Because there wasn't enough space to put all the words in the description, I put it here. That part is like this, what does it have to do with A Song of Ice and Fire? There was once a lady who had traveled through many worlds. She had a pale complexion, gray eyes, and black hair tinged with a hint of brown, flowing like a waterfall. A smooth iron ring adorned her forehead, resembling a dark crown. Her name was Sarah. Where does the story begin, from which world does she come from, we no longer know. What about the end of the story? The end has not yet arrived. When the story ends, we probably won't know either. We only know the middle part of the story, a small part of the middle, the tiniest of the entire story. Our story is about a world that Sarah has traveled to, and her brief encounter with the singer Laren and the warrior Dorn. In the moment before, there was only the silent valley at dusk. The purple sun hovered above the ridge, its afterglow shining on the black trunks of the dense forest and the eerie, ghostly transparent leaves. Only the mournful cries of wild pigeons and the babbling of the stream broke the stillness of the night. Then, through an invisible gate, Sarah fell into the world of the Singer Lelendor. She was utterly exhausted, her white robe soaked with sweat and blood, her leather cloak half-torn, and her left arm with three deep, bleeding wounds. She walked to the stream, trembling and cautiously looking around, then knelt down. Although the stream was swift, the water was a murky green, and it was unclear whether it was clean. But Sarah was so thirsty that she drank without hesitation, washed her wounds with the stream water, tore her clothes, and carefully bandaged them. The Purple Sun was gradually setting behind the ridge. She managed to crawl to a hidden spot under a tree and fell into a exhausted sleep. She suddenly awoke. Strong arms picked her up and carried her to some place. She struggled fiercely, but the other person held her tighter, making it impossible for her to move. "It's okay," a gentle voice said. In the night mist, she seemed to see a male with a slender, gentle, and long face. "You are very weak. Night is about to fall. We must get inside the house before it gets dark." She no longer struggled. Although she knew she should resist, she was too tired. She still asked him, "What are you going to do? Where are you taking me?" "Go to a safe place." "To your house?" She felt drowsy. "It's not my home." He replied in a soft voice, almost inaudible. "It will never be my home. But at least it can serve as a temporary shelter for you." She heard the sound of water, as if he was carrying her across a stream. On the ridge ahead, she glimpsed the dark silhouette of a castle under the fading sunset, with three towering spires. Strange, she thought, it didn't seem to be there before. She drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, he was watching over her nearby. She lay on an old-fashioned wire bed with a canopy, covered in a thick, warm blanket. The host who had entertained her sat in a large chair at the far end of the room, his eyes reflecting the candlelight, his hands resting under his chin. "Are you feeling better?" he asked. But his body did not move. She sat up and realized she was completely naked. Her suspicions arose, and she quickly reached for the iron ring on her head. Fortunately, it was still there, and she heaved a sigh of relief. She leaned back on the pillow and pulled the blanket up to cover her body. "Much better," she said, suddenly noticing that the wound on her arm had healed. He smiled at her, but the smile was tinged with a faint melancholy. His facial features were sharp, his brown hair slightly curly, and his dark eyes seemed to be set a little further apart. Although he was sitting in a chair, he still looked tall and slender. He was dressed in a gray leather cloak and casual clothes, with a very melancholy expression. "It's claw marks." He guessed, smiling slightly. "The scratches on your arm are claw marks, and your clothes are all torn to shreds. Someone doesn't like you." "It's a monster, the guard at the gate." Sarah sighed. "There must be a guard at every gate. The Seven Emperors don't like people like us who travel between worlds. They hate me the most." He withdrew his hand from under his jaw, stroking the carved armrest of the wooden chair, and nodded, still wearing a floating smile on his face. "You know the Seven Emperors, and you know the gate and the guards." His gaze fell upon the iron crown on her forehead. "Your iron crown. I should have guessed." She flashed him a grin. "You guessed right. And who are you? What world is this?" "This is my world." His tone was flat. "I have given it many names, but none of them quite fit. Once I came up with a good name, but I've long forgotten it. That was a long time ago. I am Lelindor. Or perhaps I should say, I once used this name. It seems somewhat ridiculous here, but I have not forgotten it yet." "Your world." Sarah said, "Are you the king here? Or the god?" "Agreed." Liren Dorol chuckled. "And more than that. Whatever I want, it is. No one else will protest." "How did you hurt my wound?" "I healed your wounds." He shrugged apologetically. "This is my world. I have a bit of magic, not as much as I want, but still, a bit." "Really?" Sarah didn't quite believe it. Larenthor waved his hand. "You don't believe it. Yes, you still have your iron crown. That's only half right. As long as you still wear the iron crown, I can't harm you. But I can still help you." He smiled again, a dreamy look returning to his eyes. "It doesn't matter. Even if I could hurt you, I wouldn't. Sarah, you must believe me. I've been waiting for you for a long time." Sarah was startled. "You know my name? Who told you?" He stood up with a smile, walked over, and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, taking her hand and gently caressing it. "Good, I know your name. You are Sarah, you have traveled many worlds. A long, long time ago, when the mountains and rivers were still another shape, and the sun still emitted a red glow, they came to tell me that you would come. I hated them, I hated the Seven Emperors, but that night I was happy to hear them say you would come. They only told me your name, that you would come to my world. They also told me another thing. A new beginning, at least a change. Any change is good. I have been alone in this world for countless years, and there is hardly anything new anymore." She frowned, shaking her long black hair. In the faint flickering candlelight, she asked, "Did they come here so much earlier than I? Can they really know the future?" She looked at him with unease and said, "There's another matter, what is it?" He gently squeezed her hand. "They also said I would fall in love with you. But that's not a great prophecy. I could have made such a prophecy a long, long time ago—when I remember the sun still shone with a yellow glow—I knew that I would fall in love with any voice, as long as it was not my echo." The next morning when Sarah awoke, the purple sunlight was streaming in from the arched floor-to-ceiling windows—these windows did not exist last night. Clothes had been laid out for her on the bed—a wide yellow robe, a deep red dress embroidered with jewels, and another light green dress. She chose one, put it on quickly, and then walked to the window. She stood atop the tower, with the crumbling city walls and a triangular courtyard filled with dust outside. The other two points of the triangle were occupied by two other spires, their conical tops soaring into the sky. The wind whipped the row of gray banners planted on the city wall, making a fluttering sound. Apart from this, there was no other movement. Outside the castle, there was no valley. The castle stood on a mountaintop, with towering mountains faintly visible in the distance. Black stone houses, jagged mountain ridges, and ice columns shimmering with purple light were all in sight. Although the curved windows were tightly sealed, the howling wind outside still felt cold. The door was not locked, and Sarah quickly walked down the spiral stone staircase, through the courtyard, and into the central building of the castle. She passed through many rooms, some long abandoned and others beautifully furnished. Finally, she entered a room where Lengdor was sitting for breakfast. There was an empty chair beside him, and the table was laden with food and drink. Sarah sat down, picked up a warm cookie, and couldn't help but smile. Lengdor returned her smile. "I have to go today," she said while eating, "I'm sorry, Lailin, but I must find the way out." He still wore a melancholic expression. "You already said that last night." He sighed. "It seems I waited for so many years in vain." On the table were salted meat and several kinds of biscuits, fruits, cheese, and fresh milk. Sarah piled a plate full, feeling somewhat ashamed, and averted her eyes from his. "I am really, really sorry," she repeated. "Stay a few more days," he said. "It won't be much of a loss for you to stay a bit longer. Let me show you my world, and let me sing for you." She hesitated. "But... I need to spend time searching for the checkpoint. I can only stay for a few days. But you must understand, sooner or later I will have to leave." He smiled, helplessly shrugging his shoulders. "Of course. I know where Kurosu is, so you won't have to waste time looking for it. If you stay here for a month, I'll take you to Kurosu." He looked at her. "Sarah, you've been wandering for a very, very long time. Maybe you need to rest for a while." She slowly chewed a piece of fruit, thinking for a long time, and finally said, "I should indeed take a break. And there are always guards at the checkpoint, so you can help me get through. A month... isn't that too long. In other worlds, sometimes I stay longer." She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll stay for another month." He gently touched her hand. After breakfast, he took her to visit the world he had given her. They stood side by side in the arcade of the tallest tower. Sarah was dressed in a green dress, and Lelendor was draped in a gray cloak. Lelendor made the castle soar into the air, flying over the turbulent sea. Long-necked snake-like monsters emerged from the sea, watching them fly by. He flew the castle to a vast cave underground, where stalactites dripped water, casting a strange green glow, and blind white sheep mourned outside the castle walls. He laughed and clapped his hands, and before him appeared a lush jungle with all kinds of giant flowers, and sharp-toothed apes chirped from the treetops. He clapped again, and the courtyard's ground suddenly turned into a beach, with a huge blue bird with transparent wings circling in the sky beside the bleak gray sea. He took her to many other places. Finally, dusk fell, and the castle flew back to the ridge beside the valley. Sarah saw the dark forest at the bottom of the valley, where he had found her last night, and heard the mournful cries of wild pigeons. "This world is not too bad." She told him. "Not bad," he replied, his hand resting on the railing of the arcade, his eyes looking down into the valley. "Not too bad. Once, I even went on a hiking trip, wielding a longsword, exploring everywhere." He chuckled softly. "But that was a long time ago. Now I know every valley and river in this world like the back of my hand, and there's nothing new left to discover." He stared at her, then shrugged as usual. "Maybe there's an even worse hell, but at least this is my world." "Come with me," she said. "We'll find Kudo and then we'll go through the gauntlet together. There are many other worlds, not as strange and beautiful as this one, but at least you won't have to be alone anymore." He shrugged his shoulders and said indifferently, "It's easy for you to say. I've already found the gate. The guards won't stop me. I've tried to enter other worlds, but in the blink of an eye, I'm back in this castle. No, I can't get out." She held his hand. "It's so sad, being so lonely for so long. You must be very strong. If it were me, I would have gone mad long ago." He laughed, the sound tinged with bitterness. "Sarah, I've gone mad more than a million times. They always cured me, always cured me." Shrug, he pulled her into his arms. "Come in, it's getting dark." They walked to her dormitory, and Larenthor brought food—hot bread, roasted meat, and wine. They sat by the bed, eating and chatting. "Why did you come here?" she asked him, "How did you offend them? Who were you before?" "I can hardly remember it anymore. Only in my dreams can I vaguely recall the past. But I can no longer tell what is real and what is my imagination." He sighed. "Sometimes I dream that I was once a mighty king in another world. My sin was that I governed my country too well. My people lived too happily and forgot to worship the Seven Emperors, and their temples also collapsed. One morning I woke up in my castle and found that I had arrived here. My servants, my people... my entire world was gone, including my wife, all of them vanished." "But this is not the only dream. Sometimes I vaguely remember that I was almost a god. I had immense power, almost surpassing the Seven Emperors. Alone, none of them could match me. They feared me more than they feared each other, and together they exiled me here, leaving me only a little of my power. When I was a god, I always taught people to love and cooperate with each other." The Seven Emperors deliberately took all of these away, leaving me to be forever alone. "This is not the worst. Sometimes I feel that I have always been here. Millions of years ago, I was born here. All the dreams they gave me were false memories, deliberately to provoke my pain." He spoke without looking at her, his eyes gazing into the distant horizon. He spoke very slowly, his tone as if in a dream. After he finished, he came back to his senses from his memories. "Sarah, be careful. If they really want to deal with you, even your Iron Crown won't protect you. They will tear you apart, leaving both your flesh and soul in agony." Sarah couldn't help but shiver. She suddenly noticed that the candle had burned down. She didn't know how long he had been talking. "Wait a moment." Lelendor walked out, and the window by the door turned back into a gray stone wall, with no trace left. Soon, Larenthor returned with an ancient zither in his hand. Sarah had never seen such a zither, with sixteen strings of different colors, and the wood of the zither body emitting various lights. Larenthor placed the zither on the ground, the handle resting against his chest. He gently plucked the strings, and the zither emitted various lights and sounds. "My only companion." He smiled and plucked the strings. The music emerged swiftly and vanished, its tone melancholic. He plucked the strings, and various hues appeared in the room. He began to sing softly. ......I am the King of Loneliness Silence is my domain... His voice was soft and deep, the music brushing past Sarah's hair. He gently caressed her, then vanished swiftly. The light in the room shimmered and changed, complementing the flickering candlelight and the mesmerizing melody, as if countless untold stories wove into his dream. She then saw the image of him that he had endowed in her dreams, a tall and proud king, with hair as dark as hers, eyes shining brightly, dressed in a shining white robe and a wide cloak, wearing a silver crown, and by his side was a long sword. The young king in her dream had no trace of worry on his face. His world was a world filled with laughter, with beautiful ivory towers and lazy blue canals, friends and companions surrounding him, and his beloved wife by his side. Then suddenly everything turned dark, and he was here. The music turned melancholic, and the light gradually faded. She saw him awaken, the castle was empty. He searched everywhere. Days passed, year after year, century after century. He was utterly exhausted, almost mad, yet he never aged. The sun changed from red to orange to yellow, finally turning into a strange purple. His world became increasingly monotonous. He sang of endless, empty days. Only music and memories kept him from going completely mad. He finished singing, and the piano music and his gentle voice gradually faded away. Larenthor stopped and smiled at her. Sarah felt herself trembling. "Thank you." He said softly, then shrugged, and left her room with the violin. The next day was cold and overcast, but Larenthor took her to hunt in the forest. Their prey was a gaunt, half-cat, half-antelope, a swift and fierce creature with sharp teeth. They found it hard to catch up with it, but Sarah didn't mind; the hunting itself was more enjoyable than killing the prey. They walked through the dark forest, holding bows and arrows, wrapped in leather cloaks, and the translucent fallen leaves beneath their feet crunched like glass. They chased the creature all day, but caught nothing, and returned to the castle exhausted. Larenthor prepared a grand feast. They sat at the ends of a very long table, smiling at each other. Sarah saw the rolling clouds outside the arched window, the sky darkening, and the windows turning into stone walls. The candles on the walls flickered to life automatically, and the room became warm and bright. "Why is that?" she asked, "Why don't you ever go out at night?"

He shrugged. "I have my reasons. The nights here, uh, aren't very pretty." He sipped hot wine from a large cup studded with jewels. "Your world—the one you first set out from—Sarah, does the sky there have stars?" She nodded. "Of course. It was a long time ago. But I still remember, the nights were always very dark, and the stars twinkled like little jewels, sometimes forming patterns that looked like pictures. When we were young, the people in my world would give those star patterns beautiful names and weave many stories." "I think I would like your world," Lelendor said. "My world is a bit like that too. But the stars in our world have hundreds of colors, and they all move like little lanterns in the night sky. Sometimes the stars hide behind the clouds, and the night is as beautiful as if it were draped in a veil of hundreds of colorful little lamps. On nights with stars, I often took her out for a boat ride, it’s a wonderful time to sing." His voice became melancholy again. "We are the same, at night, we really enjoy lying under the stars together, Kai and I." She hesitated, looking at him. He shot her a questioning glance. "Kaida?" "You'll like him, Laren, I think he'll like you too. He's very tall, with red hair, and his eyes are like flames. Kaida and I both have magic, but his is stronger, and he is very willful. Once they intercepted him, but they didn't kill him; they just took him away from me, from my world. Since then, I have been searching for his whereabouts. I know how to find the gates between worlds. With this iron crown's protection, they won't be able to stop me easily." Lerendor drank the last of the wine in his cup, gazing at the candlelight reflected in it, and said, "Sarah, there are countless worlds in the universe." "I have all the time. I will never grow old, just like you. I will find him." "Do you really love him that much?" Sarah forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Yes." Now it was her voice that faltered. "I love him, and he makes me happy. We have only had a short time together, but he really makes me happy, and even the Seven Emperors can't take that away. I like to look at him, to see him smile, and to have him wrap his arms around me." "Oh," he said, his voice tinged with defeat. There was a long silence, and finally Sarah said to him: "We've traveled a long way. You still haven't told me why the castle's windows automatically close at night?" "You have walked through many worlds. Sarah, have you seen a world without stars at night?" "Of course, many times. I have been to a corner of the universe where only a solitary sun remains unburned. On the nights of that world, there is not a single star in the sky. I have also been to the world of the frowning minister, where there is no sky at all, and the whispering sun burns at the bottom of the sea. I have been to the deserts of Caladon, where the mages ignite the rainbow in the sky to light up the world without a sun." "There are no stars in this world," Lai Lendor said. "Are you afraid to go out at night when there are no stars?" "It's not for that reason. Although there are no stars, there are other things. Do you want to see them?" He waved his hand, and the candles suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness. Sarah sat down next to Lelendur, who did not move, but the stone wall in front of him parted, and light shone in. The sky was dark, but she could still see the surroundings clearly, for there were things moving and emitting light in the dark sky. The mud in the courtyard, the stones of the city wall, and the flags planted on the wall were all illuminated very clearly. Sarah found it strange and looked up at the sky. Something was peering at them from the sky. It was taller than the mountains, occupying half of the heavens. Although it seemed to emit light, Sarah knew it was darker than the night. It was vaguely humanoid, seemingly dressed in a cloak and a monk’s robe, but its face was even darker and more terrifying than the rest. Silence reigned around them, save for the breathing of Lelonde, the beating of her own heart, and the distant cries of wild pigeons. But in her mind, Sarah could clearly hear the devilish laughter. The figure in the sky looked down at her, passing through her, and she felt a chill of darkness in her soul. She was unable to move, her eyes glued to that thing. But the figure moved, turned around, and raised a hand, holding a tiny figure in its palm, its eyes blazing, writhing and shouting for help. Sarah screamed and covered her face with her hands. When she looked up again, the window was gone. Within the protection of the stone wall, the candle burned brightly, and Larenthor's strong, powerful arms encircled her. "It's just an illusion," he said, stroking her long hair. "In the past, I often used this to test my own endurance." He half-spoke to himself: "But now I don't need to do that anymore. They take turns watching over me, emitting dark light in the black sky, capturing the ones I love. Now I no longer look at them; I stay in the house and sing. My window is made of night stone, and I can see nothing." "I... I feel like throwing up," she said, still trembling. "Come on," he said, "there's a hot water basin upstairs, you can take a hot bath to dispel the chill. Then I'll sing for you." He held her hand and led her upstairs. She took a hot bath and returned to the dormitory. Lai Lengduo had already tuned his sixteen-stringed zither. She sat on the edge of the bed, wiping her head with a towel while listening to him sing. Larenthor showed her another illusion. This time he sang about his second dream. He was a god, the mortal enemy of the Seven Emperors. The rhythm of the music was rapid, and the light from the instrument merged into a bloody battlefield. Larenthor, fully clad in white, fought against the ghostly shadows. They were seven in total, surrounding him and stabbing him with dark spears, while he countered with fire and storms. But in the end, they still emerged victorious. The light faded again, the song turned soft and sorrowful, the illusion gradually faded, to be replaced by endless lonely years. The song had just finished when Lerdor started singing another one. He was clearly not very familiar with this new song, his long fingers cautiously touching the strings, and his voice trembling a bit, as he was improvising lyrics on the spot. Sarah knew why. This time, he was singing about her, how she searched for her lover, passing through world after world, wearing an iron crown, and battling the guards. He remembered every word she had ever said and wove them into the lyrics. In her bedroom, light wove into a strange world, a scorching sun burned beneath the sea, boiling seawater rose in clouds of steam, and the old mage ignited the rainbow with magic, driving away the endless darkness of his world. He also sang of the love between Kaida and Sarah. He sang with such sincerity that it made Sarah remember how much she loved Kaida. But the song ended abruptly, as if forming a question mark, and the echoes lingered for a long time before fading away. They all waited for the next part, but they also knew that it was over. Sarah whispered, "Thank you, for bringing Kaida back to me." "It's just a song." He shrugged. "It's been a while since I've had a new song to sing." He left her again, touching her cheek lightly as he went. Sarah lay in bed for a long time before gradually falling asleep. When she awoke, it was still dark. She opened her eyes. The room seemed to be empty. But she felt something was off. She looked closely and saw him sitting in the big chair at the other end of the room, his chin resting on his hands, just as on the first night. He sat quietly, his eyes focused on her on the bed. "Laren?" she whispered to him. "It's me," he didn't move. "I sat here watching you last night too. I've been so lonely for so long, and soon I'll be alone again. Even when you're asleep, your existence is still a wonderful thing." "Oh, Layen," she said. They were silent for a moment, as if in silent conversation, then she extended her arms, and he walked toward her. They have all experienced long periods of time. A month or an instant, it makes no difference to them. After that, they slept together every night, and every night Larenthor sang to her. During the day, they swam in the sparkling seawater and talked about love on the beach. They often mentioned love, but nothing changed. Finally, a month passed. On the last evening, they walked hand in hand into the forest where he first found her. At the bottom of the valley, by the small stream, Larenthor pulled her down to sit. In this month, Larenthor had regained his cheerfulness. They took off their shoes and dipped their feet in the stream. It was a warm evening, with a slight breeze, and the wild doves had already begun to mourn. "You still have to go," he said, still holding her hand but not looking at her. His tone was mostly one of stating a fact, not a question. "Not bad." She said, her mood also becoming heavy. "I really can't say anything more. If I could, I would like to sing another song, weave another dream. The empty world, because of you, me, and our children, becomes full again. My world also has beautiful places. Although there are evil nights, other worlds also have dark nights. I will love you, and I will try to make you happy." "Rai Lun..." She wanted to speak, but Rai Lun Dorel stopped her. "No. I won’t do that. I don’t have the right to do that. I’m not that selfish. Kai Da is so joyful and vibrant, but I have become like a withered log. I have been too lonely for too long, and sorrow has become a part of my character, but..." She gently kissed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "Let's go together. When we pass through the checkpoint, hold my hand, maybe the iron crown can also protect you." "If you want me to try, I will, but it can't possibly work out." He sighed. "You have countless worlds to explore. I don't know what your future will be, but it won't be here. Perhaps that's for the best. I don't know anything anymore, but I vaguely remember what love is. As far as I know, love can never last. If you stay, and we never change, and we are always like this, how could we not grow tired of each other? Perhaps we would even hate each other? I don't want that to happen." He looked at her, smiling sadly. "I think you must have only known Kaida for a short time to love him so much. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but if you really find Kaida, you might lose him. The flame of love will eventually burn out, and the magic of love will fade. Perhaps then you will remember me." Sarah began to cry. Lelendor gently kissed her and whispered in her ear, "It won't be like this." She kissed him back, and the two of them clung to each other in silence. "I have to leave," Sarah said, "but I am really in pain, I hope you will believe me." "I believe in you. I love you, because you are leaving, because you can't forget Kaida, because you are always loyal to him. You are you, you are Sarah, you have traveled through many worlds. I believe the Seven Emperors fear you more than any deity. If you weren't you, I wouldn't cherish you so much." "You said you would love any voice, as long as it was not your own echo." He shrugged. "As I often say, it was a long, long time ago." They returned to the castle, had their last dinner, and sang their last song. They stayed awake all night. Larenthor sang to her until dawn, but it was not a very good song, telling of a wandering minstrel's voyage in some indescribable world. Sarah couldn't understand the meaning of the song, and Larenthor sang listlessly. It seemed to be the strangest farewell. But they were all troubled. At dawn, he left her, agreeing to meet in the courtyard. She put on her clothes and went out. She wore a tight leather jacket, with a short sword tucked into her belt, her dark brown hair spilling down, and a iron crown neatly placed on her head. "Goodbye, Lai Ren, I hope I can give you more." "You have given me enough, and I will always remember you. One day, when the sun rises and the color turns blue, I will nod and say: Not bad, this is the first blue day since Sarah came." "I also promise you, one day I will surely find Kai Da. If I can rescue him, I will come back here. Then the three of us will team up and fight the Seven Emperors again." Larindor shrugged. "Alright, if I'm not around, leave a message for me." He flashed a toothy smile. "Didn't you promise to tell me where the checkpoint is? Can you say it now?" Larindor pointed to the shortest spire. Sarah had never been inside that tower; she noticed a wooden door at the bottom. Larindor took out a key. "Here?" She was a bit confused. "In this castle?" "Right here." Lelendor answered. They walked to the wooden door, and Lelendor inserted the key into the lock, managing to open the wooden door. Sarah watched from the side, feeling a deep sense of sorrow. The other two spires seemed desolate and lifeless. The courtyard was empty and silent. Beyond the mountains, covered in snow, stretched a barren horizon. Apart from the sound of Rylendor unlocking the door and the flags on the walls fluttering, there was no other noise. Sarah suddenly felt the utter loneliness of the place, and she shivered involuntarily. Larenthor opened the door. Inside, there was no room, only a wall and floating mist. "This is the checkpoint you were looking for." the singer said. Sarah scrutinized. What was the next world? She would never know, but perhaps in the next world, she would find Kaida. She felt Lelendor's hand on her shoulder. "Are you still hesitating?" His tone was very gentle. Sarah caught the short sword. "The guard?" she suddenly said, "There will always be a guard." She quickly looked around the courtyard. Larindor sighed and said, "Indeed, there will always be guards. Some thoughts will lead you astray, some will try to tear you apart with their claws, and some will deceive you into taking the wrong path. Some use weapons, some use chains, and some use lies to try to keep you. Only one guard has managed to keep you with love. But he was truly sincere and never spoke a false word to you." He shrugged his shoulders in despair and pushed her over the threshold. Later, did she find her lover, the young man with piercing eyes? Or is she still searching for his whereabouts? What kind of guards will she encounter next? When she walks at night, searching in another lonely and unfamiliar world, are there still stars in the sky? I don't know, he doesn't know, perhaps even the Seven Emperors don't know. Indeed, they have boundless magical power, but they are not omniscient or omnipotent. And the number of worlds exceeds the grains of sand in the Ganges, which even they cannot count. There was once a woman who traveled through many worlds. But her whereabouts have now become part of the legend. Perhaps she is already dead, perhaps she is not. News travels slowly from one world to another, and it is not entirely reliable. But at least we know: under the purple sun, in the silent castle, the lonely minstrel still awaits and sings for her.