Pillar of Yita

Echoing in my ears were endless shouts, flames softly burned with a blazing golden hue, casting light through the window, turning the originally cramped room a golden red, as if it were a scene from the end of days.

It was as if some catastrophic disaster had occurred, like a nightmare that jolts you awake yet prevents your eyes from opening, with sharp singing voices twirling in the dark, resembling the mournful wails of a succubus, while memories that felt both familiar and foreign circled in my mind—as if I had seen such a scene at some time before.

But it seemed that I had not.

Fang Hong struggled to open his eyes, and the scorching breath hit him, causing stars to burst before his eyes. Then he saw a pair of eyes—so special, pale grey, somewhat familiar.

But he couldn’t say where he had seen those eyes before, that sense of vague familiarity in his mind grew stronger, as if a piece of fabricated memory had been kneaded into the depths of his thoughts. He knew it was all false, yet he couldn’t distinguish what was real and what was not.

Right, where am I? He recalled a name, Lady Tengye’s Inn, but nothing more, and he couldn’t remember anything else he had done despite trying hard.

And those eyes—pale grey, with a clump of golden flames deep in the pupils, like a blooming rose, majestic and ever-changing, yet shining with the light of fiery flames. A pair of quite beautiful eyes, making them unforgettable at first glance.

The owner of the eyes, a girl with bronze skin, was rather quiet, quietly watching him. ”Misu?” For some reason, Fang Hong just knew this name, and as soon as he spoke, he said a string of words that even he found baffling, ”Come with me and leave this place, that thing is not your responsibility. Let’s leave together and live well?”

But the girl gently shook her head. ”This is my destiny, my ancestors, my father, my elder brothers, and I have all prepared for this day for decades. I knew it would return, as the prophecy described, but until the turning point comes, I must fulfill the Oathkeeper’s promise.”

”It will return?” Fang Hong’s mind was in a muddle, feeling like he had heard this somewhere before but unable to fully remember.

But the voice that came out was different. ”But it’s too late now, Misu, think of another way. You’re not the Savior, even if you go out there to face it, you won’t change anything.”

It was as if a strange emotion had taken over his thoughts, making him both uneasy and angry.

The girl smiled slightly at him, ”I must do this, it’s the only chance. Moreover, I think I can change some things, at least I can let more people survive.”

”Even if everyone dies, I only wish for you to survive, because I love only you, what do others matter to me!” Fang Hong said eagerly.

After saying this, he was stunned, wondering what was happening to him—he didn’t even know who the other person was.

”Thank you, I love you too, like... her yearning for that person. But she is still alive, I know, she’s right there. But there’s not much time left, really not much, so...”

Misu took something out from her body and handed it to Fang Hong. ”Take this and correct the past, Luen, we must atone for the mistakes we’ve made ourselves. I’m sorry, Luen, you’re the only one I feel sorry for, I shouldn’t have dragged you into this, but I can only trust you. Remember, hatred only perpetuates infinitely, only love and forgiveness can end everything.”

”Take this thing, give it to—”

The girl’s lips moved, but her voice gradually faded away.

Fang Hong grew anxious and couldn’t help but shout in his mind, ”Give it to whom?”

But suddenly, tears inexplicably welled up in his eyes, and his heart felt as if it was filled with extreme sorrow; the pain seemed so natural that he couldn’t help but weep bitterly, ”No, don’t do this, I beg you.”

But the girl took a step back, smiled slightly at him, and in her pale grey eyes shone the firmest conviction. She mouthed to him, ”Farewell, my beloved.”

With that, she turned and walked towards the door of the room. The doorway was wide open, beyond it a sea of flames.

The girl’s figure gradually disappeared into the flames.

The flames twisted and coiled, and from outside came shrill screams; the flames suddenly took the form of a terrifying monster, step by step coming through the door, onto the carpet, leaving behind burning footprints.

Step by step it approached him, then stretched out flaming arms towards him. Fang Hong was so frightened he wanted to retreat, to evade, but found that he couldn’t move at all, so he could only watch as the monster reached out for him.

”Brother Ade, wake up,” suddenly, the screeching turned into a faint call.

A slender and delicate hand broke free from the flames, rested on his shoulder, and gently shook him. The surrounding phantom scene suddenly disappeared, the carpet ceased burning, the light outside the window dimmed, and all the strange noises subsided—the golden red room darkened.

When Fang Hong opened his eyes again, he saw Gita’s small face in the dark.

The ability to think seemed to return to his mind, he touched his cheek, it was dry, where were any tears? The scenes that had seemed so natural before now appeared bizarre in retrospect, like a strange dream. But could it be a dream? He remembered many things in his dream, but now those memories seemed to have vanished; all he remembered was everything that had happened in the room.