Chương 33: Within Lust, there is regret (Part III)

"Huang'er, come see what I found!" A small girl rushed toward Lucian, her hands grabbing his as she pulled him forward with bright excitement. His hands were those of a young boy, and Lucian had no control over his body. Besides, the entire world was drenched in a dim red hue, as if soaked in diluted blood. Although he could tell her hair was dark and her skin fair, no colors were clear, and everything blurred into that same crimson-tinted haze.

"Don't call me that, Tai Tai," he said, his voice childish and tinged with a faint pout that did not belong to his original self. Tai Tai giggled, light and carefree. She dragged him along a narrow trail between trees that rose like silent pillars around them, their forms indistinct beyond a certain distance. Far above, piercing through the sky itself, the outline of towering mountains lingered like fingers grasping at the heavens.

Lucian followed, his body moving despite the instinct that whispered something was wrong. Without much surprise to him, neither his feelings nor his movements were under his control, and inwardly, he watched the whole scene with a sense of detachment. Soon, they arrived at the edge of a great hollow in the earth. It was not a simple pit at all. This hollow was a vast opening that could fit half a dozen houses.

Its most striking feature was the inner walls lined with strange flowers that bloomed against the stone, their petals shifting subtly, reflecting a faint red glow that could be white or any other light color outside this memory. The flowers made the hollow look like a star lake.

"See, see," Tai Tai said, stepping dangerously close to the edge, her small hand pointing downward with excitement.

"Aren't they beautiful? Look at their colors! They are like the night sky!" Lucian's gaze lingered on her face first, on the innocent brightness of her smile, and warmth spread across his cheeks.

"Yes, beautiful," he answered her with a nod, before finally looking at the flowers themselves. The moment his eyes settled on them, something inside him recoiled. He instinctively stepped back, his voice turning sharp with concern.

"Tai Tai, what are you doing? It's too deep. Don't stand so close!"

"Oh?" She tilted her head, her smile widening when she saw his distress. Her eyes gleamed with playful mischief as she asked, "Is Huang'er scared? Should I ask Kang Ding to come help me instead?"

"I'm not scared!" Lucian snapped immediately, his face flushing deeper.

"Kang Ding is smaller than me! Whatever he can do, I can do better!"

"Can you run faster than him?" she asked lightly.

"Yes."

"Can you carry more weight?"

"Twice as much!"

"I doubt you can ride and climb as well as he does," she said with a giggle, mimicking her cousin's words about how to appraise a man.

"I can! He never climbed a tree in his life!" Lucian insisted, his voice rising as he puffed his chest. Tai Tai giggled again, clearly amused. Then, she pointed toward the flowers within the hollow.

"Prove to me! Go pick some beautiful flowers!" Lucian froze, muttering, "Err…"

"Never mind," Tai Tai said with a small huff, turning her face away with exaggerated disappointment.

"I'll ask Kang Ding!"

"No, wait!" Lucian quickly waved his hands, panic replacing hesitation.

"I'll do it. I'll do it." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. His throat tightened as he stepped forward. Lucian even felt his legs trembling as he approached the edge, his courage clashing against a growing dread. At last, he reached the brink and looked down, seeing an endless, swallowing darkness. Lucian's breath faltered. He turned back toward Tai Tai, fear finally overcoming pride.

"Tai Tai, I think—" His words were cut short as a sudden force struck his chest. The little girl, Tai Tai, had just kicked him. Lucian's body staggered backward, balance lost, and the ground vanishing beneath him as he began to fall.

"Ahhhh," he screamed, reaching out instinctively. His fingers grasped empty air when he tried to grab her.

"No—!" Time slowed as Lucian heard his childish scream echoing. His little boy's heart was filled with a mixture of dread, pain, and sadness. These feelings deepened when he noticed that behind Tai Tai, a man in robes was gripping her neck and pulling her. Another figure lunged toward Lucian from the side, panicking because he was out of reach. The boy fell down while the girl's voice broke into a desperate scream. She had kicked him to try to save him! Next, darkness swallowed everything.

"Huang'er, come see what I found!" A small hand grasped Lucian's, pulling him forward as his awareness returned and the scene changed. It was Tai Tai. This time, however, Lucian's body and feelings were under his control. His mouth did not move without his will, and his thoughts flowed freely as he followed the girl through the forest. So it began, he analyzed. Is losing this girl the Village Head's deepest regret? Or just not saying his true feelings to her? Lucian did not resist or attempt to break the illusion.

He had done this before, walking through another's memories, shaping them from within. Instead of fighting against Tai Tai's lead, he let himself be guided. Meanwhile, he observed the forest, dismantling the scene piece by piece. It's impossible to break free from this forest without resetting everything. The anchor seems to be that pit, he thought. I must resolve the regret starting at its origin.

Adding the endless stretch of trees behind him to the absence of any recollection of how he had entered this place from the river bank confirmed his conclusion. He had to enter the forest to solve Xu Hua's regret and achieve his goal! After a few seconds, he and Tai Tai reached the hollow once more, and she turned to face him. Then, she lifted her hand, prepared to point toward the hollow and repeat the previous scene. Not wanting to waste time, however, Lucian said, "I love you, Tai Tai."

The words left his mouth in that same childish voice, yet carried no warmth. It was just a statement spoken with pure apathy.

"See—What!?" Tai Tai shouted, startled after registering his words. Her expression broke apart in shock, her mouth opening and closing.

"I said that I—""Shut up!" she rushed forward, covering his mouth with both hands and shaking her head frantically.

"Shut up, shut up!" Lucian did not struggle, nor did he react emotionally. His gaze drifted past her, scanning the trees, the ground, the edges of the scene itself. So that is not it, he concluded when the crimson color and the forest's shape didn't change. Blushing deeply and unaware of his thoughts, Tai Tai stepped back, flustered and angry all at once.

"Huoxing Huang, are you out of your mind?!" she snapped, her voice trembling as she scolded him.

"Do not say such things. Never. Ever. Never." She turned away, crossing her arms tightly and pouting, while Lucian listened to her with half an ear, mostly observing the surroundings.

"You are such a dummy… Why say it now…" she muttered under her breath. The leaves above are indistinct, the shapes of branches vague, and the entire environment lacks depth, Lucian thought. A mortal's perspective really has poor detail. Then something clicked in his mind. Lucian frowned slightly and reached out, tapping Tai Tai's shoulder.

"Say my name again," he ordered.

"Ah…" Taitai flinched and stammered at first. Then, she puffed her cheeks, forcing an annoyed expression.

"Do not talk to me like this! Huoxing! Huang!" She mouthed his name mockingly. In her view, he was bothered because she wasn't calling him "Huang'er" affectionately. Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought. When the Village Head introduced himself, I sensed no deception. Yet in this memory, he isn't called Xu Hua, but Hoxing Huang. Why? And how is he connected to that Huoxing Shen? He wanted to press further and investigate the connection, but a movement in the bushes caught his attention first.

From the edge of his vision, two robed figures approached, their presence creeping into the scene like a stain spreading across clean paper. Sighing in disappointment, Lucian thought, with a bit of regret, No time to question her this round. Next, without hesitation, he grabbed Tai Tai's wrist.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" she shouted, trying to pull back. Lucian did not answer. Instead, he kicked the ground and dragged her toward the pit. After approaching the hollow and ignoring her resistance and confusion, he leapt. The world tilted as they fell together. Above them, the robed men shouted, their voices distorted and distant, swearing extensively. Darkness swallowed everything once more, before the crimson light surged along a childish female voice.

"Huang'er, come see what I found!" Lucian closed his eyes while he was pulled by the thin hand into the forest. He didn't regret leaving her there either, he thought. Let's keep trying to break his source of regret. It can't be too hard.