Chapter 74: The Path of the miserable is always filled with good intentions (6).
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The strongest warrior of the younger generation, a legend of Kaytona City, and the sect's most loyal guardian .
The cold guard dog, Bai Sang .
He was simply defeated by his brothers .
By the young boy walking in the chaotic bloody square .
" the next "
What the boy said wasn't a request, it was something he said, and they would do it .
The body complied with the words as if possessed .
" Aaaah !"
Four warriors quickly attacked him.
The Ganghwa culture had a warrior whose term was similar to the word for magician in the other three cultures, and he was called a sorcerer .
One of the four was a warlock, who stood back a sufficient distance, ready to unleash ice spells.
In front was a massive warrior, holding a massive shield and preparing to strike .
The other two surrounded him from both sides .
Bam !
The huge warrior slammed into Leon's body, sending him flying backward .
The others were ready, and did not miss the opportunity to attack .
Quack! Quack !
Sharp frost winds like summer storms flew through the sky !
Leon, who was somersaulting in the air, was smiling sarcastically .
then !
The unconscious Bai Yeren floated in front of his body !
As meat shield !
" This bastard !"
" do you even know honor !"
The Red Frost Sect members almost spat out blood in anger !
Shameless! This brat !
Quack !
One of the archers struck the Frost Wind Blades before they collided with Bai Yiren's body covered by a transparent barrier .
While he was in the air, before anyone could move, Leon waved his arm and Bai Yiren's body flew backward, towards his allies at an extremely high speed .
" you shameless bastard !"
Leon laughed dryly, mockingly, "Hehe, if you're not careful, your sect leader's daughter baby's face will be disfigured. Maybe she wasn't born into wedlock, maybe this whore suddenly got pregnant without planning it! That's if your sect leader is even a woman, hahaha !"
He crushed the arrows coming towards him as if he was playing with children, while his voice rose .
" You! You- "
One of the elders pointed his finger at Leon in anger, but he didn't dare to come forward .
The massive army behind this boy would have intimidated any enemy .
" shut up "
His foot hit the air, causing him to be thrown forcefully downwards .
Space curved across the space, making it distort !
Bam !
The three warriors were crushed to death and turned into minced meat !
Leon stood over the bodies, his foot trampling the sticky blood, eyes could be seen scattered about, and broken skulls clearly showed brains .
His eyes turned towards the last victim .
Swoosh !
A wave of huge blue flames was suddenly heading towards him !
" Heh "
He simply extended his arm, and with a simple wave, the direction of the flame wave was reversed .
Very fast .
The speed difference was simply ridiculous .
No comparison !
Bang !
The Red Frost Sect members, who were at the front with the sorcerer, didn't realize what had happened when they felt a strange heat covering their bodies .
" Kaaaaaagh !!"
Of course, the pain of burning is the worst thing, and can only be expressed by a miserable scream .
But that wasn't the worst of it .
A bloody, ominous laugh distorted Leon's expression .
He stretched out his arms again, and the space around the explosion compressed .
" Aaaaaaah- !!
" Kwaaaaagh! No— !!"
" Help me! Help me !!!"
Those who tried to escape the explosion were trapped, and the flames were burning them more and more .
Everyone saw before their eyes a clear sight of bodies burning to death inside a flame-proof field .
" Hahahaha !"
Hearing a devilish laugh coming from the mouth of a young boy sent a chill down my spine .
"… that damned bastard !"
Bai Yun tried to pounce on him.
This bastard's tyranny in battle would wear down her followers' morale, That was a problem.
They wouldn't be able to save time, let alone save her daughter !
This bastard had been using her body as a shield against the enemies' powerful attacks for a while now .
This forced the sheikhs to scatter him so they could try to bring her back, or at least cover her with a shield .
Unfortunately, no one was able to take her from his demonic clutches, but at least they put a protective barrier over her .
But what did this devilish bastard do ?
he Used her as a shield more than ever !
Bah! This damned bastard! Honor! Didn't your parents teach you the meaning of this word !
Bai Yun used her move Ego to catch him off guard .
" If you make a move, I will destroy the place over your heads and turn it to dust. "
But Yeon-woo stopped her, leaving her helpless .
She knew what Yeon-woo was doing, he wanted her to remain an observer, a witness to the destruction of what she had built all her life .
The warriors gathered around the young boy, trying to find a loophole .
" This is really annoying …"
Leon muttered a little .
So, he had to keep the insects away .
Haaaab !
He sucked air forcefully into his lungs .
The gravity in the place shook, a harbinger of doom .
" Kill him! Damn it! Quick !"
Those in front rushed at the sheikh's orders .
Leon tensed his muscles .
" Roar —!!!"
A tremendous scream, no, a ferocious, crushing scream of a beast !
The essence energy amplified into the environment, creating a shock wave .
A red aura mixed with black hit the area .
The ground shook, the aura barriers surrounding the bodies trembled, the desire to shed blood made the heart tremble !
Leon's roar didn't stop, it just got louder and louder !
ROAAAAR —!!
The wind wave has increased and become a storm !
Those who were on the ground flew away, those who tried to retreat were hit by the sound wave !
Craaaagh !
The weak were injured, and the strong did not have the strength to retreat .
The Roar of the one and only king, a roar that trembles the heart with terror !
Everyone was blown away, even the Elders were forced to retreat !
Leon's parking space became empty .
Simply standing, behind him piles of mutilated corpses .
This roar forced the outer barrier of the sect to activate .
Bam! Bam! Bam !
Elsewhere on the battlefield, fighting was raging furiously .
Leon's Roar ignited the bloodthirst of his allies, while the enemies hearts were humbled and their morale weakened .
Bai Yun bit her lips .
This battle is clearly lost, waiting for support is just a gamble .
This warrior was not foolish enough to take her luck, and was now waiting for the right opportunity to make her move .
Leon stood proudly in front of the Red Frost Sect building, his bloody eyes shining with a dark light .
[ Sahyung, everyone get ready, it's just a guess but... there's a disaster nearby ]
he activated blood communication ego, and talk to Yeon-woo via telepathy .
[ Boss, there's some risk in what we are doing, but you're right, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, it's stupid to think about the consequences now ]
Leon gave some instructions, what to do next etc …
In the middle of the void left by the warriors, an old man stepped forward quietly .
Standing silently, he stared at the boy, who returned his silent stare .
Amidst this calm, the two men's expressions held faint smiles .
" Old man, you have protected this land your whole life. At the beginning of the journey, there was meaning. Even if you lost what was precious in your heart, there was meaning. But what now? Hollow. Your living space has become hollow. Why do you continue to protect this place ?"
Leon was wondering to himself, this land was doomed to fail, and it would be better to eliminate the corrupt people in it .
So why ?
Whether it was this old man in front of him, or Sahyung who sacrificed himself, they would protect this land no matter how harsh it was, no matter how stripped their country was of the beliefs of the first generation, they saw hope in it .
It was something Leon didn't understand in his heart .
" I think someone like you wouldn't understand after all. How would you do? It's a feeling only those who have lived here can taste. No matter how much corruption increases, I will protect this land and change it. If I don't, someone will come to inherit my will one day. "
This is my conviction, and this is my duty .
"… I am absolutely certain, put your hand in ours, and let us end this conflict if you wish ."
Leon thought it would be a waste to abandon someone of such strong conviction .
" Even I know, I know perfectly well, there is no room for compromise between us and you, I know how much our roots deserve to perish from the severity of our corruption, when cutting the weed, cut it by the roots, don't retreat "
"… you really are "
He was right, and Leon couldn't help but sigh at his words .
From the beginning, Leon had no mercy in his heart to spare these corrupt remnants, but his desire to include this old man was not simple .
Unfortunately, unfortunately indeed .
" Today, one of us will die, never back down, I don't even need to think twice, you are stronger than me, but I will do my best, even if my story is forgotten in the remnants of history, there are those who will walk that path already. "
The old man spoke unexpected words .
[ I will engrave my actions, even if they seem meaningless, however strange, therefore, I beg of you, O heir of the Elder Twilight, show me, show me what is beyond the world you see and intend to reach. ]
" What a pity… you could have been a good ally, well, I will grant your wish ."
Leon shook his head a little disappointedly, but he didn't look down on this person in front of him .
Just because their beliefs were different, it wasn't a reason to hate each other, on the contrary, his determination only increased Leon's respect for him .
" Come on! Show me the true metal of the Ancient Frost! What kind of people were the first generation !"
" Then! Try to block my attack !"
The old man let out a battle cry as he charged at the young boy .
The sect leader was above the sky, extending his arm and pumping all his energy into it .
He raised his hand in the air and pushed hard .
A palm-like frost appeared in the air, huge, extremely majestic, the size of the sectarian sheikh was rather small in comparison .
Leon showed no sign of retreating, and kept staring at the giant palm .
Sryiiing !
The black blade shot out from his arm, taking a stance resembling a body contracting towards the ground .
There was no need to even use ego .
Simple fighting style, overwhelming strength, tremendous essence energy .
That's all it takes .
Simply put, the enemy can be annihilated .
Once .
And forever .
A bloody red aura spread across the place, the suffocating feeling making the senses numb, survival instincts were of no use against this bloodlust .
Leon raised his head towards the giant palm .
" Retreat! Retreat quickly! Whoever doesn't want to be buried must retreat !"
The members of the Mad Devil Unit didn't have that much confusion, so they figured out what to do in an instant .
So, they quickly retreated, whoever wasn't fast was dragged by the others .
Naturally, Stella, Logan, and Kang Woo, who were in the lead, were dragged .
All this happened in a split second, while Leon was still in the middle of his move .
Finally, the members of the Red Frost Sect sensed danger .
" Tsk! Unfortunately they didn't get close enough !"
" Damn it! Attack quickly !"
" Oriaaaa !"
Naturally, there were those who tried to dissuade Leon from his attack .
They attacked with all their might .
This castle was sufficiently equipped to defend the area .
Ego stones, heavy weapons and ego too …
For this, defensive formations were built in place, as long as the attack was strong enough, an equivalent amount of the power of these defensive formations would be activated .
The defensive formation was a secret from the surrounding forces, and was to be used against the Mad Demon Unit in this battle when they reached a specific range .
But Lyon's attack frustrated this hastily made plan .
From this alone, it could be seen that Leon's strength was not insignificant .
The reason for this is …
All defensive formations have been activated, at maximum possible capacity .
Frost arrows, earth-shaking spells, even brain-bending lightning spells were performed .
Cannons, swords and spears, mines, defensive spells and barriers .
All of this covered the castle .
The attack was targeting one person .
Of course .
There were those who escaped too .
"… The Elder Twilight heir, the strongest survivor of the Third Generation Destruction War, he's an immeasurable monster, I must do my best! The little lady is with him, but it doesn't matter! The Sect Leader can always give birth to new offspring, even if I die here, I must take him with me !"
The old man had already left his inheritance to his grandson, who was scheduled to inherit his position after his retirement, so he need not fear death .
The Senate has been fighting over benefits, but they are a united entity, no need to worry .
In fact, if Bai Yiren were to "accidentally" die in this battle, the Senate could pressure Bai Yun to choose her heir.
This would give the Senate the initiative to install a puppet president, while they controlled things from behind the scenes .
What if the lady of the sect gave birth to her heir before that ?
Hehe .
It is common in this city for children to "disappear" under mysterious circumstances .
Of course, these are issues for biology to deal with .
The hardships of life are things the dead do not worry about .
" The defensive formation takes half a second to hit the enemy. I need to hit them a few fractions of a second before that. The enemy army has already retreated, but with the power of the explosion directed, I can take down some of them. This will buy time until the Yellow Field Doctor arrives ."
Even if the little lady dies, the enemy will be defeated .
This simple idea was not in the Sheikh's consciousness, but in his subconscious .
Thus, without him knowing, his killing intentions escalated, and his cautious attack became unrestrained .
Not to mention everything, the enemy is the strongest person among the Twilight Heirs, a monster among monsters, the perpetrator of the Bloody Army massacre in the last war .
He must do his best, only killing intent is useful against this force .
The pressure had been lifted from his heart, and he was immersed in unfamiliar emotions .
Oh, right, I've heard about this before .
The ecstasy of killing .
When one never thinks about the consequences of one's actions, and one's consciousness becomes free of any useless thoughts .
He was deeply immersed in the feeling .
" Grandpa! Don't do it !"
An ominous feeling came over one of the young men on top of the outer walls of the castle, screaming at the top of his lungs .
Try to jump and stop the old man at all costs !
Bam !
" Ugh! Leave me! Leave me you bastard !"
But his bodyguard pinned him to the ground, and the guard remained silent .
" Grandpa! Let me go to Grandpa! He's trying to commit suicide !"
The young boy knew this ice palm, it was an imperfect technique invented by his grandfather, and it was dangerous to one's life .
And if that complex method is activated at its maximum power ?
Whether the enemy is eliminated or not, he will die a miserable death .
Let the sect go to ruin for all I care !
Even if my arm is cut off! Even if I die because of it! I will stop you, old man !
I will stop this old man !
Quack, quack, quack .
When he wanted to use the essence energy, he felt numb .
The energy pathways in his body were blocked before he even noticed .
" Why! Aaaah! You bastard! Why… I just want to save my grandfather, why are you stopping me! I've already lost so much… I don't want to lose him too …"
Please …
Please, Grandpa, don't leave .
The young boy's tears streamed down his cheeks as he cursed his weakness, watching his grandfather helplessly .
The guard bit his lips with all his might, his eyes trembling violently, preventing himself from shedding tears .
I'm sorry, young master, but I can't let you go .
I just ... I can't .
In the starry night sky, a white-haired old man could be seen, his appearance emitting a light blue frost, reflecting the remnants of the purity that had vanished from this sect .
The old man had a strange feeling, and the image of a little boy flashed through his mind .
My grandson, this is the last gift this old man will give you .
From me to you, watch this attack and engrave it in your heart .
The sect Elder closed his eyes, his life's memories passing by in an instant .
Burden, weight of the past, responsibility and duty .
His father was a nervous drunk who once beat his mother to death, and then a few days later sold his son into slavery for fear of not being able to pay taxes .
After that, he struggled among the slaves until he accidentally found the Sunset Light Firefly, and his talent was forcibly awakened after a series of strange events .
A strange man found him, trained him for a while, and then left, leaving him on this island with a fledgling sect. He grew up and started a family .
His happiness did not last .
Conflicts are gradually increasing around the world .
After that, there wasn't much to say, just patience .
When his daughter's body was torn apart in the clutches of monsters in her fifth year, he endured the heartache .
When his wife died, he endured the heartache .
When his brother betrayed him after taking the title of Sheikh, he endured heartache .
Even when he learned that his son's death was caused by the sect master, who had sacrificed him in order to refine her ego, he held back his tears in his heart .
No matter how dirty what he does, no matter how far he strays from the image of the hero he once wanted to become, no matter what happens .
Despite everything, he was patient and enduring .
In this brutal world, his desire was the simplest .
" I want my family to know happiness, for the dawn to be a comfort to their hearts, for them to always know kindness, even when cruelty is rampant, unlike this corrupt old man ."
That someone is happy to be with me, and to see that companion smile .
A very naive wish .
That's all .
It was a long road .
The Elder accelerated his attack with all his might .
By focusing all his instincts on his complex style, he reached a power that his wildest imagination could not conjure up .
When intellectual logic and pure instinct come together, an unusual state of consciousness comes, causing the sea of consciousness at the heart of the essence to swell .
The name of that state was: flow .
Flow is a kind of euphoria that comes to a person that is beyond his capacity, making the boundaries of his body and mind inconsistent in intensity or transparency .
Simply put, The Elder was in a state similar to flow, and the threat of death was causing him to unleash his potential .
However, this was not necessarily true .
The big palm became huge, its shadow covering the outer castle of the sect building, heading towards Leon !
This was definitely a terrifying attack .
" This method is really deadly ."
but .
Leon, whom was behind him Bai Yiren's body covered by a transparent barrier was floating, simply smiled .
" No matter how big your attack is, if it's hollow, it'll stay hollow. "
There is a fine line between the ecstasy of being immersed in consciousness and the state of flow .
The immersion in consciousness was merely a mental evocation of desire, which somewhat amplified the power .
The sea of consciousness within the heart of the essence is affected by many emotions, and emotions can flare up within that sea .
But the passion will soon fade away .
For this reason, the attack in Leon's eyes was hollow .
A blank slate is nothing more than a house of cards .
For a house of cards to fall, all it takes is a gentle breeze .
The contraction of the body was generating higher momentum, this momentum was directed towards the arm .
Leon jumped into the air, the momentum of his arm causing him to somersault .
Simply put .
That arm did the cutting .
[ Destruction Blade Arts: Brutal Horizontal Slash ]
[ Split the sky ]
As if it cut through the passage of time itself, no one could tell when the arm moved .
Leon's arm disappeared and then appeared .
From place to place, there is no time gap or resistance in space, beyond the comprehension of any mind or creature .
The Elder attack came within striking distance of Leon, and the attacks were a little further .
Arguably, they would have hit him before he could complete his attack .
Secretly, Bai Yun was planning to pounce, grab her daughter, and escape .
As long as she was alive, she could immediately build a new sect .
Thus, everyone's minds raced, searching for the best course of action after the attack .
Lyon's movement was unfavorable in terms of speed, so the attackers believed they had a good chance of survival if his attack was blocked .
However .
The concept of time was useless in the face of unreasonable force .
For logical people, unreasonable things are beyond comprehension .
It cannot be explained, it cannot be understood, it cannot be dealt with .
This is what is called disaster .
" no !! "
A woman's desperate voice echoed in the outer castle of the Red Frost Sect building .
She was trying to get to the source of the attack flow, and prevent it from happening .
But her efforts were of no use .
Basically, no time passed when the wave ended .
Swoosh
In the infinite slowing of time, the slight breeze touched everything .
Suddenly, a giant red blade appeared in the air .
The blade swelled, illuminating the massive castle and its exterior in a bright red .
The passage of time cracked, as if there was a crack, which made it stop .
The spell earthquakes stopped, the earth flattened as if space was distorted .
Like a mirror, as if what one stands on is nothing but a dusty mirror .
The frost arrows disappeared, as the snow melted with the arrival of summer .
Weapons that were thrown with the intention of exploding became dust, scattered in the wind .
Accumulation of dust gives us ash .
That ash slowly flew into space .
From dust to dust, from ashes to ashes .
As if one sacrifices two .
As the space splits .
The red blade and the huge frost palm touched .
And smoothly .
The palm was cut in half .
no .
It's as if everything, including its being, has been cut off .
Right in the middle .
At the farthest point of time's eternal pause, images and memories flashed through the mind .
Ambition, dream, desire, hatred, gratitude .
There were those who had a desire to shine, there were those who persevered for their families, there were those who wanted to fly above the sky .
There were those whose stories had yet to be revealed, in the corrosive darkness where the ultimate madness lay .
There were those who wanted to taste salvation, where the torment of their struggle would end forever .
There were those among them who wanted to repent and turn over a new leaf, hoping that this path would be different from the harshness of sin that gnaws at the heart .
These memories .
They merged together, forming different expressions reflected in the glow of red light .
Fear, determination to fight to the last moment, stagnation, sadness, surrender, acceptance, relief .
Crack
A strange cracking sound in the stillness .
This voice, hearing it, the scattered emotions disappeared in an instant .
The frozen time became slowed down, making the statue-like expressions come alive again .
One feeling pervaded them all, and a clear understanding of the situation .
What came after them had a name known to everyone who lived, whether sane or insane .
This name was simply .
death .
" So that's it "
In his final moment, Elder Bai Guan Yi's heart was extremely peaceful .
hollow …
This question had always troubled his heart .
What does that mean, isn't enough power the solution ?
No matter how much he developed and became stronger, there was a strange feeling of inferiority in his heart .
As if something had been forgotten .
But now, facing this overwhelming rift of space, he closed his eyes .
What he lacked .
It's the will .
Will to protect .
Will to understand oneself and accept oneself .
Will to achieve the goal, and never be carried away by the temptations of life .
A will that never bends .
Even in the depths of despair, the will will never bend .
That was the difference between the young boy and him .
Tremendous will, vast will .
Unquenchable desire and overwhelming feeling .
As if his ambition was to swallow space .
Fly high, higher than anyone .
Just seeing this wave is enough to feel that struggle .
He never thought in his life that he would feel this way .
After all .
Gratitude towards an enemy is the most stupid thing in life .
but …
A slight smile crept across the old man's lips .
This is how things flow in the world .
Towards the mouth of the river, towards the end, always .
Hahaha .
In the ears of Leon, who had cut everything off, the laughter of an old man dying flowed smoothly .
A laugh full of life .
Boom —!
There was an explosion .
An explosion echoes high in the sky, as if heralding eternal destruction .
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[ The Travels of the First Explorer: Chapter One, Section Two]
[ The path of the ignorant is paved with the thorns of knowledge]
The man was in a dilemma .
The birds of flame set his body ablaze, the monsters of nightmare left no emotion in his heart without playing with it, the earth sweeps him towards the abyss of shadows, the trees with thorns choke his neck .
Strange emotions swept through that hollow heart.
He didn't know what those emotions were called, but they were definitely there .
This is painful! Scary and terrifying !
As if the languages of these tormentors were penetrating his mind, words began to flow smoothly in the form of thoughts and emotions .
In the agony of not knowing what was happening, he felt hopeless .
Give up, you have no other path in this world but suffering .
That's all .
Then at that moment .
" Human, these arms are the way forward, use your arms, come towards me if you want to be saved !"
A strange sound rang through his ears .
The voice was unfamiliar, but inexplicably familiar .
He reached out and grabbed the soil, but his hand slipped .
" Your fingers are what leads you to crawl, dig them in the soil of the land of the ignorant and see the path of salvation from your panic and fear, this is the only way !"
He didn't understand why he failed, so he tried again .
He dug his nails into the land of the ignorant, his silver blood like moonlight flowed through those nails .
In a person's journey to get rid of his ignorance, he will be pained by some truths .
These facts are subject to his admission, his admission of his ignorance .
" Arrest him, my brothers of nightmares! Even a burning ember will never die down. The light at the end of the horizon is not reached by a coward. That light will never rise !"
The nightmare monsters were ethereal in form, a pitch-black mass of despair and fear .
They attacked the man who was trying to learn to move his arms forcefully !
As knowledge accumulates, emotion becomes stronger, which will generate despair .
A coward is not afraid, for he does not burden himself with the worries of knowledge .
The scholar carries responsibilities in his heart, he knows what calamities mean, and fear creeps into his being .
The man was terrified !
Tears streamed from his bloodshot eyes, flames burned his body, his ribs were breaking, yet, he did not die .
He didn't know how to move his arms at first, not knowing made the horror less frightening, he didn't understand how bad his situation was .
So he persevered, because he was ignorant, he was fearless of despair, but now after experiencing the feeling ?
It's painful and dark .
In the midst of that darkness, he didn't give up, he persevered .
That's because ...
" Never forget, no one can pull you out of your ignorance but you, no matter how painful and harsh it is, you have to move forward !"
Although he faced failure, the voice of the lake guided him towards success .
He gritted his teeth and dug his nails into the hard soil .
He was learning to move his arms, nightmare monsters attacked his mind, he felt sadness, pain and despair, but he was making progress .
The number of monsters began to multiply as time passed, minutes, hours and days passed .
But these monsters couldn't do anything to him .
He was getting stronger as he progressed, the upper half of his body that was once buried in the dust of the ignorant was now above .
The nightmare attack no longer affected him as strongly as before, and his crawling progress became faster .
This immense pain made him go further .
The lake was getting closer, and just as he was about to succeed, other strange emotions hit him .
But unlike the previous emotions, these were warm and comforting .
He was overcome with emotion, and his expression twisted into a smile .
" Oh no! Move on quickly! Don't rejoice over your success. Deep joy is a failure's greatest ally. When you rejoice before achieving the goal, you will be satisfied and will be arrogant about your achievements !"
With the lake's voice ringing in his head, he noticed his situation, without realizing it, his arms were out of action .
A hollow feeling, a strange lack of motivation, and contentment with the situation no matter how miserable it is .
This is dangerous !
He was losing his passion, he was forgetting himself !
The old man closed the book, as he immersed himself in the meanings of the story, he recalled what had happened to him before now .
It had been a few days since he had searched for the purple fin fish, and luckily for him, at the end of the day he had rescued the young man, he had found a few fish .
With tears in his eyes, he healed his granddaughter, and sold the remaining fish to the village chief, making him not have to worry about money for a while .
He has been taking care of his granddaughter and the young man ever since .
Although his granddaughter had improved, he still had to take care of her, and the young man hadn't woken up yet .
" Umm ~"
While he was thinking about the first explorer, his granddaughter woke up .
"… I am hungry. "
She held her stomach and spoke deliberately in a loud voice .
" Su Mei, come here, this old man will make you eat your fill !"
The old man carried her while patting her head, and headed towards the small dining table .
This old man's name was Eugene Simon, this little girl was Hwa So Mi.
Old Eugene came from humble origins in Cairo. After working as a merchant for decades, he retired and lived in this village near the coast .
Whatever kind of life he had lived in the past, now he was just an old man raising his granddaughter and taking care of an injured man .
" Grandpa… why hasn't uncle woken up yet ?"
As Hwa So Mi was eating, she wondered anxiously, staring at the sleeping man .
" Hohoho, don't worry, little one, he will wake up soon. "
Old Eugene put the food in his granddaughter's mouth while reassuring her .
Clack
At that moment, the bed made a creaking sound .
The man was showing signs of alertness .
" Grandpa! The strange uncle is waking up !"
Hwa So Mi's eyes were shining, and after swallowing all her food, she ran towards the bed .
" Don't run inside the house, he'll get upset. "
Despite his warnings, the old man had been laughing a little, all the time, from his fainting spell until now, Hwa So Mi had put a lot of effort into taking care of him, changing the towels on his head, trying to dress his wounds with the help of her grandfather .
Sometimes she told about herself, sometimes she slept with her grandfather near the man, and sometimes she even told about her fears to this unconscious man .
Now, the joy of her efforts was evident in her expression .
" Uncle~ Dinner is ready, wake up. "
The little girl whispered quietly to the young man, as she watched him curiously .
There was no reaction .
Eugene did not speak, remaining a witness, with no intention of interfering .
" Uncle? It's night, dinner is here, why don't you wake up ?"
Gently, fearing to hurt him, she shook him slightly .
This time, his eyelids moved .
"… umm "
A groaning sound came out of his mouth .
"… he's waking up. "
Hwa So Mi was excited, but nervous at the same time .
The man's mind was foggy, he didn't know what was happening, but a painful light bothered his eyes .
He opened his eyes slightly and saw a little girl staring at him .
Her shape was blurry .
" … my daughter … "
A trembling voice came out of his mouth, regretful, helpless, and crying .
Without knowing when, he was crying .
" Uncle Strange! Don't cry! Su Mi is here with you !"
The girl had a strange feeling that she shouldn't leave this man alone, so she hugged him .
" My little one, don't pull it too hard, it will open up. "
Eugene approached lightly, laughing slightly, but watching the man warily .
The man was confused, he didn't know why he was crying, but the burning feeling refused to go away .
Little by little, some flashing images entered his mind .
A little girl and a woman, some other people too .
These pictures were accompanied by a small fire, as if a painting was burning inside an ancient palace .
" … Yes "
Sadness became a sob .
" Ah… that's it …"
So, his arms hugged the little girl gently, and his tears fell .
The girl, Hwa So Mi, was moved, and her body trembled slightly, but she forcefully held back the tears .
This feeling was familiar .
Yes, that was when her grandfather was sad and crying, there was no one to comfort him, so, she hugged him and cried with him .
It's the same situation .
And so on .
A light pat on the head .
Su Mi patted the man's head, words of reassurance finding their way easily .
" It's okay, everything is fine, Uncle is strong, I'm here with you, Su Mi is strong too "
Eugene didn't think he'd live long enough to see it twice .
Old man crying while being comforted by a little girl .
It may sound humiliating, but in reality, crying is necessary for the heart, and even the strongest people have their moments of weakness .
Not to mention anyone .
There is no worse feeling than losing a loved one .
Especially when those loved ones are children .
"… the food can wait a while. "
Now, we need to fill this hollow heart, just a little .
The old man went to the breakfast table, while the food was being prepared .
In a village overlooked by the stars of the night sky, inside a simple hut, a candle lit up the dark night, shining on three people .
A silent old man prepares food for the other two behind him .
A little girl cries a little but smiles .
And Finally .
A young man was crying, his heart gnawing at memories he wanted to forget .