Lord Shadow

Season have passed and the world has changed. At least that is what he feels. Literally the world has changed. He now is no longer on Earth

From the spring of the fourth year of his life in this world, it has reached the fifth year.

He already had broken through the seal on his chest and the one on his belly button has also unravel.

It would not be long now that his seventh seal would be broken.

He only live for five years but he already undid six of the seals on his body. He has thirteen seals in his body originally but now only seven seals are left.

Today, he got up in the morning after hearing some sound outside his residence. He let the tiredness wash over him as he moves his joints.

From the crack on the walls, the dawning light of the sun penetrate through it and shine their light on his face, flawless and handsome

He had shave his beard and underneath that unkempt beard is a deity like appearance. It was manly yet at the same time look gentle and pleasing to the eyes.

His hair was cut short, the length of his hair only reaches his neck. His old tattered robe is changed into a purple dark robe.

He is slowly opening his eyes. He smiles the moment he got up. It was a smile that greeted the morning.

It was nothing like he was happy or satisfied. It was just a simple smile. He had learned to smile and appreciate even the most mundane thing.

This man is of course Azief.

Three season have passed since that tragedy on top of the mountain. And in that three seasons a lot have changed for him and for Xiao Feng.

Moving his body and cracking his knuckles, he then take the scenery around him with his eyes, feeling the cold of winter and the fresh air of the mountain, listening to the chirping of the birds and the stream of water in the distance.

Azief smiles contentedly, as fog and mist covers the mountaintop, making it look like an immortal residence.

In this one year of peace, he had felt what is like to be mortal once again without losing any of his power.

He was mortal, yet he was not. He was a God, yet he was not. He was powerful, yet, he was not.

There is this strange contradiction in his heart, there is a strange concept of duality that he is now in.

In this limbo between false and truth, between weak and strong, Azief knew that there is a chance for him to understand not only a new power, but a new self-realization about himself and his heart.

He still has energy and still have a powerful physique but he could not move.

He could kill two people with considerable martial arts experience and possess powerful internal energy easily like he was playing with children when fighting with them, yet he couldn’t move his legs and uses his energies.

He could defeat them easily like some kind of God yet he could not move a step. Like a mortal but not. Like a God, but not. Like he was powerful, but not.

He could let himself be awake and never felt tired, yet he closes his eyes when the sun set and sleep like any other mortal.

As summer and autumn came, he peacefully sleeps like any other man and woke up in the morning when he hears the chirping of birds in the distance, or the sound of the stream of water or feeling the heat of the sun on his face.

Now, it is winter and the wind of the season brings cold with it.

Snows falls outside his hut and seeing it, his heart ache.

Each time he saw a snow falling from the skies, his heart ache. Five years has passed for him yet each time he sees snow he could not help but feeling the pain

Even time could not erase his pain. He knows why it hurts.

He just won’t say it.

Snow falls down to the ground as it piles up. Azief sighed. It has been a while since it has piles up as it covers the top of the mountain with whiteness expanse.

For some reason when he is here, when he has once again felt what it is like of being mortal, he was reminded more of his time with her.

With that beautiful woman that reminded him of the snow that falls in winter.

‘The most beautiful woman in the world’ he muttered and there is a bitter smile on his face.

‘Well, they were not wrong’

He still remembers her face, her words, and her smile like it never left him even for second.

He closes his eyes and then he was back at that moment when he saw her smiling at him. Her smile always looks like she possessed the innocence of a child. It was heartbreaking and heart rendering.

Yet at the same time, he wished that her smile could truly bloom into a smile unburdened with anything.

Then that smile morphed into a memory.

A memory of their three days under an abyss. Azief is standing inside this memory, looking at himself and that woman talking to each other

The world was rebuilt from Azief memories. He is in his own mind and he is looking at one of his most cherished memories.

And the scene he is looking at right now is the scene of him hugging Katarina from the back. There is that rare smile on his face

But it is clear he was trying to hide the smile on his face

“Hey, don’t do that'” she said as she blushes on her cheeks. Around them is ice walls and energy storms that forces them to be together in a tight space.

“I am hugging you so you won’t get frozen to death” He said to her as he hugged her tighter. She come closer to him like she is reluctant.

But he knows she is not and that knowledge made him unconsciously smirk.

“the famous Lord Shadow, caring about people” she said faintly, a smile on her face

“Why? Is that so hard to believe?” She smiles at him, and shakes her head

“Just surprising’

Then as he tries to see that smile in his memories, another memory come to him.

He remembers how he hold her hand tight, telling her if to hold his hand if she needs somebody, and she can cry on his shoulder if she wanted to cry.

And he remembers how cheated he feel when he found out she was Katarina the Ice Princess.

He remembers how he promise her to see cheery blossoms and he remember how he bare his heart to her and how she bares her heart to him.

He remembers when she leaned her head on his shoulders and how beautiful she looked when she is asleep.

They both hold hand together as they look at the ceiling of ice above them and wonder about many things.

He did not shed tear like he used to, but there is a pain in his heart he could not describe or express when he saw all of this scene of the past

It was like his heart is being crushed and shredded apart

And he sighed as he appeared back on his hut.

The snow outside keep falling and he smiles. They were painful memories, but they were also beautiful memories.

It would not be fair to only remember her as a pain in his heart. She was the source of the pain in his heart, but she was also the cause of his joy.

She understood him the way he understood her. The way she smiles at him and the way he smiles when he is with her…. all of that is precious memories that he did not want to forget

He is used to being alone.

Yet, after the Fall, he had a family of his own. A real family. Then they hold their hand out and that open a new world for the lonely and dark Azief.

They fill the emptiness in Azief heart

He fell in love and he felt what is heartbreak and felt all of this emotion. The snow falls and in each snow he could see her.

When he is with Katarina, everything makes sense. When he is holding her hand, everything felt right.

Azief have lived his life being unwanted, but with her, he felt that she wanted him.

And he wanted her. He knows that is for sure. The feeling he felt for her could never truly be put into words because he doesn’t know how to describe it.

There was just that something about her and there is something about the way he is when he is with her.

Today, he holds that pain close to his heart. He doesn’t know how to make it so no one felt no pain.

It was like he is still in a daze and he could no longer see any tomorrow. Winter has come and snow has fallen but he could not forget her.

Sometimes sweetly, sometime achingly, yet all those things have become his memories that he didn’t want to forget.

His memories about her linger in his mind. He wanted a goodbye filled with smiles. But, all it left him and her is hurt.

Nonetheless, Azief knows that his love was real and hers too. And it was a wonderful love. Because even now, his love for her had not changed.

If there is a test for love, then Azief think he had passed it. If love is just a hormone induced, then he doesn’t want that to ever disappears.

Even when it brought him pain. Even when it gives him scars. Because that would be better than to have no such feeling.

It is better than to feel nothing.

‘Haa’ he sighed

‘I wanted a perfect goodbye. I wanted to have that. Even though, I know such a farewell doesn’t exist’

He sighed again and close his eyes. A few moments passed as the wind blows around him. He saw that memory again and this time instead of feeling that sadness in his heart, he smiles

‘We will meet again somewhere in this long journey’ He said it to himself. It might be just a wish or it might be promise.

Then he opens his eyes again. And the snow he saw is just snow. He did not forget her. Because now she is no longer in his memories. She is also in his heart.

***

Part one of the chapter. See you all tomorrow. Dont forget to leave a vote and some comments