One-Eyed Monster

Igor felt he should do something, yet Kevin believed they were powerless to intervene. The crowd of onlookers, seemingly no longer passive spectators, was now fully involved.

Once one became involved in a matter, two possibilities arose: one could either achieve nothing or alter the very essence of the situation.

What would they choose now? Would Igor and his companions alter the nature of this matter, or would they resign themselves to being powerless and achieving nothing?

That was a serious question.

Igor was now determined to help Bigas and Xiso. However, as Kevin had pointed out, it wasn’t right for them to interfere in other people’s emotional affairs; such help could easily backfire and bring trouble upon themselves.

When couples quarreled, even fought, it was said to be their own business. No matter who an outsider tried to help, they would likely be rebuked by both. After all, their hearts were connected, a fact one couldn’t deny. They argued because they had mutually granted each other that right. An outsider, even with the best intentions, wouldn’t be permitted to lecture either one.

The principle was simple, yet it was still somewhat foreign to Igor, given his limited life experience. Still, his inexperience didn’t mean he was completely ignorant of such matters; Igor had heard a little about these things. After all, he had listened to many stories, and most of them revolved around romance. Over the years, he had been vicariously exposed to countless love stories. Now, Xiso’s story was unfolding vividly before him, and this excited him, making him eager to get involved.

”I understand your feelings. We all want the same thing—for Xiso and Bigas to be well. But we really can’t change anything,” Kevin continued to chatter, unable to resist advising Igor upon seeing him deep in thought.

But this advice was useless; once Igor resolved to do something, nothing could sway him.

Igor hadn’t acted yet simply because he hadn’t found a good approach. Once he decided on a course of action, absolutely no one could dissuade him, even if it meant jumping into a pit of fire.

Such was Igor, a man so stubborn he sometimes frightened himself.

Now, Igor observed the situation, analyzing it. Deep down, he still wanted to help Xiso.

What should he do? That was the question Igor was contemplating.

The crowd of onlookers was still chattering about Xiso and Bigas’s situation, a topic that would likely persist as long as the two of them remained standing there.

Xiso, in truth, felt utterly helpless. He had never thought he would see Bigas again in his lifetime. He had imagined spending his entire life on Guru Mountain. He certainly hadn’t expected Guru Mountain to suffer such a severe blow, nor that he would encounter Bigas at this juncture.

He had expected even less that Bigas would find him here.

Bigas’s words were like a knife twisting in his heart. He had never imagined she would do all these things for him.

He was indeed evading the truth; he had been from the very beginning.

Despite his illustrious reputation in the Empire’s Guardian Army, he still felt insignificant. This insignificance stemmed from a lack of a sense of belonging.

No matter how high his position in the army, he always felt he didn’t truly belong. He didn’t know his ultimate destination, and this sense of being adrift made him feel insignificant.

A sense of belonging was what he had always pursued. Only after arriving at Guru Mountain did he find some semblance of it.

This sense of belonging had once made him believe he had found his final destination, but deep down, his heart always felt that something was missing.

What this missing thing was only became clear with Bigas’s arrival. He discovered that the void in his heart was due to a debt he owed someone.

That someone was Bigas.

Xiso felt an immense guilt towards Bigas. His evasiveness, his sense of inferiority, always made him unable to face Bigas.

What had he given Bigas in return for all she had done for him?

He had given her nothing. Every time he thought of this, a wave of sorrow washed over him.

This sorrow made Xiso afraid to look into Bigas’s eyes, terrified that his guilt would be exposed.

If his guilt were exposed, he would lose control of himself.

Xiso could only maintain an appearance of heartlessness now to numb his inner turmoil and control his emotions.

He felt that only by doing so could he give Bigas a good future. He had already hurt Bigas deeply; he didn’t want to hurt her again.

Better a swift pain than a lingering one. He had to steel his heart now, solely to make Bigas give up on him completely and move on.

He was a monster now, with no future prospects. He might have to spend the rest of his life on Guru Mountain, unable to give Bigas anything more.

But Bigas was different. She was a Sage of Six Systems in the Wizard Alliance, and with the powerful Kangen Family supporting her, her future was undoubtedly bright—something Xiso could not compare to.

Xiso didn’t want to ruin Bigas’s future, so he felt he had to make her hate him.

Only by doing this could he make Bigas leave him and return to her own life, so that, as before, she could proudly advance in the Kayne Empire, sweeping aside all obstacles and forging ahead.

This was Xiso’s wish. He didn’t want this monstrous version of himself to drag Bigas down. He needed Bigas to hate him, to forget him.

He had already failed Bigas; he could not hinder her further.

These were the reasons for Xiso’s evasion. It wasn’t that he was truly unfeeling; on the contrary, he harbored profound emotions for Bigas.

It is precisely because love runs so deep that one constantly thinks of the other’s future; the deeper the love, the more willing one is to let go.

All the heartlessness Xiso displayed stemmed from the deep love he still held for Bigas.

He dared not even glance at Bigas, afraid that one look would cause all his emotions to pour out.

This was Xiso’s true intention.

It wasn’t that the onlookers, Igor included, didn’t understand Xiso’s character. They knew Xiso wasn’t such a heartless and disloyal person. But they couldn’t understand why Xiso insisted on acting this way; his cold demeanor was something they simply couldn’t comprehend.

They felt that when two people were together, anything could be discussed; any matter that couldn’t be decided by one person alone could be talked over.

They felt that Xiso and Bigas could simply sit down and have a proper discussion.

They also felt that they were truly helpless, completely unable to assist with the situation between these two.