Chapter 1.

??? - Taeyang, what are you doing?

A voice broke the silence that had occupied the little room. Usually, Taeyang would have been glad to hear this voice, if only it wasn’t just his imagination creating a scene.

??? - Come on, tell me, what are you doing?

His mind rejected reality; therefore, it created a scene that made reality false. By all means necessary, he wanted to live in this falsehood. His back was against the wall, tears rolled down both his cheeks, and weak sobs escaped the gaps in his lips.

Taeyang - Su Yan, I’m crying because you are gone.

While he stared at the blurry figure in front of him, he whispered and rejected the false scene he had created. He bit hard his lower lip, wrapped his arms around his legs and sobbed. Should there be a chance to take time back, Taeyang will take it, no matter the cost.

Su Yan - Do you believe in reincarnation?

The voice from before sounded again, this time beside him. He turned his head to find a figure beside him. Unlike his blue eyes and white hair, the figure had crimson-colored eyes and thick, long black hair. A beautiful smile rested on her cute, round face. She wore a green tunic like him, and her neck had a simple silver necklace endowed on it.

He didn’t know when his surroundings changed. No longer in the little room, but in a small beautiful garden under the sky. The sun looked ready to retire for the day.

Su Yan - Stop staring like that. Do you believe in reincarnation?

The tears that fell down increased; this was a memory from not too long ago. He sobbed a bit more, then shook his head.

Taeyang - No, I don’t believe in it. What about you?  

He wiped his cheeks, took a deep breath, and waited for her next words. He knew exactly what she would say next, and his lips moved as she said it.

Su Yan - Same, but I hope it’s real, hehe. I would really love to reincarnate and see you again.

She laughed, then made a wry smile. Like him, she didn’t believe in reincarnation, but they both hoped the stories they’d heard were true. She got to her feet, took a few steps, then turned to face him.

Su Yan - Promise me this Taeyang.

He sighed as he muttered the words he had said before. “What’s that?”

Su Yan - Promise me you won’t follow me to the afterlife.

Taeyang - Hmph, why do you think I would follow you? Are you that special?

He snorted, looked away, and tightened his fist as she said.

Su Yan - I know you are thinking about it. So promise me you won’t.

Taeyang - Fine (sigh) I won’t follow you… at least not until I kill the demon that did this to you.

He turned to her, his face bearing rage as he thought of the demon… the reason he was going to lose his closest friend and only family. The fire burning in his eyes was enough to burn down a village. His hatred for the demon knew no bounds.

Su Yan - That’s not good enough. With your talent, you will catch up to that demon’s strength in no time. I don’t want you to follow me. You need to see the world, live life and enjoy it.

She rejected the decision he had made. He was her only family. She wanted him to live for as long as possible. She knew she couldn’t dissuade him easily, therefore she gave him another option.

Su Yan - Until you find another reason to live, make this your reason to live. Kill all the demons in the world. Make sure no demon walks on this earth.

His eyes widened after he heard her. There was no way he could do that, for that was harder than finding a needle lost in haystacks.

Taeyang - That’s impossible.

Su Yan - Unless you do that, don’t you dare die, you hear me? If you come to the afterlife, I will kick you back.

 

He saw the seriousness in her eyes. She really didn’t want him to die. After all, who would want their family to? Her love for him had no limit.

Taeyang - As if you can, haha.

Su Yan - You! Tch… Promise me!

Taeyang - I promise, happy?

Su Yan - Hmph, yes.

She pouted, and he laughed at her. He was happy just being by her side. She had always been there for him and now she…

Su Yan - The sun is almost gone. We need to head back.

Taeyang sighed out loud. Her body faded away, the sun disappeared, the sky became his room ceiling, and the garden turned back to his room floor. It was impossible to live in your memory forever.

A knock sounded, and Taeyang turned to the door. He really didn’t want to see anybody right now, but the aura he felt belonged to someone he had respect for. With his hands, he wiped his face clean and breathed in and out.

Taeyang - Come in.

At his words, the door opened and an old man with a stick walked in. He had thick grey hair, a wrinkled face and a very pale skin. Anyone would think he was going to die at any moment just by looking at him.

Taeyang - Deacon Liu.

Taeyang got to his feet, cupped his hands and bowed to him. Deacon Liu stared at him pitifully. To deacon Liu, who was a cultivator of a high level, the death of a very low level cultivator meant nothing. However, he felt her death could cause a hindrance to the talent he had found.

Deacon Liu - Have you finished mourning?

Taeyang - Yes, I have. Thank you for giving me the time to.

He bowed his head again, grateful for deacon Liu’s consideration. Unknown to him, deacon Liu didn’t care about his loss, he only wanted to reduce the chances of Taeyang getting a heart demon by allowing him to grieve properly.

Deacon Liu - Alright, we’ll leave for the sect immediately.

Taeyang - Understood.

Deacon Liu turned around and stepped out of the room. Taeyang exhaled before he followed him out, the pressure he felt from deacon Liu choked him; he had never felt it from anyone else.

Just as he stepped out of his little hut, Taeyang faced a four-legged beast. It stood about 6ft tall, had the spots of a leopard and a horn on its head. It laid on the grass, but got up as soon as it saw deacon Liu. This was the second time Taeyang met this beast; the first was when deacon Liu arrived in his village for the first time. It was the mount he rode here.

Deacon Liu - Get on!

Taeyang obeyed deacon Liu, who had climbed up the beast’s back. He got on with a bit of a struggle. As soon as Taeyang got on, deacon Liu tapped the beast’s side with his left leg. With a low growl, the beast shot forward. Its speed caused Taeyang to jerk back; he almost fell off the back of the beast.

??? - Taeyang! Goodbye!

??? - You little brat you couldn’t even bid us farewell.

??? - Bye Taeyang, don’t forget us.

??? - When you become powerful, don’t forget our village.

The beast ran past a small crowd that waved Taeyang goodbye. He turned to them, smiled wryly and reluctantly waved them back. They were the villagers of Salty-lake village, the same people who had rejected him when he got left here eleven years ago by his mother. Yet, they pretended to like him now. He turned around and held on tight so he wouldn’t fall.

Taeyang - There’s nothing here for me.

They had once rejected him, now he rejected them too. He had no reason to return; he had only one thing to do. That was to fulfill his promise and to do that…

Taeyang - I’ll become the strongest in the world and wipe all demons from this world.

Deacon Liu smiled when he heard the words Taeyang muttered. Taeyang’s words had proven his worries invalid; he wouldn’t give in to a heart demon. At least not without a fight.

*Boom*

A loud explosion erupted beside them, its wave sent them flying. The beast roared and got back up immediately; it bared its fangs toward the explosion.

Deacon Liu - It seems we have company.

Taeyang bit his lower lip while he remained on the ground and watched deacon Liu dust dirt off his garment. Blood sprouted down Taeyang’s face like a waterfall from his forehead. It ran over his left eye and down his cheek.

His body screamed out because it hurt so much. There was a first time for everything, and this time, his wounds gained that record. Never had he gotten so wounded before. The explosion gave him a large wound in his abdomen, while his left arm broke from the fall. His head hurt while his right ear rang.

Deacon Liu - Tch, they outnumber me.

Taeyang heard deacon Liu’s words. He didn’t know where deacon Liu got a sword from, but in his right hand, deacon Liu held a sword with a blue hilt.

Deacon Liu - Come on, I’ll show you why I am a deacon of the Mystic leopard sect!

The beast roared out loud just as deacon Liu yelled. They were both prepared to face their unknown enemies.