...
"I didn't lose my memory," Aegon said with a helpless shrug. "But I don't actually know much about our identities or where we came from either. After all… the story hasn't fully explained it yet."He muttered the last part under his breath.
The female Rover's expression dimmed slightly at first, but he quickly continued.
"As for our relationship, that's… complicated. What I can tell you is that it's something special. More than family. More than friends. More than lovers.
In a way, I am you, and you are me.
I think you've already felt that."
He extended his hand.
After a brief hesitation, she followed her instincts and took it.
The moment their hands met, both of them felt it clearly. A connection beyond words. Not just simple chemistry or tacit understanding. Their body temperature, their breathing, even their heartbeats synced perfectly, as if they were two halves of the same existence.
The only real difference between them was gender.
Aside from that, they were practically the same person.
"…Yes," the female Rover nodded softly. "I can feel the resonance between us."
The tension from earlier had completely faded from her face. In fact, only seconds after they'd drawn their blades, both of them had realized something strange.
They couldn't muster any hostility toward each other.
Instead, there was a natural closeness, like even their instincts were telling them the same thing: the other was absolutely not an enemy. Pointing blades at each other had felt fundamentally wrong.
They exchanged a glance and silently chose to trust that instinct.
Yangyang and Chixia both let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"You two don't dress like locals from Huanglong," Yangyang said gently. "You seem more like travelers. Since you've lost your memories, there's not much we can do for now. Why not come back to Jinzhou with us? Maybe we can find some clues about your identities. And…"
She raised her right hand and closed her eyes. The black vertical mark on her forehead flickered faintly.
"The wind is bringing warnings. The Sky-Sea is converging in this direction. A Soundless Zone may form soon. It's not safe to stay here."
"The Sky-Sea? A Soundless Zone?"
The female Rover tilted her head, confused. Her memory wipe had been thorough.
Aegon pointed up at the sky.
"Pretty literal. The ocean that covers the sky. The place we just fell from."
As he spoke, he remembered the blue butterfly he'd seen earlier. That had to be the Shorekeeper.
If not for her help, he and the female Rover definitely wouldn't have survived that fall from the Sky-Sea.
Silently, he offered a quick thank-you to the unseen "classmate Shorekeeper."
"As for the Soundless Zone," he added, "I have a feeling we're about to find out."
"Doesn't sound like something pleasant," the female Rover murmured.
"We should get moving. And… Rover. Until you remember your original name, would it be alright if we call you that?"
"That's fine. For now."
She gave a small nod. Surprisingly, she didn't dislike the title. It suited her. After all, with no memories, she really did feel like a lone boat drifting across an endless sea.
She needed to find her home. Her purpose. Her future.
What surprised her most was that she didn't feel afraid.
Her gaze drifted toward Aegon.
Maybe it was because someone like her was here. Someone who felt the same. Someone connected.
At least… she wasn't alone.
The four of them left the valley along a narrow path. As they walked, Yangyang and Chixia explained some basic knowledge.
"I may not know who you really are," Chixia declared confidently, "but there's one thing I'm ninety percent… no, one hundred percent sure about. You're Resonators!"
"Resonators?"
"She's right," Yangyang said. "You both have Sound Marks on your hands. And you're carrying Terminals. Those are clear signs."
Chixia pointed at the black patterns on the backs of their hands, then at her own waist and Yangyang's forehead, showing off their marks.
Yangyang gestured to the gourd-shaped device hanging behind Aegon and the female Rover, then took out her own.
"Every Resonator has a unique ability. For example, mine allows me to sense information through the wind, and even manipulate it to a certain extent."
"Compared to hers, mine's simple," Chixia grinned, twirling her twin pistols. "I absorb heat energy and shoot out flaming bullets. Pew pew pew!"
Watching her, Aegon and the female Rover immediately understood. She was straightforward and trusting, openly sharing her abilities without hesitation.
That kind of sincerity made you want to live up to it.
So in simple terms, Resonators were people with special black markings who possessed supernatural powers.
"Sounds awesome," Aegon said, flexing his fingers. "I'm kind of itching to try."
"Resonator…" the female Rover murmured, studying the mark on her hand. "What's my ability?"
She had forgotten even that.
Aegon was equally eager. He wanted to test what kind of power the Rover had.
Right on cue—
"You'll get your chance. Hm? Looks like that chance is here. Be careful. There's a Tacet Discord ahead," Yangyang warned suddenly.
Ever since the valley became unstable, she'd been actively using her Resonance ability to monitor their surroundings. She'd just detected a Lightwave-class Discord ahead. A Murmurer-type called Azizi.
After sensing its level, she relaxed slightly. Not a strong enemy. Even a moderately trained soldier could handle it.
Azizi: "!!!"
It looked like a small golden doll, its mushroom-shaped head its most distinctive feature. It had some offensive capability, but honestly, it was so cute it was hard to attack it.
The only thing to watch out for was its self-destruct ability, though the explosion wasn't particularly powerful.
Just as Yangyang was about to warn them—
Two black Swiftblades flew past her.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
So fast she and Chixia barely registered the movement.
Like two black arrows faster than bullets, the blades pierced straight through the Lightwave-class Azizi, pinning it to the rock wall behind it. The force was so immense that the blades embedded deep into the stone, leaving only the hilts visible.
"Hm? Yangyang, what were you going to say?" Aegon asked.
"Hm? Yangyang, what were you going to say?" the female Rover echoed.
The moment the Discord appeared, they'd acted.
Pure instinct. No hesitation.
They held their throwing poses for a second longer, confirming the enemy was fully neutralized before turning back toward Yangyang.
Who now had nothing to say.
"…Nothing," she replied awkwardly.
Azizi was cute.
And now it was very cutely dead.
"That's it? One throw and it's gone," Aegon muttered.
"Even weaker than I expected," the female Rover added, raising a brow.
As the Azizi dissolved into motes of light, neither of them felt the slightest guilt over defeating something so adorable.
Only disappointment.
Too weak. Not satisfying at all. I could fight ten of these.
They hadn't even gotten a chance to test their Resonance abilities.
Aegon walked over to the rock wall, staring at the Swiftblades embedded deep within solid stone.
These weren't legendary weapons.
The only explanation was that they themselves were ridiculously strong.
(So I really do have the Rover's power. Even the combat instincts. Man… I kind of want to try a Hologram VI boss.)
He pulled both blades free and tossed the female Rover's back to her.
She was crouched down picking something up. Without even looking, she caught it perfectly.
Neither had said anything, but their strange connection let them sense each other's intentions clearly, almost like telepathy.
"Thanks. So that was a Tacet Discord? It dropped something."
"Oh? So mobs actually drop loot? Let me see."
She opened her palm.
A small golden cross-shaped object lay there, faintly glowing.
Aegon immediately recognized it.
Low-Frequency Murmur Core.
Basic upgrade material.
"That's a Sound Core," Yangyang explained. "An important resource we obtain from Tacet Discords. Since you two defeated it, it's yours. Keep it safe."
"You're seriously amazing," Chixia said, eyes shining. "Those blades flew out faster than my bullets! Looks like even if you've lost your memories, your combat skills are still intact."
The female Rover nodded.
Even without memories, fighting felt like breathing. Her body had moved on its own the moment she saw the enemy.
She looked down at the Low-Frequency Murmur Core in her hand.
It wasn't enough.
She wanted more.
"Yangyang. Are there any more nearby?"
"Huh? I… let me check. About a hundred meters ahead."
"!!!" x2
Before Yangyang even finished speaking, both Rovers' eyes lit up.
They vanished from where they stood.
The Swiftblades that had just been sheathed flashed once more with a cold gleam.
It was safe to say that the two future machines of Discord extermination were already beginning to show their edge.