Chapter 13: Embers of Memory

Li Luyan closed her eyes, feeling a stifling tightness in her chest. She found herself growing more irritated the more she thought about it.

"Thank you." Chen Chen walked up to her, his voice low and tinged with guilt. "I'm sorry, my attitude earlier..."

Li Luyan slowly opened her eyes to see this guy standing right in front of her, blocking out the light. In truth, she hadn't taken it to heart at all.

Seeing she remained silent for a long time, Chen Chen tightened his fists and said somewhat awkwardly, "I know I was too stubborn before. Can you forgive me?"

Dissatisfied murmurs rose from the surrounding students.

"What is wrong with her?"
"Exactly. How rude. Senior Chen apologized, and she just ignores him."
"So what if she has powers? Her character is appalling."

Li Luyan rolled her eyes internally. She really wanted to say that it wasn't about being stuck-up; it was just that her ability was severely overdrawn. To shut these detractors up, she gave a stiff nod.

Seeing her nod, Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief and held out a crystal core covered in black slime. Just as Li Luyan reached out to take it, he pulled it back.

*Seriously, man? Are you going to give it to me or not?* Li Luyan awkwardly left her hand suspended in mid-air.

Fortunately, Yu Yue spoke up: "Hey, buddy, are you going to give that black, slimy thing to Sister Yan or what? Her hand is already out."

Li Luyan looked at Yu Yue with gratitude. This girl’s brain was finally back online—a joyous occasion indeed.

Now it was Chen Chen’s turn to feel awkward. Standing nearly six-foot-three, he blushed as brightly as a young girl. He fidgeted, wiping the crystal core against his clothes. Once the slime was cleared away, the pitch-black bead actually looked quite beautiful. It was an inky black, translucent, with a fine red thread at its center, resembling a mayfly drifting through a dark, starry sky.

"Sorry, sorry. I just thought it was too gross and didn't want to ruin your appetite." He shoved the core into Li Luyan’s hand.

Li Luyan looked at the core in her hand; it was certainly more palatable now, even if it still carried a faint, fishy scent. Watching her stare at it, Chen Chen added, "The way to use this is to eat it directly."

Yu Yue gasped. Such a hardcore method? She had assumed it would be like the apocalyptic novels she read, where one simply held it to absorb the energy. She looked at Li Luyan with pity; the thought of Sister Yan having to eat something so disgusting... well, words couldn't express her sorrow.

*Why is she looking at me so strangely?* Li Luyan felt a chill from the gaze.

Yu Yue grabbed Li Luyan’s hand, acting as if they were in a tragic scene of eternal separation, and looked at her mournfully. "Sister Yan! Don't worry... I—" She was on the verge of tears.

*Wait,* thought Li Luyan, *does she think we're in a soap opera?* She covered Yu Yue’s mouth to stop her from continuing.

Though it was pulled from a monster's stomach, it was only a little gross. It was nothing; she had eaten worse in the hardest of times, even fighting dogs for scraps. Under Yu Yue’s shocked gaze, she swallowed the crystal core without a flicker of emotion.

*She just swallowed it, just like that?!*

In an instant, she felt a thousand stars explode before her eyes. A thick fog in her mind was peeled away by an unseen, massive hand, which began to churn within her consciousness.

*My head hurts... it hurts so much.*

Fragments of memories she never wanted to revisit flashed through her mind:
"You jinx!"
"How can you compare to Xiaotong?"
"You made Xiaotong break her leg!"
"Why don't you just die?"
"It was you who killed Xiaojun! It was you!"

Sharp, shrill curses echoed in her skull. She covered her ears, but it was useless; the voices screamed incessantly inside her head. *That’s not true, it’s not true—these are all lies. It’s not true, I didn’t kill Xiaojun.*

She wanted to scream, to struggle, but she felt restrained by a mysterious force. All around her was a pure, absolute darkness—a darkness she could not see, and she was a trapped beast waiting helplessly for the shadows to consume her.

"Sister." The white figure in the darkness was the only light, the only thing she could see. It was like a lifeline. He took a step forward, and Li Luyan could see more. He dispelled the blackness, and as the light shifted, the space around him transformed into a golden wheat field.

"Xiaojun..." she murmured, recognizing the face.

The boy called Xiaojun reached out and gently wiped Li Luyan’s face. "Sister, don't cry. You don't look pretty when you cry."

"...Xiaojun," she said, her voice raspy. "Why..."

Crystal tears slid down her cheeks. She didn't wipe them away, nor did she catch them. *Why? Why? Why wasn't it me who died? Why wasn't it me?*

She felt a desire for destruction. A desire to... kill.

"Hold her down!" Chen Chen roared. He lunged to grab Li Luyan, but was repelled by a mental barrier.

"Brother Chen! This woman has gone insane!"
"Run!"
"Damn, is this a mutation?"
"It’s a side effect of overdrawing her powers! A mental breakdown!"

A fierce red light flared in Li Luyan’s eyes. She looked like a wild beast. Even without a breeze, her hair began to float. She raised a hand, and Yu Yue was lifted into the air, as if clutched by a giant hand.

No, it was a grip around her throat.

Yu Yue’s face turned blue and purple. A protective shield surrounded Li Luyan, and no one could get close to her. No one could save Yu Yue.

"Si... Sister Yan, it’s me... it’s Yu Yue." Yu Yue felt her vision darkening; her bangs were plastered to her forehead, and her glasses slid down to the tip of her nose.

In the wheat field, the boy gently stroked Li Luyan’s forehead. "Sister, if it were you, I would be willing..."

Li Luyan tried to hug the boy, the younger brother she loved most, but found her arms passing straight through his body. "Li Lujun! What is this? Why do you appear but not exist?" She wiped her eyes frantically, desperate to hold him, but each time, she passed through him.

The little boy smiled and shook his head. "Sister... I’m going now. You must live well."

As he spoke, she felt a force push her, like a child pushing a toy cart. Her body flew backward rapidly.

"No... no, Xiaojun, don't!" She waved her hands wildly, desperate to catch something.

Memory fragments flickered before her like stars. The voices rose again—not the vicious curses, but the most beautiful, hidden memories:
"Xiaoyan, how about Mom gives you a little brother?"
"Our Xiaoyan is so wonderful."
"They're twins! Xiaoyan is such a lucky star. As soon as you arrived, we had twins."
"This is Xiaotong, this is Xiaojun. Xiaoyan, you must take good care of your younger brother and sister."

Reality and memory intertwined. A voice broke into her mind—not her parents', not Xiaojun’s, but Yu Niannian’s: "Li Luyan! Look closely at what you are holding in your hand!"

The scene before her shifted once more. The crowd breathed a sigh of relief as the red light in her eyes faded. When she saw the situation clearly, she panicked and loosened her grip.

Yu Yue fell straight to the ground, gasping for air, not even caring if the fall hurt.

Just a moment ago, she had almost died.