Chapter 22: Walking with You

“Elia… the last survivor of the seventh royal family, you can’t escape!”

“After all… the main mission this time was to bring you back — “

“And Xue Yue, you betrayed the Shadow Moon Hall. You will die even more miserably than I will! I’ll be waiting for you in hell… ha… haha… hahaha — “

Extinction was laughing maniacally.

It was as if he were mocking the ultimate fate of the two.

Even now, his body was a bloody mess, and his bones were nearly separating from his flesh.

*shred — *

He wanted to continue his curses and mockery, but in the next instant, a pitch-black sword sliced through the air, tearing his throat apart.

He spat out blood, making agonized noises.

The condensed darkness finally crushed down at that moment, grinding his form into a mass of mangled meat.

The circuits dispersed, the darkness vanished, and Extinction’s figure completely evaporated from this world.

The final enemy had fallen.

The world finally fell silent.

*patter…*

But the torrential rain showed no sign of stopping.

“Elia…”

Lu Mo turned around and looked at the girl standing in the curtain of rain.

Elia had opened her eyes at some point.

Now, through the heavy rain, she stared blankly at Lu Mo, who was shrouded in darkness.

The girl had forgotten to ward off the water, letting the torrential rain beat down on her body, hair, cheeks, and dress.

She looked so lonely, so helpless.

Just like… back then.

“Elia, I…” Lu Mo started to speak, stepping forward.

“Don’t come over!” Elia suddenly barked in the next second.

*rumble — *

Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the wind howled.

Elia snapped her head up, her eyes reflecting the dark clouds and the light of the thunder.

Tears, mingled with rain, flowed down from the corners of her eyes.

Under the flash of the lightning, her expression took on a hint of ferocity.

She suddenly began to run through the heavy curtain of rain.

She ignored the storm, the dampness, and the cold on her body.

She fled the city that held five years of memories, and she fled… her favorite Lu Mo.

Lu Mo stood rooted to the spot, watching Elia leave. Her expression gradually grew complex.

‘Is Elia hating me?’

Perhaps…

No.

In those pupils reflecting the lightning, she saw more than just sadness.

She also saw…

Reluctance and longing.

***

The rain poured.

Even after escaping Binglan City, Elia still couldn’t escape the storm.

Countless chaotic memory fragments flashed through her mind.

Xue Yue.

A Sequence member of the Shadow Moon Hall.

The person who participated in the hunt for the seventh royal family.

— That was what Blood Madness had said.

But had she never thought about it?

No, she had.

She had thought about it a long, long time ago.

Why did Lu Mo appear in the palace?

Why were Lu Mo’s clothes similar to those of Blood Madness?

Why did the sword that pierced Blood Madness flash with the aura of darkness?

Why…

She had once suspected Lu Mo’s identity and held a sense of vigilance toward her. She wanted to one day kill everyone in the Hall with her own hands.

But while living with Lu Mo, she felt her sincerity.

That gentleness had gradually melted the ice in her heart, shining a glimmer of light into her world.

She didn’t know when it started, but she had begun to trust Lu Mo.

She started calling Lu Mo “Sister.”

She started to love Lu Mo.

That suspicion was eventually buried in the deepest part of her heart.

However, no matter how she buried that suspicion or tried not to think about the past…

The distance between her and the truth, and that night of blood and fire, was only as thin as a sheet of paper.

And today, before his death, Extinction had poked a hole through that paper.

As a result, she could no longer escape the truth, nor could she deceive herself any longer.

The blood, the fire, her fallen sister, and Lu Mo emitting a dark aura all appeared before her once more.

That feeling of suffocation, chaos, and sadness returned.

She turned around, constantly trying to escape that scene.

Did she hate the Shadow Moon Hall?

She hated them to the absolute extreme.

Did she hate Lu Mo?

Actually… not at all.

Lu Mo was different from the others.

She didn’t have the bloody scent of those people from the Shadow Moon Hall.

She could make Elia feel warm.

She was the person her sister believed was worthy of trust and commitment.

However, when the entire truth was exposed and laid starkly before her —

She no longer knew how to face Lu Mo.

And after this, what kind of expression would Lu Mo show?

The night of blood and fire had continued today.

The people from the Shadow Moon Hall had begun searching for her again.

Her daily life was over.

the carefree years spent with Sister Lu Mo had ended.

But it was enough.

It was… already enough.

In the five years she spent with Lu Mo, she had been happy enough.

It was better to let this gentle story end here in this storm.

The separation, sadness, and despair that followed didn’t need to be written into it.

She was still the main target of the Shadow Moon Hall.

She had to part ways with Lu Mo.

So, she fled.

So, for the first time, she lost her temper at Lu Mo.

She pretended to be furious, wanting to make Lu Mo angry so she wouldn’t chase after her anymore.

If they separated like this, Lu Mo might be able to escape the pursuit.

In these five years, she had been happy because Lu Mo was there.

And Lu Mo had given too much for her.

She would bear everything that came next alone.

Perhaps it was because she had left Lu Mo, or perhaps because she was running toward the densest clouds…

Elia only felt cold, and the world before her seemed to turn dark once again.

‘I’m still… not used to this after all.’

‘Because… Sister Lu Mo isn’t by my side.’

She was lonely, sad, and filled with threads of despair.

Could she escape the Shadow Moon Hall?

Would she be caught?

Would she… die alone in despair?

Just like her sister.

She was just an 18-year-old girl; she would get scared and tremble too.

Running alone in the darkness, the endless weight and oppression were slowly stripping away her strength.

Eventually, she stopped temporarily. She found a cave and went all the way to its deepest part.

Dark clouds covered the sky, and no light could shine in. She leaned against the rock wall and curled up in the corner, burying her head deep and biting her lower lip hard.

‘Don’t cry, Elia,’ she told herself.

‘Don’t be that little girl who only knew how to cry anymore.’

‘It’s time to part with Sister Lu Mo.’

From now on, she had to learn to endure all of this.

She could only… walk the path of darkness alone.

*patter…*

The rain was heavy.

With the wind and rain combined, the thunder was constant.

Elia curled up in the depths of the cave, looking very much like a wounded, shivering little animal, lonely and waiting for her wounds to scab over.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

Gradually, the rain seemed to lighten slightly.

*tap — *

*tap — *

At that moment, she heard footsteps again.

A figure entered the cave and was… walking toward her!

Who was it?

At a time like this?

‘An enemy?’

Elia immediately held her breath and stood up silently. Her space ring flashed, and she gripped her weapon tightly.

“Hmm?”

But as the footsteps drew closer, Elia froze.

The other person seemed to be injured.

And those footsteps were so… familiar!

She lowered her sword.

Now, the figure approached her. Through the darkness, she saw Lu Mo walking toward her.

Lu Mo had dispelled her dark power. Her dress was soaked and stained red, and blood was slowly flowing from her wounds.

Her hair was a mess, and two cuts were left on her beautiful face. The blood smeared across her face looked both pathetic and comical.

The injuries seemed quite serious.

Yet Lu Mo suppressed all the pain and smiled at Elia once again, a faint light flickering in her eyes.

“I finally… found you…” she said.

She was just as gentle as she had been for the past five years.

The rain gradually stopped.

A sliver of sunlight shone in from the darkness behind them.

It was faint, but it still lit up the cave.

She saw Lu Mo’s figure glowing with a soft light.

“Why…” Elia bit her lip, struggling to hold back her emotions.

“Because I promised I would walk with you,” Lu Mo answered.

“I clearly lost my temper at you back then.”

“It’s fine. Everyone has their little moods.”

“I told you not to come over.”

“As expected, I just couldn’t stop worrying about you.”

No matter what Elia said, Lu Mo could always find a reason.

‘Don’t… do this anymore.’

‘Leave quickly.’

Tears were about to fall uncontrollably again.

Elia wanted Lu Mo to leave.

She was almost unable to maintain her fierce facade.

“Enough… stop… following me…” She looked at Lu Mo, speaking with the coldest, most vicious voice she could muster.

“I… hate you,” she said.

It was a lie.

A clumsy lie.

It was also the most poisonous thing she could say.

In truth, she had never hated Lu Mo.

Not even a little.

She wanted Lu Mo to leave, even if it meant hurting her.

But even so, Lu Mo still smiled and spoke gently, “But I don’t hate you. I told you a long time ago that I wouldn’t let you die, and I wouldn’t let you live in loneliness — at least not until you can walk on your own.”

Elia lowered her head, her body trembling.

And Lu Mo walked forward without hesitation.

Enough.

Enough.

“Don’t… come over.”

“Don’t get… close to me anymore.”

Elia spoke.

And yet, at that moment, the girl had already given her a big hug.

The two figures overlapped.

Blood, rain, and tears intertwined.

Both of their bodies were soaking wet and very cold.

But at this moment, Elia felt a burning heart beating inside the other’s body.

“Sister… Lu Mo.”

She softly called the girl’s name once more.

Then, she hugged the girl tightly, leaned down, buried her head in her shoulder, and sobbed.

“I’ll walk with you for this part of the journey.”

Lu Mo lightly stroked Elia’s head, speaking in a low voice.

In the deep darkness of the cave, light began to seep in.

The two of them just hugged quietly, feeling each other’s heartbeats.

Two lonely souls had once again snuggled together.