The silence that followed her disturbing question felt like it would last forever.
He stared deeply into her soft, familiar dark–brown eyes. The very eyes he fell in love with.
For the first time in his thousand years of existence, the Lonely God encountered a question that left him speechless.
She stared at him with a strange worry and no longer felt as secure as she once had in his presence.
He could not describe what about that look destroyed him most.
He wondered how her memories vanished right after her death. Could what she had experienced last be so traumatic and painful that she had refused to carry such moments along with her to the grave.
Even memories before they became Gods and eternal beings were all gone and he didn't know what to do to bring them back.
The temptation to use this weakness to his advantage and give them a chance to be together as lovers tore him to shreds—but no. He couldn't do that to her.
No matter what, she still loved Cangmo and would never become a replacement who ruined her life.
That was the last thing he wanted to be. The one who stole her happiness and separated her from the one her heart beat for.
The Lonely God rose and offered his hands, helping her to her feet.
He saw how she stared at her environment strangely, like she was from another plane of existence who got sucked into his and was now terrified.
''Yuerong,'' he called, making her flinch as he tried to touch her again. Her eyes wide with panic, his hands froze briefly before falling back to his sides.
''Who are you? Where am I?'' She asked, her eyes turned glossy and red. ''How did I get there, and why am I in pain?''
Those were many questions he hoped he could provide answers to.
''I am your friend, Baiye,'' he answered. The girl stared downward, trying to recall having such a friend—but her mind was so blank that it frustrated her when she couldn't even remember her own self. ''You are in the Third Immortal Realm.''
She looked up to him again, her eyes widening in a bit as she struggled to make sense of that.
''Am I also a—--'' A headache, terrible enough to knock an elephant over seized her at once and she screamed like hell.
''Yuerong!'' He tried to help her but the girl collapsed again, her hands clutching the sides of face as she remembered everything.
Images, voices, words, thoughts, feelings all came crashing down on her and fighting to make sense in her head. It felt like being sucked into a magnet. An experience she wished never happened to her again.
'I will not let anything bad happen to you.'
Yuerong screamed at the pain when another memory presented itself to her again. This time she was holding on to her things, her mirror of worlds firmly in her hold as Cangmo also stood prepared by her side to leave with her for the God Realm.
'What do you mean you no longer want to come with me to the God Realm? We made a promise—-'
Yuerong gasped as the feeling became a bit too overwhelming for her like she could feel how betrayed she was that day they were all supposed to leave for the God Realm together and he stood before her and said he wasn't going anymore.
'Don't ever show your face to me again.' She said angrily, left with Cangmo and their bags, tears streaming down her face like a river. His betrayal hurt so deeply but it was not the act that cost her her life.
Yuerong started shaking and crying as one memory led to another. Memories of glorious days as the all-powerful God of the God realm. Ten thousand Gods bowing at her feet and praising her as incomparable. She held the sun in her right hand and the stars in her left.
She was an idol, a phenomenon, the supreme being and slayer of tens of thousands of demons in battle.
She was righteous and good until love came knocking on her front door.
Yuerong cried out and wished she didn't have to remember this.
*
*
*
''Your Divinity, we do not trust him as you do. Please, listen to us as we plead that the moon god came to you with ulterior motives. Cangmo has slain thousands of mortals and corrupted countless immortals into sin, and even established the Fourth Realm to carry out his evil designs on the other realms. We don't want to know whether he was a good person to you in the past, our lives and safety of the three realms depends on you and your decision. Please, we beg you not to make this mistake.''
She sat arrogantly on her golden–white throne as the Gods around her pleaded against her decision in accepting Cangmo's sudden marriage proposal.
While she led a group of godly soldiers to haunt down reckless beasts terrorizing the lower realms, they stumbled upon an injured and partly conscious demon who turned out to be her Cangmo. At first, they were so quick to use this opportunity to kill him but said no.
Her actions raised a lot of questions and doubts when she brought the demon king carelessly into the God realm and slowly helped him to recover from his injuries, threatening to bury any God alive who would dare attack or hurt him in anyway.
He told her that his demons had rebelled against him and sought his life. He had been trying to escape their desire for his death when she found and rescued in in that state. He took her hands and told her to her face that he regretted everything he had done. He hated how he left both her and Baiye, had become the next great evil, and was remorseful for the countless lives he had taken and destroyed.
He told her he wanted to set things right.
He wanted to be a better person right after confessing he also felt the same way for her.
He wanted her to marry him so that, with his power, her aid, and the gods' joint effort, they might destroy the demons and the Demon Realm completely.
He wanted to stay by her side and rule the heavens together.
He drew her close and gave her a kiss she would never forget. The kiss that cost her her God seal and left her unknowingly bearing a counterfeit.
'I will marry the Moon God of the Demon Realm and, with his help, destroy the Fourth Realm.'
'Anyone who speaks against that shall be deemed guilty of rebellion against me and my soveriegnty!'
All Gods had no choice but to back down and let things happen the way she wanted.
She recalled how he used her stolen God seal to destroy the heavens and kill everyone she loved and cared for. The screams of burning Gods echoed as a legion of demons took over the God realm by surprise on their wedding day, tearing everything apart.
Her white wedding attire was stained with blood, and she could not save a single one of them.
The fake God seal tore down her God vessels, blocked most of her powers, and caused severe damage to her spiritual roots.
The blood.
Her screams.
The burning walls.
Her trembling, heartbroken self.
It all felt like she had been in hell.
The image of the one she had sacrificed everything to be with watched her fall to her death without a single thread of affection or regret.
'You will never find a true love like mine.'
Cangmo, if there will be a second life for God's like me, I will find you.
Yuerong took in deep breaths as everything made perfect sense to her and her eyes were wide open than ever before.
And I will kill you.
E D I T E D