"Do you like it... sort of."

"What's wrong?"

Merka grinned at Turing.

"I can take you up there to have a look."

"Do you want to give it a try?"

...

Merka fell silent.

If it weren't for the fact that it was Turing in front of him, he would have thought the person was crazy.

But when Merka thought about Turing's near infinite magic and incredible power.

It seemed like nothing was impossible.

"Merka."

"How about we make a bet?"

"Uh... what kind of bet."

Merka had a bad feeling, but didn't say it out loud in front of Turing.

"Let's bet on whether I can fly up to the moon."

"If I lose, not only will I give back the fragment of the small gear to you."

"I will also give you a piece of precious research material."

Turing pushed the small wooden box he had carved towards Merka.

"Don't worry, this material will definitely help you with your research."

"Isn't the small gear originally mine anyway..."

Merka muttered helplessly.

"I don't care!"

Turing puffed up and said to Merka.

"Who told you to mess around with that broken research every day without paying attention to me."

Mumbling for a while, Turing continued.

"On the contrary, if I can fly to the moon."

"You have to address me as my princess every time you call my name for a month."

"How about it? Are you in?"

Merka felt embarrassed.

Although Turing and himself were indeed three or four years apart.

This age gap was always overlooked by Merka because of Turing's overly mature mind.

Actually, Turing was just a child.

Merka awkwardly touched his nose, feeling somewhat amused.

"Okay."

"But, are you so confident you can reach the moon?"

"To reach the moon, not only do you have to overcome escape velocity, you have to pass through a long section of oxygen-free space."

"And the low pressure and radiation in space can easily kill a person."

"Not to mention there is no atmosphere on the moon."

"Have you considered all these factors?"

Turing furrowed her cute, short brows and was momentarily speechless.

"I..."

"I don't care about all that."

"I just feel like I might have been there when I was little."

Turing looked up at the moon.

The lonely moonlight cast her silhouette long and lonely.

"How long ago was that memory..."

"Anyway, I'm sure I can get there."

"Are you in or not!"

...

Merka gazed silently at the starry sky.

The lightly made-up snow moon still floated in the air.

The solid snowflakes danced as if blown by the moon's breath, falling down.

"Sure, why not," Merka said as he placed one hand behind his back and extended the other toward Turing.

It was like an invitation for Turing to dance, as he silently gazed into Turing's eyes with his deep black gem-like eyes full of affection.

"My princess," Turing's pupils quivered. How could she not know? The scene before her was so similar to the past.

...Perhaps.

Turing never expected that moment in Crotto City when they agreed to fly to Lake Anhun, to have already devoted her whole heart to this person.

Swallowing hard, Turing placed her small hand like a leek over Merka's large hand.

Countless small ice crystals swirled in an indiscernible vortex, sinking into a layer of netted energy.

Turing suddenly pulled, dragging Merka, who was a head taller than herself, in front of her. Greedily absorbing the alluring scent from Merka's collarbone, Turing's heart felt as clear as a bright mirror, reflecting the moon in the sky.

Blushing, Merka spoke, "Are we...are we ready?"

Turing squeezed Merka's hand and whispered, "Let me brew for a while."

Magic surged around Turing, breaking through the clouds, with Turing at the center. Turing squinted, spreading out wings as large and flexible as sails.

The black feathers seemed to have endured countless storms, roaring freely in the ink-dyed long night.

"Heh," Turing softly chuckled, swirling with a storm and taking off into the sky.

Clasping Merka tightly, Turing soared. Violent rock mud seemed to gush out on Turing like a ferocious flood, forming a rocket-like windscreen in front of Turing.

Almost savage gusts of wind were blocked outside of Turing and Merka.

"...Merka, look," Turing said to Merka, who nestled in their arms like a child.

Merka looked down. In Turing's eyes, Pom City below in the high altitude had become as tiny as sesame seeds.

Acadia seemed like a piece of cake beneath the sesame seed of Pom City, just as insignificant. Merka could see clearly now.

As a country at the edge of the world, what a truly insignificant existence Acadia was.

Bordered by the sea in the west and desert in the east, Acadia was like a sesame seed in the vast ocean, with no foundation, no support.

It seemed to have somehow broken free from nature's constraints, taking root and sprouting at this strange border of the world.

Gazing far ahead, Merka could see the shiny metallic textures and skyscrapers towards the east, full of technological light. The colorful neon lights were not obstructed by clouds even across thousands of miles, the twisted mechanical jungle standing silently.

It was like Acadia was not in the same world at all.

"Achoo!"

Unconsciously, Merka sneezed.

The air began to thin.

The temperature also dropped abruptly.

But Turing continued to accelerate, regardless.

The distance was still far from the unreachable moon.

Turing and Merka gathered their rocky armor and flew straight into the deep space like a dart-shaped missile.

Tearing through layer after layer of clouds, Turing and Merka finally reached above the clouds.

The endless sea of clouds blocked Merka's vision.

And locked Merka's heart.

"So beautiful…"

Merka was stunned.

It was his first time standing in such a high place.

Merka, who had long been soaked in a gloomy life, felt renewed in his heart.

He suddenly realized how wonderful it is to have power.

Turing…

Does Turing always hold this driving force that pervades the vast sky?

Even so, she hasn't...

Merka couldn't help but feel guilty.

But he didn't know what he was feeling guilty about.

"Turing..."

Merka felt it was time to say something.

He turned to Turing, who was also enclosed in the confined space, wanting to express his feelings to her.

But what he saw in Turing's terrified eyes was

- seven bleeding wounds and Turing, who had lost consciousness.