Chapter 200: The Weight of a Title
You did not answer her desperate, whispered request.
Your body, which had been frozen in a hug, became rigid. You gently, but with an undeniable, cold finality, pushed her away. You stepped back, breaking the embrace, putting a sudden, sharp distance between you.
Feixiao's arms, which had been wrapped around you, fell limply to her sides. She stared at you, her green eyes wide with a shocked, breathless confusion. The warmth of the reunion, the relief that had flooded her, all of it vanished, replaced by a creeping, terrible chill.
"Orion...?"
You looked at her. The man who had returned was not the boy who had left. The youth who would gently comfort her, the brother-in-arms who would smile at her, was gone.
In his place stood something cold and still, his golden eyes holding an unfathomable, dead silence.
"What do you want to ask?" Feixiao's voice was barely a whisper. The hope in her heart was sinking. She already knew the answer.
"Tell me about Jiang Li," your voice was flat, without a ripple of emotion.
She had expected this. Feixiao closed her eyes, the single tear she'd been holding back finally slipping free. "What do you want to know?"
"Her final moments," your voice was terrifyingly calm. "In detail."
Feixiao understood. When pain exceeds its limit, it no longer looks like pain. It looks like this. It looks like you. She took a shaky breath, the memory searing itself behind her eyelids.
"That day... the attack was too sudden. The Borisin's main fleet, and that... thing... the Jidu Mirage. They were overwhelming." Feixiao's voice was low, her military discipline kicking in as she delivered the report.
"The front line collapsed. The Fanghu was being torn apart. General Yueyu dispatched me to support the west line, which was caving in. Jiang Li... she was at the main field hospital on the east line."
Her voice trembled, the discipline cracking. "I... I wanted to take her with me. I begged her to come. But she refused."
Feixiao looked at you, her eyes filled with the agony of that moment. "She said, 'Brother is still out there fighting, I can't leave.' She said... 'These wounded soldiers, they need me. I am a physician of the Fanghu, I will not abandon my post!'"
You listened, your expression unchanging. "And then?"
"And then..." Feixiao's eyes turned red again, her guilt a tangible thing in the room. "The enemy broke through the east line. They... they charged straight for the hospital. I tried to go back, Orion, I swear I tried... but it was too late. I was too far away."
She looked down, unable to meet your gaze. "And then… the Reign-Bow's light arrow came. It... cleansed everything. The Borisin, the Abominations... and the Fanghu. And everyone on it."
She looked up, her face a mask of guilt. "I'm sorry. I couldn't protect her. I failed you."
You remained silent. The air in the room was so thick it was hard to breathe. After a long, agonizing moment, you finally spoke.
"I understand."
You turned to leave.
"Orion!" Feixiao lunged, grabbing your arm. Her grip was like a steel trap. "Where are you going? What do you intend to do?!"
You looked back at her. The gaze that met hers sent a chill of pure terror down her spine, a cold she hadn't even felt on the battlefield. Your eyes were no longer empty. They were filled with an intense, unyielding, black killing intent. It was the madness of destroying everything.
"You want to seek revenge on the Borisin?" she asked, her voice tight.
You did not answer.
"Orion, listen to me! The main fleet of the Borisin was destroyed by that arrow too! They were wiped out!"
"So what?" Your voice was as cold and dead as the void outside. "There are still remnants. Scraps. Survivors. I will hunt every last one of them down."
Feixiao gasped. He... he wants to wipe out the entire Borisin race?
"And the Reign-Bow," you continued, your voice dropping to a whisper that was louder than any scream. "It came to 'support,' yet it destroyed everything. It killed her."
Your golden eyes narrowed, a terrifying, divine light glinting within them. "The Hunt should also pay the price."
"You're crazy!" Feixiao exclaimed, her blood running cold. "That's an Aeon! That is Lan, our God!"
"So what?" you replied, your voice devoid of all reason. "An Aeon killed my sister. So that Aeon deserves to die."
Feixiao looked at you, utterly speechless. This was blasphemy. This was madness. But as she looked into your eyes, into the abyss of your loss, she suddenly... understood.
If she had lost you... if she had lost everything... she might also become this.
"I'll go with you," she said, the words leaving her mouth before she even processed them.
You looked at her, your gaze sharp, surprised.
Feixiao averted her own eyes, a different kind of pain on her face. "I... I also have a debt to repay. Neergul was my friend, too. And Jiang Li... I promised to protect her. Since I couldn't do it... then at least, let me accompany you to send those bastards to hell."
You looked at her, at this General of the Xianzhou, at this follower of The Hunt, and a cold, bitter thought passed through your mind. You were silent for a long moment.
"No need."
"Why?!"
"This is my business," you said, gently but firmly removing her hand from your arm. "My path. Not yours."
You looked at her, at the uniform she wore, at the insignia of the Reign-Bow on her shoulder. "Besides, you are a General of the Xianzhou. You are an Emanator of The Hunt. Some things... are not suitable for you to do."
Feixiao wanted to argue, to scream that her title meant nothing compared to this, but seeing the cold, unshakeable resolve in your eyes, she finally closed her mouth. She knew the Orion she knew was truly gone. This new... thing... would not listen.
"I will make them pay for their blood debt," you said, your voice a vow. "As for the Reign-Bow… one day, I will personally find a way to break its divine bow."
After speaking, you looked at Feixiao one last time. She was an Emanator of The Hunt, a General of the Yaoqing. You didn't blame her. You blamed the god she served. You were already standing on opposing, irreconcilable sides. For her sake, it was better to have no more contact.
This was probably the last time you would ever meet as... anything.
You thought this silently, then turned, and walked out of the room, leaving her alone in the cold, echoing office.
"Orion... wait..." Feixiao subconsciously took a step forward, her hand outstretched. But her hand stopped halfway, grasping at empty air.
What right did she have to stop you? She, the mighty General, the Arbiter-General of the Reign-Bow. She couldn't protect Neergul. She couldn't protect Jiang Li. And now, she had lost you, too.
Her hand dropped powerlessly to her side. She could only watch as your back disappeared down the long corridor, never once turning around.
"Why..." She slumped into her large, ornate General's chair, the seat of her power feeling hollow and cold. "What kind of General is this...?" she whispered to the empty room.
"If I can't even keep the one person I love most... what's the point of being this damned General?"
Her grief and powerlessness finally broke through. With a choked sob, her fist slammed down. She swept her arm across the desk, sending a mountain of official documents, data slates, and military honors scattering across the floor.
"Enough... I've had enough..."
She collapsed forward, her head in her arms, her shoulders shaking. But soon, the sobs subsided. She slowly raised her head, her green eyes red and swollen, but the despair was gone, replaced by a cold, sharp, familiar fire.
"You bastard..." she whispered, a grim smile touching her lips. "You think you can just be cold to me? Push me away... to 'protect' me? I don't need your protection, you idiot."
She stood up, her composure returning, but her eyes were different. They were the eyes of Saran, the battle slave, the survivor. "No matter what you want to do. No matter if you want to kill the Borisin or challenge an Aeon... I will stand by your side."
She picked up her General's seal from the floor, her grip tight. "Even if it means I am no longer a General. Even if it means... I am no longer myself. This is what I owe you. What I owe Jiang Li. And what I owe Neergul."
The Stellaron Hunters' starship.
The airlock hissed open, and you stepped inside. The sterile, recycled air of the ship was a stark contrast to the fragrant, ancient air of the Xianzhou.
The moment you entered the lounge, a silver-gray blur tackled you.
"You're finally back! I thought you'd run off and left us!" Silver Wolf pounced, clinging to you like a hyperactive limpet. "My high score on Aetherium Wars has been stagnant for weeks! And I found a new game-breaking exploit in Galactic Baseballer 3, we need to test it now!"
Following closely behind, her movements more hesitant but her eyes just as bright, was Firefly. "Welcome back, Orion." The relief in her voice was clear. "You were gone... a long time."
Looking at the two girls' genuinely concerned, chaotic expressions, the cold, black ice that had encased your heart for weeks cracked, just a little. The trip to the Yaoqing, the confirmation of your loss, had plunged your mood to a rock bottom you hadn't known existed. But now... seeing them... you felt a fraction lighter.
"I'm back," you said, your voice a little hoarse, but it was real.
"That's great!" Silver Wolf excitedly pulled your hand, trying to drag you to the media center. "Come on! I've set up the server!"
"Wait!" Firefly, not to be outdone, grabbed your other arm. "He just got back, Silver Wolf, he needs to de-stress, not fry his brain! His combat instincts are probably dull. Orion, come to the training room! The new simulation has a 'Horde' mode!"
"Games!"
"Training!"
"Hacking is more important!"
"Survival is more important!"
The two girls glared at each other, sparks flying. You watched them argue over you, and the sheer, absurd normalcy of it was almost too much. Your mood, dark and heavy just moments before, unexpectedly lightened.
"Alright, alright," you said, and a small, genuine smile touched your lips. "First, we play games. Then, we train. How about that?"
Just as you were about to be dragged in two different directions, a slow, single click-clack of high heels echoed from the corridor.
Kafka appeared. She leaned against the doorframe, a lazy, all-knowing smile on her face.
"It seems everyone is getting along very well. How nice."
She looked at the chaotic scene, her wine-red eyes lingering on you. "Perfect. Everyone's here. There's something I need to tell you all."
"What is it?" Firefly asked, letting go of your arm.
"Tomorrow," Kafka said, her smile widening. "We will be welcoming a new companion."
"What?!" Silver Wolf was the one who reacted this time, completely surprised. "Another new person? Are we collecting strays now? Are Stellaron Hunters so worthless?"