The train whistle echoed in the universe, and Na Ke Xia sat quietly by the window, watching the constantly changing stars outside. These stars are not real, they are lights coming from afar and no longer exist. The train is the only link between those non-existent light spots and the loneliness he is in.
He is not sure what he is doing, or rather, he has never really asked himself what he is pursuing along the way. The light cone, or these light spots he picked up every time, may not be that important. What is important is that he keeps running and continues to collect, as if only in this way can the emptiness in his heart be temporarily filled.
1. The end of the train and the uncertain future
The train continues to travel between the stars, with no end in front. Na Ke Xia sighed softly. He once tried to find an answer – perhaps the power of the light cone, or perhaps a secret about the depths of the universe. However, every time, his pursuit seemed to go further and further, like chasing an untouchable shadow. That calm emptiness, like the cold wind of the universe, surrounded him silently.
He once asked himself, what exactly was he pursuing? The light cone brought only short-term satisfaction, and after this satisfaction, he fell into deeper loneliness. Between these light spots and the endless stars, he lost his way, not knowing whether he was running towards an answer or just going around in circles.
That moment Xia closed his eyes slightly, and a thought emerged in his mind: Maybe people never need answers. Maybe the pursuit itself is the most important part of life.
2. Light cone: a symbol of endless pursuit and nothingness
The light cone, the item that keeps appearing during the journey, is like a symbol, representing an unresolved desire. Every time he collects a light cone, a part of his heart gets a moment of peace. That kind of peace comes quickly and goes quickly. Every time with the help of the light cone, he seems to go further, but always walks into a deeper fog.
And these fragments of light cones seemed to remind him: no matter how far you go, you can never reach the end. They are like a metaphor in your life, an unreachable goal, but you have been running for this goal, until the end, even you no longer know why you are pursuing it.
“Light cone, light cone…” He whispered the word, as if he wanted to find some comfort by repeating it, but unfortunately, it still couldn’t dispel the unspeakable anxiety.
He didn’t know what the light cone was, maybe it didn’t matter. What mattered was that it kept pulling him forward, giving him some reason to keep moving forward in the vast interstellar space.
3. Loneliness and choice: the trajectory of fate and the unchangeable destiny
He recalled the moment he stepped on the train again. Obviously there was no choice, and everything was destined. He didn’t come here voluntarily, but was pulled by some force, perhaps fate, or perhaps some desire deep in his heart, to this point.
Perhaps, each of us is doing an endless pursuit. Just like that moment, Xia knew that he was powerless to change anything, but he still drove on the track, still looking for the seemingly unreachable light cone. He was not afraid of loneliness, because he had long been accustomed to loneliness; what he feared was the unspeakable nothingness and the unfillable void behind loneliness.
Whenever he wanted to stop, he would always think of the light cone, the power that could temporarily dispel loneliness. Even though he knew that this was just a short-term satisfaction, he was still reluctant to give up. Just like every seemingly ordinary day, although the heart was full of emptiness, he would still unconsciously choose to move forward.
Xia suddenly felt that this choice might not be important. Perhaps the choice itself is a self-evident fate.
4. Dreams and reality: light that is always pursued but can never be reached
The train was running in the endless stars, as if time had stopped at this moment. Xia’s vision was blurred, his eyes stayed on the stars in the distance, and an inexplicable ripple appeared in his heart.
Those stars seemed to be distant dreams, bright and warm, but unreachable. He had tried to pursue and catch them, but the closer he got, the more he felt an unbearable emptiness. He realized that the process of pursuit might be the most psychedelic interweaving between dreams and reality.
People often say that the most important thing in life is those unfinished pursuits. It is precisely because they are not achieved that everything becomes meaningful. Na Kexia slowly realized that his pursuit might not be to find a definite answer, but to find the meaning of his existence in a place that can never be reached.
V. Conclusion: The endless train of life and the pursuit that can never end
“Perhaps, life is like this.” Na Kexia said to himself, his eyes still looking at the endless universe. He understood that no matter whether he could complete all the tasks, collect all the light cones, or find a certain answer, the most important thing was whether he was willing to continue walking and whether he could find his own meaning on this train with no end.
The end of this train is still out of reach, and he will eventually become a part of this interstellar track and disappear among countless light spots. But in this never-ending journey, he will still keep going, because he knows that it is this journey that makes him who he is.
Isn’t the meaning of life gradually revealed in the never-ending pursuit?