Ruan Xing lifted his eyelids and watched as the scene before him vanished.

He stood in complete darkness, surrounded by countless voices.

"The demon has escaped from the prison! Hurry! He was just one step away from casting a Saint-level spell. He is too dangerous!"

"Everyone, go find him. Even if you die, you must bring him back!"

"How could he have escaped? That is a prison!"

Suddenly, a patch of green appeared in front of him, then began to expand, passing through a small opening. His field of vision brightened abruptly.

Ruan Xing pressed his lips together and felt a jolt.

He was being held in someone's arms. A faint warmth came from the person's chest, and silver hair stood out brightly against the endless night.

"We should be arriving soon."

The man's voice rumbled from his chest. His features were sharper than the last time they met, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes.

Ruan Xing's long black hair fluttered in the darkness, partially covering his bandaged right eye. He looked around and realized they were moving at high speed.

The surroundings were dim. They were beneath the night sky, racing through a dense forest without any gaps.

He still hadn't broken out of the illusion.

This monster was using his memories, reassembling them into a new scene.

Ruan Xing gripped the fabric tightly in his hands. What a pain.

"Does it hurt?" The silver-haired knight stopped and lowered his head to look at the young man in his arms.

Ruan Xing looked at the handsome knight. "You saved me again."

There was a trace of melancholy in the knight's expression. "If I did not bring you back to the sanctuary years ago, maybe none of this would have happened."

Ruan Xing shook his head. "No."

If the knight hadn't saved him, he might not have even survived until now.

Ruan Xing wriggled out of his arms and saw the familiar little wooden cabin in the forest.

"Are we going there?"

He raised his slender fingers, still stained with dried blood.

The knight answered with action.

Inside the cabin, everything was in place, though a bit old. It was probably left behind by hunters from long ago. No one had lived there in years, and everything was coated in dust.

The knight set Ruan Xing down on the bed.

"I haven't had time to find bedding. Rest for now. I will get some later."

He was about to leave, but a cold hand grabbed him.

The youth lay on the bed, his long hair spread out. The pale moonlight spilled across his body, and his black robe couldn't completely cover him, exposing skin that shimmered faintly.

"Don't go."

The silver-haired knight stopped. His icy blue eyes glinted. "Alright."

That night, chaos erupted in the sanctuary.

"Where is the Knight Commander?!" The Holy Son put down his scroll, expression calm.

The magical aura around him was even stronger than before.

"The Knight Commander... also went out to search for the traitor."

The Holy Son let out a soft snort through his nose. "A traitor? I doubt he sees it that way."

The attending servant trembled, not daring to speak.

The Holy Son waved his hand, and the servant quickly retreated.

Night deepened. The sanctuary was hunting a demon who had escaped from the prison. No one cared who it was. All they knew was that capturing him would mean rising through the ranks.

Ruan Xing was woken by blinding sunlight. When he opened his eyes, he saw the silver-haired knight sitting by the window.

Even his eyelashes were silver. When his icy blue eyes opened, they were silent and distant.

As the heir to the kingdom's most prestigious family, the knight had been trained from a young age. He had exceptional talent, quickly rising to a high rank at a young age.

Humble, upright, compassionate, and just—the knightly code was fully embodied in him. Even when he suspected Ruan Xing was the demon's child, even when saving him might bring trouble, the silver-haired knight still followed his heart.

The man opened his eyes. Those icy blue irises were as beautiful as Ruan Xing remembered.

They gradually overlapped with another person's gaze.

But that person's eyes always held a touch of melancholy.

Ruan Xing was dazed for a moment.

"The sanctuary must have been a mess last night. Should you go back and check on things?"

Ruan Xing lay on the wooden bed, turning his head toward the silver-haired knight sitting with his head bowed. Sunlight filtered through the mottled shadows of the trees, falling onto the bed and blending with the youth's dark hair, resting heavily on his neck.

The knight spoke. "The Holy Son sent people to search for you. It is too dangerous right now. I'm worried."

It was the exact same answer as his past life, and it pleased Ruan Xing.

"Why did you save me? Why would you disobey the Holy Son's order?"

"I..." The silver-haired knight hesitated. Perhaps he didn't even know why himself.

"You can tell me later." Ruan Xing looked away and stared at the ceiling, where a spider was frantically spinning its web. The uninvited guests had interrupted its construction plans.

"I'm hungry."

The knight stood. "Wait for me."

With a heavy clatter of armor, he left the cabin.

The morning birds chirped. Unlike the sealed world in the bottle, this was a real memory world. But in his past life, Ruan Xing had no mind to appreciate this kind of scenery.

The knight soon returned with a wild chicken, its colorful feathers already plucked. He found fire-starting tools and some cookware in a box and built a fire outside.

Hunters frequently visited this area, so cooking was not unusual. The knight was discreet. Ruan Xing had not seen any flames, but the aroma of roasted chicken had already wafted in.

His eyes were a little dazed until the knight entered, snapping him out of it.

"There are no spices. Just make do."

Ruan Xing slowly sat up and reached out his scarred hand to take a piece of chicken.

The knight frowned.

"Am I scary?" Ruan Xing asked.

The knight did not speak. Instead, he took off his armor with a loud thud that showed its weight.

He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small vial.

"Drink a little more today."

Ruan Xing looked at the vial. "It's useless. The damage isn't just physical."

The knight's hand paused, his face darkening as if something came to mind.

Ruan Xing chewed slowly, occasionally pausing.

The knight's jaw tightened, veins popping on his forehead. "Sorry. It was my fault."

"What does it have to do with you?"

Ruan Xing picked up another piece of meat. Hmm, not as good as Fu Zhi's cooking. A bit dry.

"I know his personality."

Ruan Xing waved a hand to stop him. His gaze was calm. "But you don't know what he did."

Even with mental preparation, once the knight learned the truth about the golden-haired Holy Son, he'd fallen into deep torment. On one side was the sanctuary that raised him, on the other, his own moral compass.

For many nights after their escape, Ruan Xing could see the struggle on his face.

The knight lowered his head. Ruan Xing said, "You should go. Once I recover, I'll leave as soon as I can."

The young man didn't move, just as stubborn as in Ruan Xing's memories.

"I'll make sure to repay you." Ruan Xing took the vial from his hand and drank it all.

His physical wounds began to heal slowly. But the wounds on his soul would need more time.

The knight left. If he stayed too long, the sanctuary would notice. He didn't want to cause Ruan Xing any more trouble.

Though Ruan Xing was covered in injuries, he felt no pain. After all, this was just a memory world. The pain came from perception. If he kept dwelling on it, he would be crushed by it.

But if those memories meant little to him now, then his wounds wouldn't hurt. At worst, they would look a bit gruesome.

Like his time in prison, it felt endless, but in truth, it passed like a dream. It couldn't hurt him a second time.

Still, this helped him understand the pollutant better. It could dig into memories, but it could not fully alter perception.

Rustling sounds came from outside. Ruan Xing blinked. Did the knight just leave?

"Well, look what I found."

A voice rang out. A thin-faced man peeked in through the window and locked eyes with Ruan Xing.

The window was small. An adult couldn't squeeze through. The man was short and had to tiptoe, revealing a pair of murky eyes.

"What're you doing in here?"

It was not unusual for hunters to enter a mountain cabin. If Ruan Xing could find it, so could others.

But Ruan Xing didn't even look at him. The man tried to step inside. "What are you doing lying in bed? Are you hurt? Need help?"

Ruan Xing said, "Stop."

A lewd gleam flashed in the man's eyes. "I just wanna see what's wrong."

He took another step forward, trying to cross the threshold.

Suddenly, a bolt of electricity crackled through the air. With a loud "pop," the man collapsed with his eyes rolling back.

Ruan Xing blinked. "I told you to stop."

That night, Ruan Xing saw the silver-haired knight again.

He had changed into a black tunic and carried warm bread, clearly fresh from the oven. When he saw the unconscious man on the ground, a look of disgust flashed through his icy eyes. He grabbed the man by the collar and flung him into the mountains.

Wild beasts roamed the forest at night. The man might not live to see the rising sun.

Ruan Xing supported himself. In his past life, he hadn't thought much. He had been driven by rage and a thirst for revenge. Looking back now, the knight didn't seem like the saintly martyr he remembered.

"I gathered some materials and set up a barrier at the door. This place is hidden now." The man helped Ruan Xing up, and when he withdrew his hand, his fingers lingered with a gentle touch.

"I told you to leave."

"No. I cannot rest easy." The silver-haired man shook his head, refusing to go.

Ruan Xing replied, "Oh."

The knight came every night, bringing medicine and food. Ruan Xing's wounds healed day by day, his complexion improving along with the knight's expression, which gradually softened into occasional smiles.

He was very handsome, and when he smiled, youthful vitality radiated from him. His silver lashes fluttered like they could brush across someone's heart.

One ordinary night, after dinner, the black-haired youth spoke softly. "After today, you should leave."

The knight froze. "Why?"

Ruan Xing sat on the bed. The image of the man covered in blood came to mind again. His chiseled features stained red, like a suffering god.

"Go, Ruan Xing," he had said back then, using his last strength to push him away.

Ruan Xing didn't want that day to come, but he knew it inevitably would.

"I bring misfortune."

The knight seemed confused why, when everything was finally looking better, the youth would be so cold.

Ruan Xing didn't explain. He just counted the days.

Four days left.

But what neither of them expected was that the next night, a commotion surrounded the cabin.

"Honestly, you two little lovebirds are quite the surprise," the Holy Son said as he passed through a crowd holding torches. He stopped in front of them. "Ruan Xing, after all that, you are still fooling around with a sanctuary knight? How stupid. How disgusting."

Ruan Xing looked at him coldly.

The silver-haired knight was half-kneeling, blood dripping to form a small pool beneath him. But his sword was planted firmly in the ground in front of Ruan Xing, a protective stance.

Ruan Xing was shielded completely behind him.

"How amusing," the Holy Son said calmly, though his voice simmered with rage. "The sword that once protected someone now turns against them?"

The silver-haired knight said, "Sorry. I cannot let you hurt him anymore."

The Holy Son laughed. "Are you worried I will kill him?"

The knight remained silent.

The surrounding attendants exchanged uneasy glances.

"How dare you insult His Holiness! He would never harm him. He just wants him to repent in the sanctuary!" one servant stammered.

Dressed in pure white robes, the Holy Son approached the knight. This time, he traced the lines of his face with his fingers, unfazed by the blood on his hands. He even licked the blood-stained finger. "Still not as tasty as Ruan Xing."

The knight's pupils contracted.

The Holy Son reached for Ruan Xing.

But unexpectedly, the obedient knight suddenly raised his arm. He drew the sword from the ground, eyes like frozen steel, and slashed.

The Holy Son barely dodged, losing a chunk of his golden hair.

"You let me touch you, but not him?"

The Holy Son held the severed strands. "No wonder you refused to swear allegiance. You already had ideas back then. I should have known not to be kind. What kind of knight are you? Just a lapdog of the crown and the sanctuary. If you will not swear loyalty, you are useless."

He sneered. "Your parents were loyal to the kingdom—"

The knight suddenly raised his head.

The Holy Son smiled darkly, nothing like a saint, more like a madman.

"How about this? Kill yourself here, and I will spare your family. I will not take Ruan Xing's life either." But I will make him wish he were dead.

He sounded like he was bargaining.

"Once you die, I can answer at the sanctuary too."

"Your Holiness..." Other servants tried to intervene.

The Holy Son waved them off and leaned close to the knight's ear. "I hate disobedient dogs even more than biting cats."

His sky-blue eyes looked past the knight, locking with Ruan Xing's. What he saw was not panic, but calm, perhaps even a hint of mockery.

The Holy Son's face darkened. "Your eyes are really irritating."

Ruan Xing replied, "So are you."

The black-haired youth knelt on the ground, fingertips pressing against it. A soft light emerged from beneath, illuminating all three of them.

The golden-haired Holy Son took a step back. The attendants around him were stunned.

A summoning spell?

Who could Ruan Xing summon now?

A tall figure slowly took shape. Someone cried out, "A League mage?!"

The League, bane of the sanctuary. They believed in no gods, only themselves. They invented all kinds of strange magical items and had grown increasingly powerful in recent years. The sanctuary tried to crush them without success, as many famous mages joined the organization.

Ruan Xing set down the magic crystal with a complex expression. He hadn't expected it to work.

If the earlier illusion was based on memory, then now that he had gone off-script, how much longer could this "computer" keep running under overload?

The man with the monocle turned around and looked at the black-haired youth with great interest. "How did you know how to contact me?"

He glanced at the golden-haired Holy Son, who was now on high alert. Behind the lenses, magical symbols turned slowly in his eyes. Then he seemed to understand.

"Ah, I think I get it."

"But Ruan Xing, I cannot change reality."

No one except Ruan Xing understood what he meant.

"But this is not reality."

The man nodded. "True. In that case, as you wish. After all, you are my favorite student."

The world glitched like a broken television. Snow filled the air, and the scenery twisted and blurred.

Then the forest, the cabin, the Holy Son, the attendants, Ruan Xing, and the silver-haired knight all disappeared.

 

 

 

Author's Note:

Alright. That concludes the memory.

Spoiler Warning: This arc ends with Ruan Xing turning back into a human (finally!).