“Teacher—!”
Algiers reacted quickly and pulled Lan Xia over, avoiding an attack.
He’d only watched a few moments of this video and already felt his chest suffocating. That was Teacher’s most treasured younger brother—he couldn’t imagine…
Lan Xia’s eyes reddened. “That’s A-Nuo. He was looking for me.”
Algiers: “Teacher! That… is already the past! Emperor Rosh is just trying to disrupt your focus!”
The edited video continued rapidly.
[Lan Nuo asked ‘God’ countless times:
Could he return his brother to him?
He asked until his throat bled and he couldn’t speak, yet still stubbornly opened his mouth again and again.
God didn’t answer.
Lan Nuo fainted. When he woke, he seemed possessed by some obsession. He lay beneath the statue, looking at the cold moonlight, and his first words were: “Whoever took my brother, I’ll kill them.”
He said: “God took my brother. I’ll kill God.”
That night, great fire spread through the Hall of Divine Mercy. Golden light like brilliant sun smashed every large and small statue in the Hall of Divine Mercy to pieces.
The fire burned everything to ashes, yet he still didn’t find his brother.]
How could it be like this…
A-Nuo also awakened mental power?
Golden…
Lan Xia’s voice was hoarse: “What do you mean? A-Nuo… didn’t die?”
The great fire that destroyed the Hall of Divine Mercy—was that A-Nuo searching for him?
Mental power protecting the children in the middle, Lan Xia couldn’t spare attention for himself. In just a few short minutes, he’d already sustained many injuries.
He couldn’t feel pain. His heart felt as if stabbed by a knife—he couldn’t catch his breath. His fingers hanging at his sides trembled silently. Lan Xia faintly had a guess.
He stood before the truth, yet suddenly didn’t dare think further.
Lian Yao also vaguely guessed something.
Emperor Rosh: “Keep watching.”
The video moved to the next one.
It was in a space full of mirrors.
[Lan Nuo lay dazed on the ground.
Suddenly, countless mirrors around him all began showing the same shadow.
“Brother…”
His eyes finally gained some spirit as he slowly crawled toward the surrounding mirrors, wanting to touch them.
But the ‘brother’ in the mirrors began dying in all sorts of ways before his eyes.
He was terrified, yet feared one of them might be his real brother, so he attacked frantically. But the shattered mirrors became millions of pieces, each containing Brother.
He couldn’t kill all those who’d harmed Brother.
An empty voice echoed through this mirrored space: “Your eyes are very beautiful, hiding a fire that can’t be extinguished no matter what. I’m very curious what they’d look like when the light inside goes out.”
“Forget your brother, and you won’t suffer these pains anymore.”
Lan Nuo: “I won’t forget.”
From nine years old to thirteen-year-old youth.
Over four years, his memories grew increasingly chaotic, yet the bit of light hidden deep in his purple pupils never extinguished.
“It’s time to show him that video. If brainwashing still doesn’t succeed, turn him into an idiot.” That voice said again.
Lan Nuo saw his brother.
Turned out Brother had taken one more ‘treatment’ in his place, and couldn’t endure it and died.
This must be a trick, just like the countless tricks he’d seen over the past four years.
But why did his heart hurt more and more? Why did a voice keep telling him this was real?
The chip pressed to his temple finally found an opportunity to invade his brain domain.
“Forget him.”
Intense pain struck.
“I won’t forget…”
“Forget him and it won’t hurt. Don’t remember someone who makes you hurt when you think of them.”
Lan Nuo’s pupils dilated. Fighting with his last trace of consciousness, he finally screamed:
“Can’t forget!”
“Broth—”
His voice cut off abruptly. He fainted, his hair instantly turning white.]
“Ah—!”
Violent purple mental power directly flung surrounding Wall-Stabbing Ants a hundred meters away.
Lan Xia covered his mouth and collapsed to his knees, crying silently. A-Nuo’s final “Brother” pierced into his heart and lungs—no less than death by a thousand cuts.
It hurt so much.
A-Nuo, in places he didn’t know about, had been in pain for so many years.
Lan Xia couldn’t control himself from thinking.
His younger brother—the one he’d doted on and protected since childhood, whom he viewed as his life’s responsibility—had so humbly asked everyone ‘where’s brother,’ had been imprisoned somewhere and tortured for so many years…
The overwhelming guilt and self-reproach that could drive someone to collapse left him on the edge of rational destruction.
Algiers, Jin Daike, and Lian Yao’s eyes showed unbearable pain. Their throats felt stuffed with cotton—choked and astringent.
Silver-white hair, purple pupils, golden mental power.
Even the stupidest person could guess that Elansno was Lan Nuo.
“Elansno keeps surprising me,” Emperor Rosh said. “After two brainwashings, he still recovered his memories a few months ago. Seems you didn’t know? He really didn’t tell you?”
Countless trivial memories he’d subconsciously ignored surfaced again.
[Your eyes are beautiful, but growing on your face, they seem bloody and filthy.]
[You’re not worthy of them.]
Overwhelming golden light swept away all bullets, saving his life.
[I don’t like sweets. You can have them all.]
[…Want to make it fly?]
The red paper airplane flew far into the night.
[If you don’t mind, maybe I could call you brother.]
[What a shame.]
[Then I wish Dawn gets everything it hopes for.]
His tall, slender figure walked off into the misty, cold daylight.
He didn’t look back again.
A tickle rose in Lan Xia’s throat and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, vivid scarlet seeping through his fingers.
“A-Nuo…”
He closed his eyes for a moment.
How had he not noticed…
It had been so obvious.
He had clung too stubbornly to the idea that his younger brother was already dead, and was convinced A-Nuo was always that obedient, gentle child, unconsciously ignoring everything strange about Elansno.
It was really him, as an older brother, who had failed to protect his sibling.
How could he ever hope that the A-Nuo who survived would still be pure and kind?
Lan Xia said, “It’s all my fault.”
“Teacher, please don’t blame yourself,” Jin Daike said, eyes rimmed red. All of them knew: even that seed Lan Nuo had left behind was treasure to Teacher.
None of them could imagine how Teacher felt right now.
They feared that in this state, he was only a thread away from collapse.
How could it turn out like this?
Both of them were clearly wonderful people.
How did things end up like this?
Algiers clenched his fists. “The Federation… Rosh…”
Emperor Rosh: “Do you want to see him?”
Lan Xia paused, then snapped his eyes up.
The screen changed—
It was a live broadcast.
The setting was the rebuilt Hall of Divine Mercy, located closer to the research institute, though everything else looked almost unchanged.
Endless clusters of dreamlike wisteria blooms.
A gigantic divine statue stood in the center.
Before it, an enormous mirrored cross reflected everything clearly. A man with silver hair in military uniform was chained to it, eyes closed, still wearing a mask.
His head hung down, blood leaking from his ear and dripping along his jaw.
Above his head, a sharp iron spike hung poised, as if ready to fall at any moment.
Lan Xia’s pupils contracted. “A-Nuo!”
Emperor Rosh: “A farewell meeting before you part. In fifteen minutes, that spike will drop and pierce his head. Can you reach him in time?”
After that, his voice disappeared, leaving just a crimson countdown on the screen.
“Damn it,” Lian Yao cursed. “Fifteen minutes… Even if we get a ship here now, it’s absolutely not enough time. I have a flyer, but even with top speed, it’s gonna be tight.”
If S-level evolvers pushed themselves to the limit, maybe they’d barely make it.
Lan Xia staggered to his feet, his spotless shirt now blotched with blood. “I’m going.”
Algiers spoke quickly: “Teacher, go ahead. We’ll take care of things here. Shou Bing’s almost here. Don’t worry.”
Lan Xia glanced at them, unshed tears glittering in his eyes like shattered stars, but he managed a smile. “I’ve watched you all grow up, yet I couldn’t even look after my own brother. Do you think he’ll blame me?”
He didn’t expect an answer, turning away and rushing out.
Lan Xia set a synchronized countdown on his own comm device, racing against death itself. His purple figure streaked like lightning.
——
[99.997%
99.998%
99.999%
…]
The crawler expanded without limit, finally swallowing every bit of data. Lan Zhouhe captured the precise moment of its death and downloaded the entire database to his device.
“Perfect!”
After more than three years, he’d finally pulled off a flawless heist of the research institute’s database. This would be one truly massive deal!
All that time, he’d kept Silver Crow on the line.
As soon as there was action, Nie Liang’s voice cut in: “Is the crawler dead? Is it dead?”
Lan Zhouhe was too excited to argue: “Dead! Dead!”
Frozen to the bone, Nie Liang perked up: “Hurry up!”
He wanted all info about the Admiral and nothing else.
Lan Zhouhe: “Wait a second.”
He typed in Elansno’s name and quickly turned up a lot of results.
Most were videos, loads of them.
Lan Zhouhe clicked one at random and then froze.
After a long moment, he moved stiff fingers and said quietly, “I’ll send you a few, but don’t lose it.”
——
Shou Bing arrived a few minutes after Lan Xia left. He’d come straight from the battlefield, nearly spent after using so much mental power. As soon as he got there, he swiftly took control of the situation.
Jin Daike explained what had happened. He was dazed for quite a while before he managed to process it.
Algiers exhaled. “I still don’t feel safe. Shou Bing and I will check out the Hall of Divine Mercy. Daike, stay here and see if anything’s left at the research institute.”
“Lian Yao, you stick with Daike. Guard these kids until our people arrive.”
Jin Daike worried: “Brother, you two be careful. Bring back Teacher and Elans—his brother—both of them.”
Algiers: “We will.”
Shou Bing: “Let’s go!”
Lian Yao stared nervously at the research institute’s screen. The countdown was more than halfway done, but still no shadow of Teacher had appeared.
——
Waves of wisteria bloomed like a purple sea.
Pale petals drifted on the breeze, settling before the gigantic mirrored cross.
The man, chained and unable to break free for over a decade, bowed his head. Behind him, the frigid statue watched over with compassion. Filthy blood dripped down the mirror.
Holy and righteous.
Sinful and tainted.
The research institute team watched with taut nerves as the countdown ticked:
[10, 9, 8, 7…]
The iron spike above Elansno’s head began to shake.
Jin Daike clenched her fists. “Teacher, hurry…”
Lian Yao murmured: “Can he still make it?”
[4, 3, 2…]
The iron spike dropped.
Jin Daike had already closed her eyes.
A violent purple light tore through the air, slamming into the spike. Hurricane-force winds shredded it, destroying it completely in the blink of an eye.
Elansno wasn’t harmed at all. The second before the hurricane reached him, it transformed into the gentlest breeze. His eyelashes trembled slightly.
A familiar figure appeared on the screen. Jin Daike cried tears of joy. “Teacher made it…”
Thank goodness, thank goodness.
There was still a chance to fix things. Teacher wouldn’t have to live in regret forever.
Thank goodness…
Lian Yao also breathed a sigh of relief.
Shou Bing and Algiers, who were rushing toward the Hall of Divine Mercy, quickened their pace even more.
·
Lan Xia’s chest heaved continuously, churning with the taste of blood.
Having rushed here at maximum speed, his mental power was depleted to its limit. He was utterly exhausted, yet couldn’t bear to blink even once.
That was A-Nuo…
His younger brother.
The young man walked through the air step by step toward the person on the cross. He reached out, wanting to touch his brother’s face, but Elansno suddenly opened his eyes without warning.
Empty. Indifferent.
Utterly emotionless.
In an instant he broke free of the chains with a clanging sound, then drew the Sword of Molo Triumph from his waist and thrust it toward Lan Xia.
Lan Xia was shocked.
With his mental power so depleted, he couldn’t dodge in time. The blade grazed his shoulder and blood splattered, falling onto the thick layer of pale purple petals on the ground.
Elansno’s offensive was too fierce. Lan Xia could only keep evading.
The sudden change caught everyone off guard.
Elansno acted as if he didn’t recognize him at all: “Don’t dodge.”
“A-Nuo, wake up!”
Hearing those two words, Elansno’s movements clearly slowed for a moment, then as if provoked by something, his attacks grew even more ferocious.
Lan Xia couldn’t bear to hurt him even slightly. After several minutes of fighting, his body was already covered in wounds.
Elansno’s sword tip was stained with blood when he suddenly stopped. His purple pupils gazed at Lan Xia as the corner of his mouth pulled into a somewhat strange smile: “You seem to care about me a lot.”
Lan Xia’s vision darkened, waves of weakness washing over him stronger and stronger: “Wake up…”
Elansno released his grip. The Sword of Molo Triumph, wrapped in golden mental power, floated in the air and shot straight toward Lan Xia.
Just as Lan Xia gritted his teeth to dodge, he saw the sword suddenly turn and stab toward Elansno’s own heart.
Lan Xia looked up to see Elansno’s smiling expression.
His pupils contracted sharply: “A-Nuo!”
The young man lost all composure in that instant and only managed to throw himself in front of his younger brother.
Swoosh—
The long sword pierced through his heart.
Lan Xia managed a faint smile, saying softly: “A-Nuo…”
Elansno’s body began to tremble slightly, tears falling unconsciously.
——
“Ahhh—!”
In the Far North Sector, Nie Liang paced back and forth neurotically, clutching the device playing the videos.
His eyes were bloodshot red, muttering incessantly: “I’ll kill them I’ll kill them! Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill—”
No wonder the Admiral had forgotten everything.
No wonder the Admiral didn’t dare get close to his own brother.
So it really was the Federation’s doing! Rosh! That bastard!
Countless methods of torture and murder flooded his mind, yet none of them could release this rage.
The Admiral had been so small back then!
Just a child.
Animals, animals! When he’d bombed the research institute, why hadn’t he blown up the palace too?
So that’s how the Admiral’s hair turned white.
Little mad bird bit his own finger frantically, only one thought in his mind—he wanted to go back and see the Admiral. But if he rushed back now, it would take at least two or three months to reach the Imperial Capital.
The Admiral had already recovered his memories and sent him to the Far North Sector to find the ice crystal stone. That stone was the Admiral’s gift for his brother.
A gift for the brother he treasured so much.
Nie Liang was in a half-crazed state, his words and thoughts chaotic. Only matters concerning Elansno could force him to think somewhat rationally.
Right, right, right… His most important task now was to find the gemstone.
Once he found the gemstone, the Admiral could happily reunite with his brother.
Nie Liang stopped, turned to the cockpit, and steered the spacecraft into the Far North Sector’s interior. The ship’s wings emitted a low hum, like a bird sweeping over the snowfields, kicking up great clouds of snow.
The Admiral had already found his brother.
And the crow would bring back the gemstone.
——
Drip.
Purple petals drifted gently down.
Blood droplets fell from above.
Lan Xia caught the sword blade between two fingers and with force—crack—broke the Sword of Molo Triumph.
He… had finally gotten his wish and personally broken this sword.
Elansno seemed to freeze, doing nothing but crying and trembling, with no other reaction at all.
Lan Xia’s gaze was gentle. He finally took half a step forward, standing before Elansno. He looked carefully at his younger brother, as if trying to make up for all those lost years.
He slowly reached out and removed Elansno’s mask.
Silver hair, purple eyes, the same features as his own, just sharper and paler. Right now he looked as lost as a child who couldn’t find home.
The mask fell from Lan Xia’s hand and hit the ground.
He had easily removed the mask that Elansno couldn’t take off himself.
A-Nuo…
Lan Xia endured the pain. His slender hands, stained with mottled blood, cupped Elansno’s face, then leaned close and wiped away the tear tracks. He pressed his forehead against his younger brother’s.
Like looking in a mirror.
Their breaths intertwined, warmth pressed close, skin touching skin.
They were twins.
Each other’s other half.
Inseparable blood ties, an eternal bond.
The wide black coat was lifted by the wind, its soft sash silently winding around the cold scabbard at Elansno’s waist like a wordless comfort.
Gentle pale purple petals were swept up by the wind, swirling around them in a scene as dreamlike as a fairy tale.
“…Don’t be afraid, A-Nuo… don’t be afraid…”
The young man lowered his eyes, softly comforting him, struggling to swallow the blood in his throat while smiling gently. “Brother came a bit late. It’s Brother’s fault for not recognizing you. Are you angry? Brother made you sad, didn’t he…”
At the research institute, Jin Daike and Lian Yao, who’d been watching the screen all along, were already hoarse and sobbing uncontrollably.
Lan Xia’s mental power was nearly depleted. He invaded his younger brother’s mental domain again, finding the pale purple flower he’d left behind.
Calling out.
“A-Nuo, wake up…”
“A-Nuo, Brother found you…”
“Brother even brought the seed you gave me. Brother’s so foolish—it never bloomed…”
Seed.
Elansno’s eyelashes trembled.
His chaotic purple pupils struggled to find a trace of clarity.
The touch of their mental domains let him clearly sense Lan Xia’s breath at the edge of death.
Elansno opened his mouth.
But Lan Xia’s entire body went limp and he fell directly from the air—
Almost instinctively, Elansno reached out to catch him. The two landed before the enormous mirrored cross. Lan Xia could no longer hold back and coughed up mouthfuls of blood.
Elansno stared down blankly. He reached out to wipe it away but couldn’t clean it no matter what.
So much blood.
He couldn’t wipe it clean.
This person… who was he?
Why did he feel so familiar?
Why was he looking at him with such gentle, guilty eyes?
This person said he was his brother?
Brother…?
“Teacher—!”
Algiers and Shou Bing arrived to see this scene. Their eyes nearly split with rage as they rushed forward, but were knocked back by the mental power Elansno released, severely injured and unable to get up again.
Lan Xia looked up at him, voice gentle and broken. His pale golden eyes gradually dimmed—the shattered stars no longer shining.
He took out the seed.
“I’m so sorry, A-Nuo…”
Elansno thought:
[This person speaking says he’s his brother. He seems to have some impression of that.]
“These past dozen years, Brother has lived like a joke. What I searched for all along was right nearby, yet ridiculously I still…”
[It really does seem to be his brother. He seems to have forgotten something.]
“That day in Dawn’s inner city, I regretted so much not letting you call me Brother. A-Nuo, you can hear me, can’t you? Call me Brother one more time…”
[He remembers lying to his brother about something. He’d lied for many years.]
Still receiving no response from Elansno, the hope in Lan Xia’s eyes faded further. Endless regret and remorse surged in his heart. Scalding tears fell onto the soft petals on the ground.
“It’s okay… it’s Brother’s fault. A-Nuo is such a good, obedient person, and Brother only found you now. This seed…” He placed the seed in Elansno’s palm.
Elansno’s eyes shifted stiffly:
[Oh, this seed. This is what he lied to Brother about.]
“Brother is so foolish, so foolish—couldn’t make it grow…”
[He ground a pebble by himself into the shape of a seed. He lied to Brother that it was a violet seed.]
“You must have begged the priest for so long to get this seed.”
[The priest—he lied. The seed was also fake.]
“Now Brother is giving it back to you. A-Nuo, don’t be afraid. Brother will stay by your side forever…”
[It was just a pebble.]
“Really… I so wanted to see a violet…”
[He’d always wanted to tell Brother about the lie he told.]
Lan Xia looked at his younger brother with reluctance. In endless regret and self-blame, he closed his eyes forever.
False wisteria petals fell like rain throughout the sky, like a shower of sorrow.
The enormous mirrored cross reflected strangely. Broken chains stained with mottled blood reflected the brother who’d fallen into eternal sleep on the ground and the silent, lost white-haired youth.
Like another world that could never be reached.
The compassionate statue sighed silently.
No one knew how much time passed.
“…I always wanted to tell you,” Elansno gently embraced Lan Xia, pressing his cheek against Lan Xia’s nose, yet could no longer feel even a trace of warm life. “It could never bloom.”
And you foolishly tried to grow it for so many years.
“Silly Brother.”
Author’s Note:
Unfortunately, the person who fell into eternal sleep bearing self-blame and regret could never hear it again.
——
Lord Gong (propping up feet): Great! Script progress 70%
**
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152
My.
…god..