Zixin woke up and dressed himself properly. After that, he went on a walk. He was calm like usual, his face cold like the winter frost.
He was observing the garden, the flowers, trees, and bushes were all taken care of by the gardener of the Palace. Zixin crouched down and observed the flower.
The flower was a small yet delicate one. Its pink petals dropped down, which, for some odd reason, reminded Zixin of a beauty's soft and delicate hands.
He observed the flower for a little bit more before standing back up. His body stood straight like a great statue looking down upon the land.
When he finally was sure that he was calm, he decided to head to the announcement area, which they planned yesterday.
Crack!
Out of nowhere, Zixin heard a cracking sound before he fell to the ground.
…
A woman stood in front of a certain man. She had long brown hair, making her look like a delicate beauty. Her bright blue eyes were dimming and this made her falling tears look like rain. She bit her soft pink lips in anger.
But the man before her simply stood there expressionless. He almost looks like a stone statue, only able to wear the expression carved for him to wear. He appeared cold; his gaze on her was deep. If gaze alone held power, his gaze would have pierced her soul.
She screamed at him, she appeared frightened and confused, "Why?! Why?! I… I don't know what to do now! Zi… xin…"
The moment she spoke Zixin's name, the tears fell even harder onto the uncaring wooden floor. She screamed in agony, her pain reaching Zixin's heart in a heartbeat.
She spoke once more, her body fell on the ground. She looks like a young girl who cried because her toy is broken, but her emotions are far beyond something so superficial, "My husband… have,"
She was having trouble speaking; she bit her lip and finished her sentence, "You have been lying to me this whole time?"
Zixin replied. He appeared unbothered by this, but he was truly hurt, "Yes. There is no more reason for us to keep this relationship going anymore."
She was shocked, and she instinctively shouted; her mind hadn't even fully processed his words, but she still shouted, "We have a son!"
…
Back to the garden.
Zixin coughed up a mouthful of blood. He has lost a week of his already dwindling lifespan. It took him a couple of minutes before finally being able to think.
Zixin breathed in deeply, his mind going blank as he did. He is doing this to fully focus his mind.
After focusing, he tried making deductions out of that, This… isn't my memory, but it fits too well. Well, the woman did say Zixin, and I saw it from a first-person point of view. So, am I that man? No, the current me is here, so who is that? Based on a few things, it might be the future Zixin. So, why did I get this memory then? He sent it back in time to this current me? Why? No, it might be Xiu Ying's doing too. Wait, Xiu Ying? Where was she in that memory? She usually helps out when people get emotional around the Palace, especially those whom she cares enough about. So, is it not in the Palace? The clothes the woman was wearing were similar to the clothes I saw in the clothing store. So, I married a human woman huh? Wait… Married? Ugh. The fact that I have to process this all is annoying.
Zixin continued, Matters aside, who is she? I am almost sure that I have never met her before. And I said that I lied. How strange. I'll set this aside for now. Why was this memory sent now? For a warning? Does future Zixin want to make me prepare for something? Shouldn't he know of my nature? Why is he? Sigh. Don't forget that it might be sent here by Xiu Ying or someone else. Sigh. Hmm? Wait… don't tell me he wants me to correct his mistakes? Is he still fine? I won't. Though, based on it all, he is truly having a hard time suppressing his emotions. Hmm? Emotions, I wonder if that wasn't part of the backlash.
Zixin stood up and tried to calm himself down but…
Suddenly, a rush of emotions hit him. He fell to the ground once more. He coughed up another mouthful of blood which made him lose another week of his lifespan.
The emotions hit him after he spoke of it. It's a bit too coincidental but he simply couldn't care less. Why?
He felt an immense amount of pain, but it wasn't because of the blood, no, that is something he could easily endure, but not this pain. His heart hurts, almost as though it is about to explode on its own accord. The intense emotions his Future self has felt was also sent back to him.
He lightly commented, This... Future Zixin has truly fallen in love... Why did he? No, why did I commit an act to harm her heart?
Then, he remembered a detail that he completely forgot. His son, no, their son.
With this, his heart felt increasing pain. The amount of pain is ridiculous; it was tenfold what it was before. He bit his lips as his blood slowly dripped down.
He huffed, his mind going blank from the pain. He is slowly losing his consciousness, but he still hangs on.
This intense emotion... This pain... Why have I... Damn it. Control it. Suppress it. I need to keep a calm mind.
For once, Zixin can be seen struggling to suppress his emotions. He normally does it for a very important reason. A restriction set upon this child, when his eyes woke up in this grimm and dark hell.
After what felt like an eternity, Zixin was finally free from the intense pain. He fell to the ground, no, he laid himself on the grass, looking like a child playing in a snow field in a cold, warm winter with his friends.
He sighed deeply, he let his mind wander for a while before standing up and fixing his clothes. After which, he started heading to the main event. The announcement.