A/N: After reading some of the comments following the end of Volume 2— and oh boy, I get the feeling this next part will either make readers drop the story or become even more invested.
Honestly, I've thought about taking the easy route, but here's the deal: I am at my peak of writing that I might have ever been. Just trust me, bro.
***
A few months after Kyorin had quelled Changli's sorrow, after taking on the role of Xia, a few changes had occurred in the Dan household.
First, Kyorin took on the role of his mother as he prepared the food, swept the house, and trained under Xuanmiao's guidance.
At first, Xuanmiao was hesitant as Kyorin suddenly took on a lot of responsibilities, but he could not deny the results.
Despite the challenges, Kyorin never failed to finish his training and grew exponentially.
Though he recommended Kyorin to take it slow, no anomalies could be found in his foundation, hence, he could not stop him.
Rather than him, Changli was the one who was worried as her younger martial brother was catching up too quickly.
At first, she believed she was not in the right condition to fight, but she quickly realized how foolish that was. She had forgotten Kyorin was that self-proclaimed greater genius who had defeated a genius like her.
Though she eventually got her grip back, defeating him consecutively, her short-lived victory crumbled when Xuanmiao revealed, much to his surprise, that: "Kyorin's Resonance control is about the same as a level 90 Resonator, possibly even higher."
That completely broke whatever was left of Changli's pride as their teacher, a level 90 Resonator, admitted that Kyorin's Resonance control was better than his.
Jelous, Changli had begun to distance herself. At first, it was out of spite, then came defiance when she should have let go.
Eventually, this gap widened between the two, and soon enough, it reached the threshold of reducing the two to just acquaintances.
However, before it could get any worse, Changli stood up, albeit shamelessly. She approached Kyorin and asked, "Let's duel."
Kyorin rose from his meditation and brandished DEVA, the scythe's blade gleaming in the soft light of dawn.
Changli did not stand politely, she too unseated the Blazing Brilliance before the clink-clang reverberated in the neighbourhood.
After a series of exchanges, Changli emerged victorious once again. She had Kyorin on the floor, her blade pointed towards him.
Subconsciously, her blade drove forward, digging into Kyorin's flesh—his non-dominant hand, the left one, to be exact.
'If he did not exist.' A strange thought bubbled up.
"I yield."
Immediately, Kyorin spoke, causing Changli to blink and retract her sword. Her body trembled.
'What was I doing?' she screamed inwardly.
Was this the depth of her jealousy? A jealousy so deep that she would hurt her junior martial brother, subconsciously entertaining the thought of killing him.
*Twank
She let go of her word, it jamming into the ground hard before, without a word, she ran away.
Witnessing this, DEVA spat, "How uncivilized." Her voice was full of scorn, berating Changli's demeanor.
Kyorin, however, was silent. Something was not right. He was not a stranger to betrayals, nor was he someone who had not suffered only a few such betrayals.
He had been betrayed many times, but this one... it felt forced. Yes, forced.
He picked up her sword, storing it on his terminal before he recalled one of Xin Yao's sentences: "You call him a demon because he doesn't wear your robes."
"Robes..." He muttered before he called out, "DEVA."
"Yes." She responded before Kyorin asked, "You knew of my birth, correct?"
"Yes, in fact, I was the one who made it happen." She proclaimed, but proud as she her tone was, Kyorin's next reply made her pause, "You have done something very wrong, DEVA."
"Huh?" she murmured, confused, just before Kyorin released her. She shifted into her orb form as he met her gaze, eyes to lens, then shook his head in quiet disappointment.
"The infested branch won't last long."
***
In the quiet room, Changli sat scrunched up on the floor, her head pressed against her knees as she cried, guilt-ridden over her earlier tantrum.
How could she hurt someone she saw as a little brother? Worse—she had harmed the son of the woman she considered her mother.
"Son."
"Considered mother."
The words echoed in her mind, and once again, jealousy began to stir. That's right—she was jealous of Kyorin.
The blood son of the woman she called "mother."
"—!!?"
She froze, then shook her head sharply. 'No. Bad thought. Bad thinking.'
She was in denial when the door to her room creaked open, prompting her to look up, which caused her eyes to redden in confusion and subtle anger.
Confusion over who it was—and anger because of who it turned out to be.
Kyorin approached his elder martial sister before he apologized, "I am sorry."
"???"
Changli was taken aback, her eyes narrowed, "For what?"
"It seems that my presence has caused some harm to you." He spoke as he got to his knees and bowed to her.
If someone were to know the Great Demon had bowed to someone, then the world would have gone mad from the news. Everyone would be in awe, well expect for one monk.
'No, this should not be.'
Another strange thought surfaced. Her eyes became dull, losing their spark as her rationale was put on hold by an unseen force. 'It should be me who must apologize.'
It should have been her, no, it must have been her. But instead, it was Kyorin who apologized. And that made her angry.
Why should he apologize for her mistake? Did he think so little of her—so small—that he believed she wasn't even capable of saying sorry herself?
"Elder sister," Kyorin said, looking into her hazy eyes. "We are disciples of the same teacher."
Changli blinked again, slowly returning to her sober state.
'What is wrong with me today?' she wondered, watching as Kyorin sat down on his knees before her.
"As students of the same mentor," he continued, "I believe we must see our victories as our teacher's honor—and our failures as our own."
Changli's heart stirred. 'Humph,' she humphed jealously. 'Why do such mature thoughts come only to him?'
Then Kyorin added, "Even so, we share the bond of siblings, because we have the same mother."
His words made Changli pause. 'Is he saying… he's sharing his mother with me?' she inwardly scowled.
But that was a foolish thought. Kyorin knew better than anyone: the woman they both called "mother" was not someone to be divided—she simply was their mother, to them both.
Kyorin looked at her and said softly, "Now, we are orphans. We only have each other."
Changli flushed slightly, cheeks warming. 'What is he babbling about?'
Then he said to her, "After her… You are my mother. My sister."
Changli gazed at him, eyes wide. "You are my first sister, my first friend… and most importantly..." He lowered his head once more. "...my second mother."
"In the triumph of the Brilliant Phoenix, endeared by The Wishing Lady. There is the triumph of Wishborne's beloved." He declared as Changli felt the grip of jealousy loosen, but then again, she asked him.
"The sister and mother parts I can understand," Changli said, challenging him now, her gaze sharp. "But tell me—am I truly your first friend? And what makes this friendship so special?"
Kyorin didn't miss the opportunity. He smiled softly. "Wait a bit."
He left the room, and after a short while, returned—dressed in rags, just as Changli had been when they first met. In his hands, he carried his clothes, which he offered to her.
Then, he drew the Blazing Brilliance from its sheath and took it for himself, while passing DEVA into her hands.
"Now," he said, "we have exchanged identities and become each other." He knelt slightly, voice calm but reverent.
"As my first friend, I will honor you by ensuring there is no difference between us." He vowed. "Your triumphs will be mine—and mine, yours. That is what makes this friendship special."
Changli's mood lightened slightly, her eyes softening.
'Perhaps I've been too hard on him,' she thought, rising to her feet.
Without a word, she reached for his left hand—the one she had wounded—and gently pulled it toward her.
Then, drawing out a long red ribbon, she wrapped it around the wound she had inflicted.
As she tied the knot, her fingers lingering a moment longer than necessary, she spoke—her voice quieter than before, but firm: "I'm still not convinced."
Kyorin gave her a strange look—subtle, but telling. She didn't notice. He, however, picked up on the nuance that none could.
Inside his head, DEVA's voice echoed sharply. "She still isn't apologizing." She scowled.
Kyorin shut her out with a sigh. "She did, just not by words, and it's all thanks to you."
"How is this my fault?!" DEVA asked, confused.
"The world has spoken for her," Kyorin replied. "I can only follow the waves of this wuthering world now."
"What are you even saying?" she pressed.
"Perhaps you'd understand," he answered silently, "if you still adhered to the world, instead of being bound so tightly to me."
He then turned to Changli, offering her a small smile—perhaps his last for the moment—as he began to move. Sword in hand, he mimicked her style.
At first, Changli was impressed. Then she frowned. Then… jealous.
Kyorin had effortlessly mirrored her movements—even refined them—and stirred something in her. 'He's doing it better than me.' Her grip tightened around DEVA.
She stayed quiet, but one truth had become painfully clear: She was extremely jealous of him.
When Kyorin finished, he turned to her. "Now your turn," he said, smiling as he pointed at the scythe.
Changli copied his movements with the heavy weapon, but it was clear—its weight and imbalance made it difficult to control. Kyorin had managed just fine, but she was struggling.
The jealousy grew stronger.
Before the tension could boil over, Xuanmiao entered the room. He paused when he saw his student in mismatched clothes and weapons in hand.
He chuckled. "Are you two roleplaying each other?"
Both Kyorin and Changli glanced at each other, then sheepishly exchanged weapons.
As the two exchanged weapons, Xuanmiao's expression grew solemn. Both Kyorin and Changli looked at him attentively.
"I'll be gone for a week or so," he said.
Both of them were taken aback.
"Why so suddenly?" Changli asked.
"An old friend called—urgently," Xuanmiao replied, then added, "Make sure to keep up with your training."
"Understood," they answered in unison.
With a gust of wind, Xuanmiao disappeared, his thoughts heavy as he glanced at the name blinking in his terminal.
Sender: Rover.
***
"The world is rejecting you?!" DEVA's mechanical voice buzzed in Kyorin's mind as he walked the quiet streets of Hongzhen.
"Indeed," Kyorin replied calmly.
DEVA's tone sharpened. "All of this… just because I created an unintended timeline—where Xia's son, you, survived? Your very presence is now throwing the world into imbalance?"
"That's true." Kyorin nodded.
DEVA scoffed. "I don't buy it. Sure, you were strong in your previous life—but that's exactly it: previous."
"You're just a level 18 Resonator now." She pointed. "Talented, sure—but hardly a threat."
"Dozens could overpower you in a fair fight." She remarked. "How can you possibly be the root of imbalance?"
"DEVA!" Kyorin called sharply. His tone was firm—almost cold. "Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Don't let your ignorance blind you."
He paused, voice quieting into something almost sorrowful. "Besides… you've yet to see me at my full spectrum."
DEVA's tone turned defiant. "What full spectrum? You never ascended to godhood. You gave it up—for Taohood!"
"And what did that give you? Your journey's end?!" She spat the words with scorn.
But suddenly, the word "end" echoed within her mechanical core. She paused. "Wait… end?" she whispered, lens dimming slightly.
She looked at Kyorin. Something was beginning to shift in her logic. "Your journey… had reached its end."
Kyorin met her gaze with an expression that made him seem alien, detached from the world she thought he belonged to.
"That's right," he said quietly.
"My journey has reached its end. I have burned through mysticism itself—there's nothing left for me on that path." He admitted.
He placed a hand firmly on his chest and declared with fierce conviction: "I am the most unqualified being to wield Resonance… and yet, here I am, standing before the world."
Then, lowering his hand, his tone sharpened. "Now then—tell me, DEVA. Am I not… an anomaly?"
"You..." DEVA paused. 'Was he bluffing?' she wondered. But it didn't feel like one.
'No… no… he is weak,' she argued internally. 'How could someone like him cause such an imbalance?'
But Kyorin, understanding her thoughts as if they were his own, spoke calmly. "DEVA, even if you haven't seen it yet, let me tell you this." He gazed at the clear sky above.
"The influence of my full spectrum is so profound, so deeply rooted in the world's unseen fabric, that those you believe to be powerhouses are nothing compared to me." He arronagntly proclaimed.
Turning his gaze back to the road ahead, he continued his march. "In the end, everyone—whether of the known or the unknown—relies on me."
DEVA was taken aback by his proclamation. A part of her wanted to believe him. And yet… something within her still doubted.
"Then," she asked cautiously, "can you show it to me?"
Kyorin met her gaze, calm and resolute. "If that is what you truly wish…" he said softly. "Then in due time, I shall show you."
***
Dusk soon draped itself over Hongzhen as darkness crept in.
People hurried home under the dimming sky, and among these scattered silhouettes was Kyorin, quietly making his way to the house he called home.
When he arrived, he found the door locked.
He knocked once. Knock.
No response.
He knocked again. This time, faint, deliberate footsteps echoed behind the door. Changli stood there, just beyond it, her back leaning against the wood.
She said nothing. She made no move to open it. Kyorin understood. She was still angry, creating a conflict out of stubborn pride.
He let out a subtle smile, not at her, but at what he considered another test from the world.
Without complaint, he looked down at his boots, removed them, and changed into the rags he had worn earlier. He folded his clean clothes neatly and left them by the door.
"What are you doing?" DEVA asked.
"Looking for another shelter," Kyorin replied calmly. "It seems the owner isn't willing to let me in tonight."
"Owner?!" DEVA snapped. "Aren't you the owner?! Your mother bought this house!"
"And?" Kyorin asked, genuinely confused.
"Shouldn't the child inherit it?" DEVA asked.
Kyorin nodded. "So it is written."
"Then how is it hers?" DEVA demanded.
"It's simple, DEVA," he answered. "She is my elder sister—the eldest child of this house. The right is hers before mine."
"What kind of nonsense is that?!" DEVA scoffed. "Even if she's older, don't you have a right to half?"
Kyorin's voice shifted, the faintest anger edging in. "Do you want the house to be divided? Walls raised? The decorum our mother preserved broken over pride?"
DEVA fell silent.
Kyorin continued, his voice solemn now. "Our mother did everything she could to maintain the sanctity of this home. As her son, I cannot be the one to unravel that legacy."
"To fight over this house with my sister—" his tone trembled, "and let the decorum my mother built crumble because of us—I won't let that sin befall on either of us."
Then he turned from the door and stepped down from the balcony. Crossing the yard, he passed through the gate and exited the fence. There, outside the home he'd been barred from, he knelt in the dirt.
He kowtowed deeply, placing his forehead to the earth.
"Let your blessings be with me, Second Mother," he whispered as he walked to the dim lights of the still awake city.
To be continued...
***
A/N: I did mention that this volume might as well be nightmare fuel, and yes, there will be plenty of moments that raise questions, but I promise it will all make sense in the end. Also, I will not be rewriting or making heavy revisions to the chapters of this volume.