One-Eyed Monster

Xiso remained expressionless. His decision had been made more than a decade ago, and he wouldn’t waver now.

”Why are you like this? Are you going to keep quiet forever, just like you did back then?” Bigas had completely changed. All the pride and coldness she once exhibited was gone.

”You should know I’m no longer the person I once was, Bigas,” Xiso said. It was the topic he least wanted to bring up, but he had to.

”Is that your reason for running away?” Bigas retorted. She couldn’t understand Xiso’s current state.

”The Xiso Glass you knew no longer exists. Now, there is only Xiso the monster.”

”What nonsense are you spouting? You’re right in front of me, yet you don’t even dare to look me in the eye!” Bigas was finding it hard to accept. She knew Xiso was avoiding her, but his refusal to open up was the most unbearable part for her.

”We are not the same kind, Bigas Kangen. Don’t you understand that by now?”

”Understand what?”

”You are the Stars in the sky; I am a mere weed. I can’t reach your heights. Just as your family said, I’m not worthy!”

”Are you still brooding over that incident?” Bigas finally understood what Xiso was referring to. So, he was still dwelling on that conversation.

That conversation had occurred between an elder of the Kangen Family and Xiso. This elder, Bigas’s grand-uncle, had rejected Xiso on the grounds of his bloodline. Moreover, being a high-ranking elder, his words were naturally harsh. Those words, like twisting knives, prevented Xiso’s heart from finding peace.

”No, I don’t mind it anymore. Over these many years, I’ve come to understand. Some things are predestined, like day and night; no matter what, they can never overlap.”

Bigas let out a bitter laugh.

”Bigas Kangen, you are a noble Star whom many look up to, not someone creatures like us can pursue. I am just like my surname, Glass—truly a weed from the earth. No matter how hard I try to change, I will always be a humble blade of grass.” On the Yowein Continent, the surname Glass was like ’John Doe,’ a name for every orphan and homeless person. Glass meant weeds of the earth, but because of their tenacious vitality, the people of the Yowein Continent also referred to them as Glass.

”’Day and night...cannot overlap... You, a weed...’” Bigas repeated Xiso’s words. She seemed unable to accept this situation.

”I also thought about changing, Bigas Kangen. But, as you can see, this is the result of my change; this is my truest form. A weed cannot become a towering tree reaching into the clouds. The more unrealistic the pursuit, the more grotesque one becomes.” Xiso was very composed. He spoke each word softly, yet they carried immense weight.

This made Bigas feel even more distressed. She had toiled for so many years, constantly hoping Xiso was still out there somewhere in the world. Now her hope had come true, but the reality was nothing like she had imagined.

”Day and night... You’re right, they cannot overlap. But haven’t you noticed? Whether it’s day or night, they are always chasing each other, one pursuing the other, again and again, never stopping...”

”Bigas—”

”You shut up! I haven’t given you permission to speak, so keep your mouth shut!” Bigas roared, her demeanor completely changed. It seemed Xiso’s words had provoked her.

”You don’t know anything, Xiso! You really don’t know anything at all, you bastard! You absolute bastard!”

”I am a bastard,” Xiso admitted without hesitation.

”Xiso Glass, for all these years, I’ve been searching for you! They all said you had left this world, but I didn’t believe them! I didn’t believe them, do you know that? Can you even comprehend what I’ve been through?” Bigas was now thoroughly enraged, her emotions clearly in turmoil.

Xiso remained silent and didn’t look at Bigas.

”Everyone said you were dead! I ignored everyone’s objections and raised hell at the Alchemy Workshop! To this day, the Wizard Alliance and the Alchemy Workshop still harbor resentment over it! For you, I nearly tore the Alchemy Workshop apart!”

This incident was a major event in the Kayne Empire. At the time, the Alchemy Workshop’s experimental site collapsed overnight, leading other organizations to question Kuyi Tulan’s highly publicized Purification Plan.

It could be said that all major organizations had personnel involved in this plan. However, the overnight disappearance of everyone at the experimental site struck all of them as exceedingly strange.

The Alchemy Workshop did not publicly disclose the true reason. If they had revealed that Grand Master Guzan had let those individuals escape, it would only have led to the other major organizations collectively mocking the Alchemy Workshop for its internal strife.

Therefore, all Alchemists, including Kuyi Tulan, unanimously claimed to the outside world that an accident had occurred.

It was precisely at that moment that Bigas stormed the Alchemy Workshop.

She had indeed caused the uproar for Xiso.

The power of a Holy-Robed Wizard was not to be underestimated. Coupled with Bigas’s special status as the eldest daughter of the Kangen Family, the Alchemy Workshop could only defend without retaliating. However, the Alchemy Workshop was never one to passively accept grievances; they laid the blame for this grudge on the Wizard Alliance.

This was what Bigas was referring to. She was telling Xiso all this to show him the unimaginable things she had done for him. For his sake, she had broken ties with her family, joined the Soul Guardians, and silently endured her suffering alone all these years.

”How could a bastard like you understand my pain? All you do is run away and stay silent!”

”I’ve disappointed you, Bigas Kangen. I am just a bastard.” Xiso’s stance remained firm, not yielding in the slightest.

How could he be so cruel? A woman had given up so much for him. Now that she had found him, he offered her not a shred of hope, his heart seemingly made of stone.

”Heh. Xiso Glass, you bastard, do you think you can escape all your problems this way? Let me tell you, bastard, I am now the day and night you spoke of! I will relentlessly pursue you, never letting you have a moment’s peace!”

”I know you’re furious. I’m right here. Kill me or torture me as you wish; I won’t make a sound. If it makes you feel better, you can do it now.” Xiso seemed to have completely entrusted his fate to Bigas.

”Kill you? After all the times you’ve wronged me, you think you can get away with just dying? That’s too easy for you! Let me tell you, I won’t let you off so lightly. I have countless ways to torment you. I’ll make you, you bastard, wish you were dead!”