Aise

The night was thick and dark.

The silver moon was half-hidden by dark clouds, casting a pale and sparse glow that barely illuminated the gravel path leading to the manor. A cold wind swept through the forest, stirring up a rustling whimper like the whispers of the undead.

On the way back to the manor, two figures blocked Aise's path.

"Ah, you're here, Father."

Aise chuckled lightly, as if he were just giving a very ordinary greeting.

"You came even faster than I expected... Did you not make love with Mother tonight?" Aise tilted his head, his black hair fluttering in the wind, and asked with some confusion.

Aina's figure appeared behind Xia Lun, her gaze toward Aise as cold as frost.

"Why," Xia Lun asked softly, his voice quite calm. Only Aina could hear the almost uncontrollable anger within it.

Aina glanced at Xia Lun's hand hanging by his side; it had silently balled into a fist, the knuckles turning white.

She placed her hand on Xia Lun's shoulder: "Xia Lun, let me do it."

Xia Lun completely ignored Aina's request.

Aina frowned slightly. Normally, if Xia Lun dared to treat her with this attitude, she would never give him a good look.

But now... Aina just remained silent, deciding to respect Xia Lun's choice.

"Aise, answer me. Why would you do such a thing?" Xia Lun's gaze was fixed dead on Aise.

"Because you were very troubled, weren't you, Father? About the river issue..." Aise's laughter was somewhat suppressed. "So I solved it for you... Now there's no need to care about that village."

"Has your sickness reached this extent?" Flames burned in Xia Lun's eyes. "What exactly is inside your head!"

"I'd also really like to know, why am I like this..." Aise looked at his parents, his tone still calm. "My birth is your responsibility, right? Father, Mother, why am I not like normal people?"

Xia Lun's breath hitched slightly.

Aise's voice suddenly rose: "I want to be like ordinary people too... I really like Eni, but I can only hurt her; her fear is the only thing that excites me... I was born a monster, you were the ones who insisted on raising me as a human!"

Xia Lun stumbled back two steps, all the color draining from his face.

Aina's cold snort sounded beside Xia Lun.

"Xia Lun! Don't listen to his nonsense!"

A sharp ice cone pierced toward Aise, interrupting his endless chatter.

The ice cone grazed Aise's arm, drawing a line of blood.

Aise let out a burst of joyful, eerie laughter: "Haha... You are truly ruthless, Mother... I really like you so much, Mother. It is an honor to be your son."

Taking advantage of his dodging momentum, he didn't hesitate at all, turning around and sprinting toward the pitch-black wilderness.

If there was hope to survive... Aise would not refuse it.

"He's escaping, Xia Lun! Pull yourself together." Aina slapped Xia Lun's back hard. "If he escapes, he will definitely go kill more people."

"I know." Xia Lun's voice suddenly became calm and dead.

Xia Lun's figure disappeared from where he stood.

Aina was slightly stunned, not expecting him to still be able to burst out with such incredible speed, not inferior to when he was young.

"Clang—" The sound of a longsword being unsheathed rang out in the darkness. The holy sword rubbed against its iron scabbard, sparking a bit of fire.

A swaying sword light, reflecting the pale moonlight in the sky, rapidly pursued Aise like a slithering snake.

Aise also heard the sound of the wind breaking from behind him.

"Father!"

Aise stopped in his tracks.

He felt the icy killing intent from his father. That cold, pure killing intent was almost tangible, tightly gripping his heart.

Violent heartbeats pounded against his chest, and his breathing became scorching and heavy. However, what Aise felt at this moment was an unparalleled excitement.

"Ah—Father! This is it! I didn't expect to experience such extreme emotion right before dying... It's too wonderful!"

Aise backhandedly drew his gleaming longsword. With a forceful swing, magic surged, and a thick wall of ice instantly rose from the ground, blocking Xia Lun's path.

Xia Lun's sword flashed, and the ice wall was slashed to pieces as if it were made of paper, turning into a sky full of ice crystals, failing to stop him in the slightest.

Aise's blood-red eyes flashed with madness. Laughing frantically, countless ice cones erupted from the ground, attacking Xia Lun from all directions!

"Boom—"

Xia Lun stomped heavily, causing the earth to tremble and crack with countless fissures. A massive shockwave erupted with him at the center, instantly crushing all the ice cones into powder! Immediately after, Xia Lun transformed into a cannonball, tearing through the air with unparalleled speed, and instantly closed in on Aise.

The holy sword slashed down with the force of a thunderbolt!

Aise only felt as if the surrounding air had frozen, and then he met his father's emotionless gaze.

At the moment of life and death, Aise almost instinctively raised his sword horizontally to block.

"Bang—"

A deafening sound of metal clashing exploded, and long sparks flew everywhere.

Aise only felt an irresistible, immense force hit him. His body flew backwards rapidly, parallel and close to the ground, skipping like a stone on water, smashing several deep craters into the hard earth!

After flying back nearly a hundred meters, Aise's body finally stopped. He lay on the ground, unable to get up for a moment.

The longsword that Aina had forged for him now bore a massive notch. Its magical glow had completely dimmed, and it could no longer gather magic.

All over his body, an unknown number of bones were broken, and his internal organs felt as if they had shifted. It would be extremely difficult for him to even stand steady.

"It's completely different... from our usual training." Aise revealed an ugly smile, blood mixed with ruptured organ fragments flowing from his mouth.

But he still staggered to his feet.

Xia Lun had already arrived in front of him, looking at him with a complex expression.

"I'm sorry, Aise."

"I'm sorry, Father."

The father and son spoke at the same time.

"I have already accepted my fate... Father." Blood soaked Aise's pupils, and Xia Lun's tall figure gradually blurred in his hazy eyes.

The holy sword in Xia Lun's hand pierced toward Aise's chest.

Aise's hand also formed a loose grip.

"Xia Lun!" Aina, who had arrived late, let out a cry of alarm.

Warning bells rang violently in Xia Lun's heart, and he immediately dodged slightly to the side.

An invisible sword formed from chaos and malice instantly pierced through Xia Lun's chest, bringing with it a shower of blood!

At the same time, the holy sword in Xia Lun's hand completely pierced through Aise's heart.

"Father... I love you." After spitting out another mouthful of blood, Aise's face broke into a hideous smile. "I will become a shadow in your heart that you can never forget..."

His body fell heavily backward, crashing onto the cold ground, all signs of life rapidly dissipating without a trace.

A cold wind blew past, sweeping up a few withered leaves, brushing over Aise's gradually chilling young face and the ever-expanding patch of dark red on Xia Lun's chest.