Amidst the destruction of the once beautiful wilderness and majestic mountain, a robed figure remained submerged within the puddle of dried crimson shade. His breathing, although slow and waning, was steady without any break.
"The sky was very clear today, don't you think so?" His dark, depressing eyes gazed upon the sun. His expression was calm, showing no variation of emotions. If not for the open wounds on his stomach, he would look no different than any ordinary person.
His words echoed into the surrounding, but the figure standing beside him remained in silence. Only her glittering eyes would occasionally shift between his peaceful expression and the warm-coloured horizon.
"Still not calling me your teacher until the very end, huh?" Despite her unwillingness to talk to him, the dying man continued to mutter to her. Although his voice began to soften, she could hear every word loud and clear.
"You must be cursing me right now, but, remember, it is I who gave you everything— isn't this true love?" As soon as his sentence resounded, the maiden abruptly froze her movement. Her calm eyes turned bloodied as she threw a dagger towards him.
With his injuries, the man could not dodge the dagger and let it stabbed into him. Vines began to explode outwards from the wound and begin to devour his flesh and blood at a visible rate.
"You took everything from me! Everything!" Although her voice was pleasant and charming, the air she exuded was as demonic as it could be. If not for some truth in his earlier sentence, she would have killed him before he could speak anything.
After her outburst, the man smiled before rising his hand upwards. His slow movement caught her attention, causing her to stop her torture. He tried reaching his hand to grasp her arm, but he could not cross the distance between the two.
"Matia, it's okay to hate me and kill me. However, the legacy of our Garden must live on. Protect the Garden and take good care of that kid." Knowing that Matia did not want him to reach out to her, the man let go of his thought and spoke to her. Using his last bit of consciousness, he closed his muddled eyes and fell into the darkness.
Although the man did not hear any confirmation or rejection, his mouth remained smiling until the very end, knowing what the little girl before him would do.
"You're right. Everything I accomplished is partially your effort." At first, Matia looked towards the sky and locked her gaze at the orange horizon. Her face distorted into a smile. Then, despite her effort to remain expressionless, transparent liquid manifested beneath her eyes.
Even if she hated herself for mourning his death, Matia could not suppress her overwhelming emotions as the memory since her first arrival rushed through her mind.
Matia watched as her dull world brightened up when she received his praise for the first time. She saw how worried he was when he oversaw her breakthrough despite secretly helping her with his knowledge.
Just like a flickering light of a candle, everything raced past her in only a fleeting moment before disappearing into the darkness. Without her notice, she had grown attached to his outwards coldness which hid the inwards warmness.
Although her hatred for his was unending, it could not distinguish her gratitude for his care. In the end, it was only after killing him, did she realize her profound feeling.
Only when she stopped her weeping did she realize that the sky had already turned dark. The moonlight reflected onto the surrounding rocks, revealing the tranquil scene of nature. If not for a figure kneeling in front of a corpse, no one would know that there was a terrifying fight here.
When she gazed towards the location of his corpse, she found that only dried blood and ashes had remained. The vines had already devoured his fleshes and bones, leaving only the ashes of what once was her teacher.
Picking up a medal that signified the Second Elder position of Flying Green Garden, Matia slowly stood up and waved her hand, creating a gush of wind that blew the dust into the wildness.
"Thank you, and farewell, teacher." The night was quiet, echoing only the footsteps of a lonely daughter, who lost almost everything that gave her happiness.
...
"Miss, we have no idea what you're talking about." Only when Forus spoke did Matia regain her focus. Although it was only a mere moment, her mind wandered into the old memory that still pained her.
With his one answer, Matia could feel her mind clearing. Since the day she regained her memory, she had already dedicated herself to become strong and took back everything she lost.
Inside the depth of her consciousness, the looming sense of grief and stress remained unmoved, haunting her every time she closed her eyes. Although the promise with her teacher was genuine, she would gladly forsake it all for her selfish goal, if it meant avenging her parents.
Little by little, her face fell, and tears once again plagued her mournful eyes. The profound emotion she felt one hundred years ago made its appearance anew.
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"Miss?" Ocelia became confused at the sight of Matia tearing up. At once, her thoughts flashed into many speculations, but, in the end, she shook her head and remained silent. She had no obligation to step in and meddle with the story of someone's else.
"Then, why did you have his aura?" In her trembling voice, Matia asked Forus with a hint of anticipation. If not for her hundreds of years of experience, she would have kneeled and wept while begging him to tell the location of her father.
At her question, Forus remained silent, not knowing how to answer. Even if he told the truth, no one would be willing to suspend their common sense and believe him. If not for the memory-sharing with Ocelia and her absolute trust in him, she might not believe his story either.
After all, killing a second-ranked sorcerer as a mortal, with the power of the Taboo Existences granted by an evil entity was too hard to accept. The mountain of coincidences was too huge to overcome without experiencing it first-hand.
"I have my reason, but I can assure you that there is no relation between him and me." Without any way to explain, Forus could only tell Matia this much. He did not wish to anger her and suffer as a consequence.
Ocelia moved in front of Forus as she faced Matia, using herself as a shield to block any unforeseeable circumstances. She knew that Forus had not regained his sorcery energy yet, and any strike from a second-ranked sorcerer could easily take his life.
Watching her action, Matia felt a slight pulse from her heart. The couple in front of her reminded her of the two in her faded memory. Knowing how fragile their life could be, she did not wish to become her teacher and ripped apart even more family.
"If you could tell me the location of his hideout, I'll not only help you recover your eyes but assist you in advancing your sorcery mastery." In her last attempt at uncovering the truth, Matia asked in a low voice, almost pleading as she did not use any sorcery to enhance her speech.
"It's somewhere along the south road of Flamedouse City. I don't want anything, just help him regain his vision." Before Forus could answer, Ocelia spoke in her shaky voice. She almost revealed a smile when she heard that there was hope for his eyes. She missed the azure eyes that could appreciate her beauty.
Hearing her answer, Matia let out a pleasant smile that even Ocelia felt an urge to compliment. She held her hand in front of her chest and made a grasping motion, causing a small potion to manifest at her fingertips.
"Let him take it. It'll help him get rid of the impurity from the spiritual seed. After I've settled my business, I'll come back to help him." Along with the potion, Matia also sent out a badge towards Ocelia, signifying her promise.
"To bring out the Garden of Placidity, still as lively as usual." Just as Matia was about to go back to her group, a voice echoed around the mountain, revealing unmasked contempt towards Flying Green Garden.
"Please reveal yourself, guest from afar. Following the Decree of the Mountain Emperor, this place is under lockdown and would not welcome anyone without His Majesty's permission." The Mountain Envoy felt slightly annoyed at the disregard attitude of the mysterious voice. However, to avoid their detection and get this close to the Fleeting Emotions Ruin, the mastermind must be resourceful.
At the same height as the two groups of second-ranked sorcerers, a golden mist manifested all around the mountain. It encompassed the Ruin, forming a giant yellowish dome. Although it did not do anything exceptional, it still instilled fear and curiosity into the mind of the people below.
Inside the golden gradient, the dark silhouette of multiple structures emerged from the hazy fog. They strangely remained floating apart from the ground, just like the Garden of Placidity. Although most of them were smaller than the Garden, the biggest one was almost as big as it.
On top of the flying fortresses, many figures dressed in a dark yellow robe stood guarded, looking down onto the world as if they were above it. The most notable symbol on their cloak was the golden outline of an eye.
"Divine Eye Tower, aren't you all supposed to guard your ancestral ground?" The leader of Flying Green Garden, the First Elder, widened his eyes as he spoke, trying to suppress his distress.
Although Flying Green Garden had a backer that even the Mountain Emperor would guard against, Divine Eye Tower was a behemoth that could contend with said backer. Flying Green Garden could never hope to match its influence and strength.
"The Grand Elder has issued his command. Today, we shall crush the Garden of Placidity beneath our might. As the Wheel of Fate dictated!" Under the proclamation of supremacy and arrogance, a group of extraordinary sorcerers stepped forwards from the biggest flying fortress and headed towards the deadlock.
The leader of the group stood in front of the Mountain Envoy and the First Elder of Flying Green Garden. His aura expanded outwards and pressured the two groups, causing some of the members to turn pale and retreat a few steps in reflex.
"Little Envoy, send my greeting to His Majesty." The Mountain Envoy could only smile at his provocation. He knew that the mysterious Grand Elder of Divine Eye Tower was at the peak stage of the second rank and could defeat a puny Envoy without any real effort.
"First Elder, say hi to Acelrus for me. If possible, make him drag his bones to meet his old friend." The First Elder swallowed his words as he slowly nodded. Within the surrounding area, only the man before him could call the Grand Elder of Flying Green Garden by his name.
Just as he finished his speech, the flying fortresses gradually surrounded the Garden of Placidity, forming a formation that would commence the massacre at any moment.
...
Inside the dark void of the Fleeting Emotions Ruin, Lord Phasma seated atop a marble throne, looking down at the mysterious orb that controlled the ruin.
Above the orb, many visions of the surrounding area of the mountain flashed by, revealing the situation from the outside. Although no one could detect the invisible fortresses, the ancient formation could see them as clear as the bright sky.
"Now that I've already fulfilled my oath, you can't blame me for taking advantage of the situation." Phasma smiled as he waved his hand, causing the pale orb to turn blood-red, trembling in excitement.
"Don't worry, if everything goes according to the plan, then you'll get a share too. I won't treat my successor poorly." Phasma turned his head towards the feminine figure behind him. She watched as the scene unfolded, revealing nothing but a seductive aura.
"If possible, can you let those people live?" After a period of consideration, the lady showed the silhouettes of some people. They were the people that she wished to repay.
"Of course, anything for you, my dear successor." In the end, Phasma swept his eyes across the scene, revealing a hint of surprise before suppressing it down. Even if she did not ask him, he would never dare to do anything to those people.