Yun Shuyi couldn't hold on to his consciousness any longer. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed onto the ground.
The unknown being slowly approached and knelt beside him. It extended a finger, pressing it gently to Yun Shuyi's forehead. A soft light bloomed from its fingertip, spreading warmth and healing across the boy's broken body.
Then, without a word, a pill materialized in the being's hand. It swallowed it, and the bleeding from its own wounds ceased, its breathing steadied.
"To think... he was here all along," the being murmured. "While they searched every corner of the Southern Domain, he ended up on this forsaken planet. Verdant Hollow... such is fate, I suppose."
It lifted Yun Shuyi's small body into its arms and rose into the sky. The setting sun cast a strange, amber glow over the two as they vanished into the clouds.
A Few Days Later
Yun Shuyi's POV
"Hnn... this... isn't my house," I mumbled, feeling the strange softness beneath me.
I jolted upright with a sharp cry, "Ahh!" Pain surged through every part of my body, forcing me to grit my teeth.
Then it hit me—the two cultivators... the explosion... the villagers...
"No… no, it has to be a dream," I whispered. "Please, no... NOOOOOO! WHY!?"
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I clutched my head. My breath came in ragged gasps.
"This can't be real... please… it can't... be… real…" The words choked in my throat, but deep down, I knew the truth.
It was real. All of it.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
A woman stepped in. I recognized her instantly—it was her. The survivor from that battle. The one who destroyed everything.
I scrambled back on the bed, voice trembling, "Y-You... stay away from me…"
For a brief moment, something like pity flickered in her eyes—but it vanished quickly, replaced by the same cold indifference I'd seen during the battle.
"You don't have to be afraid," she said calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you."
I froze, confused. "A-Are you... not going to kill me?"
"If I wanted you dead," she replied, "you wouldn't be talking to me."
Her words made too much sense. Still, I hesitated. Could I trust her? She and the other being caused all this destruction.
"Then… why did you kill the villagers?" I asked. Even though I knew deep down the answer, I couldn't stop myself.
She stared straight into me, as if reading my soul.
"You already know the answer," she said. "So why ask?"
"I... I know," I admitted quietly. "But... I still wanted to hear it."
She looked away briefly before answering, "I didn't kill them. But they died… because of us."
Her words confused me.
"You're saying you didn't kill them, but they still died because of you?"
She chuckled lightly. "You're just like your father and mother."
My eyes widened in disbelief.
"F-Father… and Mother?" I repeated, my voice shaking.