Chapter 502: The Dark Past
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"Father…" I breathed, unable to be sure of what to make of this situation. I felt air escape my lungs, and I nearly fell out of my chair. "No…"
I couldn't believe what I was seeing before my eyes. This had to be a joke. Some kind of sick trick, some kind of illusion, to coerce me into believing him. No way what I was seeing before my eyes was real. There was just... no way.
And yet… deep down, I knew. This was no illusion. No mere illusion could capture that pained look on my father's face as he stared at me with an expression filled with both guilt and regret. No mere illusion could ever replace my father, and I would always be able to tell the difference between the real one and a fake.
And this man… was certainly real.
"Why, Father…?" I asked, voice quiet and strained. "I thought you died… how are you alive… and the leader of the same organization who killed you, no less?"
The man by the alias of X—my father, Xuan Ying—gave a sigh.
"I… did not want us to meet again like this. I realize you must be very confused—and for that, I am sorry."
"I don't care about your apologies. I just want to know… what happened."
"I see." My father closed his eyes, then continued. "Well, in that case… we need to start from the very beginning, from the man who created the universe."
I frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It has to do with everything, Kai Kai," my father said with a sad smile, addressing me by the nickname he and my mother chose for me. "You see… that man, the very person who harnessed the primordial chaos and made the world… was in fact our ancestor."
At this my eyes widened. "What…? You mean… that's why I have the power of Chaos?"
My father gave a nod. "Yes. And… I do as well."
Saying this, he evoked a black and red flame in his hand, similar to my own. However, his was… diluted, almost. The concentration of Chaos energy was there, but nowhere as strong as mine.
"I am sure you have already noticed, but my powers are not nearly as strong as yours," my father continued, putting out the fire. "You see, I was not chosen by the entity within that stone pendant—in other words, the physical form of the primordial Chaos, and thus only received a fraction of its power. I was never able to awaken its true form, but you… you managed to do it."
"Mei Gui… is the Chaos itself…?"
"Mei Gui?" My father arched an eyebrow, then realized the answer. "Ah… so you gave it a name. I see… but don't be fooled."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I don't know what shape or form that stone pendant became, but regardless… it is dangerous. No matter how innocent it may seem, the power of Chaos, the power you hold, is extraordinarily dangerous—both to you, and the people around you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Explain."
"I trust you already know about the devouring effects of Chaos, correct?" My father asked, and I gave a nod. "Then you should also know… that eventually, the Chaos will devour its own wielder as well—in other words, you."
"…! What…"
My father sighed. "You see… the whole reason I created the Midnight Syndicate… was to get rid of this thing called Chaos. I knew that, one day, you would awaken this power, and be consumed by it. Years ago, when I found out about our family's past and this power… it was around the time your mother and I had you. I made up a vow to erase magic for good from this world, thereby eliminating any danger that may come to you."
"So that's your goal in creating antimagic… but it doesn't work on Chaos, huh?"
"Not yet. But with more experimentation, I can-"
"Cut the bullshit," I interrupted, slamming the table. "You're trying to tell me that in order to 'save' me from this power, you suppressed my magic for 14 years, and even went as far as to fake your own death? And mother's too… do you have any idea how I felt when I saw her die before my eyes?! And now you're saying it was all fake…?!"
"I… I'm sorry," my father said, grief on his face. "Your mother and I… we orchestrated that to make you despair. You see… the power of Chaos can only be awakened when you have a burning emotion or passion. We thought that, by making you believe we were dead, you would give up hope and never be able to break free from the shackles that I set in place to bound your power. But who would've thought… you turned that despair into a thirst for revenge instead… I am proud, but saddened at the same time."
"… Where is my mother?" I asked after a short silence.
"I don't know. I am certain she is not dead, but her current whereabouts are unknown to me as well," my father replied in a quiet voice. "After we orchestrated our deaths, she has never contacted me."
"She was the one who gave me the stone pendant. Does that mean…"
"Yes. Ruo Lan… she was always against the idea of removing magic from the world. She believed you could handle the power of Chaos and the dangers that came with it. I think… part of the reason why she simply left after that night was because she did not want to admit that to me."
"And right she is," I muttered. "Shouldn't you have more faith in me, your own son? I've been doing just fine with handling the power of Chaos."
"You don't understand…" My father shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "The 'danger' Chaos brings… it's not just within the self. Even if you are able to handle the power—which I believe you do—there are still many grave dangers holding Chaos brings. Dangers out of this world, dangerous stronger than what you can even imagine. The planet we live on is not the only world in the vast universe, Kai Kai. There are many otherwordly beings out there, all of which seek the power known as the primordial Chaos—the origin of all things."
"… And you don't think I can take them on, huh?"
"This is not the time to be headstrong, my son. Listen to me—just trust in your father, and let him take care of things. I will rid this world of magic, and you of the dangerous power known as Chaos. Once that happens… you, Ruo Lan, Li'er, and I… can live in harmony once more."
"Hold on, who?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Li'er…?"
"Ah, yes. I have yet to introduce you to her, but… she is my daughter—not with Ruo Lan, but with my previous wife who passed away during Xuan Li's birth. Technically speaking, she is your older sister. She has never met you in-person, but I have told her many stories. Believe me when I say she cares about you—a lot. Even more so than she cares for me or your mother."
"… Hmph. But she's on your side, isn't she?"
"If you mean regarding the erasing of magic in the world… then yes. She is also in the Midnight Syndicate, though she is a secret member no one else knows about."
"Then she is my enemy," I said. "It's that simple."
"…" My father fell into silence for a long time, then finally sighed.
"… So, you still intend on opposing me, even after everything I've said?"
"Listen, dad," I said, standing up from the chair. "I can take care of myself. I am my own man now, and have my own loved ones to think about. Mei Gui—the embodiment of the Primordial Chaos—is one of those people close to me. If you erase magic from the world, Chaos will naturally disappear from here as well. And I… will not lose Mei Gui."
"I see. Such determination… that must've came from Ruo Lan. You remind me a lot of her."
"Determination?" I frowned. "Hm… I suppose you could call it that. But what I think… is that I'm stubborn, and so are you. You have no right to be doing this while claiming it's for my sake, especially when I never even asked for it, and yet… here you are, still doing this. Let me guess—you have no intention of giving up, even after I've made my choice clear to you?"
"… Yes. That's right. Even if you do not want me to… I will protect you, because you are my son. I don't care what you think of me… hate me if you will, even. But I will not allow any harm to come to you, just as you will not allow any harm to come to that girl."
I smirked. "Guess we know where I inherited my stubbornness from."
My father chuckled a bit.. "Yes… I suppose we do."
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"Father…" I breathed, unable to be sure of what to make of this situation. I felt air escape my lungs, and I nearly fell out of my chair. "No…"
I couldn't believe what I was seeing before my eyes. This had to be a joke. Some kind of sick trick, some kind of illusion, to coerce me into believing him. No way what I was seeing before my eyes was real. There was just... no way.
And yet… deep down, I knew. This was no illusion. No mere illusion could capture that pained look on my father's face as he stared at me with an expression filled with both guilt and regret. No mere illusion could ever replace my father, and I would always be able to tell the difference between the real one and a fake.
And this man… was certainly real.
"Why, Father…?" I asked, voice quiet and strained. "I thought you died… how are you alive… and the leader of the same organization who killed you, no less?"
The man by the alias of X—my father, Xuan Ying—gave a sigh.
"I… did not want us to meet again like this. I realize you must be very confused—and for that, I am sorry."
"I don't care about your apologies. I just want to know… what happened."
"I see." My father closed his eyes, then continued. "Well, in that case… we need to start from the very beginning, from the man who created the universe."
I frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It has to do with everything, Kai Kai," my father said with a sad smile, addressing me by the nickname he and my mother chose for me. "You see… that man, the very person who harnessed the primordial chaos and made the world… was in fact our ancestor."
At this my eyes widened. "What…? You mean… that's why I have the power of Chaos?"
My father gave a nod. "Yes. And… I do as well."
Saying this, he evoked a black and red flame in his hand, similar to my own. However, his was… diluted, almost. The concentration of Chaos energy was there, but nowhere as strong as mine.
"I am sure you have already noticed, but my powers are not nearly as strong as yours," my father continued, putting out the fire. "You see, I was not chosen by the entity within that stone pendant—in other words, the physical form of the primordial Chaos, and thus only received a fraction of its power. I was never able to awaken its true form, but you… you managed to do it."
"Mei Gui… is the Chaos itself…?"
"Mei Gui?" My father arched an eyebrow, then realized the answer. "Ah… so you gave it a name. I see… but don't be fooled."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I don't know what shape or form that stone pendant became, but regardless… it is dangerous. No matter how innocent it may seem, the power of Chaos, the power you hold, is extraordinarily dangerous—both to you, and the people around you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Explain."
"I trust you already know about the devouring effects of Chaos, correct?" My father asked, and I gave a nod. "Then you should also know… that eventually, the Chaos will devour its own wielder as well—in other words, you."
"…! What…"
My father sighed. "You see… the whole reason I created the Midnight Syndicate… was to get rid of this thing called Chaos. I knew that, one day, you would awaken this power, and be consumed by it. Years ago, when I found out about our family's past and this power… it was around the time your mother and I had you. I made up a vow to erase magic for good from this world, thereby eliminating any danger that may come to you."
"So that's your goal in creating antimagic… but it doesn't work on Chaos, huh?"
"Not yet. But with more experimentation, I can-"
"Cut the bullshit," I interrupted, slamming the table. "You're trying to tell me that in order to 'save' me from this power, you suppressed my magic for 14 years, and even went as far as to fake your own death? And mother's too… do you have any idea how I felt when I saw her die before my eyes?! And now you're saying it was all fake…?!"
"I… I'm sorry," my father said, grief on his face. "Your mother and I… we orchestrated that to make you despair. You see… the power of Chaos can only be awakened when you have a burning emotion or passion. We thought that, by making you believe we were dead, you would give up hope and never be able to break free from the shackles that I set in place to bound your power. But who would've thought… you turned that despair into a thirst for revenge instead… I am proud, but saddened at the same time."
"… Where is my mother?" I asked after a short silence.
"I don't know. I am certain she is not dead, but her current whereabouts are unknown to me as well," my father replied in a quiet voice. "After we orchestrated our deaths, she has never contacted me."
"She was the one who gave me the stone pendant. Does that mean…"
"Yes. Ruo Lan… she was always against the idea of removing magic from the world. She believed you could handle the power of Chaos and the dangers that came with it. I think… part of the reason why she simply left after that night was because she did not want to admit that to me."
"And right she is," I muttered. "Shouldn't you have more faith in me, your own son? I've been doing just fine with handling the power of Chaos."
"You don't understand…" My father shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "The 'danger' Chaos brings… it's not just within the self. Even if you are able to handle the power—which I believe you do—there are still many grave dangers holding Chaos brings. Dangers out of this world, dangerous stronger than what you can even imagine. The planet we live on is not the only world in the vast universe, Kai Kai. There are many otherwordly beings out there, all of which seek the power known as the primordial Chaos—the origin of all things."
"… And you don't think I can take them on, huh?"
"This is not the time to be headstrong, my son. Listen to me—just trust in your father, and let him take care of things. I will rid this world of magic, and you of the dangerous power known as Chaos. Once that happens… you, Ruo Lan, Li'er, and I… can live in harmony once more."
"Hold on, who?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Li'er…?"
"Ah, yes. I have yet to introduce you to her, but… she is my daughter—not with Ruo Lan, but with my previous wife who passed away during Xuan Li's birth. Technically speaking, she is your older sister. She has never met you in-person, but I have told her many stories. Believe me when I say she cares about you—a lot. Even more so than she cares for me or your mother."
"… Hmph. But she's on your side, isn't she?"
"If you mean regarding the erasing of magic in the world… then yes. She is also in the Midnight Syndicate, though she is a secret member no one else knows about."
"Then she is my enemy," I said. "It's that simple."
"…" My father fell into silence for a long time, then finally sighed.
"… So, you still intend on opposing me, even after everything I've said?"
"Listen, dad," I said, standing up from the chair. "I can take care of myself. I am my own man now, and have my own loved ones to think about. Mei Gui—the embodiment of the Primordial Chaos—is one of those people close to me. If you erase magic from the world, Chaos will naturally disappear from here as well. And I… will not lose Mei Gui."
"I see. Such determination… that must've came from Ruo Lan. You remind me a lot of her."
"Determination?" I frowned. "Hm… I suppose you could call it that. But what I think… is that I'm stubborn, and so are you. You have no right to be doing this while claiming it's for my sake, especially when I never even asked for it, and yet… here you are, still doing this. Let me guess—you have no intention of giving up, even after I've made my choice clear to you?"
"… Yes. That's right. Even if you do not want me to… I will protect you, because you are my son. I don't care what you think of me… hate me if you will, even. But I will not allow any harm to come to you, just as you will not allow any harm to come to that girl."
I smirked. "Guess we know where I inherited my stubbornness from."
My father chuckled a bit.. "Yes… I suppose we do."
"Father" I breathed, unable to be sure of what to make of this situation. I felt air escape my lungs, and I nearly fell out of my chair. "No"I couldn't believe what I was seeing before my eyes. This had to be a joke. Some kind of sick trick, some kind of illusion, to coerce me into believing him. No way what I was seeing before my eyes was real. There was just... no way.And yet deep down, I knew. This was no illusion. No mere illusion could capture that pained look on my father's face as he stared at me with an expression filled with both guilt and regret. No mere illusion could ever replace my father, and I would always be able to tell the difference between the real one and a fake.And this man was certainly real."Why, Father?" I asked, voice quiet and strained. "I thought you died how are you alive and the leader of the same organization who killed you, no less?"The man by the alias of Xmy father, Xuan Yinggave a sigh."I did not want us to meet again like this. I realize you must be very confusedand for that, I am sorry.""I don't care about your apologies. I just want to know what happened.""I see." My father closed his eyes, then continued. "Well, in that case we need to start from the very beginning, from the man who created the universe."I frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?""It has to do with everything, Kai Kai," my father said with a sad smile, addressing me by the nickname he and my mother chose for me. "You see that man, the very person who harnessed the primordial chaos and made the world was in fact our ancestor."At this my eyes widened. "What? You mean that's why I have the power of Chaos?"My father gave a nod. "Yes. And I do as well."Saying this, he evoked a black and red flame in his hand, similar to my own. However, his was diluted, almost. The concentration of Chaos energy was there, but nowhere as strong as mine."I am sure you have already noticed, but my powers are not nearly as strong as yours," my father continued, putting out the fire. "You see, I was not chosen by the entity within that stone pendantin other words, the physical form of the primordial Chaos, and thus only received a fraction of its power. I was never able to awaken its true form, but you you managed to do it.""Mei Gui is the Chaos itself?""Mei Gui?" My father arched an eyebrow, then realized the answer. "Ah so you gave it a name. I see but don't be fooled.""Huh? What do you mean?""I don't know what shape or form that stone pendant became, but regardless it is dangerous. No matter how innocent it may seem, the power of Chaos, the power you hold, is extraordinarily dangerousboth to you, and the people around you."I narrowed my eyes. "Explain.""I trust you already know about the devouring effects of Chaos, correct?" My father asked, and I gave a nod. "Then you should also know that eventually, the Chaos will devour its own wielder as wellin other words, you.""! What"My father sighed. "You see the whole reason I created the Midnight Syndicate was to get rid of this thing called Chaos. I knew that, one day, you would awaken this power, and be consumed by it. Years ago, when I found out about our family's past and this power it was around the time your mother and I had you. I made up a vow to erase magic for good from this world, thereby eliminating any danger that may come to you.""So that's your goal in creating antimagic but it doesn't work on Chaos, huh?""Not yet. But with more experimentation, I can-""Cut the bullshit," I interrupted, slamming the table. "You're trying to tell me that in order to 'save' me from this power, you suppressed my magic for 14 years, and even went as far as to fake your own death? And mother's too do you have any idea how I felt when I saw her die before my eyes?! And now you're saying it was all fake?!""I I'm sorry," my father said, grief on his face. "Your mother and I we orchestrated that to make you despair. You see the power of Chaos can only be awakened when you have a burning emotion or passion. We thought that, by making you believe we were dead, you would give up hope and never be able to break free from the shackles that I set in place to bound your power. But who would've thought you turned that despair into a thirst for revenge instead I am proud, but saddened at the same time."" Where is my mother?" I asked after a short silence."I don't know. I am certain she is not dead, but her current whereabouts are unknown to me as well," my father replied in a quiet voice. "After we orchestrated our deaths, she has never contacted me.""She was the one who gave me the stone pendant. Does that mean""Yes. Ruo Lan she was always against the idea of removing magic from the world. She believed you could handle the power of Chaos and the dangers that came with it. I think part of the reason why she simply left after that night was because she did not want to admit that to me.""And right she is," I muttered. "Shouldn't you have more faith in me, your own son? I've been doing just fine with handling the power of Chaos.""You don't understand" My father shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "The 'danger' Chaos brings it's not just within the self. Even if you are able to handle the powerwhich I believe you dothere are still many grave dangers holding Chaos brings. Dangers out of this world, dangerous stronger than what you can even imagine. The planet we live on is not the only world in the vast universe, Kai Kai. There are many otherwordly beings out there, all of which seek the power known as the primordial Chaosthe origin of all things."" And you don't think I can take them on, huh?""This is not the time to be headstrong, my son. Listen to mejust trust in your father, and let him take care of things. I will rid this world of magic, and you of the dangerous power known as Chaos. Once that happens you, Ruo Lan, Li'er, and I can live in harmony once more.""Hold on, who?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Li'er?""Ah, yes. I have yet to introduce you to her, but she is my daughternot with Ruo Lan, but with my previous wife who passed away during Xuan Li's birth. Technically speaking, she is your older sister. She has never met you in-person, but I have told her many stories. Believe me when I say she cares about youa lot. Even more so than she cares for me or your mother."" Hmph. But she's on your side, isn't she?""If you mean regarding the erasing of magic in the world then yes. She is also in the Midnight Syndicate, though she is a secret member no one else knows about.""Then she is my enemy," I said. "It's that simple.""" My father fell into silence for a long time, then finally sighed." So, you still intend on opposing me, even after everything I've said?""Listen, dad," I said, standing up from the chair. "I can take care of myself. I am my own man now, and have my own loved ones to think about. Mei Guithe embodiment of the Primordial Chaosis one of those people close to me. If you erase magic from the world, Chaos will naturally disappear from here as well. And I will not lose Mei Gui.""I see. Such determination that must've came from Ruo Lan. You remind me a lot of her.""Determination?" I frowned. "Hm I suppose you could call it that. But what I think is that I'm stubborn, and so are you. You have no right to be doing this while claiming it's for my sake, especially when I never even asked for it, and yet here you are, still doing this. Let me guessyou have no intention of giving up, even after I've made my choice clear to you?"" Yes. That's right. Even if you do not want me to I will protect you, because you are my son. I don't care what you think of me hate me if you will, even. But I will not allow any harm to come to you, just as you will not allow any harm to come to that girl."I smirked. "Guess we know where I inherited my stubbornness from."My father chuckled a bit.. "Yes I suppose we do."
