"I haven't lost my memory, but I don't know much about your... or my identity and origins either. The story so far hasn't exactly given a full explanation." The last part came out barely above a whisper.
He shook his head with a wry smile. Disappointment flickered across her face, but before it could settle, he pressed on.
"As for the relationship between us, that's an equally complicated question. What I can tell you is this: what we share is something special. More than family. More than friends. More than lovers. In a sense, I am you, and you are me. I think you've already started to feel that."
He extended his hand toward her. She hesitated, searching his face for something she couldn't name, then let instinct guide her fingers into his.
The moment their hands met, it hit them both. A connection beyond words, beyond anything as simple as "chemistry." Temperature, breath, heartbeat, all of it locked into perfect sync, as though two instruments had found the same frequency. For that single moment, the boundary between them dissolved entirely.
The only difference between them, it seemed, was gender.
In every other way, they were identical.
"Yes," she said, nodding. "I can feel the Resonance between us."
The wariness had already left her expression. In truth, it had vanished within seconds of drawing her blade. Neither of them could hold hostility toward the other. What replaced it was something instinctive, a pull as natural as gravity. Every fiber of their being screamed the same message: this person is not your enemy. Raising a sword against them would be the greatest mistake in the world.
So both of them lowered their guard and chose to trust the instinct. Yangyang and Chixia exhaled in visible relief.
"Your attire doesn't look like anything from Huanglong. More like travelers from distant lands," Yangyang said. "But if you can't remember, there's no use forcing it. Why not come back to Jinzhou with us? We might find clues about your identities there, and besides..."
She raised her right hand and closed her eyes, concentrating. The dark vertical mark on her forehead pulsed faintly.
"The wind carries a warning. The Etheric Sea is converging in this direction. A Tacet Field may form soon. We shouldn't linger."
"The Etheric Sea? Tacet Field?"
She tilted her head, lost. Her memory had been wiped clean. He pointed skyward.
"Exactly what it sounds like. An ocean covering the sky. Also where we fell from." The words conjured the image of that butterfly he'd glimpsed inside the Etheric Sea. That had to be Shorekeeper.
Without her help, a freefall from the Etheric Sea would have killed them both. Wherever the girl was now, he owed her one. Thanks, Shorekeeper.
"As for Tacet Fields, I have a feeling we'll see one soon enough."
"Mm. Doesn't sound like anything pleasant."
"Let's get moving. And..." Yangyang turned to the girl. "Rover. Until you remember your real name, can we call you that?"
"That works. Rover it is, for now."
She accepted with a small nod, no trace of displeasure. It suited her, she thought. A wanderer adrift on a boundless sea, with no memory to anchor her. She needed to find where she belonged, her purpose, her future. Yet what surprised her most was the absence of fear. She'd lost everything, and still felt no panic.
He didn't need a naming ceremony. He already knew the word. Rover. The protagonist he'd spent hundreds of hours playing as. If the shoe fit, why fight it?
Her gaze drifted to him, walking beside her.
Maybe it's because he's here. Someone the same as me.
She wasn't alone. That was enough.
The four of them followed the passage out of the valley. Along the way, Yangyang and Chixia filled in the gaps with essential knowledge.
"Your identities are a mystery, sure, but one thing I'm ninety percent... no, a hundred percent certain of: you're both Resonators!"
"Resonators?"
"Yep! Chixia's right. You both have Tacet Marks on the backs of your hands, and you're carrying Pangu Terminals. Those two things together are the strongest proof there is."
Chixia pointed at the dark patterns on their hands, then gestured to her own waist and Yangyang's forehead, each bearing similar marks. "See? Tacet Marks. Every Resonator has one."
Yangyang's attention shifted to the gourd-shaped devices on their backs. She produced her own to match.
"Every Resonator has a unique ability. My Forte lets me sense information through the wind and even control it to some degree. As for Chixia..."
"Mine's way more straightforward! I absorb heat and fire it off as flaming bullets. Pew pew pew!" Chixia struck a pose with her twin pistols.
Both Rovers exchanged a glance, charmed. This girl wore her heart on her sleeve, cheerfully volunteering her own abilities to near-strangers. She was trusting to a fault, the kind of person you'd feel terrible betraying. In simple terms, Resonators were people with special dark markings and supernatural powers.
"Sounds awesome. My fingers are already itching for a fight."
"Resonator..." She studied the Tacet Mark on her hand, murmuring to herself. "What's my Forte, I wonder."
Her amnesia had stolen even that. And he was equally eager to test what it felt like to wield a Rover's power firsthand.
Right on cue, speak of the devil.
"You'll get your chance. Wait..." Yangyang's voice sharpened. "Heads up, everyone. Tacet Discord ahead!"
She'd been scanning the area with her Forte since leaving the valley. A presence registered a short distance ahead: a single Common Class Tacet Discord. A Whisperin variant classified as Snip Snap.
Once she identified it, the tension left her shoulders. Nothing dangerous. Any half-trained soldier could handle one.
Snip Snap: "!!!"
The creature looked like a golden puppet no bigger than a child, its head a comical mushroom cap. Mildly aggressive, sure, but almost too adorable to hurt.
The only real concern was its self-destruct ability, though even that packed minimal punch.
Yangyang opened her mouth to relay this information.
Two black swords cut her off.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
They flew so fast that neither Yangyang nor Chixia registered the throw. Twin dark bolts, faster than bullets, punched clean through the Common Class Snip Snap and pinned it to the rock wall behind. Both blades buried themselves to the hilt in solid stone, only their grips still visible.
"Hm? What were you going to say, Yangyang?" x2
They'd struck the instant the Tacet Discord appeared. No thought, no hesitation. Pure instinct carved into bone.
Still holding their throwing stances, the two Rovers confirmed the kill before turning to Yangyang, who had nothing left to say.
"Never mind. It's nothing." The girl managed an awkward smile.
Snip Snap had been adorable. Now it was adorably dead.
"That's it? One hit and it's gone."
"Even weaker than I expected."
Both Rovers raised an eyebrow, watching the Snip Snap dissolve into motes of light. Not an ounce of sympathy for the cute little thing. Only disappointment that the fight hadn't lasted. Too weak. I could take ten of those.
They'd wanted to test their Fortes, too. No chance of that now.
He walked to the wall and studied the Originite: Type II swords buried in the rock. Neither weapon was anything special. The damage to the stone wall was pure brute strength.
So I really do have a Rover's power. The combat instincts too. Man, I want to try a Tactical Hologram tier six so bad.
He wrenched both blades free and tossed hers back without a word. She was crouched nearby, picking something off the ground, eyes elsewhere. She caught it anyway, plucking it from the air without looking.
Neither had glanced at the other. Neither had spoken. Yet that strange bond between them functioned like telepathy, each intuitively aware of the other's movements.
"Thanks. So that was a Tacet Discord? It dropped something."
"Wait, monsters drop loot? Let me see."
She nodded and opened her palm. Resting there was a small golden cross-shaped object, faintly radiating energy. He recognized it immediately: an LF Whisperin Core. A basic material for upgrading characters and weapons.
"That's a Whisperin Core," Yangyang explained. "An important resource we can harvest from Tacet Discords. Since you two defeated it, the spoils are yours. Keep it safe."
"Seriously though, you two are incredible!" Chixia gushed. "Those swords flew out like, whoosh, faster than my bullets! Looks like your memories are gone but your fighting skills are still in there!"
She nodded to Chixia.
The amnesia had taken everything else, but combat was etched into her body like breathing. She hadn't even processed the decision. The moment the Tacet Discord appeared, her body moved on its own.
She turned the LF Whisperin Core over in her fingers.
Not enough. Not nearly enough fighting.
"Yangyang, are there more Tacet Discords nearby?"
"Huh? Let me check... About a hundred meters ahead."
"!!!" x2
Before Yangyang could finish, both Rovers' eyes lit up. They vanished from the spot in a blur of motion, freshly sheathed Originite: Type II blades flashing free once more.
The two who would one day earn their reputation as walking nightmares for Tacet Discords everywhere were already showing their teeth.