103 Chapter 103

"Big brother, how did I do?"

An average-looking woman with a scar on her face spoke, holding out a hand-made paper swan to a man in his late 20's who looked to be at death's doorstep, the woman's eyes looked clear and innocent while a heartwarming smile was placed on her face, such a look from a woman was more than enough to creep anybody out but the man in question just smiled as he nodded his head and awkwardly patted the head of the woman,

'Manh....this is quite messed up'

He thought but in the end, he smiled open-heartedly, something which he was doing for the first time in a long while, he had already given up on everything since she died in his arms, he had already seen his sister but in her eyes, he was nothing more than well he was nothing.....

Anger towards his sister?

Anger towards fate?

The unwillingness of life?

By now none of that mattered, the only reason he even continues to live is that he couldn't die, how could he kill himself when she gave her life to protect his? wouldn't he be throwing away the one thing she left him?.....his life...

Since then all his life was a blur, he kept moving like a lifeless shell, living here where his worth was not even worth a salt, the difficulties of life had broken another man, though things did turn up a bit since he met her, thinking so he turned to the woman beside him who was beaming from his head pat,

'How did it become like this?'

Since he gave up his desire and will to fight, he also gave up his desire for anything else, so he did something he never did in a long time, he helped a person, he had indeed forgotten the last time he gave anyone a hand, the world had turned its back on him hence had turned his back on the world too.

But he never expected his choice to land within his hand a woman who lost all her memories, she didn't know anything! a month had passed and somehow he had grown quite fond of this person whose current innocence somehow healed a part of himself, the thing he had to do were not at all easy.

Somehow he felt as if he was taking care of a daughter, though the 'daughter' in question looked too unique to look like a baby,

'Yup, don't overthink it'

Xiao shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts that were making him shiver, his hands moved as he made a beautiful well-oriented paper crown placing it on the woman's head,

"Wow, big brother this is soo good!"

The woman in question, exclaimed, as she happily held the crown, Xiao nodded his head as he gazed into the night skies, that were twinkling with mysteries yet to be known,

"Take this as a farewell gift"

"Farewell?"

She asked back with a question, to which Xiao chuckled,

"You have already got back your memories, right? why hide?"

As soon as his question was over the atmosphere froze, every being across the forest felt a quake as they too were bonded, the innocent look in the woman's eyes vanished, while the true owner took place,

"Since when have you known?"

An icy voice that didn't match the previous tone was heard, Xiao turned towards Valencia whose face was now shrouded in mist, after a quick scan he turned towards the sky,

"From the beginning, exactly two days ago, right?"

"Since you know, then die!"

An apathetic voice was heard as heavy killing intent shrouded Xiao, he closed his eyes yet no pain followed opening his eyes he only saw emptiness left, a hint of disappointment flashed through Xiao's eyes,

"Looks like I can't even die now"

His mutter filled the silence that remained, looking at the memorizing sky his mummers continued,

"I'm am going to miss you, Yui...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While deep in the skies floated Valencia, her gaze locked onto the man gazing at the skies, her eyes filled with complex emotions, something new to her, ever since her birth she never had a dilemma, she knew what she wanted and she did it too but for the first time she was facing a question,

To kill or not to kill?

A part wanted to kill him yet another part desperately wanted him safe. In truth what she sealed was herself, she needed to cut off her main line of thinking to deal with the poison in her, hence she was very aware of the things that took place to her, she had seen it all like a person trapped, forced to watch his or her life through an open screen.

The part that was left in a sense is the 'true' her, if she had not received any talent if she didn't know of her fate and if she never found cultivation, the life she lived and became was something she should have been if she was a mortal, a simple life that was spent with her big brother,

'No I am older, I should be the big sister!!'

Again the wrong importance passed through Valencia's mind, even though the poison was removed a hint of the side effect remains that being the suppressing of her mind and the boosting of her feelings, something which she wasn't used to, for her this was all the first and it was frying her mind.

Her gaze turned to Xiao who sat there lonely under the night sky, the memories of what she went through flashed through her mind, she never knew that she could smile so happily, when she had regained control, all the feelings her 'self' had combined with her, it was a rush of something she had never felt and never thought of having...

It was love...

That's the reason she couldn't kill him, because her 'self' that remained couldn't, all her life Valencia hated or loathed the word 'love', she had seen for herself how this 'love' had destroyed her mother's life, she had seen several of her allies fall in love, some rose higher together while the rest fell together.

She only had utmost loathing for them, what was fun in depending on another? isn't it better to hold your fate in your hands? fools...that's what she thought of them, she loved the silence and enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger, love was something only for the weak and foolish.

Suddenly a memory of the words that her second master spoke passed through Valencia's mind,

<A pity indeed, your heart is too closed, too unwilling to gasp the full extent of my teachings, with no emotion you play all emotions well but without true love, you will never reach the peak of my technique, and the truly sad part being is that even if you knew, you will never be able to gasp it, not the current you>

Valencia could still remember that gaze, one filled with sadness, not towards oneself but to Valencia, back then in her mind she sneered, with her talents what technique couldn't she see through? what secrets couldn't she peer into? but in the end, her second master was right, she saw through the technique yet she lacked something to wield it.

She lack love.....