I came to Fontaine
with empty steps
with a heart that wanted to drift away
The city and water overlapped, like two mirrors
reflecting my silence and desire
The first daily commission:
Dive into the water,
to repair the floating mechanical soul.
The cold river water
wrapped my body
and also wrapped my loneliness
I touched the flashing gears with my fingers
as if stroking a star in the wilderness
to make it turn again,
to make it breathe again.
The second commission:
Deliver a document
to the court behind the high wall.
The stone pillars stood tall,
light leaked from the window cracks
like slanting wheat awns,
slanting into my chest.
I walked over step by step,
the leaves fell silently under my feet,
there was a slight excitement in my heart
like when the sun rose for the first time
all the shadows cheered.
The third commission:
Dispel the phantoms.
They are shadows in the fog,
the nightmares that people don’t want to face.
I drew my sword, and cut off their footprints in the echo of the flowing water. Every fall of the sword was a farewell, a farewell to sadness, a farewell to unfinished sorrow, and let this city see itself again. The fourth commission: to carry the fragments of life for the old man at the dock. He wrapped the rice bags, letters, and strings in cloth, and his smile swayed in his wrinkles, like an old wild flower that was still grateful for the sun. I took the burden and carried it in front of him. He patted my shoulder and said, “Thank you, young man.” At that moment, I heard the sound of my heartbeat, like a bird spreading its wings. After completing these four things, the system told me: Reputation +1. I saw the numbers jumping, but I cared more about the eyes that rose on the street corner, the greetings that echoed on the side of the ship, and the new life that sprouted in my heart. The water of Fontaine is deep. It carries the breath of the city and the fragments of the stars. I completed the mission here, but here I met myself. Who said there is no truth in the game? In the daily ordinariness and repetition, we learn to repair, trust, and say goodbye. When the shadow of the water in the sunlight overlaps with my shadow, I suddenly understand: Life is never far away, but in the quiet and persistent breaths again and again.