Ch. 5 - Tears of Happiness

"May I ask what kind of Magical Beast you caught?"

"Sure! I caught a Fire Serpent of the 7th rank. It should be able to last for around a week or so."

"WHAT?! You caught a Fire Serpent of the 7th rank?! If I were to encounter one, I would not even be able to run! I would probably be dead within a matter of seconds! And what is this about it only lasting for about a week? A Fire Serpent of the seventh rank should be around 8 ft tall and 34 ft long! For it to only last that long, how much do you think that I eat?!"

"I do not know how much you eat, but I have been told that I eat abnormally much. If you eat at least half as much as I usually do, then it should last for about a week."

"Okay, then where is it?"

"One second, I will get it out."

As he said that, the ring on his left hand, began to glow. Then an enormous Fire Serpent appeared on the empty space beside them. It was truly enormous!

"You actually have a storage ring? Those are extremely expensive. How did you get it?"

"Oh, it is just one of many things that I have collected over the past 2 years."

"Hmm… I know that you would rather not talk about it, but I feel like I have to ask anyways. Those mercenaries that killed your mother, how come they let you escape?"

"…"

Jin Long had not really expected an answer, so he was not really disappointed. He already had his guesses. He only wanted to confirm it. Xiao Huoyan on the other hand, actually wanted to answer. It was just that he did not really know how to explain it so that it would not sound so bad.

"You do not have to answer. I just wanted to ask."

"… I-I k-killed them…"

"I thought so… Then were you in the same state as you were yesterday when you did it?"

"Yes, I was. That was the first time."

"I know that it is very painful for you to talk about it, but would you mind telling me everything that happened back then? From what you did right before they arrived, when your mother came and when you went lost control of yourself and killed them. How you felt and what happened afterwards that day. I want to know as much as possible."

"Sure, but I was quite small back then. I was only 3, I think. I was out, playing in the yard, when those mercenaries came. I remember that we talked for a bit, but I can not remember what we talked about. However, after that they got mad for some reason I can not remember, and then they began to beat me."

"… Okay, go on."

"T-then my mother came and tried to talk to them. I remember seeing her standing in front of me, holding my hand. Then she started to apologize to those people. They were five people, or maybe six, I can not really remember. They were all men, and I remember seeing their eyes going up and down my mothers body. For some reason it made me really mad.

They looked like wolves staring at their prey, right before going to attack. My mother also noticed their gazes, but she simply chose to ignore them. After she finished apologizing, she and I turned around to leave.

Then one of them suddenly grabbed her wrist and started to pull her towards them, while saying that she should come with them. That they would treat her nicely as long as she behaved. She refused them and pulled away from his grip. He got so mad, he slapped her.

That resounding slap made my emotions go wild. I felt so helpless, seeing my mother get bullied right in front of my eyes. I wanted to help her, yet I could not do anything but watch.

That feeling… the feeling of sadness, helplessness, fear and despair…"

"Was it those feelings that triggered it for the first time?"

"Yes, it was…"

"What did you do after you lost control?"

"I am not quite sure… Everything that happened afterwards is a blur."

"Do you remember anything?"

"I do. I remember telling them that they had to pay for hurting my mother. I told them that it was too late to regret it. Then I attacked… They screamed a lot. They kept calling me cold blooded, a monster, a demon, a devil… Teacher, am I a monster?"

"How could you possibly be a monster? You saved me, a stranger, without any thoughts of gaining any kind of benefit. Would a monster be that kind hearted?"

"But I attacked you…"

"Well, that was mostly my fault. It was I who triggered it by trying to enter your memories."

"…"

"But, back to what happened back then. From what you said, your mother was still alive before you started attacking those mercenaries. So how did she die?"

"I can not remember… I only remember attacking them. Then I woke up and saw my mother and the mercenaries laying on the ground, dead."

"How did you react when you saw your mother laying there, dead?"

"I just felt a bunch of emotions surging inside of me. I felt as if something inside of me shattered. I felt… scared…"

"Scared of what?"

Jin Long could not really understand what could possibly scare Xiao Huoyan, after he became so powerful. Not even Jin Long himself, would be able to do anything to Xiao Huoyan.

"I-I was afraid of b-being a-alone… and I still am."

Hearing this, Jin Long felt as if his heart was about to break. Seeing Xiao Huoyan like this… Jin Long could almost feel the pain and sadness in this little boy's heart. Before he knew it, a single tear ran down his cheek.

"I am so sorry!"

When Xiao Huoyan saw his teacher wiping of a single tear of his face, he quickly apologised. Causing one's teacher to cry was not something good.

"What the hell are you apologizing for? You have to quit being so soft. Do not apologize to anyone just like that!"

"B-but you are, my teacher. You are not 'anyone'. At least not to me… Teacher for a day; Father for a life!"

And as he said that, Jin Long felt as if his heart melted. He started to cry again. This time, a lot more than a single tear.

"I can not believe that I actually cried in front of my dear disciple TWICE on the same day!"

Jin Long said while smiling. He looked a little embarrassed. Then he immediately changed the topic.

"Eh, well… so you do not know how your mother died?"

"No, I do not."

"But you said that it was those mercenaries…"

"Yes, but I never saw them do it. I just assumed that it was them, since nobody else was there."

Jin Long already had a guess regarding what had happened to Xiao Huoyan's mother, but he was not sure whether he should reveal it or not. After thinking for a while, he thought that it would be better if Xiao Huoyan did not know. He did not want to hide anything from his dear disciple. Especially not something this important. But he could not bear to break his heart. He instead decided to change the topic once again.

"You must have loved her a lot…"

"Of course, I did."

"Were you close?"

"Yes… we were."

"Did she ever mention that state of yours, or maybe how you were supposed to control it?"

"No, but my mother always told me that I was special. That I was naturally smarter than other of the same age and even adults, even though I was young. She said that I was born with power much greater than others could ever dream of acquiring in their entire lifetime, and that I had my father to thank for that."

"Hmm… Then did she ever mention something strange? Something that you could not understand, yet felt was very important? Something that she mentioned very often but were unwilling to explain."

"No… or… well…"

"What did she tell you?"

"She did not tell me anything… except that my father left something for me before he left."

"Did she tell you how to find it??"

"She said that in my sea of consciousness lays a secret, and by the time that it is unlocked, she will probably be long gone."

"Then what is it?"

"An imprint."

"Wait, you have already found it? When did you find it?"

"Uhm… well I had forgotten all about it until about a year ago when I found a letter."

"What did it say?"

"There were only one big word. 'REMEMBER'. After that I instantly remembered what my mother had told me before she died and so I explored my sea of consciousness and found it."

"Then what does it say?"

"It says, 'Light shall be your key to freedom! This light is something that only you can find! Don't let anyone else try, or they shall face the consequences. You have to remember this no matter what! I am sorry I had to leave so early. Do not come and look for me! You can not expose yourself to the world yet. Stay with your mother! When you see this, I will already be long gone. I am sorry. Love, Dad!"

"Did you not say that your father left you before you were born?"

"Yes, my mother always told me that he did."

"Hmm… How far back does your memories reach?"

"I can remember most of the things that happened since I was around two years old. On my second birthday, my mind went blank."

"Wow, you sure do have an extraordinary mind! But wait, your mind went blank?"

"Yes. My mother said that it was normal, since I was so young."

"Hmm… I think that your father left after you were born. He probably erased your memories before he left."

"…"

"Do you not believe me?"

"I do, but…"

"But?"

"It makes me sad that I can not remember anything about my father. To think that he erased my memories of him and made me live a lie…"

"I understand that it breaks your heart… I swear that I shall help you retrieve your memories one day! The heavens shall bear witness to my words!"

Swearing and having the heavens bear witness also meant that if one were to go back on one's word, one shall be punished by the heavens! This were no small matter! Hearing his teacher say all of this… it truly warmed Xiao Huoyan's heart. Streams of tears began to flowing down his cheeks.

"Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"

Hearing the slight worry in Jin Long's voice, Xiao Huoyan could not help but to reveal a beaming smile as he said:

"No… These are tears of happiness!"