Noah Drake looked up at the sky, reminiscing.
"Everything began in a past era, during the merging of two worlds—the Real World and the Virtual World, or what is often called the Great War between Reality and Illusion. It was a full-scale war where every rule, every order, every land, every race, and every belief was drawn into the conflict. It was an endless struggle… one that brought immeasurable pain and loss.
Back then, Sima Yi, the protagonist of this story, was still very young. He followed his senior brothers and sisters, training every day to prepare for this life-or-death battle. In a peach blossom grove by the river, during the season when the blossoms were in full bloom, Sima Yi first met Kong Ming. She was his junior disciple—a breathtakingly beautiful, brilliant, and gifted woman, far surpassing her peers. Many men admired her, yet she chose Sima Yi, saying that he brought her a rare sense of peace.
They experienced countless things together, always side by side. Kong Ming and Sima Yi became a legendary pair on the battlefield, a force that struck terror into their enemies. They both knew the horrors of this Great War and how it had to end. Those were days filled with hardship and heroism, but also incredible happiness… until that fateful moment…
As she lay in Sima Yi's arms, her final wish was for him to fulfill their shared dream: to end the war. Sima Yi, heartbroken, longed for her alone, wanting nothing but for her to stay. Yet, her eyes, filled with love and tenderness, reminded him of his duty. He knew he had to end this senseless conflict for her sake.
After much effort, the two worlds finally found peace, a balanced harmony free from strife. Sima Yi accepted the responsibility of maintaining this peace, standing guard at a crucial place that divided the realms. He had fulfilled their dream, but was he truly happy? No… inside, he was empty, adrift in an endless expanse of time.
He missed Kong Ming deeply. He sought her out in the cycle of reincarnation and, after many years, finally found her. But when he stood before her again, though her soul remained the same, she no longer recognized him as she once had. Kong Ming's heart now belonged to someone else—a man named Liu Bei. Sima Yi couldn't accept this and tried to change fate itself, binding her destiny to his. But he forgot that, in assuming the mantle of peace between worlds, he had stepped outside the bounds of fate. Should he abandon this role, chaos would engulf the realms once again.
In the end, he couldn't do it. Doing so would betray the Kong Ming of his past, tainting all the beautiful memories they shared. And even if he succeeded, would she truly be happy knowing he'd sparked countless battles to be by her side?
Watching her with another man, he wanted nothing more than to destroy everything. But seeing her happiness, he realized he was only hindering her by remaining in her life. So, Sima Yi returned to the sacred grounds, falling into a deep sleep. Yet, unable to resist, he found himself meeting her again and again, each time under different circumstances. He became her friend, her mentor, her disciple, her brother, but never her lover. After all these lives, he finally understood that perhaps their fates were meant to remain as they were…
Still, just seeing her, just speaking with her, brought him a profound joy. He wasn't sure if, in some future life, Kong Ming might love him again, or if he'd be willing to give up his duty to stay with her."
The night sky was clear, stars scattered across its vast expanse, with gentle breezes occasionally blowing by. The scene was beautiful, illuminated by the flickering glow of the campfire and the tantalizing scent of roasting meat. The light danced across the faces of the three listeners, each showing different emotions.
Aurelius Liora's eyes shimmered with emotion. Lalatina stared at the fire, her cheeks slightly flushed—whether from the firelight or something else was unclear. Meanwhile, Luna Hart gazed off, lost in thought.
Noah Drake looked at the three, feeling a surge of warmth. So, reading romance stories wasn't entirely useless after all. Though he'd made a few changes, the story's impact was evident.
"This story is about reality and dreams, about suffering and happiness… Sima Yi gave everything for Kong Ming's wish, but in the end, he still struggled to face reality. After that came pain and joy, between holding on and letting go. Do you understand any of it?"
"Luna, I… I'm just trying to say that whether it's reality or fantasy, what you do right now is what truly matters. There's no need to force yourself to choose one over the other. One side might be your defense, while the other is the ideal you strive for. Both are parts of you, like two sides of this medallion. Together, they form a whole."