Amidst the bustling streets of Dawn City, it was possible to see a voluptuous, crimson-haired woman walking about aimlessly, lost seemingly drowning in her own thoughts.
Fei Yue had left Di Tian's office with raging thoughts; she's had a lot of things to think about.
Di Tian had spoken of revenge, and he was right.
She was too weak. In the face of an adept with the ability to wipe out an entire village in a single night, she was nothing.
She wasn't even sure of what to make of her life at this point.
'Perhaps the last Blood Lord had made a huge mistake. One maybe he would come to regret'
From what she understood, the last bloodlord had chosen her not because she was special, instead it was because she was the only candidate.
Not wanting the pathway to die with him he had forcefully passed it to her.
Fei Yue's trembling hand raked through her crimson hair, her fingers catching on the tangled strands.
Her breath hitched, and with a sudden, desperate motion, she gripped a fistful of locks.
A soft yelp escaped her lips as she yanked, tearing a few strands free from her scalp.
They drifted to the ground, glinting faintly in the dying light.
"Ahh!" she cried, the sharp sting of pain snapping her back to the weight of her reality.
The legacy would die with her. The bitter truth gnawed at her soul. She wasn't strong enough to carry it forward, to pass it on.
And even if she were, the knowledge of how to do so eluded her, slipping through her grasp like sand through an hourglass.
The legacy would die with her; she wasn't even strong enough to pass it on. Even if she wanted to, she didn't know how.
For a fleeting moment, Fei Yue's thoughts drifted to her long-lost sister, a faint flicker of hope in the storm of her despair.
All she had was a name "The Blue Yin Sect" a fragile thread of a clue, barely enough to cling to.
The weight of her failures pressed harder, whispering surrender.
Perhaps Di Tian's offer was the answer: to abandon the impossible burden of her legacy and embrace the ordinary life she already knew.
It felt like the only path left.Above, the sun, once a blazing tyrant in the sky, began to falter, its fiery vigor bleeding into a soft, dying glow.
It sank beyond the horizon, surrendering to the creeping darkness that would soon drape the world in shadow for hours to come.
Fei Yue wandered through the unfamiliar streets of Dawn City, her footsteps echoing faintly, like whispers of a forgotten song.
Each step seemed to sink her deeper into the quagmire of her grief, her mind a tempest of chaotic thoughts that clawed at her sanity, dragging her ever closer to the precipice of despair.
She hadn't noticed the hours slipping away, lost in the labyrinth of her own torment.
The city, once alive with the clamor of merchants and passersby, now grew quiet.
The streets emptied as people retreated to the warmth of their homes, and shopkeepers shuttered their stalls, leaving only the soft creak of signs swaying in the evening breeze.
The sound of her growling stomach roused her from her thinking stupor; she realized she hadn't eaten for days.
If it hadn't been for her recent evolution, she would have passed out by now.
Her body had been filled with energy up until this moment.
She took a subtle glance at her surroundings; the streets were almost, if not entirely, empty.
The only person she saw was an elderly and wheezing old man packing up for the day.
"Excuse me," her words quickly drew the man's attention, who had been surprised to see such a strange yet beautiful woman talking to him.
"How may I help you, miss?" the old man asked, his voice shaky with the weariness of old age. Each breath he took blew a sharp whistle that sounded particularly uncomfortable. He looked as though he would drop dead at any moment.
"Where can I find an inn?" Fei Yue inquired. As much as she needed food, sleeping in the streets was not an option.
"Why don't you try the closest inn? I'm sure they are still open," the old man stated while pointing at a particular building, where a dilapidated two-story building lay. Fei Yue thanked him before walking in the direction the old man had pointed.
...
The ground floor was mostly empty, with a single receptionist table in the middle and a single stair leading to the upper floor. In a way, it was like the pagoda of the "Golden Order" she had recently visited; however, the pagoda was bigger and a lot more luxurious and grand.
She was met with a receptionist lady about her age. "Hello, I need a place to sleep," she spoke straight to the point. She had traveled for close to three days to get to this city, and upon arriving, hadn't had a single moment of rest. Her muscles were beginning to ache.
The lady raised her brows a bit, apparently surprised by Fei Yue's attire, but she quickly regained her composure. "That would be 5 silver notes," she added. Fei Yue quickly handed her the money.
"Would you like some food too?" the lady added, surprised that the oddly dressed woman would be able to fork out 5 silver notes without so much as a haggle.
"Yes," Fei Yue answered, not initially thinking there would be food, but she would take it.
"That would be 1 silver." The lady showed Fei Yue to the room where she would be sleeping for the night.
...
"You are the one he chose? He sacrificed the last bit of his life force for you? How disappointing."
Fei Yue found herself in an inherently dark space once more, with another voice booming at her, threatening to shatter her eardrums.
She didn't have much trouble falling asleep, with the overload and rapid occurrence of events over the last few days. It was a much-deserved rest; however, it was not meant to be. The moment she had closed her eyes, she found herself in another dark space. Unlike the previous time, she could clearly see the person talking to her. It was a man adorned in a golden robe, with long golden hair. His entire person glowed with golden hues that forced Fei Yue to shield her eyes.
The sudden change left her wondering what exactly was happening. All she wanted was to sleep. One moment, she was in the small and uncomfortable, yet better than any room she knew of, with a soft bed that made her feel as though she was floating on clouds. Just when she closed her eyes, she was met with an angry, young, middle-aged man who, for some reason, made her feel he was older than he looked.
Was this a dream? Was she still asleep? Was any of this real? She couldn't tell. When you have an angry individual with a demeanor that could only be described as godly angry at you for some reason, you kind of lose the ability to think clearly. Before she knew it, blood began leaking out of her ears and nose.
"Hahaha! I can't believe he gave the legacy to an old lady with no future. You can only blame yourself and him for setting you on this path," the golden-haired man uttered, his tone laced with disdain.
Fei Yue, on the other hand, couldn't believe what she was hearing. She rolled her eyes. Why was everyone calling her old? She was only 26. First, Di Tian called her too old, then this stranger, who just so happened to be angry at her for some reason, was calling her an old lady. It was obvious that this man would be at least 20 to 25 years older than her, yet he, too, was calling her old.
"Hmm? You have guts, calling me old. How about we make a bet? I will allow you to live a bit longer. How about fifty years? I will visit you again in fifty years. At that time, I will claim your life. Don't bother running or trying to hide; I have already marked your soul. I will find you."