Chapter 11
To Break a Heart
Senior lived a simple life, Song realized.
For the duration of the day that they spent with him, he’d mostly just attended to the animals, disappearing for a few hours before reappearing with even more critters in tow. As the night descended, he began making another batch of the stew, and both Song and Lya bore witness to the true horrors of this place--there were hundreds of pairs of eyes peering from the darkness, each more terrifying than the last, the ilk of creatures that, in the outside world, would be qualified as Demonic Saints.
The two didn’t dare move an inch, sitting like statues illuminated by the crackling embers of the fire, holding their breaths. Especially the pair of eyes in the far distance... it was enough to make a grown man cry!
As such, they haplessly sat about and drank their own bowls in silence; once again, the miraculous effects took root in them, and both broke through... twice. Was cultivating really that easy? No! In fact, it was arduous work like no other in the world!
The only reason both Lye and Song were already at the Foundation Realm was that their Masters spared no expenses over the past few years. At the entrance ceremony, when they were twelve, it was discovered that they both had Sky Roots--with Lya’s being middle tier and Song’s low tier--quite a rarity in their tiny little Sect. As such, ever since they were accepted, they were showered with herbs, medicinal soups, spirit stones, and all manner of pastes and drugs designed to not only propel them forward in stages and realms, but also stabilize them at the same time.
Breaking through even a minor stage was a big thing--they’d have to prepare for weeks in advance, set aside enough spirit stones, and re-align their mindsets just to be certain. And yet, there they were, drinking stew and breaking through as though it were nothing.
“Tonight’s story,” the man suddenly spoke, settling down after having distributed six pots of stew among the animals. Song and Lya both perked their ears up and listened, as did the animals around them. They were all either seated or lying down, carefully listening. “Is about a young, selfish boy who made a horrible mistake.” the man paused for a moment before continuing.
“The little boy had everything in the world--all the riches he could imagine. All his life, he’d never known the meaning of the struggle. What he asked, he got. The little boy also had a little sister--but, unlike him who was bereft of worries of any sort, his sister... was sickly. Meek. All her life, she struggled. Despite the riches, despite the world at her fingertips, there was nothing that could be done--she would die, soon, the boy learned.
“The boy hated it, you see--instead of exploring the world with the riches, he was forced to stay home and take care of his little sister. Day after day, weeks going on. His anger brewed, especially when she would suffer an attack. Deep down in his heart, the boy prayed she would die quickly, so that he would be free at last.
“One day, the boy made plans with his friends--plans for something he wanted to do for years. However, when he told his parents, they demanded he stay home and take care of his sister. Unable to hold it in any longer, the boy exploded in anger, telling them that it wasn’t his job to take care of her--that, in fact, he hated her.
“He left soon after, having realized that his sister heard him. His father stopped talking to him, and even his mother grew colder. However, the boy didn’t care; at last, he felt free. Free of the prison he was sentenced to against his will.
“He hadn’t spoken to his sister at all since that night, until two months later when he returned home to see it swarmed. He saw his parents sitting in the corner, pale in the face, and quickly learned that his sister had died. However, unlike what he expected--to be relieved, to be happy, to be glad... another feeling came about, the sort that he never felt before in his life: guilt.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“It consumed him, devoured him like a plague. He tried to wrangle it, justify it, excuse it, but it was for naught. If he endured just for two months, his younger sister wouldn’t have had to die thinking he hated her. She wouldn’t have had to die thinking she was a burden to him. Just two months... two out of hundreds that he would go on to live.
“That night, the boy was broken--and he would never wholly heal from it, no matter how many years passed. He would also never speak with his father, not until the day the man died. The boy would grow cold and numb, and he would hide himself in a shell of his own making, distancing from anything that felt real from fear of being broken again.”
“...” a few animals whimpered lowly as those around the man nestled closely against him. Even Lya and Song felt a knot twist in their throats, wondering whether it was really just a random story.
“We never really know,” the man said, caressing the top of the white panther’s head. “When those we love will go. It can happen in the blink of an eye, and we can be caught wholly unaware. We only have a tiny bit of infinity to spend with them, and wasting time in doubt and fear is hopeless.”
Silence fell upon the gathering--one by one, animals began to withdraw into darkness, vanishing into the night. The solemn atmosphere persisted until Lya and Song retreated into the mud hut, and likely beyond. Before drifting to sleep, they caught a soft voice singing from the outside; it was low, unknown, melodic, and borne with struggle ensconced within the heart.
“Broken skies, heartaches that flowers won’t mend... say goodbye knowing that this is the end...”
**
Leo woke up feeling rather sour and downtrodden. His head hurt in a rather strange way, but he could endure it; it was the knot in his throat that was bothering him. He hadn’t planned on sharing the story he did last night--it just sort of slipped through his lips.
He’d never spoken about Layla to any of his friends or girlfriends--in fact, aside from those who’ve known him since high school, none of his friends even knew he ever had a sister. Last night, however, the burdens were broken down and words formed... and left him, one by one. Though he felt ever so slightly unburdened, the old feelings resurfaced after so many years, suffocating him a bit.
However, he didn’t have the luxury to think about it for too long--the boar that was to assassinate him would show up today. Luckily, both of the cultivators were still here and didn’t seem like they were in a rush to leave.
As has become a routine, he first went to the pond and took a quick bath before making rounds in a small circle, setting up a few extra Spike Traps. They only cost some mud, vines, and wood to set up, making him further certain that they’d be mostly useless against the beast.
By the time he returned ‘home’, the cultivators were out of the hut and meditating on the side. Leo grew partly green with envy--he, too, wanted the mindset, the nerves, and the ability to sit still in an uncomfortable position for longer than 17 seconds. Alas, he didn’t have it.
The two woke up as soon as he appeared, scurrying over and greeting him with a bow. Leo enjoyed the treatment--even if it was given under false pretenses--and simply smiled as started making fruit juice for the two. He also decided to tentatively ask them for a favor.
“In order to protect a pair of deer,” he said. “I was forced to kill a boar.”
“...”
“Now, its mate is on the way over here for revenge,” he turned to the pair of confused cultivators and smiled. “Fourth Stage of Foundation Establishment boar... what should I do with it?” he asked in a rather roundabout matter, yet the misunderstanding seemed to have careened a bit further off the cliff as he saw the eyes of the two kids light up like lamps.
“Leave it to us, Senior!” they said the exact same words, at the exact same time, in the exact same cadence. It was cute--no, it was really, really, really creepy. In fact, it sent shivers down his spine. “Even if it is nowhere near enough to repay the favors you have granted us, allow us to help you with this pest. There is no reason for you to tire yourself over something so banal.”
Though their intentions were good, Leo wept inwardly. That banal thing, after all, was a life and death struggle for him. Nonetheless, he maintained a faint smile and handed over the two cups of juice.
“We will have a proper feast, then,” he said. “Be careful to not get hurt, however.”
“Don’t worry, Senior,” the boy said. “Simply rest and wait for us to bring the beast to you!”
Ah, to be young and full of spunk... suddenly, Leo felt older than he ever did in his life. Even though he’d been 36 on Earth (and was 36 now, here), he never felt particularly old... until today, and until now. Is this why people have kids? He pondered silently. To outsource all the garbage chores on them? Not bad... not bad...
He remembered the main quest, where he’d either have to join or found a Sect once he left the forest, and he imagined a world in which he sat on a golden throne while an army of Disciples took care of everything for him. Ah, how wonderful it would be... and how well-imagined...