Chapter 184
The Unspoken Hurt (II)
Rayce ran through the steep slide and through the thick garden of trees, his forehead glistening with sweat. It was as though there were ghosts chasing him, as he never seed to slow down until he finally reached the split in the 'path', taking a sharp right for about half a mile and coming upon a maw in the mountain.
It was rather inconspicuous--no different than any other maw that led to a cave--yet he could recognize it through the invisible specks of mana littering the outer edge of the rocks.
The darkness swallowed him, yet he confidently continued to walk, navigating the winding tunnels with pinpoint precision until he erged into a wide and open chamber.
There, seated against the stone, was Iryan.
She appeared distracted and deep in thought but quickly ca to as she heard his footsteps.
"Sothing terrible's happened!" he exclaid.
"What is it? Are you hurt?" She shot to her feet, walking over and grabbing his hand.
"No, not ! Up in the Castle! I heard... I heard that seven were killed last night!"
"Seven?!" she exclaid in shock.
"Yes! It must be that damned bloodsucker... but, but he never killed so many so quickly. What is he planning?!"
"Did you see anything suspicious up there?"
"Suspicious? What do you an suspicious?"
"Never mind," she shook her head and sighed. "It's unsafe to go up anymore. You should probably stay here from now on until that monster either calms down or leaves."
"No, no, I can't!" Rayce exclaid. "I have to go help them!"
"Help them?"
"They're just ordinary people, Iryan! They have no idea what they're up against!"
"And how will your explaining to them what they're 'up against' help?"
"--I don't know," he admitted, unwillingly, after a brief pause. "But I know I can't just hide here while they all beco food for that monster. I didn't escape the clan to hide forever, Iryan, not when I can help."
"And what if the bloodsucker discovers you and kills you?" she asked, seeming a bit angered. "Do you think he's like the rest of those morons that have co after you? That you can defeat him if you just get a bit lucky?!"
"N-no," he stumbled back, feeling a bit overwheld. "Of course not. I know I'm no match for him... but there's a chance!"
"A chance?"
"Hm! I saw a cultivator in the castle! If I explain to him what's happening--"
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"--hah!" she interrupted rather quickly. "A cultivator?! You want to ask a cultivator for help? You truly have gone mad! May as well just walk up to the bloodsucker himself and ask him to kindly stop what he's doing! Do you not rember any of the teachings from the clan? Just because they've wronged y--us doesn't an so of what they were saying isn't true! Cultivators are monsters, Rayce. They are monsters wearing human skin. That man would sooner behead you for simply speaking to him than help you.
"And, if for so unholy reason he does decide to help you, what if he's not strong enough, either? You should just listen to --we need to hide!"
"..." he thought for a mont, but it was pointless. In his heart, he'd already decided that he'd either help or die trying. Rather, that was why he was training so hard for--to be able to defeat the bloodsucker and prove to the entire clan that they were wrong. Both about him and especially Iryan.
"No," he said, turning around to leave. "I have to help them, Iryan. But you should--" he felt a flash of pain at the back of his head before the darkness suddenly swallowed him whole, the last vestiges of his consciousness catching the fading words of a cold voice.
"Tsk, idiot. Will you not stop until you ruin everything? And you, shut the hell up. You've been pissing off even more than you usually do..."
**
"Are... are you angry?"
She asked in a way that only the kid feeling the guilt of the world could. And, just like the kids do, I suddenly felt all that guilt transferred over onto .
--wait, no!
Don't get pulled into the whirlpool of being manipulated by a kid!
Honestly, I've been walking on pins and needles when it cos to all the kids with --don't protags in stories usually beco mass murderers before they even leave their hotown?
And... well, they already kind of are, right? Even as far back as us visiting Xi Zhao's hotown, where they engaged in so very bloody workouts, it wasn't as though their hands were clean.
But, there was a 'justification'--I an, yes, you can always make a justification and find so reason as to why your actions make total sense, but a line must exist sowhere, however.
"No," I spoke rather calmly, not raising my voice at all. "I'm not angry. Can you tell why you did it?"
"... they... they were making fun... of..." Her voice faded towards the end.
"They were making fun of you?"
"No, they were making fun of you!"
... ugh, goddammit. There's that guilt. Ooh, holy shit. Why does it feel like heartburn?
"Oh," I softly exclaid as she looked up, the look in her eyes rather... defiant. Of course, it all fell apart because she was just about ready to cry, but still. "Alright. So, they were making fun of . It made you angry?"
"Hm! It made really angry!"
"Why?"
"W-why?"
"Yes. Why?"
"..." She looked away rapidly, and all I could do was sigh.
Yeah.
I an, I kind of noticed the trend, as it were, but I didn't think it was this proliferated.
But... enough's enough.
"Okay, you three, stop eavesdropping and co here," I called out as three silhouettes erged from behind the wall, their faces, too, guilt-addled. "Sit," they did, shuffling in place awkwardly for a mont. "Words are just sounds. The only reason they have any aning is simply because we give them that aning. The sa way that the only way they can have any effect on us is if we let them.
"Look at --I do not care what others say about . I don't care what they say to my face, what they say behind my back, or what they shout at the sky when I best them at sothing or simply because they need to shout sothing. I don't want you to forge stray karmic ties with random strangers just because they spoke of in jest. You are all very precious to ," I added, the tone of my voice turning slightly gentler as I put on a faint smile. "And there are no lengths I wouldn't go to for you. But I'm your Master, and that's my duty.
"Your duty, as Disciples, is to listen to . So, please, listen: do not harm others so easily. Life is precious, as to you, so to everyone else. We all struggle against the currents, and we all sotis say things that don't necessarily define us. It's fine. Let them make fun of . When you co back, we can sit down and make fun of them, too. I know you feel it's your sacred duty to protect , but, despite everything, your Master can protect himself. And in the event that I can't, I'll die ensuring that nothing happens to you, at least. Because that is my devotion. Yours should only be to grow up into splendid people who can see the world beyond the tip of the weapon."
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