Joanna replied.
The townspeople speak softly, as if afraid to reignite voices that have long been extinguished. Their words do not even dare to disrupt the silence enveloping the empty streets. Every face they see hints at untold stories, a waiting that lies buried within souls that seemingly will never speak, walking in the shadows of uncertainty.
Shops are open, but there is no sound of bargaining. Only the crunch of their footsteps shatters the stillness. Joanna is transfixed by one of the windows, where old dolls sit in silence, their eyes vacant, as if they can sense the longing in the air, a yearning that transcends the boundaries of time.
The old church in the square has a clock that never ticks—but its shadow always moves. In that silence, Joanna hopes that the sound of the bells might stir sweet memories long buried in darkness.
They rented a small room at the "Fleur de Silence" inn, a place with a mystical atmosphere that made them feel trapped between two worlds—life and eternal silence.
The innkeeper, an elderly woman, uttered a single sentence as she handed over the key:
"Don't wake the statues in the north."
Joanna and Rui exchanged glances.
She could see fear in Rui's eyes, a reflection of her own doubts. The space surrounded by the shadows of the statues made her feel as if she had already touched something that should remain untouched. "What does that mean?" she murmured, more to herself than to Rui.
"Maybe this city has its own rules..."
"Like all places that have forgotten how to write poetry."
In the middle of the night, Joanna woke up.
She stood on the balcony. The night breeze whispered softly, as if urging her to step further into the hidden secrets of the city. The sky over Valdenmeer was empty. But when she closed her eyes... she saw Jeanne standing on the frozen water, gazing toward a place beyond the reach of the map.
Jeanne did not wait. freёnovelkiss.com
She merely... pointed.
Joanna whispered:
"We are not finished. But we have come."
In the silence, her heart raced faster, filling the empty space with a burning hope. "Our mission is not just to remember, but to awaken," she thought, reaffirming the spirit that was starting to fade.
"And we will keep coming... until the whole world knows that we once existed and we will not be forgotten," she continued, solidifying her promise that they would revive the memories that should never fade.
The following morning, Rui found a scrap of paper under the door. There was no sender's name.
It contained only one sentence:
"Stop chasing the dead. Or you will become them."
Rui stared at the words. Not angry. Not afraid.
Yet deep inside her, seeds of awakening began to sprout, challenging the rigidity of those words. "Are we trapped in shadows that will never fade?" she asked herself, feeling the weight of history binding them.
"We will keep walking. Not because of Jeanne... but because we are alive."
"And this world... has not yet written our ending."
