In the distance, Xiao Jiang's mother covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably.
She felt immense self-reproach for not being able to be by Xiao Jiang's side and watch him grow up.
Watching Xiao Jiang stand alone at the doorstep, waiting for relatives who would never come, her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.
Xiao Jiang's father was also silent, his expression filled with sadness.
Previously, due to his work, he had spent very little time with Xiao Jiang.
Now, his only hope was that Makoto could take their place and play happily with Xiao Jiang for a while.
Upon hearing that Xiao Jiang was waiting for his parents, Makoto felt a pang in his heart.
Xiao Jiang was not fully developed mentally and did not understand what life and death separation meant.
In his subconscious, his parents would definitely return; it was just a matter of time.
That's why he kept waiting there.
He waited, come rain or shine.
Makoto couldn't bear to see this child in front of him stubbornly clinging to a hopeless endeavor.
So, he softly said, "Xiao Jiang, I am a friend of your parents; they sent me to find you."
Hearing Makoto's words, Xiao Jiang instinctively looked up.
This big brother actually knew his name,
and… he was a friend of his parents?
The words "parents" held extraordinary significance in Xiao Jiang's heart.
Xiao Jiang looked at Makoto, tilting his head in confusion, and asked, "Big brother, why didn't Daddy and Mommy come back themselves? Why did they send you to find me?"
Makoto knelt down, stroked Xiao Jiang's head, and gently said, "Because, your parents went to a very, very distant place and can't come back for a while."
"They were afraid Xiao Jiang would be bored alone, so they entrusted me to come and play hide-and-seek with Xiao Jiang. That's pretty much it."
Upon hearing "hide-and-seek," Xiao Jiang's eyes lit up, and he looked very excited.
"Yay! Hide-and-seek is the most fun game in the world!"
"Xiao Jiang loves playing hide-and-seek!"
"So, please, Big Brother, come find me~"
"Before that, please close your eyes and count to ten, no peeking."
"Mommy said if you peek while playing hide-and-seek, you won't grow tall."
Xiao Jiang earnestly explained the rules of hide-and-seek to Makoto.
In the distance, Xiao Jiang's mother, hearing Xiao Jiang explain the game rules, also broke into a smile through her tears.
She had only said it as a casual joke at the time, not expecting Xiao Jiang to remember it so clearly.
Seeing the joyful smile on Xiao Jiang's face, Xiao Jiang's father also felt a stir in his heart.
The things he couldn't accomplish in time,
he would entrust to Makoto to help complete.
And Makoto, seeing such a lovable Xiao Jiang, couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, then I'll start counting down from ten. Xiao Jiang, hurry and hide."
"Ten… nine…"
Hearing Makoto begin the countdown, Xiao Jiang also hastily started looking for a place to hide.
He seemed to have extensive experience in hide-and-seek,
and immediately hid behind a large tree.
After Makoto's ten-second countdown ended, he turned his head and saw a foot peeking out from under a tree not far away.
He knew without a doubt it was Xiao Jiang.
Makoto chuckled and teased, "Xiao Jiang, are you hidden well?"
The innocent Xiao Jiang replied directly, "Big brother, I'm hidden! Come find me~"
"Can you find me? Do you want me to give you a hint?"
Before Xiao Jiang could finish speaking, Makoto had already walked in front of him.
"Little One, I found you."
Xiao Jiang looked surprised: "Wow, Big Brother, you're amazing!"
"I hid in such a secluded spot, I didn't expect you to find me so quickly!"
"No, I need to find an even more secluded spot. Big Brother, same as before, count down ten seconds, then come find me~"
After Xiao Jiang finished speaking, he urged Makoto to lean against the tree and count down,
while he himself hurried to hide.
Fortunately, Makoto had some impression of where Xiao Jiang hid in the game,
and he successfully found Little One's hiding spot multiple times in a row.
"Big brother, you found me again! You're really amazing!"
"Hehe, I haven't had such a fun game of hide-and-seek in a long time. Thank you, Big Brother!"
Xiao Jiang's laughter echoed through Tianheng Mountain,
It was clear he was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.
Not far away, Xiao Jiang's parents took in this scene entirely.
The two exchanged glances, both with smiles of relief on their faces.
Seeing that Xiao Jiang's current life had no problems,
they could finally leave with peace of mind, right?
Once a wish is fulfilled, ghosts cannot persist for too long; they will gradually dissipate.
The couple had no regrets left in their hearts, so they left with smiles on their faces.
Xiao Jiang's mother looked at Makoto and sincerely thanked him: "Sir, thank you so much. You helped us fulfill the regrets we couldn't fulfill."
Xiao Jiang's father nodded along: "Yes, now that we see Xiao Jiang's smile, we can leave with peace of mind."
"Thank you very much for bringing laughter and joy to Xiao Jiang on our behalf. Thank you."
Their bodies also gradually began to become transparent.
A faint glow lit up beneath their feet, scattering with the wind.
Xiao Jiang also sensed something; his laughter suddenly stopped.
"I don't know why, but I suddenly miss Daddy and Mommy a little."
"If only they could play hide-and-seek with Xiao Jiang, that would be great."
"Xiao Jiang will wait here forever, waiting for Daddy and Mommy to come back!"
Xiao Jiang paused, then looked up at Makoto: "Big brother, do you know when my Daddy and Mommy will come back?"
Makoto reached out and ruffled Xiao Jiang's head,
His face held a faint smile: "Xiao Jiang, when the peach blossoms bloom, your parents should return."
"Peach blossoms bloom… when is that?" Xiao Jiang tilted his head, confused.
"But, Xiao Jiang is willing to wait for the peach blossoms to bloom,"
"At that time, Daddy and Mommy will be by Xiao Jiang's side, hehe!"
Xiao Jiang giggled happily,
In the distance, his parents also exchanged glances, smiles on their faces.
Silly child,
Actually, we've been back for a while,
You just didn't realize it,
But, we will be by your side,
In a different way.
Xiao Jiang's gaze fell on the tree; he saw tender green shoots slowly growing on the branches, with a hint of pink appearing.
Xiao Jiang first froze for a moment, then quickly tugged on Makoto's clothes, excitedly saying, "Big brother, are those peach blossoms blooming?"
"Are Xiao Jiang's Daddy and Mommy coming back right away?"
Makoto looked up in the direction Xiao Jiang was pointing,
He found that after a full day of rain, the tree branches had absorbed enough water and had actually bloomed.
Makoto gazed at the striking peach-pink color and softly murmured, "Yes, Xiao Jiang's parents should be back very soon."
The next moment,
Joyful voices of a man and a woman came from not far away,
"Xiao Jiang, your Daddy and Mommy are back!"
"Little One, did you miss us?"
"This time, we're not leaving."
Hearing the familiar voices, Xiao Jiang immediately looked up,
He disregarded everything and rushed towards his parents.
"Daddy, Mommy, Xiao Jiang missed you so much."
"You, you're finally back!"
"This time, can you not leave, or can you take Xiao Jiang with you?"
Xiao Jiang's mother held Xiao Jiang tightly in her arms,
She was already sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face,
Reuniting with the son she had longed for day and night made her cry tears of joy.
"We're not leaving, we're not leaving. We'll stay by Xiao Jiang's side."
Xiao Jiang's father also stood by, hugging his wife and son tightly.
Previously, he had been busy with work and had neglected the feelings of his wife and Xiao Jiang.
In this new life, he would absolutely not make the same mistake again.
Watching this family of three reunite, Makoto smiled, then quietly retreated.
When the matter is done, he brushes his clothes and hides his identity and fame.
Makoto used his Gnosis to give the two fading souls a second life.
It wasn't that Makoto deliberately created the puppets only when the souls were dissipating;
it was just that he couldn't fully control the power of the Gnosis yet,
and being able to create them before the souls dissipated was already quite good.
...
In their joy, Xiao Jiang's parents looked up, trying to find Makoto's figure.
Although the two didn't know exactly what had happened,
they both truly felt that they had been reborn,
and all of this was greatly connected to Makoto.
They wanted to thank Makoto properly,
But when they looked up, they found no trace of Makoto.
"Do you think the person we met earlier was Lord Rex Lapis?"
"I think it's very possible, after all, who else but Lord Rex Lapis could have such abilities?"
"Thank you, Lord Rex Lapis, for allowing us to live again. From now on, I am willing to follow Lord Rex Lapis forever!"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"