A Tale of Forgotten Gods

Chapter 83: Cold guilt.

Kiyori walked toward the unconscious form of Mo Fei. She slowly lifted his limp body, supporting him by her shoulders, and dragged him toward a house. Her other hand held his Glaive, while one shoulder kept her bow hanging.

The elder slowly stepped forward. His gaze locked on both of them, filled with a hint of gratitude. "Words aren’t enough to thank you, Priestess."

Kiyori’s lips twitched into a warm smile; rain dropped from her chin. She shook her head and said with her soft tone. "I did not; it was him all along."

The elder hesitated as he looked at Mo Fei’s unconscious form. "Was he a half demon?"

"No!" She said strictly. "It’s a different thing; I can explain a little bit, but he is suffering as much as you have... maybe more."

The elder nodded, though he still maintained distance from Mo Fei. "How do I repay the gratitude?"

"A shelter and some food would be enough; I won’t ask much."

The elder pointed toward a guest room. She moved toward it and put Mo Fei and the Glaive near a wall. Her gaze lingered on the peeled skin; his soaked body turned cold. She turned toward the villager. "Could you please bring me something to cover wounds?"

All the villagers came out one by one and went into their houses. One of them brought a few straps of cloth but didn’t move closer to Mo Fei and put them farther away from him.

Kiyori stared down at the clothes, her heart tightening at the situation Mo Fei had been facing.

So, that’s how it feels to be an ascended. Such... coldness. They are humans too, aren’t they? I cannot think of how many things you are facing alone behind that act. Is it because you are persistent in your humanity, or is it because your purpose has been shattered long ago?

She took a long breath, her lips pressing together as she moved to get the cloth. It was the same day she met him, the same corruption, just way worse outcomes.

She pressed her hand against his skin, but it didn’t heal. Her eyes narrowed at the wound, and she moved her hand in her pockets, bringing out the medical herbs.

Looking at her situation, she had been soaked by rain before, but now she wasn’t alone to feel it. She put the herbs in the cloth and wrapped it around his hands and face. The wound in his stomach was smaller now, and she noticed at that moment that it only healed when the corruption took over, only to replace it with another wound.

Kiyori exhaled once before stepping back slightly; water dripped on the ground. "Now, where do I get new clothes from?"

Fwip!

She flinched at the sudden voice; something behind her shifted. Kiyori slowly turned and saw a pair of pale white clothes, matching her outfit. Her brows furrowed confused as she looked at the outfit. Beside it, a page rested on the surface. She picked it up and read it, which said, "An apology."

"This sounds familiar." Kiyori tilted her head sideways. "The Serpent? Oh, to remember, it gives Mo Fei clothes too."

She muttered silently and hummed, happy to get a new pair of clothes from a cosmic being.

Kiyori quickly took the clothes and moved out somewhere and changed her clothes before returning and tied a rope, which she grabbed from nearby, and put her old clothes there.

Then, she sat down slightly away from Mo Fei.

The door creaked open as a woman entered with a plate of food. Keeping her distance, the woman put down the rice bowl and moved out of the room.

Kiyori got the food and began to eat, her hands moving quickly out of hunger. She ate half of the rice bowl and stopped midway, putting the bowl down, leaving it for Mo Fei.

With a soft yawn, she lay down. The rain fell outside with the soft pitta-patter of dripping, turning the afternoon into a soft night. She should rest until he wakes up to continue the journey soon, though those twisted faces still haunted her deep, yet she slept without trying to be overwhelmed.

Time passed, moving a few hours.

Mo Fei’s body stirred, his eyes slowly opening as he processed the world. His gaze lay on Kiyori’s sleeping form, then at the bowl, half filled with rice.

Finally, he looked at his Glaive and his hands, one palm pierced by an arrow, but covered with a bandage. The realization crushed him; he had lost to corruption again. He remembered everything: how he killed the demon and the two guards; he remembered how he raised his Glaive toward the kid and the woman.

His breathing increased. "How did I end up in that..."

He quickly stayed away from her. "That is a dream... I... would. I would never."

"Great Master. You didn’t do anything." The voice echoed in his head.

"NO! I... I did that... what if I’d have killed those innocent people too..."

"That is an ’If’. I would have stopped you." The Serpent reassured him.

"I don’t know! What if you couldn’t have! What if I had, what if it happens again and no one would be there to stop me!" His eyes widened; he couldn’t accept reality. "I can’t."

The Serpent hissed. "Lord Lightless, you shouldn’t think this. By tomorrow, the spirits will eat the extra corruption."

Mo Fei clenched his temples. "Damn it, I never chose it."

"Do you want to return to the Lightless realm to comfort yourself, Great Master?" The Serpent whispered.

Mo Fei thought for a second and said, "Yes."

Mo Fei opened his eyes to see the familiar white mist. The pillars reaching the endless sky stood still; he sat on the throne and leaned against it.

His mind raced with thoughts. "I chose to be Lightless, to survive, not to... not to raise it on someone." He looked at his hand, still giving the scent of blood that didn’t even exist; only he smelled the invisible senll. The earring in his ear flowed with a soft blow. "How could I?"

He smashed his hand on the armrest. "Damn it!!! How can I return with this pathetic face! How can I look at others? Damn this shit, it was better to be dead than this!!" He stopped and grunted. "I just wanted home, but I didn’t know I had to pay my humanity in return."

"Great Master." The Serpent’s gentle voice echoed in the deep interior of the realm. "You cannot carry everything; being Lightless doesn’t demand it."

"What does it demand! Madness?! Insanity to kill people?" Mo Fei said, his voice echoing in the realm as he gripped the armrest with his fingers tightly. His expression filled with a mix of fear and guilt.

The Serpent slightly unfurled itself and moved toward him, the pale scales catching the light and reflected it toward his eyes. "Why do you think no Lightless ever succeeded in reaching the next Ordinal?"

"Why?"

"This authority was to create, not to destroy; it was meant for balance, but others had no light to offer, only darkness, control, and revenge. They chose it even when they had everything; eventually it became rejected authority because it meant responsibility. You chose it because you had nothing, maybe a mere coincidence, while others chose it because they had everything but hope." The Serpent hissed softly. "The responsibility broke them."

"It doesn’t help at all." Mo Fei lowered his gaze.

"The corruption will be controlled by tomorrow. You won’t have to go through that again." It gave him a nod, then slowly curled back to the throne, its body creating a screech.

Mo Fei nodded slowly. Then the Serpent continued. "I hope, Lord, you haven’t forgotten why you returned. Would you rather people go down?"

"Tch, quite good at fixing things."

"I’m honored Great Master, return now."

Mo Fei gave another nod, his breathing still hard as he tried to process things. Behind him, he felt an invisible warm hand. With a long inhale, he closed his eyes and found himself back in the human realm.

The rain was still falling outside, the dim light reaching inside the hut. He moved out his hand for the earring; as he touched it, and felt a warm, familiar feeling. He slowly sat up and looked at the half-filled bowl. "I wonder what they are doing, sigh."

He reached his hand toward the bowl and picked it up. Seeing the half-eaten rice, he hesitated once and glanced at Kiyori, then back to the bowl.

His stomach groaned, and he finally took a bite. His mind refused to eat because of mental exhaustion, but he forced himself to eat.

’I’m no longer afraid of dying, many times. It’s not bad anymore, but what I’m terrified of is ruining lives over mine when I look at a mirror and don’t find the face I was before... that terrifies me more than death. Even if God gets mad, what makes me exceptional is that I won’t? Mad, corrupted God... that in one sentence is terrible.’

He swallowed the dry rice and still couldn’t forgive himself for his actions.

When you choose a power, it becomes a responsibility; let it choose you, and it’ll become a curse. Mo Fei put the bowl down and looked outside. He wanted to leave the place, away from everyone, but the assurance of the Serpent held him back.

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