-Naruhito's POV-
Just recalling that story makes me sick.
My name is Isshiki Naruhito, and I was 42 years old when I discovered that... 'thing'. Truth be told, I don't know how old I currently am, but I'd assume at least a century or so.
From the young age, I always pursued the martial arts path, and wanted to comprehend the Dao, and stand at the top of the world. But, I wasn't born talented, I wasn't born for martial arts. Although my body was strong, my skills for martial arts and cultivation was not. The longsword never suited me, so I went with the shortsword. But I couldn't get a fit for it, either. I tried a wide variety of weapons; Katana, Spears, Halbred, Bows, Daggers, etc...
But no matter how much I tried, I only got to a superficial level with them. As for cultivation, no matter what cultivation method I used, none mattered. I was barely able to cultivate properly, regardless of the cultivation technique I used.
One thing that I had, however, was my exceptional eyesight. From a young age, I could see a mosquito that was over 20 meters away in perfect details, and even make out every detail of a person when they were a kilometer away. With time, my eyesight didn't deteriorate, but it instead improved. That was the only quality I had.
Anyways, with my in-born strength and exceptional eyesight, I decided to go with hand-to-hand martial arts, since my innate born strength was far higher than that of a normal person. I wasn't adept at hand-to-hand martial arts, but with my inborn strength, I was able to easily win many fights against novice martial artists. I wandered the world, leaving my small town behind, and fought with many martial artists. But as the number of victories rose, so did the strength of the combatants. Eventually, my lack of talent in martial arts and cultivation caught up to me.
In the former, there were those who could dodge my attacks with their sheer talent in martial arts, even while they were slower than me. I couldn't even graze the seams of their clothes, and they could easily damage me with their weapons. Although I could see their minute muscle movements, and everything else about them, I couldn't properly utilize them. I didn't know what they exactly meant, or how they'd move, unlike those that were talented at martial arts.
As for the latter, my inborn strength advantage had dwindled massively against those who had cultivated to a higher level, to the point that I was even weaker than them. They could easily defeat me in a battle of pure strength, even when they were only a few levels above me. Not to mention their disgustingly fast speed.
Eventually, I began to accept the reality that the path of martial arts was simply not suited for me. At the age of 29, I returned to my town, and gave up on learning martial arts, and decided to settle. I married a woman named Mio, my childhood sweetheart. She was beautiful, at least for me, she was. She always wanted to settle with me, but I always refused, saying that I had to pursue the path of the Great Dao, the martial arts path. But of course, that didn't work out, so that led me to marrying her.
Surprisingly, it was a good life. I thought I'd die of boredom, thinking that I'd simply repeat the same actions every day, and die of old age accomplishing nothing. But, once I settled down, I realized... I was fine with that. Waking up in the morning to my wife making breakfast, showering her with kisses, and just going to my job, It was all peaceful, and relaxing.
Waking up, feeling my wife's beautiful hands caress me gently as she gave me a loving kiss. Really, that kiss alone made me feel more alive, more loved, more excited than I did in my entire life. If I were to be completely honest, I still had my desire of learning martial arts in my heart, dreaming of pursuing it, and achieving immortality, becoming unrivaled. Of course, that desire had dwindled a lot after I got married, but it was still there. Still, that desire was nowhere near close to the desire of just seeing Mio again whenever I wake up, or whenever I get back from work.
I just wanted to go back home every day, and see Mio again. It was a delightful sight. Really, I was heads over heels for her. Many of my acquaintances told me to leave her, or at least get a concubine, saying that even though my martial arts talent wasn't great, I still had cultivated a bit and had great in-born strength. They told me I could get beautiful woman easily, but, I refused.
Hell, had it not been for Mio, I still would've probably pursued the martial arts dream, and eventually wither away and die all while accomplishing nothing. It was all thanks to Mio that I was able to find some happiness in my life, and not waste it away by pursuing martial arts, not having any sort of love in my life.
I truly, truly, just wanted to be with Mio.
But... then it struck. The sickness. Mio had caught a disease that was incredibly deadly, and even getting the medicine for healing it was; too expensive, and finding someone who sold it was incredibly difficult as well. The town I had lived in was too small, and the chances of finding one was practically zero.
That disease was fairly uncommon, but many people in my town would still get it. It wasn't anything new. Unfortunately, It was Mio's turn to catch it.
That disease was incredibly painful, and its effects were disgusting. That disease rots the body of those that catch it, and eventually kills them. I tried my best and took her to the best hospital in town, hoping that they would save her, despite how foolish it was for me to think it was possible. They said they lacked the cure, but they could at least sedate it a bit.
And so, they did. She was bedridden, and wasn't allowed to leave the hospital, only being able to wander it, and its garden. I was the only one who would meet her, since her father died a few days after she was born, and her mother died by the time we got married. She didn't have any siblings, either.
I still remember the conversation we had vividly. I could recall everything, even after the decades that had passed.
"You heard them... I cannot be saved anymore." She said, her voice at the time surprisingly only a bit sorrowful, "They said... it will be very painful until I die. They said I'll become ugly, too..."
At that time, she gave me a kind, beautiful smile. The same smile that will always melt my heart, but at that time, It caused my heart to burn in pain.
I remember her caressing my face, feel her warm, yet subtly shaking hands.
"You should not come here, anymore." She said softly, her smile having a hint of sadness, "You don't want to see me turn ugly, do you? I also don't want you to see me like that."
I, of course, refused her request instantly. How could I leave her? What kind of a person would I be?
"It's fine, really. You don't have to feel obliged, you don't need to force yourself to stay. I..." Her hands shook lightly at that time, "...Don't know if I will always be able to maintain my calm. I will probably cry, scream, and shout. I will probably say hurtful things. I will probably say things that I don't mean. If you saw both my appearance, and my inner self- my heart- both grow ugly, and decided to leave me midway, then..."
I could still recall the tear that rolled off her cheek when she hesitated.
"...That would definitely be more painful."
Every word she uttered caused my heart to burn in pain, but I managed to retain my composure at the time. Of course, it was still apparent that I was heartbroken, but I still managed to tell her that I'll stay with her till the end.
"You really mean that?" She said, her kind smile causing my heart to ache, "Hey, you better not be lying. If you decide to leave me and go train in martial arts, then I'll come back as a ghost to haunt you. I won't even let you use the bathroom in peace!"
It was surprising to see her make a joke like that even when she knows she'll eventually die. But, that's Mio. Even in the worst situations, she will always try to lighten the mood.
I stayed with her till the end of the day, and when the staff told me to leave since I only was allowed till 10 PM, and as such, I left in furious anger, and bitter sadness. Though, I did make a bit of a ruckus and almost caused one of the guards to be hospitalized. Thankfully, I didn't hurt him too much.
Right after that, I always went searching the wilderness, towns, and cities nearby. My stamina was far higher than that of a human, which was normal for a martial artists and cultivator. I could go an entire week without sleeping, drinking, or eating, and I would still be at my peak condition.
I searched and searched, went to nearby towns and asked them for the medicine, or even the main component that it was made of, but I couldn't find anything. In the wilderness, thanks to my constantly improving eyesight, I kept searching around every inch of the wilderness. With my eyesight, I was now able to see things very vividly even if they were 50 kilometers away from me. I could see an ant in extreme details, notice every hair on its body, even if it was many kilometers away from. Hell, If I focus hard enough, I could even see cells.
My eyesight constantly improved with time, and it didn't just allow me to see further, but it even went to a qualitative change. I could... see ghosts, spirits, souls. A few people that weren't deep into the path of martial arts had eyesight similar to this, and it was called The Eye of Truth.
And that was quite convenient, because the main component that the medicine was made of was the Grieving of Souls flower. It was an extremely hard flower to find, yet it could grow virtually anywhere. The reason for that is because that flower is made by those vengeful spirits that couldn't let go of their anger and hate, and as such, continued to exist, wandering aimlessly for all of eternity.
The flower was from their grief and hate, and their soul energy goes into the ground, forming a small flower. Usually, the souls that had made this flower would wander close to it, as that flower calmed them down a bit.
I saw many ghosts, souls, whatever, and tried communicating with them. But all that I was met with was their shouts, their anger, as they tried to attack me but failed miserably due to their state of being.
Even those that didn't reply in fury, said they didn't have it, and stated that even if they did, they wouldn't give it to me. Because, why would they? Why would they give a precious flower that calmed down their hate and grief to someone they didn't know?
Depressed, I continued searching, and when the two suns began to rise, I went back to the town.
However... on the way, I caught a glance of a chest, of some sort, a couple of kilometers away. It was made of unvarnished, pure metalwood, the same kind of wood that, like its name, was as hard as metal. It was covered in runes that were floating a few inches away from it, rotating at a snail rate. The chest floating a few inches above the ground. I didn't know why that chest was there, and how no one had opened it before. I, of course, was enticed by it.
In just a minute or so, I reached the chest, and examined it even more thoroughly. When I got this close to the chest, I felt a deep, foreboding sense of doom. Still, I managed to overcome that feeling, and tried to open the chest.
But just as I was about to touch it, a few words suddenly popped into existence, floating in the air. That kind of work was only possible by a strong master, someone who had reached high into the realm of cultivation and martial arts.
The words were; "DO NOT OPEN"
Right after seeing those words, I felt that foreboding sense come back, stronger than before. Thinking this was the chest of a really powerful master, I didn't touch it, and with great willpower, I continued to the town, occasionally glancing at it every few kilometers or so.
A few days had passed then, and everyday, I would stay with Mio, taking a stroll in the garden of the hospital, or just talking about our life in the hospital room. And everyday, when I go searching for the flower or the medicine, I always spare a few glances at the chest, always feeling a bit of fear whenever I look at it. A fear that kept increasing with each passing day.
Then, on the 8th day, the signs of the kept increasing, until it took away something from Mio's body.
"Ah..." She blurted out, staring at her hand that had many spots of skin rotting, "My finger..." She muttered, her voice was shaking, and a few tears began to fall, "My finger... came off... ah..."
I could still remember the pain, the pain of her hand missing one finger, and that severed finger laying on the bed, still rotting at a slow pace.
At that time, I immediately called out for the staff, my voice incredibly loud. I kept shouting and shouting, until I heard Mio's soft voice call out for me.
"It's fine..." I could still remember her shaky voice, a voice that was filled with utter sadness, "Just... throw it away. I-I don't want to see it anymore."
...Despite how much she told me she was fine, I knew she wasn't. Anyone could tell.
For the next few days, I still stayed with Mio, and searched everywhere for the flower. Mio, despite acting all happy, still had an obvious hint of sadness in her tone, and her eyes showed them more clearly. Every day that I searched, I felt my fear towards the chest increase, but so did my desire. I thought 'It's probably a chest of a powerful master, It surely has powerful things inside, and great riches!'
I thought that perhaps, If it did indeed have some powerful techniques, weapons, anything inside of it, then I would grow powerful, and then, maybe then, I would be able to help Mio.
But, I still didn't do it. I still continued searching, Ignoring the chest.
I went with Mio in the day, searched in the night, and that whole process was repeated many times.
As the number of days increased, so did Mio's sickness;
"Sorry... I can't move my legs anymore, so we can't go to the garden. Huh? You will carry me? Wait stop-" -12th day.
"The view is quite beautiful today, isn't it? Hey, doesn't this remind you of the time we..." -14th day
"Bleh, the food here always taste terrible." -15th day.
"IT HURTS! IT REALLY HURTS! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!" -16th day.
"My leg... it's... gone. Yes... Yes... please remove it from my sight... I don't wanna see it... It's disgusting looking..." -17th day.
"My leg... why... why did I end up like this? Why am I going to die like this? Why are the heavens so... cruel? Why? Why? Naru, I'm scared. I'm really scared." -17th day.
"Hey... You said I'm the world to you... right? If so... then... both of us... together... won't you...?" -17th day.
"I'm really sorry for yesterday, I guess I was just... too shocked and sad with my leg. Please forget everything I had said. Just... stay with me. Don't abandon me, please..." -18th day.
"Hey, can you come closer? You look a bit blurry to me. My eyes have started becoming blurry. I know what that means, so... can you come closer? I want to see you as much as I can. Thank you." -19th day.
"Heh, It's funny. It's like we're opposites now. Your eyesight is getting better everyday, but mine is the opposite. Really, we have been opposites in everything. And yet, I love you so much. Ah, sorry, that was probably not funny... or appropriate... at all." -20th day.
"Hey... Are you there...? I can't see you well... Come closer... and... can you... hold my hand...?" -24th day.
"No...! Don't... tell them... about my pain... I don't want that pill... again. I can't- I can't feel anything when... I take it... I want to feel... your touch... Not feeling your touch... would be horrifying..." -28th day.
"Well, who needs arms anyways, right? At least the pain had died down. Say, can we talk about the past? You know, the day we met, or when you first came to sleep at my house, or when we first went out, or when you proposed to me. Really, I just want to remember the past more, I want to reminisce the past with you here. Heh, you were such a stubborn child, you know that right? You always wanted to fight with everyone, and kept repeating how you wanted to achieve immortality and all that stuff. I can still remember the day your mother scolded you, and even hit you with her stick. Hehe." -30th day.
"Hey... my hearing has become... worse... can you come closer?" -35th day.
"You are still here, right, Naru? That's you... right? I... don't even know if you can... hear me... But please... listen. When I first... got here. You said that... you'll follow me wherever I go... even in death... You said if I die... you'll follow me, right...? Please listen... forget about that... forget about all of that... you always wanted to... follow your dream, right...? Then... go... achieve it... I will always cheer you on... regardless of where I am... We don't know... how the heavens work... We might not even meet there... or go through the Samsara Cycle... together. Just, forget about all of it. I'm already... happy... that you stayed with me this far... so please..." -40th day.
"Thank you... for staying with me this far." -40th day.
"Thank you... for marrying me." -40th day.
"Thank you... for everything." -40th day.
"Thank you... for loving me." -40th day.
"I love you." -40th day.
"Goodbye." -40th day.
---
On the 40th day, right after saying goodbye to me, Mio had gone unconscious. She hadn't died yet at the time, but simply went into a coma. All those days, I felt my mind becoming more and more empty, and In all of them, tears kept flowing without no end. I hated crying, I hated appearing weak, especially in front of Mio. But I couldn't stop them, no matter how much I tried. And Mio... she always comforted me, always, when I should've been the one to do it.
Right after the staff made me leave (even though I was completely adamant on staying, and even caused numerous fights), I went straight into the wilderness.
Not to go to the other towns or cities, neither did I search for the flower. Instead, I went straight to one thing; the chest.
I remember standing there, watching the chest for what might have been minutes or might have been hours, not moving an inch. I recall feeling empty, but there was also another emotion, although it was incredibly small that I didn't even notice it at the time. It was fear. Not fear of the powerful master that might kill me, nor the fear of me even dying. I wasn't afraid of death, I never was.
Rather, there was this fear that I couldn't exactly put into words whenever I stared at the chest. It was unnatural, it was as if my entire body and soul felt wary of this thing, as if my entire existence was warning me not to open it. It was odd, I never feared death, torture, or pain. But I feared whatever secrets this chest held.
Yet, I didn't waver. I didn't care anymore about that master, or whatever. That time, I was going to open it, regardless of what happens. I thought there might be a powerful medicine that could heal Mio, even when she was in the state that she currently was, where all of her arms, legs, and eyes had disappeared. I would be happy even if she was in that state, I would be happy if I could just see her for the rest of my life, even if that was the only thing I could do.
If there was just a powerful technique, weapon, or cultivation method, then it was simple what I was going to do. End it all, really. I didn't care about my dream anymore at that time. That dream had died, utterly gone, when I saw Mio first cry in pain.
I recall knowing that only I could see the chest. No one else could, I knew no one else could see it. I remember having brought my friend before to see it, and I remember the look he had given me before; a look halfway between pity and concern. He told me that I was seeing things, and that he couldn't see this chest I was talking about. That was how I knew no one could see this chest.
I remember, after god knows how long I stared at the chest, I finally moved. I moved towards it, until my face was just inches away from the lid. I recall taking a deep breath, trying to see if I could smell anything from inside, perhaps cultivation pills, medicine or anything, really.
Nothing. I couldn't smell anything.
It was then that I finally decided to open it. It was a decision I still regret to this day. I opened the lid slowly, the runes that were rotating around the chest disappearing since it seemed to have been eons since they were first planted, and... when I opened the chest...
It was the moment I gave away my whole life, my body, my soul, and my heart away.
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