Nie Asreal moved furniture around like a maniac person looking for a lost item. They had arrived at the watchtower by going through one of the caves and entering through an old stairwell. It had obviously been in use many years ago but now the entrance was very abandoned and groggy. The stairwell steps were so worn they looked and felt slippery but once they walked through the door Yi Lian stood frozen in awe.
It was an open room filled with books, manuals, wires crossing the ceiling with blankets and loose fabric, draped across in all directions.
It looked like a mystical maze or a temporary hospital. Definitely made from the imagination of a child, the messiness of a teen and the dedication of an adult.
As Nie Asreal rushed inside Yi Lian could see his figure through the sun lit makeshift wall curtains. He watched and smiled. This had obviously taken a lot of time and effort, he wondered what friends he brung here when he was young and what adventures had transpired.
Yi Lian, "What do you use this for?"
Suddenly three curtains flew to the side in one swoosh as a path emerged across the room to a chair next to the lookout balcony. Nie Asreal was kneeled on the floor, mindlessly tossing paper over his head.
Nie Asreal, "I found it when i was ten. No one was using it so I thought I would make the most of it and come here when my brothers became impossible to be in the same building as. Over the years I've come here more and more to the point where I semi live here."
Yi Lian walked over. He picked up one of the pages Nie Asreal had tossed over his shoulder and pailed. It was one of a very famous and very old cultivator, one of seven, the only one of seven that existed on this plain of existence.
Yi Lian batted the back of his head. "What are you doing? These are priceless- one of a kind- are you ripping the pages out?!"
Nie Asreal lightly pushed his hand away. "It's fine. The rest isn't useful. I'm looking for a specific part. This guy liked to ramble a lot.."
Yi Lian caught the pages and put them neatly in a pile to the side. He crouched down beside him and looked over his shoulder after the destruction stopped.
He was reading a page on "Reality Restoration." Yi Lian had never heard of such a thing.
Before Yi Lian could read anymore over his shoulder, Nie Asreal closed the book and shooed Yi Lian into the chair. "I need you to sit, close your eyes and give me your sword."
Winters-Gaze tried to unshieth itself eagerly but Yi Lian put a hand over its clasp. "Why? What's wrong?"
Nie Asreal tapped on the chair before replying, "Someone has tampered with your memories."
Yi Lian, "Who?"
Nie Asreal, "You won't believe me, but just please."
He took a deep breath. "That part within you that tells you to trust me, please listen to it. I would have done this before but I worried that if I could only show you parts from when I was around in the memories then you wouldn't believe me, but now we have a part of you that holds these memories and I can use that! Please, I can't let that jurk get away with this."
Yi Lian felt unnerved. How could someone mess with his memories and when? Well he guessed that was the problem. Winters-Gaze thrashed in his grip like an energetic puppy wanting to go play.
Yi Lian, "It's impossible. If this was the case why wait till now to tell me? What moments could be so valuable that I will be unable to live on without them but able to live till now?"
Nie Asreal rubbed his face. It had been too long. "Yi Lian, you could very well continue life as it is. These memories haha maybe they're nothing special- I guess I never asked you but at least let yourself judge the worth of the memories with them than without. I must ask you though how you could have said you didn't know me when you arrived but you also remember me saving you last time from your Sect. You remember me studying at Immortals Valley Peak but still didn't know me when you saw me. If you can tell me it was all an act then fine. I will help you heal and send you on your way, back to the seclusion and serenity of your dear and loving Sect."
He said the last line like venom and Yi Lian couldn't help but listen. It was true. These things were strange. Whenever he tried to think about these things his head would blur a bit and he would forget to question it further. His powers were restricted greatly. It wouldn't be a stretch to say his mind had little defense and it would be interesting to know the motives behind this person. After all it may be consequential to the Sect.
With this conclusion he handed over his sword. "It's called Winters-Gaze. Don't mind it if it gets a bit flashy, it's a showoff sometimes and it seems to like you a lot."
Winters-Gaze dimmed and flashed brightly again because Nie Asreal was holding it and it daren't be dim for more than a moment. This was Winters-Gaze after all. The strongest and most sought after sword in the world… according to itself.
Nie Asreal grabbed a cloth to place the sword on and gave it a pat. Winters-Gaze let out so much mist it sounded like a gasp and made the room become covered in clouds.
Yi Lian closed his eyes. At first he was startled because Nie Asreal's hand appeared on his chest but soon the world around him passed and his current thoughts halted. He felt like he was drowning in his own mind. At first he tried to swim and claw his way out of it but as the inside of his carriage was painted in front of him, all thoughts were lost.