Loss

Inside the great hall of the Wu Clan, the clash between fire and earth raged like a battle between heaven and earth itself. Hua Jinru's vivid pink flames surged with such intensity that even the stone walls, reinforced by Wu Wen through the use of earth-elemental pills and his cultivation, melted into sludge under the overwhelming heat.

Shhk!!

Suddenly, a blade pierced into Hua Jinru's back without warning. Crimson blood burst from her spine instantly.

It was the sword of Zhang Fu, Lei Chen's former master.

Before she could even turn to strike back, several more blades followed in quick succession, stabbing into her from all directions. Fourteen swords impaled her body from neck to legs, piercing nearly every vital point.

Even as her body was torn apart, there was nothing left in Hua Jinru's eyes but unshakable resolve. Not a hint of fear for death remained within her. She had only one purpose left to kill Wu Zhao, the man who had stolen everything from her.

Her eyes gleamed with fulfilled determination. Flames erupted violently from her soul core, twisting the air around her with their searing heat. All her hope rested in this single, final moment.

But then... everything froze in an instant.

No sound. No movement. It was as if time itself had stopped.

The Seven Angels Suizi Meng's adopted daughters moved at last. After choosing to let Hua Jinru kill Wu Zhao for their own reasons, they had finally acted.

With only the lightest motion from them, everyone who was still fighting fell silent at once.

Even Hua Jinru could not move any longer. Her battered body, pierced by countless wounds, bled profusely onto the crimson carpet. Her flames slowly dimmed, but her eyes still burned with undying fire.

"It's over… isn't it…"

The faint whisper escaped her trembling lips, but before the words had even finished, Wu Wen's earthen spear shot through her chest.

"..."

One of Wu Wen's hands yanked her head up without mercy. In the next instant, his other hand formed a sword from earth-elemental energy and brought it down on her neck without hesitation.

The sound of blood splattering across the floor echoed through the hall. And then, silence swallowed the final trace of her life.

Hua Jinru's headless body collapsed slowly.

Soft footsteps echoed behind her as the remaining Daughters of Destiny stepped forward. One by one, they pulled their blades from her corpse one sword after another until at last, there was nothing left embedded in her broken form.

Thud!!

The soft thud of Hua Jinru's headless body striking the floor echoed faintly through the silent hall. Crimson blood flowed from her severed neck, soaking into the red carpet that had once adorned the hall for joyous ceremonies, leaving behind a stain that could never be erased.

Her severed head remained gripped tightly in Wu Wen's hand. Her eyes... still stared at the body lying motionless on the floor. There was no scream, no tears. And yet within those eyes, there remained only a quiet yearning for happiness one final time.

Memories surfaced in her fading mind.

The small, earnest face of Ye Lin her disciple, who had been so much more than just a disciple. His laughter, their endless debates over alchemy formulas, the thrill of adventures shared. The scent of damp grass. The warmth of the tea he brewed for her. His shy, nervous smile. And... the way he once looked at her with such genuine reverence.

Those moments came rushing back like the final downpour of autumn painful, yet so achingly beautiful it defied description.

A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips, just as her world slowly faded into darkness.

No radiant flames. No lingering sensation. Not even a scream remained.

Wu Wen stood still, staring at Hua Jinru's lifeless, headless body as it lay in a growing pool of blood before him. In his hand, her head remained, blood dripping slowly from his fingers. The stench of blood filled the hall, and a strange silence blanketed the surroundings, as though the entire world had stopped breathing with her death.

He remained motionless, like a corpse without breath. Some of her blood had splashed onto his boots, staining the hem of the clan leader's robe he wore. Her eyes those eyes still gazed back at him, as if asking a question.

So... how does it feel?

But he didn't care to answer. Because what he felt now was a pain far more unbearable than any wound in this world.

His gaze shifted around the hall. Tiny embers still drifted faintly through the air the final remnants of his son… Wu Zhao.

There was nothing left. Not even a body. Not a single bone to collect. Everything had turned to dust.

He didn't scream. He didn't curse. He didn't do anything at all. He simply stood there, as though the entire world had vanished, leaving only him behind alone, face-to-face with the sin he had brought upon himself by his own hand.

Then, the first tear fell.

A single drop of clear liquid slipped slowly from the corner of his eye, unnoticed. It made no sound. Then came the second… the third… and countless more. Until at last, his body gave out entirely, collapsing to the ground without the strength to hold itself upright. His knees hit the stone floor with a dull, echoing thud.

Tears poured from his eyes in silence. His lips trembled, but no words came forth.

"…Why…"

The whisper escaped him like a man who had forgotten how to use his own voice.

"…Why… why…"

His voice shook, heavy with a pain so deep that no one in this world could possibly understand it.

"We did all this madness… for what? Who gained anything from this stupid, senseless act… I don't… I don't understand…"

His voice began to break. He couldn't hold it in any longer. It was like a dam bursting after too long under pressure, the grief within finally exploding free.

"Hic… I'm sorry… hic… I… I…"

He screamed with all his strength, not caring who he was anymore. He didn't care who might be watching. He didn't care how the seven adopted daughters looked at him whether with pity or disdain.

He only wanted to cry loud enough for the one he loved most to hear. If his son still existed somewhere in this world, he wanted him to know that his father had never once been ready to say goodbye.

Both his hands slammed down against the floor, fists crashing hard onto the stone. Blood from his palms smeared across the broken rock, but he felt no pain. Because his heart had already shattered into pieces far smaller than the floor beneath him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

He cried with utter despair. The way a child cries after having their most precious treasure torn away. No body could tremble more violently than his did now. No scream could rise higher, more piercing, than the one he let out in that moment.

He remembered, in that very moment, the day Wu Zhao was born. His entire world had changed. Wu Zhao had come into this world bearing a fate unlike any other because he was born without the ability to cultivate. Not even a trace. He was nothing more than an ordinary human. So frail that not even his birth mother had wanted to hold him. No one in the clan saw even the slightest hint of promise in the child. No future. No value.

But Wu Wen never cared about any of that. He loved that child with everything he had. He raised him with his own hands. He carried him in his arms. He soothed him with his voice. He protected him with his life. He gave his son everything a father could possibly give.

Even though his son had no mother, Wu Wen raised him with a love that never faltered, not once. He never complained. He never expected his son to become someone great or extraordinary. He would have let the entire world fall apart. He would have killed millions. He would have become a demon. He would have accepted the hatred of all creation. He would have made himself an enemy to every being alive.

All he ever hoped for… was that his son could live a happy life.

...

...

...

But… today… it was over.

There was nothing left to protect. Not even ashes to embrace. Not even a final chance to say "I'm sorry," or anything at all.

Only he remained breathing in the emptiness, surrounded by the vanishing remains of his son… and a final question no one would ever answer again.

"Why… my son… why did you leave your father all alone like this…"

As Wu Wen remained buried in the grief that gnawed at his heart, his body collapsed silently to the bloodstained battlefield. The strength in him had all but vanished. It felt as if his soul had already slipped away, leaving nothing behind.

In the midst of the silence, a sword drove cleanly through his heart without hesitation. Blood sprayed from the center of his chest, but no matter how much it poured out, Wu Wen's expression remained unchanged.

He paid no attention to the blade piercing his body. His gaze stayed fixed on the sky, as though his body and soul no longer belonged to one another.

At that moment, a voice echoed gently yet clearly within his mind the voice of Sui Yi, First Princess of the Golden Crow Dynasty.

"I offer you my deepest respect… and… farewell."

Her voice trembled ever so slightly, yet it carried genuine sincerity. But that voice never reached Wu Wen.

His world slowly darkened. Everything began to fade. All sensation slipped away, as though a shroud of death were gradually drawing over him.

…Until

In an instant, Wu Wen found himself standing in a field of grass he hadn't seen in many years.

A place where wild grasses grew freely, where soft sunlight filtered through thin clouds, where the open sky stretched endlessly above, and the wind stirred the blades of grass with the faint whisper of forgotten days.

He stood motionless, glancing around in a daze. His eyes were blank. He had no idea what had just happened. Was this death?

But as he stood there lost in thought, a voice rose from behind him.

"Father…"

The voice of a young boy soft, yet steady carried directly into his ears.

Wu Wen flinched slightly. His heart began to race for no clear reason. Tears fell from his eyes without warning, beyond his ability to control.

His breath trembled with emotion, raw and unfiltered. Slowly, he turned around. A small boy stood there, wide eyes gazing up at him with a quiet smile.

Wu Wen dropped to his knees at once, lowering himself to the child without a second thought. He reached out with both hands, gently placing them on the boy's small shoulders, and began to cry with everything he had.

"Father… Father is sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…"

The words he had held in his heart all his life finally spilled out. There was no reason to hold back anymore. No pride. No honor. Only the grief of a father who had lost his son.

Then, a voice rang out from the sky. It wasn't human. It didn't belong to any single person. It was something greater something that stood beyond life itself.

[Do you… wish to save him?]