Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 65 – Life
“…Mister One?”
“Yes.”
“The name… given by… ‘Luo Yan’?”
“Yes.”
One’s voice remained calm, devoid of emotion.
Luo Yan blinked, surprised by this revelation.
She processed this information, then, because of One’s name, thought of someone else…
“Nine.”
Luo Yan recalled her pleasant conversation with Nine, during which he had mentioned his reason for coming to Yan City.
And the similar names…
“Are you… Nine’s sister?”
Luo Yan asked, her breath catching in her throat.
“If the ‘Nine’ you speak of is the ‘Nine’ I know, then yes,” One replied calmly. “And only he calls me that. The other siblings call me ‘Brother’.”
…Indeed, that was how Dawn members addressed each other.
Luo Yan had spent time with a Dawn Cadre in “Ghost Town” and knew a little about their organization.
These strange customs and titles… originated from the former Misters…
Even someone as slow as Luo Yan finally understood. The elderly man she had met several times was the last Mister of Dawn.
A legend who had lived from the Old Era until now, yet in their conversations, he had seemed like an ordinary old man, worried about the future of his children and grandchildren.
Just then, Luo Yan felt a cold, soft touch on her arm. One had taken her hand.
One’s hand was small, without the warmth of a living being, yet Luo Yan felt a strange warmth in her heart.
“It’s… truly… Sister Luo Yan’s aura…”
One’s voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
“I wasn’t mistaken…”
One lowered her eyes, resting her head against Luo Yan’s arm.
“Exactly the same…”
“…One?”
Luo Yan was startled, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away, remaining frozen in place.
This was the first time One had shown any clear emotion. Her previous calmness and indifference had been almost robotic.
Unlike Luo Yan’s natural apathy, One seemed to be deliberately suppressing her emotions.
And Luo Yan simply didn’t have these emotions; she had learned them gradually.
“I apologize, I lost my composure… but perhaps now I can answer your question,” One looked up, her small hand still holding Luo Yan’s. “About ‘who you are’.”
“Please,” Luo Yan’s expression turned serious, all other thoughts fading as she looked at One’s eyes in the darkness.
“If I’m not mistaken… Sister Luo Yan gave you her life,” One said calmly, her voice returning to its usual indifference. “As I said, when I first saw you, you were just a formless silver light, not even a living being.”
Although Luo Yan knew One was simply stating what she had seen, it still felt like an insult…
However, Luo Yan also knew she wasn’t an ordinary person.
At least, as one of the rare Demonically Infected, she was special.
“But now you have a physical body, Absolute Death’s appearance, and Luo Yan’s aura, as if they… created you together,” One’s voice was hesitant. “But this is just speculation, I don’t know the details, and…”
She paused, her gaze turning complex. After a moment of silence, she sighed deeply.
“About that conspiracy… I knew nothing about it until my soul lost control of my ‘power’.”
“What conspiracy?”
Luo Yan asked, her voice tense.
“It has nothing to do with you… although you were likely born from it, unfortunately, I know nothing about it,” One said softly, her attention fixed on Luo Yan.
“Your life force is fading, perhaps because ‘Luo Yan’s’ life was already nearing its end, or perhaps her life couldn’t sustain your consciousness… Regardless, you’re dying.”
“I know,” Luo Yan said, a bitter smile on her face. “But I can’t do anything about it. Nine extended my life for a while, but it seems it won’t last long.”
“Nine… he’s also dying, isn’t he?”
A complex mix of emotions flickered in One’s eyes as she thought of the little boy who had always clung to her, now an old man.
But she quickly suppressed her emotions, her expression returning to its usual indifference.
“Yes, he said… he wants to spend his final days with you,” Luo Yan whispered. She remembered the youthful look on Nine’s wrinkled face when he spoke of his sister, even his complexion had seemed healthier.
“I didn’t expect… him to still be like that… At his age, still clinging to me…”
One mumbled, and Luo Yan could picture her pouting in the darkness.
But he wasn’t just… any age…
If “Nine” was Dawn’s last “Mister,” there wasn’t a single person in all of humanity old enough to be his grandchild…
Even the most ancient Slumberer, sealed in the sanctuary, was probably younger than him.
Perhaps this was why Nine’s impending death was so heartbreaking…
It was the end of an era.
“But I also sensed how he extended your life,” One continued, composing herself. “He gave you a part of his own life.”
“…What do you mean?” Luo Yan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Did Nine use some kind of life transfer ability on me? But I didn’t feel anything… and his own lifespan is almost depleted…”
“Life isn’t just lifespan, it’s more like… a concept.”
Perhaps because she had spent so long in this empty space, or perhaps it was simply her nature, One patiently answered Luo Yan’s questions.
“Giving life isn’t as simple as transferring lifespan. Although the result might seem similar, the process is fundamentally different, with a deeper meaning.”
She paused, as if realizing this was difficult to understand, then rephrased her explanation.
“Just like how ‘Luo Yan’ gave you her life… However, Nine’s remaining life force can only sustain you for a limited time.”
Luo Yan nodded thoughtfully.
“Perhaps… I understand…”
Although she still couldn’t fully grasp the difference between “giving life” and “transferring lifespan,” she had a general idea based on One’s words.
“Giving life” was more conceptual, difficult to describe with words. It wasn’t simply losing or gaining lifespan, but something with a deeper meaning.
Simply put, the cost of giving life was far greater than just losing lifespan.
But why would Nine give his precious life to her…?
Luo Yan recalled her last conversation with Mister, about the meaning of “life” and death.
Perhaps it was that conversation that had moved Nine to give her his remaining life…
Luo Yan felt a pang of guilt towards the old man.
And the “Luo Yan” who had given her life…
Luo Yan remembered where her name came from.
It was the only thing that remained in her mind when she awakened, as if etched into her very being.
…Wait.
“If that’s the case… does that mean ‘Luo Yan’ is… my mother?” Luo Yan asked, her expression strange. “Am I… using my mother’s name?”
“…”
One was silent for a long moment, unsure how to answer.
She hadn’t found any answers about “Luo Yan” before her death.
It had even become an obsession, driving her lifeless body to continue searching for her “Sister Luo Yan.”
“Regardless, if you want to live, you have to accept the lives of others,” One said seriously, composing herself. “Because the ‘life’ you possess is inevitably fading, at an alarming rate.”
Luo Yan was silent for a moment, then whispered, “Is there… no other way?”
“I don’t know your exact situation, but based on my limited knowledge… this is the only way for you to survive,” One said calmly. “Nine proved its feasibility. His remaining life force could sustain you for at least two years.”
“Choose, life, or death.”
“Life” wasn’t just lifespan. The reason Luo Yan was weakening was because she was gradually losing her concept of “life.”
The fact that her physical frailty didn’t affect her power, that her abilities grew stronger as her body weakened, was proof of this.
When she completely lost her concept of “life,” when death arrived… perhaps, as One said, she would return to being a formless silver light.
But…
If the only way to survive was to take the lives of others…
If this was what “living” meant…
Luo Yan didn’t want it.
How would she be any different from “Red Butterfly,” the “Lamplighter,” or even “Mrs. Natalie,” those Devil’s minions and Apostles?
“You still have some time to think and decide, but my advice is… you must do everything you can, by any means necessary, to survive.”
One’s tone was serious and firm.
“Why?”
Luo Yan sensed something more in her words.
“Because… I believe in Sister Luo Yan,” a flicker of sadness appeared in One’s eyes, which she quickly suppressed. “If Sister Luo Yan gave you her life, transformed you from a silver light into a living person, she must have had her reasons.”
“Even if my survival… is a disaster?”
Luo Yan murmured.
Becoming a monster that devoured lives to survive…
Whether for herself, or for others, it would be a disaster.
“But are you certain… that your death… wouldn’t be an even greater disaster?” One countered.
Luo Yan’s eyes widened, her expression darkening.
Yes…
She hadn’t forgotten that as her life force faded, her power grew stronger, increasingly unstable, until finally, she would become like an “Ice Coffin Weapon.”
No, perhaps even more terrifying…
Luo Yan knew this.
“Perhaps my existence… is a disaster in itself…” Luo Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“Sister Luo Yan… I wasn’t talking about you. She once said… she wanted to save the world.”
One’s blue eyes seemed to glow slightly in the darkness, her voice filled with an unknown emotion, which she could no longer suppress.
“But she failed… But I believe… she wasn’t someone who gave up easily.”
One looked up at Luo Yan, her gaze intense. “I’d rather believe… that your existence… is the result of her attempt to save the world.
“Therefore… let me give you my life as well…”
One seemed to be smiling, finally releasing her suppressed emotions.
She no longer needed to control herself.
“Sister Luo Yan” had told her to control her emotions, to prevent the tragedy from repeating itself.
So, One had spent her life suppressing her feelings, even when entering the “Ice Coffin,” sealing her will away, she hadn’t dared to relax.
When she awakened her “End” ability, her cries had killed everyone, including her mother, whose face was now blurry in her memories. One had regretted it ever since.
And now… she could finally let go.
“Wait, One… what are you doing?”
Luo Yan sensed something amiss and reached out to stop her.
But One shook her head, gently pushing Luo Yan’s hand away, then embraced her.
A cold, small embrace, yet strangely comforting, reminding Luo Yan of a silent figure from her past.
“Actually… I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Luo Yan,” One whispered in Luo Yan’s ear.
This time, “Luo Yan” didn’t refer to the tall, silent figure from the past, but the small, frail, silver-haired girl before her.
“From a long, long time ago, from the moment I discovered your existence, from the moment I sealed my memories and beliefs in this eternal space, I’ve been waiting for you… Please accept… my remaining life…”
A soft, blue light filled the darkness.
The girl with icy blue hair smiled, a smile no one had ever seen before, not even “Sister Luo Yan.”
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