I Will Leave Before Dawn

Chapter 22: The you that resent me

It had been twenty-five long years since I made the decision to seek justice from Lord Huang on my own terms. All those years had passed, and I found myself holding back, not manipulating situations as I could easily do. Even though I had the power to control everything around me, I resisted the temptation, simply because of one reason; Huang JunJie was a person Damu Lan held dear to.

But everything was fine. Damu Lan had a way of bringing out my humane side, making me act impulsively like any regular person. The thoughts of revenge and memories that once filled me with anger simply fade away at the sight of his carefree smile.

"You're all I'll ever need," I whispered to Damu Lan.

"Hahaha! Mo Yun, why are you getting so emotional now?" He teased, clutching a cup of wine in his hand, his face flushed.

He had always been a bad drinker, and I would often have to clean up after his mess, laying him down to rest before leaving before dawn.

All was well, I was willing for this to resume for the rest of my life.

How I wished I could stay by his side even after the sun had risen so I could sleep longer, but whenever I insisted, he would become serious and strict. I didn't want him to treat me that way, so I always obeyed.

Twenty-five years... twenty-five yeard had passed, and he had become a fully grown adult. As I watched him walk ahead, pursuing his own path with his group, I couldn't help but feel the growing distance between us, a line I could never cross.

"Mo Yun, we've received a request to deal with some unconscious devils in an abandoned town. Let's go together," he said, and I nodded in response.

We waited until nightfall when the horde of unconscious devils lurked through the abandoned town. Damu Lan was the first to spring into action, skillfully slicing through them one by one, putting an end to their nightmares.

In that moment, I couldn't help but wish for him to put an end to my own nightmares too. Yet, the thought slipped away when I realized that having Damu Lan by my side for eternity would be a permanent solution to my fears.

"Damu Lan," I called out to him, "these unconscious devils are all walking in their sleep, trapped in their nightmares." I placed my palm on the head of one male unconscious devil.

"They would be grateful if you granted them a pleasant dream before ending their suffering," I explained.

As I cast a good dream to counteract their nightmares, his body began to dissolve, granting him a peaceful rest as his soul ascended, resembling that of fireflies.

"How beautiful," Damu Lan exclaimed, and then he began to do the same.

Damu Lan straightened his posture, casting a spell upon his sword, TianXiang, and began to slice the heads of them all. In an instant, their bodies lit up in the blaze of the flames emanating from TianXiang. Some of them scream in agony, while others dissolve without making a sound, ascending like ethereal fireflies.

"Mo Yun, why were they screaming? Did I do it wrong?" He asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"Not all unconscious devils have the capacity to dream positively. Those who screamed and suffered were likely the ones who, in life, never believed they deserved anything to begin with," I explained.

"I see. Mo Yun, you're so knowledgeable. Why then, did you always refuse to join us on missions?"

The answer to that was simply because, the others, especially, Zhang XiYi are part of the group, and I didn't want to be associated with them.

"It's just because I didn't really feel like it," I replied vaguely.

Eventually, we made our way back to the sect. While Damu Lan went to give his report, I strolled toward the cliff— the place where everything had changed for me.