One-Eyed Monster

”Kadi, oh Kadi, you really are a genius!” Igor suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

Kadi felt quite perplexed. What was Igor suddenly so startled and excited about? But he was too embarrassed to mention it, after all, Igor was complimenting him. He couldn’t just treat someone who praises him harshly, so all he could do was widen his eyes and watch Igor intently.

Such an expression could convey words, and Igor could understand what it was saying.

Igor, seeing Kadi’s expression, realized that once again Kadi had unknowingly stumbled upon the right answer. Many times, Kadi would succeed this way by chance, which often left Igor, who meticulously thinks things through, feeling awkward.

Truthfully, Igor hadn’t considered the connection between the fragments and Xiso. He only saw these fragments as flammable objects, only saw that they could resonate with the entire flame, capable of influencing the strength of these flames... He only thought of these deeper aspects, consistently overlooking the superficial parts. It was his flaw, he always wanted to change it, but never succeeded, naturally leading to overthinking.

Previously, he always felt many things needed meaning; every task needed significance; what he saw and heard needed to be meaningful. Meaningless wastage was something he couldn’t tolerate.

Later, spending more time with Kadi, he gradually discovered many things weren’t as he imagined. Many things existed without meaning. Kadi’s simple way of living gave him much enlightenment. Like now, Kadi’s words made him realize, an unexpected gain indeed.

Now Kadi is eagerly waiting for his explanation, eager to know what realization caused such excitement...

Igor realized he couldn’t let Kadi just sit there idly; he needed to make Kadi understand. Thus, explaining became vital. For Kadi, such a task was cumbersome, but he had to undertake it.

Igor felt like there were many bees buzzing around his ears, flying back and forth wanting instructions from Igor so Kadi, this flower, could bloom. As for why Kadi was like a flower, Igor himself wasn’t sure; he just felt that Kadi’s current state was like a budding flower. As long as it gets proper nourishment, it could blossom.

Kadi became a flower, something Igor thought of subconsciously.

Now he had to water this flower, fertilize it. Once this flower truly grows, it would be remarkable. Currently, Kadi always manages to spot what Igor overlooks, something Igor envies.

”Kadi, oh Kadi, you really are a genius.” Igor began to marvel again, slowly opening his box of thoughts.

”I’m confused...” Kadi couldn’t help it, because Igor had been rambling on without saying anything, leaving him truly muddled.

”You don’t know that your casual remark just now linked everything that needed to be connected.”

... Kadi still remained confused; Igor’s speech was always so incomplete and difficult to grasp.

”Did you forget why we came here? We’re here to rescue Xiso. However, upon entering here, they led us astray, consistently exploring mysterious things, forgetting the most important task...”

”I didn’t forget...” Kadi pursed his lips, disagreeing with Igor’s statement.

”Well, I know, it was me being careless, and it was your reminder, which is why I say you’re a genius!” Igor regained composure, realizing that his thoughts had wandered too far earlier, unaware of what he had been saying.

”Let’s not talk about that now, tell me what connection you discovered, what’s really going on.” Kadi urged Igor not to ramble, wanting to focus on the main points.

Igor tossed aside the flower musings, feeling embarrassed about the previous thoughts, like dreaming, completely unsure of what went through his mind.

”Didn’t you, looking at these things, think of Xiso earlier?” Igor inquired, believing it pinpointed the focus.

”Yes, don’t these tree-bark-like fragments resemble the peeling skin on Xiso’s face?” Kadi replied, returning to the main topic.

”That’s the connection!” Igor patted his chest, clearly confident about this issue.

”What? Is it because my remarks pulled you back from other stray thoughts, refocusing you on seeking Xiso?” Yet the impression Igor’s confidence left Kadi came across as such.

Kadi didn’t follow Igor’s approach, instead interpreted Igor’s findings from his own line of thought.

”Were it only that simple, I wouldn’t be this thrilled; it’s not so straightforward!” Igor felt helpless about Kadi’s response, puzzled why Kadi never understood him immediately, always requiring extensive explanations, which were quite exhausting!

”What’s your meaning then? I truly don’t get it.” Kadi spoke his mind directly, unlike Igor who tended to obscure and hesitate.

”Well, don’t you suspect these fragments might come from Xiso himself!” Igor looked at Kadi, his gaze unnervingly firm.

Such a bold notion left Kadi momentarily frozen, unable to respond.

”We can use these fragments to trace Xiso’s whereabouts; it’s a significant clue!” Igor began speaking incoherently again.

”Wait, wait, don’t just babble on like that!” Kadi interrupted Igor’s flow, knowing if he didn’t stop him, Igor might continue endlessly, without allowing him a chance to speak.

”Why, don’t you agree?” Igor was puzzled by Kadi’s reaction.

”I mean, if you suppose these fragments originate from Xiso, doesn’t it imply Xiso has been harmed already?” Kadi’s concern was understandable, given his emotions toward Xiso. Towards everyone from Guru Mountain, Kadi felt deeply connected.

”Well...” Igor suddenly realized he wasn’t as attentively focused on this detail compared to Kadi.

”If that’s the case, we must hasten our pace, we can’t delay any longer!”