In a spacious and wide meeting hall, the people take their seat, each sit in a lotus position in their own respective position. Knowing nothing about them, Wu Haoyu can still tell they are the people of power by the strong senses of authority emitting from their presence. The expression on their face, one of that trying to control emotion of graveness.
No one willing to start out the conversation. Then the person sitting on top and center of the pedestal voice out, his voice raspy and deep out of old age, "Thank you for all honorable cultivator for exacting this one's invitation. I'm afraid all of you know why I'm gathering you all here." The old man cut the pleasantries to half and straight to the point, "To prevent the resurrection of the Demon Lord."
Wu Haoyu should be surprised and terrified hearing the news just like everyone else in the event, but he's not. He knows that the protagonist is destined to put a stop to it.
Everything became murky, it only gets clear again after Wu Haoyu's leave the meeting hall and into a carriage. He sees a man seemingly on his 20s, people sometimes can't tell a cultivator's age just by their looks, he was petting Wu Haoyu's head fondly. "WuWu's awake now? Good job on holding up for so long." His voice was hoarse like he only had done talking in a long period of time, he tries to gentle his voice though it sounded more force and weak.
His nose is sharp, the edge of his lips has a faint wrinkle from the frequent smiling he gives to all the people he treasures.
"Wu Haoyu" shake his head up and down to agree. "WuWu's is tired and wants a cuddle!" He seems quite happy.
"Wu Haoyu is the future of Scarlet Blossom Pavilion, he should train to be vigilant and patience. If you spoiled him too much, he'll grow up to be a spoiled child." A hand pulls Wu Haoyu close to the woman beside her. She fixed his messed-up hair, after it was precise and neat, her lips curve up satisfied. Looking at her, she seems to be about the same age as the man, but the seriousness of her expression made her look a lot older. Wu Haoyu has her emerald eyes, on her it was slightly darker and deeper in color.
"Come dear wife, our Wu Haoyu is only 6 years old. This is the time we should shower him with love. Besides, isn't he's showing he's capable of carrying responsibility by volunteering to attend this meeting with us?" The man move himself closer to the woman, he grasp her hand.
The woman chuckle in defeat, "You are right, my husband."
The two are husband and wife, the leader of Scarlet Blossom Pavilion, Wu Haoyu's birth parents. He had yet to meet them in person until now, in dream which he hadn't got an explanation why he's dreaming this.
Watching the couple interact, Wu Haoyu can feel the embarrassment being the third wheel. From the way the two hold each other's hand, the way looks at each other, and the way Wu Haoyu's father let Wu Haoyu's mother rest on his shoulder. Wu Haoyu's glad he later closes his eyes and see peaceful darkness.
"What do you mean, you're going to let my land be left to destruction?! Do you understand it was passed down to me by generation? How can I let it be a barren land willingly?" The mother voice suddenly spunk in loudness, Wu Haoyu eyes jerk open.
"Ma?..." Wu Haoyu sleepy voice startled the two figures in front of him.
The mother looks over to him apologetically, "Wu Haoyu...."
"We are sorry to wake our little baby up." The father's voice reeks of helplessness, his voice sooth the sleepy Wu Haoyu close to going back to sleep. "Mama and I'll be outside. Go on and sleep."
Wu Haoyu did plan to fall asleep, but he couldn't. Even babies sometimes can tell that something is wrong and feel the uneasiness in the tension. The father calls out to the driver to stop and then the two of them get out of the carriage, closing the curtain behind them.
Wu Haoyu peak from the small corner of the curtain. It was useless though, he can't hear them because of the distance or because they put on an enchantment so that he can't hear it. Maybe he should just let them be....
On a land of fire, or to be exact, a land set on fire, Wu Haoyu little body was holding on to an embrace and in a position where he can watch the back throw into a disarray full of blood. A young cultivator dress in white was fighting against a demi human creature, it was fast and the next second the young man was dead being drag by the creature on its fangs.
'What the fuck?!' the transition to the scene was not great, he's just in a carriage and suddenly being drag on a war the second! The air suffocates him with the smell of blood, he knew war is horrifying and grotesque, but he didn't have time to prepared for it, not even a warning. His breathing sharp and rapid, air didn't reach his lung and even then, his eyes watch everything. It's not just a nightmare, he feels what it's like to watch many promising people died, he believes it was a memory, one that he desperately wishes to forget,
[ Administrator, calm down.] Almost as sudden as the transition to the war, everything became quiet and tranquil.
Open his eyes again, Wu Haoyu was in a wide room with no wall, the floor seems like water flowing and split into multiple paths but as his feet touches it was solid as stone and comfortably cool. Towards what indicated by the water path, the center, there was a small green tree. Weirdly enough, his heart is beating calmly. "Clostine? Where...?" The image from before had imprinted on his mind like hot and boiled print press, he changes his question, "Before that, I need you to explain what just happen."
[ This is what can be called your inner space, but it depends on what you want to call it, I don't care with the name.] Clostine didn't sound too please.
He was surprised again, Clostine appearance is not as a floating board, however small a bird. A normal looking bird that he could see everywhere flying resting above electrical wire and even on this world, on the roof of the homes peacefully live their lives undisturbed. [ It was a memory of 'Wu Haoyu', administrator. My Maker sends me a few banks of memory. I didn't intend to give it to you without your permission, but it seems like, being in the facility of your mind is enough to get itself slip into mind, though it's incoherent and unstructured.]
"Uh... Clostine were you always been a bird? And so cute too." He added the last sentence with a fond smile.
With a form to easily look at Clostine expression and not the board that Wu Haoyu's only speculating her expression, it's a fresh look to actually see Clostine expression in her bird form. She puffs her chest and frown, [ Let's not talk about it, I don't want to explain it]
Wu Haoyu always likes Clostine grumpy attitude, even more now she had taken the form of a bird. His lips curve and he nod understandingly. "The memory... why?" as he thinks about the scene, his tongue play with the back rim of his teeth, he can vaguely taste the mystery.
Clostine open her mouth, or beak, but no sound come out, she holds the silence for a bit, realizing she has a head, she later shakes her head. [I don't want to speculate baseless assumption, I honestly as impacted by this as you... After forcefully pull you here, it exhausts me.]
"Are you ok?" Wu Haoyu voice was of a concern. He reaches out a finger to the air, Clostine land on it wordlessly. She acts much more of a bird than he thought, he was pleasantly surprised.
[ That's a stupid question. Although, know that the shop and many other of my function will be under maintenance for an unnumbered of days.] Wu Haoyu didn't have any problem with having his system buff suspended, he nods with an understanding look on his face. For the first time, Wu Haoyu can see Clostine relaxed face, it's not long lasted, the next second her head jerk up [ There's somebody constantly moving your body, administrator. I believe you should be ready to attack once you woke up.]
"Fuck! Is it those brats taking revenge on me?!"
Clostine looks ready to send him back. Within second, Wu Haoyu regain conscious of his body, the smell of blood got stuck in his nose. He can sense a presence of two people in front of him, the edge of his vision is blurred with slight darkness and his head is too dizzy to hear their voice. Notice that his shoulder was shackle by the other hands, he pulls back and reach to his hips where his sword was. "Who are you?!"
"Young Master! Don't! -" Bao Lin voice echoes from behind, stopping him from cutting through what's in front of him, the loudness woken Wu Haoyu from his state of half-asleep.
Facing his close was Zhang Cheng, his face was pale, though it was not because of Wu Haoyu's sword on his neck, he doesn't even realize it. He was looking at the lower half of his face. Wu Haoyu reach into his lips and look at the liquid he wipes on it. It's blood. "Oh..." He looks over to Bao Lin sacred face, trace of weeping still hasn't dry on his face.
"Let's get back first." Zhang Cheng stated.
Bao Lin comes beside him and assist him standing up, "Young Master, what happened? It was evening and I come to escort your home, but they said you haven't come back. I didn't dare walk here alone so this young man helps me find you. We finally found you sleeping under the tree. We thought we should wait you wake up but not long after you started having terrible nightmare and it seem to affect you physically and spiritually... I-I panic!" He starts to sob again, "I don't know what to do! If Mr. Zhang weren't with me, I don't know what will happen..."
Wu Haoyu feel bad to cause Bao Lin problem again. "It's not that bad, don't...don't overreact. It's just a nightmare, see? I'm already fine." Wu Haoyu stand on his own and flex his swords upward. He hissed; the shoulder Zhang Cheng grip actually leave bruise!
Bao Lin snapped, he pulled Wu Haoyu's shoulder slightly fierce and force out a pained groan out of him. ""Not That Bad"?!" Wu Haoyu immediately regret saying those words, Bao Lin looked pissed off. "Young Master!! Your vital energy was unstable, it meant the probability of qi deviation and simultaneously, death! And I can't wake you up, while you continuously bleeding from clenching your tongue. Don't do that!" A clang from Zhang Cheng sword, seemingly agree with Bao Lin.
Now being mentioned, his tongue's burning and sting a bit. Though, he never had a habit of biting his tongue, it's just in the heat of the moment.".... Whatever," Wu Haoyu refutes, he can't apologies with Zhang Cheng here, he can only admit defeat silently. Still, this is twice now Zhang Cheng looking at him in pathetic state. He pouts and whispers under his breath, ".... can you stop treating me like I'm so fragile I'd died the moment I got hurt."
"Please, Young Master. It's because you never tell me anything. Even now, I know that if I ask you what happen, you will not tell me." Looking at Wu Haoyu avoiding eye-contact the moment he says that, tells him he's right. "7 years ago, is the same too." He laughs bitterly.
Zhang Cheng that has been silent, he stops at his pace and turn to them. "What happen 7 years ago?"
[ Administrator...] Uknown when Clostine was presence, she doesn't like the new revolution the conversation takes.
Bao Lin opens his mouth, "Young Master was..." he stops himself and look over to Wu Haoyu, his face wearsm an expression of dread on his face, begging him not to continue. He plastered a smile, "My humble apologies, I forgot my place. I shouldn't share a sensitive information without my Young Master's will." Bao Lin however, still upset at Wu Haoyu didn't offer his help on an excuse.
"You are very considerate, my Subordinate Bao Lin. Can you at least help me refresh my memories?" Wu Haoyu gives him a pleading look, which Bao Lin denied by looking the other way. He let go after making sure Wu Haoyu can stand on his own.
"To show you the full extent of my consideration, I'll leave you two alone to have your chattering between friends." Bao Lin curtsey and leave the scene, he needs a few minutes to cool his head from stress and anger.
"What happened 7 years ago. It's just a coincidence, it the very year a friend of mine was lost." Zhang Cheng said.
"I..." Searching for him, all those years and even now... Wu Haoyu couldn't tell if he feels impress by his devotion and sad to how hopeless his hard work was. "Darling, I-I'm afraid it has nothing to do with the person you're looking for. I mean what are the odds whatever injuries I got related to it? You should really forget about it already; it has been 7 years you know." He laughs.
".... What happened to you that year?" Zhang Cheng didn't push Wu Haoyu about it and ask him politely.
"AAHHHHH!!" Bao Lin was running towards Zhang Cheng and Wu Haoyu with a look of horror on his face. "B-b-beast! Ma-many of them!" He hides behind Wu Haoyu's back.
Wu Haoyu sighs, on the report all of the beasts are a low rank wolf beast that was small in size and amateur opponent can easily kill it. Nevertheless, his lips curve because Bao Lin interrupted them just in time. "Bao Lin, don't be a coward. It's not-" The bushes around them bustle simultaneously, 20 or more wolf beast appear from the leaves, eyes red with bloodlust, they growl with their saliva dripping from their mouth. "Get right behind us." Wu Haoyu said to Bao Lin shaken figure.
"Where do they come from?" Zhang Cheng asked the obvious question hanging on everyone mind, it was directed at Bao Lin who caught the beasts attention. One of the packs launch itself to him, he slices its head in a quick pace and slice his sword to the other that come after it.
"I-I really don't know! I was waiting for both of you when I realize the woods were oddly quiet and I climbed on a tree to look around and I saw a bunch of dots which I only realize was beasts upon its coming close to us!" Bao Lin explain in a hasty manner that leave with little time to breathe. His face is pale with terror.
The two are what most consider martial arts genius, their each stroke of swords are strong and precise yet emit elegance with their confidence on carrying and executing their different martial arts technique. However, Wu Haoyu inexperienced fighting in teams let the two combo that should be good in theory, be actually average, to- bad in practice.
Their moves overlapped with each other and some near to strike the other. Zhang Cheng almost got bit on his knee because of it and lost his focus. Zhang Cheng frown in frustration, "Watch where you're going, Wu Haoyu! Mind where you swing your sword, made sure it's pointing at the enemy."
Wu Haoyu is not good in team fight, much less doing it while protecting an innocent civilian. He was filling up with stress. "Well, I'm sorry that my mistake and panic made your work inefficient! You are just very talented at calming me down," He said with sarcasm.
"Work together with me and follow my lead," Zhang Cheng ignored his sarcasm.
"Oh yes, let me just pull it out of my ass. I know our Mr. Perfect can't handle imperfection!" Wu Haoyu shout with a sarcastic smile.
"Wu Haoyu!" Zhang Cheng retorted.
[+5 points ]
"Ahh!" In a mist of the argument, it made room for Bao Lin left defenseless, he fell down to the ground and pick up something from the ground to use as a weapon in act of desperation, he points it to the wolf shape beast. It was a stick. "..."
Wu Haoyu and Zhang Cheng attack the beast at the same time result in a splash of red, unorganized and messy as it already is, the two look at each other with rage.There's none of the wolf beast left, they're safe to argue with their hearts content.
"This is why, you should've kept your mouth shut like you used to." Wu Haoyu brows furrowed. He helps Bao Lin stand on his feet. "I could lose a valuable subordinate."
"Who's at fault is it? I wasn't trying to start a fight or made it a competition. Are you that sensitive about your incompetent that my advice sounds like a great attack to your ego?" He has lost his cool, although Zhang Cheng keeps his composure and keeps his tone of voice relatively calm and cool.
" Can you two..." Bao Lin who got caught in between the fight tried to have their attention before their argument escalated even more, he got ignored unfortunately.
It's like the two are tailor made to oppose each other. "Hahaha, sounds rich coming from someone so self-absorbed like you! Do you think everyone needs to hear it? Screaming on my ears. I'm clearly trying my best, but it wasn't enough for you! I'm starting to see that without your looks, nobody would like you."
"We are in a life threatening situation! Your feelings shouldn't be a hindrance to our survival. The highest chance to survive in dire situation is to for you to listen. Can you calm down now?" Zhang Cheng didn't like the argument to keep on going, not only they're surrounded by dead animals, the place are unsafe. How can the beasts suddenly appear and seemingly targeting them?
"So I'm the emotional one?! Aren't you the one obsessed over finding m— this 'friend' person for 7 years already?" Wu Haoyu stops himself to spell out the words 'me' and quickly changes his phrase. Zhang Cheng indifference and calmness is boiling his blood.
Zhang Cheng react rather strongly at that sentence, "Don't you dare bring that up!"
There's a sick satisfaction of having other person's weak spot at his mercy, and also other feelings come with it. Can't believe Wu Haoyu jealous of himself. But to Zhang Cheng, 'he' and him aren't the same person. His lips curve. "A food for thought, maybe he doesn't want to see you at all."
"Wait! Please!" Bao Lin push himself in front of Wu Haoyu, both his eyes close as if expecting an impact. "Don't hurt my Young Master!" He begged at Zhang Cheng who's ready to throw punches with Wu Haoyu.
Zhang Cheng looks at Bao Lin genuinely worried like he's about to kill Wu Haoyu. His anger dissipates, he sighs, "We should focus on getting out of here." He looks at the forest, and the blood bath floor.
Zhang Cheng and Wu Haoyu used to get in a fight, no matter how messy it is, even if there's pure anger in his eyes, it's never a worry that they'd severely hurt each other. To outsiders it a different story, Bao Lin shields Wu Haoyu despite thinking he would get hurt. Wu Haoyu chuckles, Bao Lin and Zhang Cheng look at him weirdly. "You both...are similar in terms of stupidity! Both are equally stupid and equally adorable!"
"Yaoung Master!" Bao Lin cheeks flushed red, aware it meant as a tease. "I was worried..."
"..." Zhang Cheng silently stare at Wu Haoyu; his laughs have a gentle melodious range of playfulness and love that's hard to imitate.