Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 415 - 41: Pannis’s Decision_1

Chapter 415: Chapter 41: Pannis’s Decision_1

"Pannis." Lina cried out in surprise, watching Pannis run swiftly away. She turned in shock and asked Catherine, "Big Sister, why did you..."

"Don’t yell." Catherine weakly shook her head and sighed softly, "This is the only solution and seems to be the only chance as well. Say nothing, let’s leave it be. Let’s go."

"But Pannis, he..." Lina pointed to the direction Pannis had run off to, anxiously stating, "He’s leaving, no, he’s already left. He clearly wasn’t himself just now, Big Sister, how could you..."

"Idiot, shut up." Vivian, who had been silent till now, suddenly glared at Lina and said angrily, "Catherine is the one who’s most upset right now, not you. Worrying does you no good, so stop passing judgments."

"I... I’m sorry." Lina was taken aback and whispered apologetically with her lip bitten, "I apologize, Big Sister. I was out of line. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that."

"No, it’s not your fault." Catherine’s face was slightly pale, but she maintained a smile. She held Lina’s hand and said, "I understand. You mean well. Enough of this, let’s move forward."

"Um, can I ask something?" Marcia, who had been dumbfounded on the side, asked tentatively, "Could someone explain to me what just happened? Why did everything change so suddenly? What happened to Mr. Pannis? has he ever been to this temple? Does he think there’s danger in the temple or something else?"

"It’s not easy to explain. For now, I can only guess." Catherine answered with a bitter smile, "He probably hasn’t seen the temple before us, but he must have seen similar ones. However, the temple is just a catalyst. His abnormal behavior just now was likely triggered by terrifying memories after seeing the temple. In other words, he’s not afraid of this temple per se, but of the memories in his mind, the nightmare lurking deep in his soul. He scared himself into this state."

"Shouldn’t we bring him back?" Marcia kept looking back towards where Pannis had disappeared, "It’s probably better to go after him."

"Big sister." Even Vivian discretely tugged at Catherine’s hand, "I also think we should catch up and persuade him. If he can’t get over this in time..."

"No, you don’t understand." Catherine shook her head, "The root cause of this problem dates back more than half a year ago."

"You mean, when we first met him?" Vivian asked, "Was there something wrong then?"

"Do you remember how we tricked him into joining our team?" Catherine’s smile was full of bitterness. She spoke ruefully, "We thought he wanted to escape his daily nightmares too, to seek redemption. That’s why we forcibly pulled him into the team. But was that what he truly wanted? Or were we just being conceited?"

"It should, it should be the truth." Lina responded uncertainly, "After all, he was very cooperative and seemed happy. If he didn’t want to, I don’t think the three of us could have forced him to."

"Maybe that’s the case." Catherine sighed with a smile and shook her head, "But as I just told him, he’s never reached out on his own initiative. He has always allowed us to manipulate him, never striving for himself. This can’t continue. His deepest fears and despair will never disappear if he passively endures like this."

"It seems so." Lina and Vivian exchanged glances. After some reflection, they had to admit Catherine’s judgment was correct. Pannis had never actively sought redemption, he had only passively responded, "Why is that so?"

"Because he himself isn’t resolute enough." Catherine kept sighing, "Wanting to face the past, to move on from it isn’t easy, is it? He’s been lingering between doing and not doing, procrastinating, unable to make a decision. The sudden appearance of this temple pushed him to the edge of a cliff, forcing him to make a decision at once. That’s why he broke down. What a pitiful guy! I hope he can make the right decision soon."

"Huh?" Lina, who had been quite disheartened just now, asked in surprise after hearing Catherine’s explanation, "Didn’t he already flee? Doesn’t that count as making a decision? Are you saying he hasn’t decided yet?"

"Of course. It doesn’t count as a decision until we enter the temple." Catherine nodded, "In the current situation, the temple gate symbolizes something for him. If he can resolve himself before we enter, there’s still hope for a turnaround. But if we enter before he does, I’m afraid his inner self will truly be lost forever, leaving no room to fight back."

"Are you sure?" Seeing as how she trusted Pannis wholly when she first met him, Marcia found it hard to place as much trust in Catherine as Lina and Vivian. Especially with Pannis gone, Marcia asked anxiously, "Can you guarantee that you’re right? What if you’re wrong..."

"Have faith in Catherine, Marcia." Lina, the most familiar with Marcia among the three girls, patted Marcia’s arm reassuringly, "I know you trust Pannis. But I can assure you that when it comes to understanding people, even Pannis wouldn’t dare claim to be better than Catherine. Since Catherine has made her judgment, we can only wait now and see if he turns back before we enter the temple."

"Um, or maybe..." Vivian whispered, "We could slow down?"

"It makes no difference if we go faster or slower." Catherine shook her head, "Just keep a normal pace, let’s hope our bond over these past months could wake him from his slumber. Oh Deity, bless him, he must wake up, Pannis."

No one felt like speaking anymore. The atmosphere weighed heavily on the girls’ hearts, the tangible pressure causing them to feel suffocated. They were merely fifty meters from the temple, a distance they could cover in just over a minute at their usual adventurous pace. But despite Catherine’s instructions to keep a normal pace, they all slowed down. It took them a whole five minutes to cover the short fifty-meter distance.

Still, even after those five minutes, there was no sign of movement behind the ladies. The valley was eerily quiet, the familiar figure not appearing once more.

At the end of the journey awaited the long steps up to the temple, sixty-six steps, each one symbolizing the Deity’s authority and dignity. The ladies gave deep sighs, then began hiking. The differences in the steps weren’t significant, but every step brought a twinge of pain to the girls’ hearts. Every leg lift felt as if they were dragging a tremendous weight, causing them to question if they had the will and courage to take the next step.

Catherine clenched her fists tightly, Lina’s lips were pale from biting, and Vivian’s body was surrounded by raging magical energy, continuously erupting with electrical sparks and deep rumbling. Their faces were taut, their expressions freezing with every step taken. Marcia, despite her anxiety, could recognize the girls’ concern for Pannis and couldn’t bear to say anything that might trigger their volatile emotions.

Midway up the staircase, Lina couldn’t bear her inner stress and unease any longer. She paused, looking back to the path where the valleys mixed, hoping for a miracle and to see that familiar figure coming down. But reality was cruel, no matter how intense her longing was, the path remained empty, with only the wind rustling the tall grass.

"Keep going, don’t stop." Catherine gritted her teeth, suppressing the trembling and panic in her voice, and said calmly, "Trust him, have faith in him, believe that he will return, believe he can come out on his own. If you stop now, even if you can retrieve him, he will never have a chance for redemption. He will never come back."

"Alright, I’ll keep going." Lina continued to bite her lip, though her pace slowed significantly from before, and without discussing, the other three agreed to match Lina’s pace, trying their utmost to delay.

But no matter how much they dawdled, there was a moment when the journey was done. The sixty-six steps weren’t particularly long, and even at the slowest pace, they eventually had to reach the peak— which was the temple’s main entrance. As the ladies faced their back to their journey upon reaching the final step, they were met with an empty valley, which filled them with despair.

"Big sis." Lina’s voice trembled, a strange light flickering in her eyes. She whispered, "I don’t want him to leave."

"I don’t want him to either." A few drops of fresh blood fell from Catherine’s clenched fist, left by her fingernails piercing her skin, "But if this is his choice, if, if, if this is..."

"Ah!" Vivian let out a scream, wanting to vent the suppression and anger in her heart, she sent a giant fireball towards the grass beneath the stairs. The intense explosion ripped a big hole in the ground.

"If it’s his own choice." Catherine finally managed to speak fluidly, she mumbled with her hand over her mouth, " Even if we cannot bear it or accept it, we can only face reality. But even until now, I’m still hoping for a miracle, that he can..."

"Ahh~~~~" Suddenly, Lina shrieked beside Catherine, leaping as if she had seen a ghost. Had Catherine not held her back in time, she would’ve tumbled down the stairs. Lina’s scream instinctively drew everyone’s attention around.

Then, the girls watched Pannis, who nonchalantly leaned against the wall under the shadows of the temple’s main entrance, casually waving at them. "You’re all so slow. Why did you just get here? I’ve been waiting impatiently."

"You, you, you, where have you been?" Lina pointed at him and demanded in a high pitch.

"Ah? I didn’t go anywhere." Pannis looked innocent and scratched his head, "It’s just really hot, and I was sweaty. I felt uncomfortable, so I took a bath and changed my clothes."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh." The girls exchanged a look, their expressions still taut, but no longer showing previous frustration and temper, "You took a bath? And changed your clothes? Heh, heh, heh, heh."

"Hey, what’s with that look? Don’t come here!"

"You can go to hell, you bastard." And fists, fireballs, the one-handed sword flew towards their usual target as they always had before. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this novel, feel free to cast your recommendation votes, or monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)