After Ash left the hospital, he straight went into the backyard of the hospital, to the direction of the hut. But, he was shocked to find that, the hut strangely had disappeared from its spot. Instead of that, the place was now filled with filthy swamp. A shiver of nameless dread ran through his spine. He realized that, the more he tried to keep his identity hidden, the more it somehow got revealed.
At that moment, suddenly, Lily interacted with him mentally.
"Don't worry, master. I am with you; no one will even find out your identity. Whoever is behind all this will simply think your brother was talking to himself all night long. I didn't want to ruin your reunion with your brother; so didn't warn you before."
"So, you also knew about the strangeness of the hut?" Ash asked with a curiosity.
"Yeah, master. The moment you entered in the hut, I sensed same fishyness as before. So, as a precaution, I took the step to make you untraceable from anyone except your brother. That's why, even that woman in your mother's room couldn't see you there."
"What do you mean? Is it real that you can do such thing?" Ash became very shocked and as well as surprised.
"Trust me, master. As long as I'm with you, nobody can track you, find you, or sense you; even if you are present in front of them. And these are just some sparks of my entire powers." Lily replied in a chuckling tone.
Ash was surprised. But he had no choice but to believe it.
So, there was no point in him standing there any longer. He gradually moved away from the spot and began walking slowly along the footpath, pondering what to do next.
"Wow, I see you're incredibly powerful. When I'll be free, let me know what other powers you've in your sleeves." While walking, Ash replied in a surprised tone.
"As you wish, master. Although my memory is still sealed, while living in my world, I managed to recover some of our faint memories. In those memories, you had bestowed me a lot of knowledge; and even you yourself gave me all the powers that I now possess. If you want to know about all these, it'll be my pleasure to return the favor you have done to me." Lily's tone became filled with devotion.
"Me? What do you mean? These kind of your statements are going straight over my brain. What are you talking, I can't understand at all. And let's suppose, if anyhow your statement is true, then how come my previous life and current life's bodily features are same-to-same? Is it some kind of joke or what?" Ash's voice hardened.
While walking along the footpath, he at that moment arrived at the main road of the north. At that time, that road was busy. Multiple shops were gathered there, selling varieties of colorful items, foods, and various decoration artifacts. As the day itself was valentine day, and in each year, the valentine day was celebrated magnificently. In that day, the entire city remained abuzz with grandeur. Each lanes and bylanes of the city was adorned with red rose petals, red street art, red balloons, glowing red fluorescent lights, and many more. Every year on that day, a massive procession would take place in the afternoon from the headquarters to the middle of the city, followed by a colorful fair that would come alive there in the evening. All the people of the city gathered at that place during that sacred time. Then, the festivities, featuring music, dance, lavish feasts, multiple ceremonies, and various exhibitions would continue throughout the night.
As the legend said, the 'Valentine's Day' was uniquely special for the citizen of the city, because of a person named 'Christina Valentine'. According to the legend, long before the nineteen individual foreigner came and conquered the city, the city was established between two long mountain ranges named 'Minesol Mountain Range' and 'Corizard Mountain Range'. At that time, it was very much prosperous due to its immense natural treasuries. However with time, due to the lack of any governing authorities and any protective shield in the city, the eyes of many tyrants and marauders fell on the city and its treasures. And then very soon, decades of plunder began. Consequently, the seeds of that destructive rampage quickly spread among the city's inhabitants. An atmosphere of fear, oppression, brutality, and hatred engulfed the entire city. As this continued, a deep, festering wound was inflicted upon the city.
Thus, after several decades, a thief named Christina Valentine arrived at the city's doorstep. At first, she also continued to rob the city internally, destroying countless properties, looting countless belonging of the citizens, and many more. However, she experienced her first change of heart when she was mesmerized by an unknown young boy's stunning beauty. That boy was a citizen of the city and at that time was going through a very worsened situation. His whole family was killed by her own hand. Even, he was also about to be killed by her hand, but the moment she looked at his face, she suddenly felt a spark in her heart. With that sudden revelation, she immediately fled from there. However by that time, she had already realized that she fell in love with him.
After several days, she again encountered with him, while looting another property. That boy easily recognized her at that moment. But, he straight ignored her and left over there. But, She could clearly notice that, seeing her, his face began to glow as if he wanted to kill her. For the first time ever in her life, she felt a burning guilt sensation in her chest at that point.
Again after some days, she met him, while destroying a shop. At that time, she finally couldn't resist her feeling and directly expressed her feeling to him. However, surprisingly instead of revenge, that boy accepted her in his life with a cute smile. Then, she became aware of a truth that, the boy also fell in love with her at their first encounter. But after what happened with his life, he could never forgive her in his entire life. But he respected that emotion and feeling what they both felt at that same moment which they called 'Love'. So, he didn't abandon her and her feelings from his life, but he never accepted any sexual desires or emotions towards her in his entire life. He gave her a second chance to prove herself and fix everything what mishap she had created in her life.
Slowly while living together, through him, she gradually began to witness the situation of the city from a different perspective. She gradually realized that what she worked previously didn't make her whole, rather a simple life with him in a simple house actually made her whole from the inside and outside. Her robbery, loots perhaps gave her a temporary pleasure, but the way she felt love with him, the way she lived a simple lifestyle with him gave her an enjoyment what she could never feel in any other way.
Gradually, she left her role as a thief and took a role as a 'Saint Valentine'. With that, she completely dedicated her life to helping and defending the aimless, terrified, devastated, poorest, and endangered people in the city from the intruders with love and care. She also had built a vast fountain in the middle of the city, using its holy water to baptize citizens, so that they could reject the seed of hatred and brutality from their minds, and could accept the forgiveness, acceptance, and love in their hearts.
The legend itself represented that, love through forgiveness and acceptance one should embrace in life. Even if they're your opponent, if they feel guilty, you should give them a second chance in life to fix everything.
After a few decades, both of them died due to old age. But their feat left a deep impression on the minds of the people of the entire city. From then on, the citizens of the city slowly began to worship their death day as a token of love named as 'Valentine's Day'.
Thus, now in the era of advanced science where everything was controlled by headquarters, the citizens of the city continued to celebrate that day with great fanfare. Even the headquarters itself supported that festival directly.
Although Ash didn't like headquarters, he still praised them for maintaining the dignity of that day's importance.
"Hmph... At least they did this good only."
After that, he booked a cab.
A few hours after, he finally arrived near his previous office. As he still didn't buy any mobile or telephone for himself, he telegrammed a letter to Mark and sent it to his office.
After that, he entered a cheap motel beside the office. He could no longer go to his apartment to avoid further accidents.
An old man was sitting at the reception of that motel.
"Uncle, can I rent any of your room for a few months?" Ash asked with a gentle voice.
Hearing Ash's voice suddenly, that old man startled a bit. Then, with a slight frown on his forehead, he stepped outside of his spot.
"I never saw you here before. What's your name, little boy?"
"Let me introduce myself to you. I'm Ash, a wayward, aimless wanderer. I'm coming from the south, planning to go to the mountains to spend rest of my life. Before that, I want to rest for sometimes. So, uncle can I rent any room here?" Ash replied with a gentle tone.
"Ok, I see. No worries, nowadays most people doesn't come in such motels. On top of that, recently, an accident has occurred in another motel. So, the flow of people has dwindled even further." The old man's voice saddened.
Hearing that, Ash felt somewhat guilty. The situation had become like that as a result of his past actions. But, he didn't let his emotion exposed in front of the old man.
"Two Zen per month..." The old man replied.
Ash nodded with agreement.
After that, he got the keys and straight went to his rented room.
The room was kinda messy. The walls and roofs were covered with mosses, dams, and termite mounds. Multiple cracks could clearly be found in the room's floor. The furniture was also broken and dilapidated. He knew that, for such a low price, this was the kind of condition he would get. So, he didn't mind at all.
After freshening himself for some times, he gradually cleaned the room with utmost care. After that, he opened the only window in the room. A gentle breeze was blowing from the southwest.
Then, he breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Lily, I have some free time now. Now you can tell me, what according to you, I apparently taught you that I don't remember ironically." Ash interacted with Lily mentally. His voice was curious.
"Sure, master. As you wish..."