One-Eyed Monster

When the word ’apology’ came out of Kadi’s mouth, everyone was taken aback. Nobody could have foreseen this mischievous imp suddenly bringing up such a grave and delicate topic.

Kadi had always seemed to be fooling around, never showing a hint of seriousness. Who would have guessed he had been mulling over such matters all along?

The monsters of Guru Mountain found Kadi’s earlier words quite reasonable. For some reason, they suddenly felt a deeper understanding of this little fellow they lived with day in and day out. They hadn’t expected Kadi to have matured so much; he was no longer the little troublemaker who only knew how to play around and create havoc.

Kadi had always considered the monsters of Guru Mountain his family. He had been listening to his family’s stories in bits and pieces. It was sporadic because he wasn’t interested in the more complex details, only in the peculiar experiences these monsters had endured.

These peculiar experiences were all because of a man named Kuyi Tulan. He had transformed the monsters of Guru Mountain into aberrations, causing their original world to forget and constantly reject them...

Kadi understood this feeling, for he too was a monster. He possessed an innate sense of isolation. Although he had lived with Kevin and the others for a long time, Kadi still knew he wasn’t one of them. That was why he often sat on a tree trunk talking to a squirrel, or stood in a stream, lamenting with the swimming fish. He always wondered where he came from and where he was going...

Of course, the Great Mentor and the others had provided Kadi with a wonderful family atmosphere, making him feel at home most of the time. But as time passed, Kadi gradually came to understand many things. He realized his own special nature and discovered his innate loneliness.

So, he listened to the stories of Kevin and the others in bits and pieces. These stories felt strangely familiar, filled with all sorts of sorrow. This sorrow, in turn, filled Kadi with hatred for Kuyi Tulan...

When one does wrong, the most important thing isn’t seeking remedies, nor is it recognizing one’s mistake. No, when one does wrong, the most important thing is to apologize to those affected by the mistake. An apology might not achieve much; it can’t lessen the victims’ suffering or turn back time. But at the very least, an apology can offer the victims some warmth. This warmth comes from the heart, a genuine warmth. An apology can help them feel a little more at peace.

Kuyi Tulan’s Purification Plan had affected far too many, with the monsters of Guru Mountain bearing the brunt of it. And this impact was a vile one.

What does it feel like to be abandoned by a world you know so well?

Indeed, the perpetrator truly owed them an apology.

”What are you standing there stunned for? Didn’t you hear me? Apologize now!” Kadi’s impatient nature flared up again. He desperately wanted to grab Kuyi Tulan and make him apologize to each and every one of them.

”You...” Kuyi Tulan had intended to say Kadi was being utterly unreasonable, but when he sensed the unified sentiment of those gathered around, he felt quite unnerved.

Kuyi Tulan was somewhat bewildered by the scene unfolding before him. It seemed as though everyone was watching him, waiting for him...

”Look at you! You’ve made so many mistakes yet remain indifferent. I really don’t understand people like you. Doesn’t your heart ache at all?”

Kadi’s words irked Kuyi Tulan. He didn’t regret anything he had done. In the world of Equivalent Exchange, the hidden side is sacrifice—something ordinary people cannot see. Without sacrifice, there can be no gain. One must be prepared for this when undertaking great endeavors. He is someone who aims to change the world; he cannot allow himself to be mired in such trivial sacrifices, unable to break free. Therefore, apologizing? Such a thing is out of the question for him.

”Every action is accompanied by sacrifice. Do you even understand what sacrifice means?” Kuyi Tulan puffed out his chest, questioning Kadi in a challenging tone. Him, apologize? What a joke!

Besides, what did he, Kuyi Tulan, have to apologize for? Every single thing he did was based on sound reasoning. He simply couldn’t understand why so many people failed to grasp his arduous efforts... Sacrifice... it’s difficult for everyone. He himself had sacrificed a great deal. Why couldn’t anyone understand him?

”Why are you so stubborn? Making excuses when you’ve done wrong is useless! Look at your current attitude—so hostile! You’re truly an unreasonable person!” Kadi sensed Kuyi Tulan growing flustered and exasperated, his words tinged with emotion.

”Attitude? My attitude is perfectly clear. We must change the current situation! We cannot allow ourselves to be at the mercy of others! How could any of you understand this? And how could a little pipsqueak like you possibly comprehend it?”

Kuyi Tulan seemed somewhat disoriented by Kadi’s relentless pressure, his mind drifting as memories returned to a moment from over ten years ago.

”Do you even realize the harm your actions have caused others? They might be masters in this world, but what you did drove them away from it! Can you understand that?” Kadi, too, was starting to get worked up. Why is it so hard to get someone to apologize?!

”Harm? Are you joking? Don’t you know that their painful experiences were crucial for changing this world? Without their sacrifices, how could a new world possibly emerge? They will ultimately be remembered by history!”

”You make it sound far too simple! Has history remembered them? Look closely—the truth is quite the opposite! They’ve been completely forgotten!” As Kadi spoke, he pointed to Yuga and Arnold behind him. ”These people weren’t remembered by history; they were utterly forgotten.”

Ever since the Emperor abolished the title of ’Glorious Seven Riders,’ these individuals have been forgotten by the world...

Kuyi Tulan was stunned. What Kadi said was completely contrary to what he had believed; he, of course, knew the true state of affairs.

He had vehemently opposed the Emperor’s abolishment of the ’Glorious Seven Riders’ title, but to no avail. No one could defy the Emperor’s will. At that time, he was at his lowest ebb, and his words carried no weight whatsoever.

The title ’Glorious Seven Riders’ was indeed abolished, and its abolishment was, in fact, related to him.

At this thought, Kuyi Tulan couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Just as Kadi had said, the Glorious Seven Riders had been forgotten...

This feeling was awful. To be forgotten... it was a kind of sorrow...

Therefore, looking at it from this angle, Kuyi Tulan felt he truly did owe the former Glorious Seven Riders an apology!

Kuyi Tulan crossed his hands over his chest and bowed deeply to the Great Mentor and the others. This was the highest form of etiquette in the Empire. And from his lips came the words of apology.

”I’m sorry!”

This apology slowly drifted and lingered in the air above the Moonflow Stream...