The Unbearable Truth and the Quest for a Lost Soul

Aile showed her amazing talent in language.

She completely cracked the diary.

[The diary was filled with words of your concern for her.]

She stared at those words, feeling suffocated again and again.

How could she possibly accept such a truth?

Her entire being, her very life, had been bestowed upon her by one person.

The cost of her growth was Teacher’s life.

He had given his entire life, his very existence, even if she hadn’t understood him, even if she had killed him with her own hands.

In the final moments of his life, his diary even contained some disheartened words.

She softly read a passage.

“My body is worse than I imagined. If I can’t wait for Aile to return, I’ll have to entrust everything to Chris. But this pain, even I find it somewhat…”

“Honestly, I’ve accumulated good karma; I hope everything goes smoothly from now on.”

“Enough of that. I’ll try my best to hold on until Aile returns. I want to wish her a happy birthday in person.”

She couldn’t even begin to fathom how Mingqian had spent his final days.

He yearned for her swift return, while simultaneously being consumed by worry for her future.

Even on the verge of death, he managed a faint smile, wishing himself a happy birthday.

But what about her? What had she truly done?

Each time this thought surfaced, Aile felt as though she were drowning in the deepest ocean, unable to breathe.

Her stomach clenched, and her entire body trembled uncontrollably.

On several occasions, the pain in her heart was so intense that she fainted, repeatedly cycling through waking and collapsing.

‘My beloved, lost forever, I look upon…’

“I…”

She yearned to weep, yet who could she possibly blame for any of this?

‘Only herself.’

When something truly vital was within her grasp, she had failed to cherish it.

Not only did she fail to cherish it, but she had personally destroyed it with her own hands.

“It’s all my fault.”

If Teacher had not saved her, he would undoubtedly have had a beautiful future.

Surrounded by Chris and Eliza, and betrothed to a princess, his life had taken a strange turn, all because he chose to save her.

He had exchanged his own life for Aile’s.

He had died in agony, his body ultimately lost without a trace.

Yet now, no one even blamed her.

She had fully expected Chris to avenge Teacher, believing a swift death would be her just reward, but the young woman had simply departed without a word.

Even she, who valued Teacher more than anyone, had not chosen vengeance.

Chris possessed greater courage than Aile; she hadn’t allowed hatred to consume her, but had calmly chosen her own path.

‘Aile probably wouldn’t continue to live aimlessly.’

This was strange, utterly strange.

She was clearly… clearly not a good child, but a sinner who had murdered her Teacher.

“Teacher…”

Aile frantically piled all of Mingqian’s belongings around her, calling out his name as if, by doing so, Teacher would remain by her side.

Those tender moments, those bygone days…

She used magic to firmly affix the collar around her neck, her vacant eyes scanning her surroundings.

She cared not how others perceived her; she needed only one person’s attention.

‘Only… one person.’

After that, she locked herself away in her room, refusing to think, refusing to acknowledge anything.

Months later, she departed from that place, as if enlightened… or perhaps, as if she had simply given up entirely.

Before leaving, she took everything connected to Mingqian.

****

[After defeating the Demon King, she marched north to conquer the barbarians, pacified dragons in the south, subjugated elves in the east, and quelled rebellions in the west.]

[Thus, she unified the entire continent, but the Celestial Realm could not tolerate humanity’s growing might.]

[Angels descended to subjugate her, only to be struck down and slain by her hand.]

[She ushered in a new era for humanity, yet those who knew her often remarked that her eyes were vacant, as if perpetually searching for something.]

[She carved a path of slaughter through the Celestial Realm, felling countless foes, severing the wings of archangels with her blade.]

The cycle of life and death was said to be predetermined, but she refused to accept it; she would reclaim one person’s soul.

She seized the Soul-Returning Elixir from angels and fought her way through the Underworld in search of the Netherworld Flower, her power escalating to terrifying levels.

Finally, she stood here.

The River Styx, the ultimate destination for the current of all life.

Reaching the River Styx was not enough; she still had to transcend time and space.

Her heart throbbed uncontrollably.

“Teacher… I have waited a long, long time for this day.”

She knew not where she was, her existence ambiguous and ill-defined, yet as she slowly traversed the far shore of time and space, the girl’s silhouette cast a shadow over the myriad worlds, dimming their brilliance.

She raised her hand, and the river waters receded as if flowing backward.

Each wave, each droplet, represented a soul, a segment of the world’s time.

With merely a gentle lift of her hand, she could cause countless lives to vanish.

Since Teacher’s death, she had ceased to count the passage of time.

Time without Mingqian held no value for her whatsoever.

Everything felt as if it had happened just yesterday.

For her, from that day onward, she had truly lost everything, lost all hope, with only a single thought compelling her to continue living.

“To resurrect you…”

This sole purpose was why she had lived for this very day.

Her level had reached a terrifying 999; now, she could command time itself, and even the power of causality.

She had prepared for this day for an eternity, convinced that by her own power, she could surely bring Teacher back to life!

‘What kind of expression would he wear?’

‘Would he, as before, caress her head with a wry smile?’

‘Would he gently embrace her?’

‘Would he… hate her?’

Yet Aile had already resolved that if Teacher declared his hatred for her, she would take her own life right before him.

‘Death would be an easier fate than being hated by Teacher.’

‘No, to hear Teacher’s voice one last time before dying, she would have no regrets.’

At this thought, her eyes, after countless ages, finally cleared, and a long-absent smile graced her lips.

‘Ah… it’s almost time…’

‘She would soon see Teacher.’

Her hand precisely halted time; that single droplet of water was the past itself.

Time rewound like a video recording, and all of the past unfurled once more, revealing familiar faces and scents.

She watched Mingqian accompany Aile, how he had saved her, and raised her until she grew up.

‘Her own figure had been so frail.’

She gazed at the advancing carriage, her vision aligning with Mingqian’s as she looked towards that patch of grass.

“Teacher…”

That soft cry held within it an immeasurable depth of sorrow and melancholy.

It was here that she would forcibly wrench Teacher from this timeline.

Her magic surged around her, streaks of lightning flashing across the sky, and with an immense power, she felt Teacher’s presence.

‘Just a little more, just a little more, and she would see Teacher again.’

However, her magic passed right through Mingqian’s body.

“This is impossible!”

Aile’s heart was violently shaken; she forcefully tore through time and space, attempting to grasp Mingqian’s hand, but all was in vain.

Panic seized her once more; all her years of effort had been for this very day.

‘To reunite with Mingqian.’

‘If… if she were to fail…’

Undeterred, she channeled all her magic, capable of controlling every substance around her, yet Mingqian alone eluded her grasp.

His body slipped through her fingers.

She rewound time and space again and again, yet she could never touch Mingqian.

She altered causality, intending to prevent them from ever meeting in the first place, hoping to avert the tragedy from recurring.

However, the power of causality could not manifest upon Mingqian.

He was utterly untouched by causality.

Aile fought with all her might, but could not overcome it.

He was like a flower in a mirror; no matter how Aile tried to touch him, she could only grasp his phantom image.

Time was a toy in her hands, yet…

Despite being so immensely powerful, she remained utterly helpless.

She refused to give up, repeating her actions time and again, endlessly.

Yet she could only watch as the story continued to unfold, until that fateful day arrived once more.

“Why!”

She gasped for breath, her chest heaving.

“No… please, don’t let it be this way. Is this Teacher’s punishment for me?”

“I’ve already mastered the power of time, so why!”

“Why can I still not save you!”

“My efforts! My very existence!”

Aile knew that she could no longer strive.

She remained there, watching the past unfold repeatedly, her tears falling uncontrollably once more.

‘A silent wail.’

“I’m sorry, Chris…”

“I’m sorry… Eliza.”

“Forgive me, Noyu.”

“Teacher… I…”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

If this was a punishment, it was far too cruel.

The girl who had traversed three thousand worlds, torn through celestial realms, and trampled the underworld, now clasped herself tightly in this desolate place.

As if plunged into the deepest ocean, she no longer wished to think of anything.

Stripped of all hope, she surrendered her will entirely to the encroaching darkness.