Why... ?

Flash after flash of memory of life kept appearing non-stop, Phoenix wanted to stop the memories, but she didn't know how to stop it. Resigned, she can only close her eyes with her palms, not enough there, she covers her ears. But still the flashes appear. And she could only scream hysterically asking to be stopped.

Her body fell to the ground, curled up while beating her chest. Hoping what she did could stop the flash of life full of sorrow and darkness from stopping. But again, that didn't happen.

Her tear ran down her flushed cheeks, red because they felt the pain that felt by the souls who were lost in the abyss of darkness, anger, hatred, revenge, envy, jealousy, and others. And she felt her soul being torn apart full of deep pain.

"Stop…. Please stop it…." She continued to say those words with feelings of despair and sadness.

"Why…. Why…?" she asked with her eyes looking up at the sky, as if the sky could answer her question. But all she received was silence.

The sobs that became, made her chest sob in pain, she gripped her chest tightly, making her fingers turn pale. Her nails hurt her exposed chest because there was no layer of clothing covering it.

She continued to howl curled up on the ground, as if she also felt the pain, the bitterness, the suffering that felt by those souls.

She felt an extremely painful helplessness. Seeing other souls suffering but she couldn't do anything about it.

On the other hand, Xuan Ti and Ru Jing were getting more and more confused about what had happened to Phoenix. Xuan Ti walked over to the Phoenix who was crouching before him. He embraced her in his arms, tightly.

"Qing-qing, what's wrong?" He asked, his heart aching to see her cry like that. He shook his body, intending for the inner Phoenix to calm down. But she kept crying and screaming until her voice was turn hoarse.

Phoenix crying like there's no tomorrow. He didn't feel any aura of power. Which he should be able to feel once she drank the dew of dreams and hopes to restore her power, but that wasn't the case. he didn't feel at all the power of the Phoenix that he used to feel whenever he was around her long time ago.

His brow furrowed deeply, thinking that maybe something went wrong, or that there was a detail that his gaze missed when Phoenix took the dew but, he saw very clearly that what she took was indeed the dew of power which is the leave colour is Yellow.

She should be feeling well and get the strength because that is what she should feel when her strength has returned. But why is she crying hysterically and struggling like this.

Gradually, Phoenix's cries slowly subsided, and she didn't struggle anymore either. Even she was curled up weakly in Xuan Ti's embrace. Small sobs and slowly also subsided until her body was no longer shaken and even still with her breath gradually calming down. Her face was hidden in Xuan Ti's chest.

Seeing that she had calmed down, without pushing her out of his embrace. Xuan Ti said "Qing-qing…" in a low voice that sounded weak and worried, he was waiting for her reaction.

There is no answer for a while but a few second later "Just take me away from this place..." she replied in a small voice almost whispering, fortunately Xuan Ti's hearing was very sharp, otherwise he might not be able to catch what she was saying.

Xuan Ti looked at Ru Jing, his lips tightly closed to a line, with a slight nod of his head he signalled that he would take Phoenix away from that place. and Ru Jing nodded in agreement. And in an instant the three of them disappeared from the Tree of Life and reappeared in the Phoenix bedroom.

Xuan Ti walked to the bed and intended to lay Phoenix's body on the bed so she can rest. But when he bent his body and let Phoenix to lay down but Phoenix that her arms was tightly embracing Xuan Ti's body, refused to let go of his embrace, instead she hugged him tighter by wrapping her arms around his neck more secure and tighter. Sensing that Xuan Ti couldn't do anything, in the end he sat on the edge of the bed with Phoenix still in his arms.

He gently rubbed her back with his right hand, while his left hand firmly supported the back of her back neck, with Phoenix hiding her face in the crook of his neck. Xuan Ti tried to make her more relax as her body felt very tense, restless, and anxious. He really doesn't know what to do but calm down her first.

If she had calmed down, then his next step might be to ask her what was going on, which made her scream in such hysterics, that it hurt him to see her like that.

"I will leave her in your care" Ru Jing's voice sounded in the quiet room since they came back from the tree of life. She knew that there was nothing she could do if Phoenix held tightly in Xuan Ti embrace. Even though she was her close friend, she knew that what she needed now was Xuan Ti. For that she knew better and excuse herself.

Xuan Ti raised his head to look at her. His face had a deep look of concern, worried about Phoenix's well-being, worried that there might not be anything he could do to lessen the sadness she was feeling right now, worried that she would drag on to the sadness she was in now, which would have an impact on her health, both physically and especially mentally. He knew very well that if there was a problem in her mind, it would always be stuck around her mind until it was solved. With a single nod of his head, he allowed Ru Jing to leave the two of them alone.

"She needs rest, and you need rest too" Ru Jing reminded, because she knew Xuan Ti couldn't rest in peace while Phoenix was still in sorrow.

Xuan Ti only gave her a small smile that couldn't even be said to be a smile because his lips didn't form a smile at all and were still in a single, stiff line.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere around the tree of life became quiet again after they left, only the chirping sound of the birds could be heard. Bringing the natural sound of the forest back to its nature.

A pair of feet wearing Royal shoes, stepped out from behind the tree thirty meters from the tree of life. His footsteps trailed on the dry leaves scattered on the forest ground. He made a crackling sound from the dry leaves under his shoes. With charismatic graceful steps, he continued to walk towards the tree of life or rather towards the place where the Phoenix had taken the dew of dreams and hopes of power.

The sound of footsteps stopped, the figure's right hand lifted and touched a yellow leaf, on the leaf there were no visible dewdrops, of course it happened because the dew had just been taken and consumed.

When the palm touched the leaf, the colour of the leaf changed from yellow to orange. A wide grin appeared on the lips of a figure whose face was half covered by wearing a veil. With his slender fingers, he flicked the orange leaf from his palm. The shock from the snap made not only the leaves vibrate but one branch also shook causing all the dewdrops to fall on the ground.

The wind blew violently, making the veil worn by the figure standing near the tree of life uncovered and revealing the face behind the veil that was none other than Xuan Lung. A wide happy smile was clearly visible on his face. And the piercing gaze of his eyes gleamed with a glint, a gleam of cunning. "See you tomorrow, Qing Yang!" and the next second he disappeared instantly from there. Forest Back to silence, let the natural strains of nature hum to fill the tranquillity of the forest.