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The reaction that Xue received from the others were bewildered expressions or laughters filled with disbelief. 

The loudest among them was Haru, who was continuously hitting the table with his hand. He wiped away a tear from his eye. 

“Th-the Supreme God? You…” Haru pointed at Xue, panting heavily from laughing too hard as he looked at Cecil and the rest. “Is your friend serious? Is he right in the head?” 

Hana only smiled brightly. 

Cecil nodded, her expression lukewarm. 

K’xug nodded as well, impassive. 

“It seems…” Yun adjusted his round glasses, blinking rapidly. “It seems they aren’t joking, and neither is Xue.” 

Kiyae and Kiba looked at Yun, shocked. 

Ryo seemed contemplative, looking at his arm. 

“I’m not.” Xue dropped his smirk, resting his chin on his palm. 

“It’s true!” Hana chirped, still smiling. “Xue wouldn’t lie about this!” 

“If you need proof, I can provide them to you,” Cecil added on, gesturing towards K’xug. “He can do that too.” 

“...”

“...”

Kiba and Haru’s crew became considerably silent. 

Cecil and K’xug glanced towards Xue. 

The fact that Xue would admit himself as the Supreme God, it thoroughly shocked them. The two of them knew he abhorred that title, even more after he went through so much misery. 

The feeling of many pairs of eyes on him was too much. However, the conflicted gazes from Cecil and K’xug felt even stronger. 

Xue felt as if they were going to bore holes into the back of his head. 

“Stop looking at me like that,” Xue grimaced, glancing towards Cecil and K’xug beside him. “Is it really that hard to believe that I admitted it myself?” 

K’xug nodded with hesitation. 

“Xue, you didn’t have to admit it,” Cecil lowered her voice, frowning. “There were other ways you could go about it…” 

“It was the simplest explanation, and one that had the least hassle.” 

Xue didn’t want to talk until his saliva dried up, and neither did he like dragging on matters if he could get straight to its point. 

Cecil and K’xug were still worried for Xue. 

Seeing their concerned expressions, Xue couldn’t help but smile faintly. 

“It’s the truth anyway,” he muttered out bitterly. “Whether I want to deny it or not.” 

“But you…but I…” Haru pointed between back and forth, stammering. “You...how...but that is…” 

The four of them looked at the confused Haru. 

Haru recalled the time he mockingly proclaimed himself as the Supreme God in front of Xue. He paled, shooting his head up at Xue. 

The handsome ash blonde-haired man only raised an eyebrow indifferently. 

“Hey, so since you are the almighty ruler of the heavenly realm and all,” Ryo interrupted the moment, gesturing towards his arm where the arrow grazed past him. “How did I survive from that weird arrow? From what we’ve seen, those who came into contact with those arrows…” 

“It was that weird arrow that hurt you?!” Haru swivelled his head towards Ryo, shocked. 

Yun widened his eyes. “The arrow coated in light...magic…?” 

“Ryo! You came out okay from that?!” Kiyae rushed over to Ryo. 

Even Kiba grew worried for him. 

With his friends and his lord fussing over him, Ryo started to struggle against them in annoyance. 

“Regarding that…” 

All of them paused, looking at Xue. 

“I’ll explain it another time to you.” 

Haru suddenly clapped his hands together. “Ah! That weird temporary partner!” 

Everyone tilted their heads. 

“That...that weird self-proclaimed devil who said he created black or dark magic--whatever it is!” Haru exclaimed. “You know him too, don’t you?!” 

In an instant, the four of them knew who Haru was talking about. 

Their expressions turned sour, including Hana. 

“Don’t mention him,” Xue muttered darkly. “You do not need to care about that bastard.” 

“Oh, that guy!” Kiyae snapped her fingers, clicking her tongue and she looked at Xue and K’xug. “He seems to know the both of you pretty well.”

“...”

“...”

Xue and K’xug chose not to react or respond. 

Kiyae raised her eyebrows, realising she had touched a sensitive topic. She lifted her arms, taking a step back. 

Yun smiled faintly, shaking his head. 

“What do you mean you’ll explain it another time?” Ryo probed, finally freeing himself. “Why can’t you explain it to me now?” 

Xue frowned at Ryo, looking at K’xug. 

K’xug shrugged. 

Xue shook his head at K’xug. 

The two of them were having a silent conversation with one another, that no one could interpret or interfere. 

Kiba sighed, stepping forward and patting Ryo and Haru on the back. “That’s enough for today, you should all rest well after this long trip.” 

“Indeed,” Yun nodded. “As soon as the preparations are done, we’ll be setting off for our next destination.” 

“Next destination?” Cecil questioned. 

“A town under our jurisdiction, and our main source of information collection,” Yun explained. “It’ll take three days to reach there with the ship.” 

“We are travelling by the sea again?!” Hana burst out, on the verge of bursting into tears. 

“This continent, Tul, is surrounded by water after all.” Cecil answered Hana. 

“By the time we are done helping you guys, I don’t want to touch a ship ever again!” Hana cried out. “Or even touch water!” 

“Isn’t your element water?” Xue raised his eyebrows at Hana.  

Hana was flabbergasted. 

Kiyae and Haru snickered to themselves. 

“You…” Hana pouted, pointing at him. “You are so mean, Xue!” 

“I am only stating the truth.” 

“K’xug! Look--look at Xue!” Hana clung onto K’xug’s arm. “Just look!” 

K’xug blinked rapidly, looking back between Hana and Xue. 

Xue wore an amused expression on his face. “Even in the past, you like to call out to K’xug whenever you can’t say anything back to me.” 

Hana stiffened. 

K’xug smiled faintly, leaning down and looking at Hana in the eyes. He gestured towards Xue and himself, his hand clenched into a fist.

What? 

You want me to punch him for you?

Hana huffed, nodding at K’xug as she whispered. “Just the other day, he stole Cecil from me as well!” 

K’xug widened his eyes considerably. 

Xue could interpret their conversation too, widening his eyes just like K’xug. 

Their shocked gazes met one another just then. 

K’xug shrugged, straightening himself and walking towards Xue. 

“You can’t be serious.” Xue scoffed in disbelief.

K’xug smiled, lifting his fist up. 

To be fair, Xue owed him a punch for all the pranks Xue had pulled on him in the past too. Some of them were to escape his duties as the Supreme God, and since K’xug was his reliable assistant in everything...the responsibilities were pushed onto him. 

Xue froze, his expression growing uneasy. “Yo-you can’t be serious, right?”

With his current state, a serious punch from K’xug would leave him with broken bones. He knew that the man himself would not hold back at all.  

After all, the many grievances he put K’xug through was endless. 

...and he might just continue on with the punches...

K’xug quickened his pace towards Xue. 

At that moment, Xue hid behind Cecil without thinking, his hands on her shoulder. 

Cecil was bewildered, but she played along by stretching her arms out protectively. 

“You can’t get me like this.” 

K’xug narrowed his eyes.

Coward. It’s just one punch from me. 

K’xug sidestepped. 

Xue did the same, and Cecil followed along. 

“Don’t think I’ll believe that you are going to stop with one punch.” 

K’xug smiled dangerously. 

The three of them continued playing around. 

Cecil laughed heartily. 

For everyone else, it was rare to see Xue this cowardly. They enjoyed the show, chuckling to themselves. 

That night, after the party settled down, everyone decided to retreat back to their rooms to get their well-needed rest. 

***

Since Haru and Kiyae were still recovering from their injuries, their journey to the next island was delayed. However, Yun took the opportunity of that delay to explain the plan to Cecil and the others. 

Their purpose on the next island was simple enough. 

It was to collect information and gather forces. 

This was a crucial step leading to their final plan to take down Ephert and rescue the people he had illegally used as slaves. 

Among those people were the parents of the orphans as well. 

All of them were seated around the long table on the tatami mat, their legs crossed. Two weeks had passed, both Haru and Kiyae were speedily recovering under the meticulous care of Cecil. 

She was taking her job as their temporary healer seriously. 

“It is a simple touch and go plan,” Yun added on. “Even if that town and island is under our jurisdiction, Ephert could still plant spies among them and interfere with our plans.” 

“So you are saying, we should expect some trouble.” Kiyae winked. 

“Along with those weird weapons?” Haru grimaced. 

Yun nodded, confirming their words. 

“That bastard has the whole continent in the palm of his hands after all,” Ryo leaned back into his chair, supporting the back of his head with his arms as he yawned loudly. “If they are weak, there’s no fun in it.” 

“Why are you always so eager to fight strong people, you brat.” Kiba clicked his tongue, tapping Ryo on the forehead with his finger. 

Ryo grinned, his earrings glinting in the light. 

“Uncle Kiba.” 

“Lord Kiba.” 

“Don’t need to greet me,” Kiba waved them off. “The ship has been fully repaired and well-stocked. I doubt you’ll have an easy time gathering supplies there, so I’ve done all I can on my part.” 

“Uncle Kiba, you’ve done more than enough.” 

Kiba smiled bitterly, ruffling Haru’s hair. “Nevertheless, I wish I could do more than sitting and planning.” 

He looked at his other missing arm, before he looked away, staring out the wooden window as he sighed heavily. 

He had wanted to fight alongside these youngsters, but he was missing an arm and those forces opposing Ephert needed a lord to guide them. 

“Lord Kiba…” Kiyae muttered out, noticing the sad expression on his face. 

“At times like this, Haru, I wish your father was still here.” 

Haru glanced down, his expression inscrutable. He gradually lifted his head up, wearing a small wistful smile. 

“I’m sure he is here with us, somewhere.” 

“Yes, yes…” Kiba nodded, sighing once again. “Sorry, continue on talking, this old man here shall take his leave.” 

Kiba walked away. 

“...how soon can we set off?” Haru looked at Cecil. 

Cecil smiled. 

“Both you and Kiyae will be fully recovered in a week, as long as you don’t overexert yourself.” 

“Then, we should let the two of you rest since we are done here.” Yun stood up, rolling the papers back up and putting them into the container. 

After three weeks, they would finally be able to set off. 

All of them went their separate ways, either to train or to relax. However, when Kiyae invited the others to drink with her, they avoided her like the plague. 

...it was only until she promised that she wouldn’t get drunk multiple times, did Ryo and Yun reluctantly join her. 

Haru decided to have a good, long talk with his uncle. 

Hana was eager to discover more food to enjoy and experiment on, along with buying new, pretty clothes along with cooking books. Hence, she ventured out into the town. 

K’xug naturally followed her.

Whereas, Cecil had questioned Yun about the library, especially the section about studying medicine and herbs. Yun informed her that Kiba had a hobby of collecting books, and that was how she knew Kiba owned a personal library in his house. 

She had allocated enough time to train, and to practice her dancing and now, it was time for her to study more about medicine. 

A servant guided her to the library.

Kiba allowed them to roam freely around the house, except for certain places that held sensitive information. 

Just then, Cecil glanced behind and was shocked to see Xue. 

“Why do you look so surprised to see me?” Xue frowned, sounding unhappy. “I have been following behind you this entire time.”  

“I...didn’t notice.” 

“Of course you didn’t, the entire time the only word that has been uttered by you is “library” and nothing else. You didn’t even turn to look at me even once.” 

Cecil was amused. “Are you being...jealous right now?” 

“That’s right, so what if I am?” 

Now, Cecil was flabbergasted and she spun her head back. 

She never expected Xue to readily admit that. 

“Aren’t you ashamed of getting jealous over something like that?” Cecil questioned quietly. 

“Something like that? Ever since Yun started talking and until now, my lover has never once looked my way,” Xue grumbled out, his words were clear in the quiet corridor. “Am I supposed to feel happy about that?” 

Cecil widened her eyes at his words, her eyes looking back at the servant guiding them to the library. 

“Shh, stop!” she hissed out, flustered. “There are others around!” 

“Does it matter? You are my lover, my girlfriend, and my woman now.” 

“Oh my god.” Cecil whispered out, wanting to die from embarrassment. 

“Ex-excuse me, the library…” the servant interrupted their conversation, trying to control her laughter. “The library is just past those sliding doors.” 

The servant hurriedly excused herself, and Cecil could see the servant’s shoulders shaking with mirth. 

Cecil groaned, covering her face with her hands. 

Xue crouched down to meet her eye level, tilting his head. “Why are you embarrassed? You said those words yourself, to me.” 

She put her hands down, glaring at Xue as a blush adorned her face. 

“You can just proclaim that I am yours to the entire world while you are at it.” 

“I’ll gladly do so.” 

“...”

Cecil was speechless.

“You can do the same to me as well,” Xue smirked. “It’ll make me more than happy.” 

“...”

She gave Xue a shove on his shoulder and rushed into the library. 

Xue laughed breathily, following Cecil into the library. His steps thudded softly against the wooden flooring. 

“My woman, Cecil Lan!”

***

Unlike the first continent Han, this second continent, Tul, welcomed many different kinds of street performers. 

It was due to the fact that this continent embraced any kind of art form. Especially since people could manipulate elements, street performers found new ways to enhance their performance. 

"K'xug, look!" Hana beamed, pulling him by the arm. 

Four performers were combining the elements together, dancing to the beat as they put on a spectacular show. 

One of the performers started to spew out flames from their mouth, reaching the climax of the performance. 

The audience cheered and applauded, astounded. Hana clapped along as well, still smiling brightly. 

The performer leaned back again, spewing out flames from his mouth. 

A woman had been standing too close to the performer, clearly eager to enjoy every bit of the performance. Hence, she was caught off guard when the flames blew out towards her direction, even if it wouldn't hit her. 

She shrieked, staggering back and colliding into Hana. 

K'xug caught Hana smoothly, his arm around her waist. 

Hana blinked rapidly as K'xug stabilised her, a soft look in his different coloured eyes. He sighed, taking her hand and wrapping it around his arm. 

He pushed down her hand onto his arm, patting on it. 

Hold on tightly. 

K'xug relished in the feeling of their arms intertwined together, smiling to himself. 

It's only in moments like this…

He stretched his hand out, wanting to brush his fingers against her cheeks but he paused. 

Hana stared at him innocently. 

His expression became unreadable before he gestured to Hana, telling her to look back at the performance.

Hana was in a daze, looking back and forth between K'xug and their linked arms. Her mind was no longer on the performance, sneaking a glance at K'xug. 

She admired his handsome side profile, the flames casting a shadow over his features.

Ba-thump. 

Her hand flew to her chest, and she could feel something tickling in her stomach. 

This feels very familiar. 

A familiar feeling that I like very much. 

This isn't the first time I have felt like this…

Hana tilted her head, her hand still remaining on her chest. 

“Is this what I felt about K'xug in the past too?” She mumbled to herself, smiling. “It's nice.”

All of a sudden, Hana heard a faint chanting in her mind and she winced. The background noises gradually faded away, and she heard the familiar words whispering into her head. 

You have to remember. 

You have to remember, Hana Katae. 

Don’t forget. 

Hana squeezed her eyes close. 

Fortunately, this time, there was no fainting or dizzy spell.

Hana slowly opened her eyes, the applause from the audience and the rowdy performance filling her ears once again. 

“This again…” Hana pouted to herself. “What am I asking myself to remember…?” 

***

Pt. 1

《 start 》

It’s only in moments like these…

It’s only in moments like these I can indulge myself. 

However, these feelings within me…

I will never admit them to you. 

I do not deserve to stand by your side. 

Not with the amount of blood I have spilled. 

Not with what I did in the past.

《 stop 》

***

Pt. 2

《 start 》

She belongs to me. 

Cecil Lan belongs to me. 

Telling that to the whole wide world...

It doesn’t seem so bad. 

Not bad at all. 

《 stop 》