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March tried to steady her breathing, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.
Kill them.
No…
That’s who you are.
No, it’s not…
PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON US!
PLEASE SAVE US!
PLEASE HELP US!
No… no… I’m not like that…
MONSTER!
YOU’RE A MONSTER!
SOMEONE SAVE US!
YOU’RE A MONSTER!
YOU’RE A MONSTER!
“March!”
YOU’RE A MONSTER!
YOU’RE A MONSTER!
“March, I’m here.”
YOU’RE A MONSTER!
YOU’RE—
“March, calm down!”
Her head shot up, and she looked at him with teary eyes. Her gaze met his, and she saw the concern on his face.
“Dan Heng…” she spoke softly, feeling her breath caught in her throat.
He only pulled her into his embrace, his hands steadily carding through her pink hair as he hummed softly to calm her down.
“I’m here.”
March let out a shaky breath before the final string of her composure snapped, breaking down into tears in his warmth.
Dan Heng only closed his eyes, letting the girl lay her vulnerability bare before him through the tears flowing down her face.
She only buried her face into his chest and only her soft sobs were heard in the quietness of her room.
It took a few moments before she finally pulled away, sniffling as she turned her head from embarrassment — ashamed of the waterworks that stained his shirt.
“I’m sorry… I…”
Her voice trailed off, feeling the words caught in her throat as she hesitated to open up to him, so she changed the subject instead.
“What brings you here?” she asked, looking up at him with her tear-stained face.
His concern remained evident on his face before he sighed.
“I heard…” he paused, trying to find the right words, “...something.”
She looked at him incredulously.
The flicker of relief in his eyes, the slight worry and fear that something might have happened… it was too obvious for her.
March had always been a perceptive girl — always able to peer into the hearts of those around her, always able to see past their defenses… it may have taken her a while to finally see through him, but she could see him past his collected demeanor.
“...You seem bothered by something.”
He frowned at her words.
“March…—”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Her words hung into the air, and he knew better than to overlook the fact that her voice didn’t carry its usual cheeriness — he wouldn’t like to make the same mistake again, not when it almost cost her life once.
He sighed before gently pulling her back in his embrace.
“March, you don’t need to hide anything.”
Her breath hitched at the fact that he saw through her despite the many layers of that cheerful and doting demeanor she had always put up around everyone.
Silence filled the room and she only eased into the warmth of his embrace; the comfort his presence brought — something that kept her grounded to the present before she lost herself in her past.
Monster…
Villain…
You cruel thing!
Please spare us!
YOU SHOULD PAY THE PRICE OF THE LIVES YOU TOOK WITH YOUR LIFE!
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I—”
March shut her eyes, and he immediately held her closer.
“You have nothing to apologize for, March…”
She responded with a shaky breath, trying to calm herself again.
“Dan Heng… I’m hearing things… I’m probably going insane…” she said.
He hummed.
“I keep hearing that... I’m a monster…”
Her voice trailed off as she choked on another sob.
“Dan Heng… what if I was a bad person in the past—”
“Who you were in the past isn’t who you are today.”
March looked up, pulling away from him as she met his gaze.
His lips pressed into a thin line as he took her hands in his, gently squeezing them in hopes of reassuring her.
“If you were a bad person in your past, I am no different from you.”
“You are my reincarnation. A mirror image.”
Hope flickered in her pink-blue eyes before they dimmed again like the dying candlelight.
“But you have already been forgiven.”
He took a deep breath.
“To those who knew of Dan Feng’s history — no matter what edict has been given — I am a sinner in their eyes.”
March chuckled dryly.
“But—”
“But this time, March… you’re not alone. You have — all of us.”
We won’t let you be alone.
I won’t let you be alone.
The image of her dying in his arms flashed in his mind, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
Fortunately, the girl smiled at him — despite her lips not reaching their usual degree — and it relieved the tension in the air earlier.
“Yeah, I got all of you.”
March only hugged him, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
Relief washed over him like the seas of Scalegorge Waterscape.
He was grateful that it was all a dream; this was the reality — a mundane, peaceful life of trailblazing as they journeyed among the stars.
In his arms was the sun — his sun.
He didn’t want to let go of it — not when her radiance had become a constant in his life.
Although it was selfish of him, he didn’t want to lose her smile.
For her countenance was too precious to be stained with the tears she cried for her past sins, and he swore to protect it no matter the cost.
If he lost her…
If he lost the sun…
Just like the moon could only shine because of the sun — if its light no longer shone upon him…
He would lose himself.