The Lost Memory

"Why are we going to the blacksmith's shop?" Musen asked, puzzled.

"Isn't it obvious? To forge you a body of steel!" Liyana said excitedly. "If we replace the pages with iron sheets, they won’t get damaged so easily. Who knows, you might even be able to use them as a weapon..."

"Won’t that make it too heavy?" Mo Lini tilted her head. "And who’s going to carry this holy scripture around? You, Liyana?"

"Hmm... On second thought, maybe not."

Musen let out a sigh of relief and gave Mo Lini a grateful look.

He was genuinely afraid Liyana would go through with one of her wild ideas.

Aina’s voice came from outside: "I have some good materials here. We can use them to upgrade Musen later."

Musen quickly replied, "That’s too much trouble for you..."

"Don’t worry about it, Musen. It’s fine," Xia Lun chimed in. "The stronger you are, the more useful you’ll be to the team. We’re in this together."

"Why be so polite with them?" Liyana reached out and patted Musen’s shoulder—though she didn’t actually touch him, she had learned to stop her hand mid-air as if she had. "We just need to relax. Xia Lun will handle the rest."

Musen rubbed his bald head and finally stopped protesting.

"By the way, Xia Lun, where are we now?" Liyana called out. "When will we reach the city?"

"Up ahead is a place called the Dragonblood Mountains," Xia Lun said, studying the map. "Not far from here is Olie City."

He frowned. Olie City... It sounded vaguely familiar.

"Xia Lun." Aina suddenly pressed herself against him, her lips sealing his in a possessive kiss.

Xia Lun sighed but didn’t resist her demanding affection.

"Olie City... It’s been so long since we’ve been here. I’m surprised the city is still standing," Musen mused from inside the carriage.

Aina grew even more aggressive, cupping Xia Lun’s face as her gaze softened, yet her movements remained fiery, her fingers tightly interlaced with his.

"Yeah, I wonder how Lady Ankula is doing. She became quite famous after becoming the city’s ruler... It’s thanks to her that Olie City has prospered all this time," Liyana added.

Aina’s actions turned even more intense, pinning Xia Lun beneath her as her tongue greedily sought his, leaving him no room to speak.

Musen sighed. "Liyana... Lady Ankula was human. She couldn’t have lived this long."

Liyana gasped. "But wasn’t she a witch? I heard witches never age or die..."

"Impossible. That’s just a fairy tale. No one lives forever. Think about it—does that sound realistic?"

"Well, that’s a shame."

Inside the carriage, none of them noticed what was happening outside.

Xia Lun, struggling to breathe, gently patted Aina’s back. Reluctantly, she pulled away, a thin, glistening thread still connecting their lips.

"What’s wrong?" Xia Lun whispered.

"Nothing. I just suddenly wanted to kiss you," Aina murmured, licking her lips, her chest rising and falling slightly, her cheeks still flushed.

Xia Lun leaned in and kissed her cheek, then playfully licked away a bead of sweat left from their earlier passion.

"Aina... This tastes like a lie," Xia Lun said, his gaze sharpening.

"What... What are you talking about, Xia Lun?" Aina seemed confused by his sudden remark.

Xia Lun spoke slowly. "Actually... I have this ability where I can tell if someone’s lying by the scent of their sweat. It seems like you’re hiding something from me."

Aina’s eyes narrowed.

Of course, this "ability" was a complete fabrication. As her husband, Xia Lun could easily sense Aina’s unusual behavior.

Ever since Olie City was mentioned, Aina had been acting strangely.

And then there was Lady Ankula, whom Liyana had brought up...

Xia Lun remembered Professor Enlaisi mentioning her name during lectures—she was said to have been an admirer of the hero.

But Xia Lun had no recollection of her.

Aina bit her lip. "I’m sorry... Xia Lun, I..."

Xia Lun pulled her into his arms, pressing her cheek against his chest.

"Can you hear it?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"The heartbeat you gave back to me."

Aina nodded.

"So there’s nothing to apologize for, Aina. My fate, my everything—you can decide it all," Xia Lun said softly, stroking her hair. "I just want you to know that I’m your husband. No matter what happens, I’ll always be on your side."

"Thank you... Xia Lun," Aina whispered.

"Those are my words to you," Xia Lun replied, kissing her forehead.

"Xia Lun... The truth is, you’ve lost your memories."

"Oh, really?"

"Your current memories aren’t complete. You’ve forgotten parts of your past," Aina said, her voice tinged with sorrow. "I’m sorry, Xia Lun. I’m so useless... I know those memories were precious to you... I couldn’t recover them. I didn’t want you to feel regret..."

Xia Lun closed his eyes, carefully sifting through his mind.

It was true—there were large gaps in his memory, blank spaces where he couldn’t recall anything, as if those moments had never existed.

Just like Olie City and Ankula... Xia Lun had no memory of them at all.

"We confirmed our relationship in 1816," Xia Lun suddenly said. "So that was my second time picking Dragonblood Flowers."

Aina blinked in confusion.

"Our first date was at the elven restaurant Liyana recommended—back when the team was still together."

"In 1818, I found out you were the Demon King."

"You accepted my proposal in 1819, the same year I defeated and sealed you away... That was also our first time... Well, you might get mad if I say more, but the look on your face was priceless. It really got me going."

"Aise was born in 1827..."

"In 1829, for our tenth anniversary, I gave you a mermaid’s gemstone necklace..."

"In 1839, for our twentieth anniversary, you took me to see the sunrise on the Winged Race’s floating islands. That was the happiest I’ve ever seen you smile..."

"1849..."

"...All of it. Every single important memory—I still remember them all. And it’s all thanks to you, Aina." Xia Lun kissed her lips again.

Aina’s tears were salty against his skin as he gently wiped them away, smiling.

"Thank you, Aina."