Felicity was engulfed in grief, cradling her first friend in her embrace.
Despite the frigid temperature of the lifeless body, Felicity vividly recalled the warmth of Mary's skin from her memories, as if she were still fully alive.
Uncontrollable tears streamed down her face, and the urge for hiccups and sobs overwhelmed her. After learning Mary's story from her magical beast sibling, Larry, Felicity felt an overwhelming guilt for enjoying Mary's company while being oblivious to her friend's plight.
"If only I knew. I could help you... But... I hesitated to tell you that I came from the upper heavens. If only I could, you would open up about your problem too, right?" she cried, regretting her past hesitation when Mary was still well.
Mary's current state teetered on the edge of a precipice. Her blood, infused with a portion of a magical beast, was the sole reason she clung to life.
Who would have thought that thousands of years had passed, yet Mary persisted as if she were a cultivator or an immortal?
"How... can I even help you now that I am powerless?" Felicity's voice wavered, nearly drowned in her breathing.
As Felicity prepared to resume crying, the door abruptly swung open, revealing Lucas's hurried expression.
Larry, detecting Lucas's presence, materialized before him, fangs nearly visible, and a dagger of light in hand.
However, Lucas remained vigilant, erecting a barrier to shield himself from the sudden attack. The ensuing clash produced a cacophony of loud clangs and screeching sounds that echoed throughout the room.
Felicity directed a gaze at Lucas, her eyes brimming with sadness. Wiping away her tears, she addressed Larry, who remained vigilant in the presence of Lucas, an apparent match for his strength.
"Larry, he's with me. Let him in," Felicity asserted, a command Larry promptly obeyed.
Confused by the somber atmosphere, Lucas sensed that someone had recently passed away. Encouragingly, he looked at Felicity, hoping to provide solace even though he couldn't bring back the dead.
"What happened?" he inquired, approaching Felicity.
For a moment, Felicity remained silent, her eyes fixed on Mary's lifeless body.
"She's my first friend, Mary... But right now, she is currently at the edge of the cliff," Felicity quickly stated, halting momentarily.
Lucas refrained from pressing for more details, recognizing the gravity of the situation. In this instance, he could only listen to Felicity's account.
After some time, Felicity gently laid Mary on the ground, wiping away her tears. Seating herself in a chair near the open display glass, she spoke briefly.
"I thought that visiting here would be okay. But I was just reminded of the past," she said before taking a breath.
Continuing, she shared, "When I was still a child, I was sent here for training. Since my father came from a humble background, he wanted me to experience the effort required to attain my desires. Thus, my father sent me here to cultivate."
"But it wasn't the case for my past arrogant self. Coming from the upper heavens, living here disgusted me, as the Qi in the environment paled in comparison to the Celestial Heaven. I complained to my father's men, but in the end, I was unsuccessful."
Felicity shared her tale with a mix of sorrow and nostalgia.
"It was just for a short moment. After I met a thoughtful mortal, Mary."
"Her insights into everything were broad as a vast sea. I thought at first that she just made up things, but when I got deeper into socializing with other people, I realized that I was wrong. Mary taught me how to be wise and kind to everyone. Because of her, I became friends with anyone I met. Hahaha, yet I was still betrayed in the Celestial Heaven."
"I enjoyed her company. It was also the time when I discovered that she couldn't cultivate because her bloodline was cursed, making their family lack the talent to cultivate."
"After a few months, my training days had finally ended, and I was excited about spending the rest of my time with her, but...I only got to hear from her family that she was dead. She died because of an unknown disease, degenerating her cells into ashes."
"That was all... My first friend died, and after years, I finally moved on, thinking that it was her destiny. A harsh one, however. I decided to go back here, to the Mountain Temple, since they own this place. I was thinking that I might have a chance to see her remnant and our remnant, our memories in this place."
"However, I could only be devastated when I discovered everything. I thought it was easy, but the pain I felt went back to piercing my heart. I realized I was so stupid that I didn't even discover that she was suffering from a curse of being stuck between a human and a magical beast. Her genes were extremely equal, making her unable to eat monster cores or cultivate like a human."
"That... was a harsh revelation for me. I could only discover that she had a brother who was a magical beast and also the master of this mountain. Do you mind if I tell you the story too?"
Lucas remained silent, nodding to encourage Felicity to continue. She smiled in response, continuing her story and relieving some of the burdens weighing on her heart.
Felicity continued to unravel the complex history of her friend.
"Her father was a human, but her mother was a magical beast. And at that time, heaven wasn't strict. Thus, stronger and more mature magical beasts could stay in this realm. Her parents fell in love, resulting in both of them as the fruit of their love."
"However, at that time, Mountain Temple wasn't a property of the Luo family. Instead, it was owned by her mother's father, also her grandfather, who was against their relationship. And it resulted in her mother and grandfather fighting over the ownership of the mountain."
"The fight ended a few months after her birth, and as a result, the peak of the mountain was flattened. However, before her grandfather died, he cast a curse on her father's blood, which made her family's descendants lack a talent for cultivating, even those who were already born. Her mother tried to fix it, but it was futile and only resulted in her death. But it was still fortunate that they were able to give birth to a magical beast."
"Years later, her father made a family, and she accepted it willingly. But the curse was still there, devastating her new siblings. And that's... why I thought she was just a mortal that I couldn't help. But when I discovered earlier that she was a half-magical beast, I regretted everything. My family is an expert on magical beasts. If only I opened up my real background... she wouldn't suffer from this..."
After absorbing the heartbreaking tale, Lucas finally broke his silence. "What kind of magical beast did she come from?"
"Mystic White Tiger," Felicity said.
She continued with a heavy heart. "And right now, she is bedridden. She has been since thousands of years ago when I first saw her. Her condition was just half-dead because of her exhaustion from not taking spiritual energy since she was born. And her magical beast blood was the only reason for her life to be prolonged, even at death's door."
Lucas, witnessing Felicity's grief, couldn't stay silent. Without much thought, he expressed his thoughts.
"I don't want you to hope for the best, but if I can do what I did to you, will you let me?" he said, leaving Felicity dumbfounded.
"W-What do you mean?"
"I want to redo her body's condition, but I can't be sure it will work. You wouldn't mind if I try?"