[[~Hua Cheng's Pov~]]: Inside the dream...

Darkness. Evil. The light then back into darkness, filled with sadness, rage, and fear, all in a mix of one. As a child, kids liked to call me a monster, weakling & bully like it was an everyday life of gratitude for their business. Wherever I went outside, it was worse, but when I came back running in front of me, my black short hair had wrapped it with bandages over the right side of my face at all times; Due to being bullied for my entire childhood, my appearance has been always this way until I became fully aware of my swordsmanship has paid off, perhaps. 

Then, unexpectedly, the little boy was now closer to me, and that's when I realized that this little boy was me. I was That child, however, remembering the scene before me; Felt like it's been so many years since I recall myself being a reckless child. Quickly to my feet, I walked into the next scene, revealing a broken house with holes in the ceiling, as it also showed the blazing light of fire being lit up by evil.

Suddenly, I was pushed to the ground and beaten endlessly until I felt my arms being held by two shadowy mask figures, their laughs everyone around started hurting me with their disgusting words, which were changed by another scene I did not recognize but the familiar person in front of me...

'Oh no!' I thought and struggled to get out of the grip, but then a child was none other than: " 'A-Yaó!!!! RUN!' " I ordered, but she turned around and was about to speak when she was suddenly stabbed straight into the heart; my body froze, my heart stopped, and my mind started spinning as the darkness consumed me with black tears in my eyes as I watched A-Yaó fell to her knees and falls to the ground as she is sinking into the bottom of a blood bath, I rush to her side before holding her small, frail body. 

She died in my arms, with her blood mixed with mine...I started going berserk and mad when it happened until..." Gege! Wake up..." I turn to face no one but a shining pearl above me floating down, letting me follow it with my own curiosity; a familiar voice continues echoing throughout the dream as it once again says, "Hua-gege, wake up! It's time to eat."

Frightened and afraid of myself, wondering if I discovered something other than being elsewhere, Shaking my own fears away, which caused me to keep on barring sadness & awful sounds feeling away, I took a deep breath by opening the door with a light push and...The next thing I knew, I returned from the nightmare to reality.

Ended dream...

"HUA-GEGE! WAKE UP, LAZY PANTS! Jeez, you really a lazy bum!" Then realized that it was Little A-Yaó, who woke me up from the nightmare by pulling my arm, I groaned and notice that she was already wide awake in total energy, probably here to get me out of bed: "Alright, Alright, you win." I waved her off; however, once I stood up to look at Hua Yaó, the nightmare of her petite body lying down on the floor covered in her own blood was irreplaceable, but this was going out of my mind and, as the Ghost King of Ghost I have or not even once had a nightmare before. 

It must be some trick that I avoided looking at her until she said, "Hua-gege...Are you alright? Why are you avoiding my eyes?" I could hear her voice dying down into sadness as I let her continue talking. "Did I do something wrong?" 

'Oh, by the name of the heavens! why is it so difficult to avoid her emerald eyes at me?' I rolled my eye at her by kneeling down to her level before placing both my hands on both of her cheeks by squashing them like they were soft pillows I started to tell her: "No, nothing like that my 'tiny' flower. Just thought of how hideous you are.~" "Hey, that's not nice, and I'm not tiny! Hmph! Just grow slowly.~" A-Yaó pouted by looking away, but I stopped her from doing so and laughed.

"Really? Then I'll stop your growth by tickling you." She started squirming and wheezing in laughter. I have come to enjoy the light of her joyous smiles; ever since I saved & healed Hua-Yaó from the wolves, she had become somewhat of a sister in my life. Now we are playing Hide seek. "Now,~" I continue with an evil smirk, "Let me show how you can never misjudge a Ghost King.~" 

This made her surprise me; in return, by running around the Paradise Manor, hearing a loud giggle from afar, I realized that she wanted to play hide & seek with me; Which, of course, I began hunting down her presence. 

Later in the afternoon...

Nowhere in sight, I use my powers to find her hiding spot without her knowing that I wanted to cheat, moreover, make fun of her cute small form by pretending that I can't find her: "Ah, Shijie, shijie~. Where can she be?" I dramatically said to myself, with a deep sigh of defeat. I left until my powers tingled the presence of a young girl hiding behind a tree. I could easily hear her breathing from not too far away and spot her even if she had climbed up on the cherry blossoms. 

Pointing at it, in the process, I smirked while sitting down under it as a particular small giggle came from out of nowhere, which caught me by surprise: "BOO!" She cheerfully smiles, making me chuckle at her jumpscare, A-Yaó was hanging her upside down while pieces of pink petals half-covered her jet-black hair in a mess, "No fair! That's cheating, Gege. No powers." 

"Well,~ I don't "recall" you saying 'No powers allowed' when we both know you are the one who didn't put it on the rules list. So, I found you & I win, A-Yaó." I laugh proudly, she puffed her cheeks in anger but then engulfs me in a warm hug on which I enjoyingly hugged her back. My thoughts kept repeating that she wouldn't stay with me because the danger would come someday, and of course, everyone in the Ghost Realm would know I have a weakness for children. 

Before, my loyal servant came in and gave me a letter of invitation to the Ghost Festival on the 5th day of the year. After playing it with little A-Yaó, I ordered Yin Yu to tutor her on mannerisms, etiquette, writing, music, singing, and some medicine books for humans and demons. I asked what she wanted to be, and she told me she wanted to study medicine and martial arts. 

Granting her wish to come true, Hua Yaó began to be a pupil. This sister figure can never be apprehended by Heaven's Council or anyone other than the calamities I am never fond of. Therefore, I couldn't let her be with me forever; Little Yaó must never get into any danger with the dark spirits to protect the human child from other calamities. How to read a book, so I trusted servant Yin Yu to come in. 

He brought and placed some pork dumplings on the table for her to eat as she did her mathematics: "How're her studies coming along?" I questioned Yin Yu, who bowed at us before he could respond. He starts to gaze in a romantic way of love and smiles at A-Yaó. 

Waiting patiently for him to reply, I cut his distraction short when I purposely interrupted him with my abilities because I went into an overprotective mood: "Oh, forgive me, Master." he continues, "Yes, I am quite aware, did you wish to hear about her?" I shook my head and answered: "No, I had no intention of bothering you." 

Instead, I started talking about things I had in mind, and he was caught in the crossfire between his interest and my curiosity. Thus, he quickly responded as if his words had the immediacy that he was made accustomed to and he replied: "I was just wondering as to why I have never felt pain, being the only spirit to be in chains, I really get these, regretful thoughts." I raised an eyebrow at my servant and motioned him to continue: 

"I thought you would be too busy to bother me, Master." He nods and continues: "A-Yaó's mind is advanced, her talent in reading and her sword-fighting skills are excellent, and I believe that she will become a remarkable woman in the real future. And to be honest, Hua-Yaó is special. All she will earn is the respect and the attention of her kind soul is really overwhelming that Heaven's council would ask her hand in marriage, don't you feel quite different since she became your sister figure?"

Suddenly, before I could even have the chance to question my servant, Hua-Yaó had called out to me: "Gege! Come and see what I have learned so far!" 

"Aiya, can't your gege have a break?" 

"Nuh-uh! Not until you see my gift I created especially for you!" I laughed heartily and sent a mini-glare to Yin Yu before walking towards her way into the garden: "Alright, you win. Let's see what your 'gift' is." 

"Okay, I promise, but only IF you show me your butterflies again!"

"It is a deal, then no problem." Opening the palm of my hand, I showed her my avatar sign of the white butterfly while showing off my powers. It was when Hua-Yaó did the same thing as I did; she smiled gently with her emerald orbs closed and turned the glowing petals of a crimson flower into zillions of transparent but colorful butterflies. It showed the same fluttering movement as my own that reminded me of the first time I transformed my powers into butterflies, and I said in a faint whisper of disbelief:

"I-Impossible...How?" 

"Hehe...that's what I don't know, Hua-gege." She continued touching her own colorful butterflies with tiny fingers, with a slight blush creeping up her small dimples before she looked up to me and cheerfully says: "I-I-I have special abilities, just like you!" 

'If she ever uses these special powers of hers, with the same avatar as mine...' My eye widens at the sight of her powers awakening, 'I didn't know she could do that, and the worst is yet to come that one day, it could lead to one thing: the rest of the realms will take her away from this world into another as one of the first humans EVER to become a goddess.' Without a second thought, I instantly pretended to kiss her cheek while converting a protection mark on her so the gods wouldn't know of her gifts, such as mine. 

Hers are equal: 'If anyone were to find out about her connection to me through her powers, they would brainwash her kindness into hatred towards me, with a heavy burden growing on me. It was best to hide A-Yaó from the god's supervision about her existence, or else they would come and know my true identity.' 

I lifted her up into the air, earning an exciting squeal of laughter from Hua-Yaó. I hid my worries until she spoke up: "Hua-gege, please don't be worried about me much." 

"Huh, How d-?" Hua-Yaó cut me off by placing her small, fragile hand on my cheek, making me gasp at her warmth, "You're too cold to be worried about your shijíe; I promise to always stay by your side." She continues to giggle: "Shijie will warm you up." 

She told me in a muffled voice before she snuggled through my torso, leaving me hesitant, but I calmed down at her warmth to only smile down gently ever so slightly in the embrace of A-Yaó's arms, Tightly on my waist when I returned it to her. Unexpectedly, the wind blows past our hug as the cherry blossoms that had been staying on their branches long enough to have fallen to the ground while the other half floated around us and then left Paradise Manor. Hugging for eternity like this, we can never let this go until my beloved Xie Lian comes back: 

https://youtu.be/yM6fr5WO2mQ

'Gege, I hope you will return in my arms & to meet this little ball of joy, Hua Yaó...Please come back to me, my beloved.'

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