The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1590

Hao Xuan picked up Lady Yuki and started marching until they were out of the Night Market and another street over just to be safe.

The sudden change in the scenery brought them crashing down like a high after a long bender.

"Put us down," Lady Yuki murmured in a barely audible voice.

Hao Xuan gently lowered her so she could stand on her own and apologized.

"Sorry, that seemed to be the best course of action. I didn't mean to-"

"It is alright. You may return," she turned her back towards him without meeting his gaze, indicating a definitive end to their impromptu soiree.

Hao Xuan got the hint and wasn't one to overstay his welcome so he obliged.

"I will...do that then. Be careful going back," he turned to take his leave but could not move another inch without giving her a fair warning.

"Whatever you are trying to do, it will probably not end well. He is a very dangerous man who will not think twice about killing someone like you. But let's say that by some miracle you pulled it off what will you do when his comrades chase you to the end of the worlds?"

He paused hoping to get some kind of a reaction from her but she was not budging so he continued.

"If you are out to seek revenge first ask yourself if the person who you are trying to avenge would even want that. Will they want you to live the rest of your life in such misery? Running and hiding like a rat, always looking over your shoulder in constant worry about what lies around the corner? That is no way to liv-"

"SHUT UP!" she abruptly screamed, "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LOSS?! ABOUT THE-" everything she was holding back came flooding out all at once as she broke down crying, bawling her eyes out where she stood.

"-about the shame and the guilt of surviving alone! I can't enjoy ANYTHING anymore because every time I feel even a little happy, all I remember is they are not here with me..."

She fell to her knees in tears but Hao Xuan could not bring himself to comfort her. Despite his "wise" words telling her to move on, he knew that was something he could never do himself.

"I-I can't NOT do anything when he is RIGHT there," she muttered through raspy breaths, "Him a-and his people took everything from me, even my sleep, but it makes no difference to them at all..."

He sighed internally, "So what then? You will continue to torture yourself day in and day out? You have no power to take them down so all you can do is try to move on. Once you accept that it is out of your hands, life will become much more bearable. Take it from someone who was in the same shoes once..."

Hao Xuan wanted to hang around to make sure she didn't do anything stupid but he had an appointment with Vlitgar which could not be pushed away.

He tore a piece off of his robe and threw it over her head.

"Cry all you want. Let everything out and then leave it here when you go back. Busy yourself with mundane work until you are so tired that you fall asleep the moment your head hits the bed. Go one day at a time like that. If they really did something terrible then someone will make them pay sooner or later, trust me."

She snatched the "handkerchief" to throw it back at him but he was gone by the time she looked back.

The stark loneliness began biting at her ankles like a rabid dog as she found herself isolated and in defeat once more. It had been many years already but she felt like she was back in the burning estate once again.

The sound of crackling embers and the smell of burnt flesh came wafting into her senses like the scent of an old friend.

"It-It is not real! I'm not- this isn't real!" she told herself trying to shut off her ears but it didn't help one bit.

That is until she heard a voice calling for her.

"Miss Yuki?! Is that you?! Are you alright??"

Her vision on the verge of fading away, Lady Yuki looked up at the speaker and found a somewhat familiar face staring back at her. It was a well-dressed slender man with spectacles hanging off his nose.

He ran over to her in a hurry and held her hand, "It really is you! I have been looking for you for so long!"

She tried to focus but it was all a blur. His voice was not entirely foreign to her and when she heard him calling her name an old memory popped up.

"Miss Yuki, over here!"

It was a young boy waving at her from the top of an ant hill.