The world was pure white, filled with the sweet aroma of the nectar of Lilies. Gentle winds, one that went with the soft spring highlands, gushed through the dreamy world. A young man lay completely still among the garden of flowers as his chest rose and fell with each pa.s.sing moment. A warm mist, one that shouldn't exist during the winter cold, tickled the supple cheeks of the man, triggering a soft response. His eyelids flickered five times, all while his body began to awake. The scent of the garden was far too sweet for one to be asleep, not to mention…

Ten children ran across the fields. Some had blue hair, others purple… A few of them were black as well… They were all familiar faces, particularly for the man who had just woken up from his slumber. He sat up, watching as the young children ran towards him all with radiant smiles. They recognised the man as one of their own… A part of their family...

"Junius, wake up you sleepyhead!" A purple-haired girl, who seemed to be the oldest of the bunch, knocked on the man's forehead. "If you sleep that much, you'll become another s.h.i.+n! Do you really want that?!"

"Sister Lily… You shouldn't bully s.h.i.+n that much..." A bowl-haired boy timidly stood up to the domineering girl. He seemed as frail as a leaf, ready to break at a moment's notice. However, he still managed to stand up for his elder brother, who was hanging way back in the crowd.

"Max, you shouldn't pamper s.h.i.+n!" A purple-haired ponytail girl countered. By her side, there was an identical-looking girl, this time in a bob cut. She giggled gently as if used to the banter that her sister usually had.

In the end, she opened her mouth as well, "Come on, guys… We were trying to wake Brother Junius up from his sleep! How does the conversation always lead to s.h.i.+n?" Emma retorted, bringing all the attention onto her.

"Because he's always making us worry!" Lily scoffed as she folded her arms. "Hah… If only he were just a little more diligent! I'm sure that he'll become a powerful cultivator in the future. Right now, I can only see him as a leech that would eat off Ariel when he's older!"

"Leech is a little..." Lia, the second oldest girl among the orphans, cringed at the term. She quickly intertwined her hands around Lily's arm to appease the angered girl. A water Hyacinth bloomed from her palms and joined the bed of flowers that surrounded the orphans. "Relax a little, Sister Lily! We're finally free from the Frie Clan! We can go do whatever we want! s.h.i.+n doesn't have to grow up to be a cultivator!"

'Free? The Frie Clan?' Junius' eyes became slightly brighter after hearing those terms. He was still trying to comprehend his current situation and what had led him into this false world.

Three more figures popped up into Junius' vision. One was a young black-haired who seemed sly and detached. He looked up at the azure sky, absent-minded and not caring about the reactions of the group. The other boy was far younger than anyone present. He was barely even ten, and his nose was filled with an innocence that could only be found in a toddler. The final figure was a girl, or rather, a girl who liked to dress as a boy. She wore martial clothes befitting that of a warrior than a maiden, showing her disdain for social norms.

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'Ryner, Jacob, Fionn?' Junius mentally called out their names. They were the spitting image of how he'd remembered them, back when he first left the Frie Clan to find clues about the Awter Clan. They were reserved and hardly liked to open their mouths, but they always stood by the other orphans' side.

And then… Junius looked over the densely packed group…

Two figures, both standing far away, held hands as they enjoyed the beautiful morning view in the garden of flowers. One was a young girl, who seemed genuinely attached to the boy she was holding onto. Her face was in complete bliss, and her fingers were deeply connected with the boy's. Just like the girl, the boy was smiling with absolute joy. His eyes were slanted slightly as they gazed lovingly at the young girl. Though they clearly didn't look alike, there was no doubt in any onlooker's minds that they shared a tender sibling relations.h.i.+p.

The boy hadn't noticed that Junius was awake and staring right at him, so he went on with his own activities. He looked down at the a.s.sortment of flowers and used his fingers to guide the girl, slowly introducing her to each one. It was a warm sight to behold.

"s.h.i.+n..." Junius' voice crackled out. It was weak and tender, completely unlike his normal dominant tone. In front of the Black Masks, Junius could never show such weakness… he just couldn't… However, in the memory of his loved ones, the scene of what could have been… Junius' bottled-up emotions were now overflowing. The man's eyes turned misty, drawing gasps from the spectators that came to wake him up.

"Junius? What's wrong?!" Lily was the first to drop to the floor. She tapped down Junius, looking for any visible wounds or injuries. "Did you hurt yourself? What happened to you?"

"Lily..." Junius' voice was far too weak to retort. Instead, he grabbed the girl by the waist and pulled with all of his might. Lily was no match for the warrior's colossal might. All she could do was let out a silent yelp, perhaps with a tinge of pleasure, as she was enveloped by the Junius' scent. Their faces were dead-close, with their eyelids almost touching.

'Warm...' Junius thought. Everything about the experience. Lily's scent, her touch, the squirms as her body heat rose… Everything seemed so lucid… It seemed… so real…

"H-Hey! W-W-What are you doing?!" With a face reddened like a tomato, Lily shrieked. The other orphans were likewise taken aback by Junius sudden movement; however, they quickly realised something and smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt. It was completely like how a couple would be teased by their mutual friends.

"Just… Enjoying you..." Junius chuckled. In this world, he looked like he was fourteen, but in actuality, he was nearing his thirties. Junius didn't feel any l.u.s.t for the underdeveloped body of his former lover, and instead, his heart was filled with an untouchable, longing love. It took a while, but something woke Junius up from his indulgence.

"Hehe, looks like Brother Junius is finally becoming proactive!" A youthful voice called out to the hugging pair. Junius opened his eyes, only to find Elyse standing right above them. Elyse was just playing with the black-haired boy a few moments ago on the flowery plains. Her presence here could only mean one thing…

"s.h.i.+n..." Junius pivoted his head and saw the face he once swore to protect, walking over with a smile.

"What is it?" s.h.i.+n asked back, utterly clueless about how he'd been chasing Junius down for the past decade. s.h.i.+n wasn't broody or moody at all, and his eyes held the same innocence that he once had. No… He shared the innocence that all children should have… He hadn't seen his loved one burn… He hadn't been forced to kill someone… He didn't confront the daughter of the man he murdered… Everything was just… Right...

"No, it's nothing..." Junius shook his head, releasing his grasp on the young maiden. Like a frightened squirrel, Lily quickly scurried away, her face vermillion in shade. It took her a while to adjust to the change in Junius' character, but eventually, she sat right in front of him, ready to answer any questions he may ask. "I'm just a little confused… Why are we here?"

"Hehe, have you forgotten?" Lily bowed down with a beaming smirk. "We've finally escaped the Frie Clan! We're on the road to find a new home! Though, it looks like we have a winner..." Lily looked at the faces of the orphans, all of whom were nodding rapidly. "So… We'll probably have to settle down here!"

"That's right, Brother Junius! Let's live here forever!" Ella cheered.

"Mmmm, I saw some wildlife in the area… It should be a good place to hunt..." Ryner added, in his own dark way. Bit by bit, all of the orphans' hands were raised. They wanted to start a new life, and these floral fields were the best place to do it.

"Hehe, then it's decided!" s.h.i.+n clapped his hands, ending all discussions. "We'll be finally settling down!"

"Oryahhhhh!!!" All of the children threw their hands in the air, happily reaching out for the stars.

"However… There's still one thing missing..." s.h.i.+n's cheerful voice quickly turned cold. The warmth in his eyes had declined sharply, and his hands hung by his waist. Suddenly, the clear blue skies darkened, as torrents of grey cloud covered the firmament. The gentle morning mist was replaced by a howling gale and the temperature rapidly dropped.

The tenderness in the orphans dissipated, leaving the world with nothing but cold and darkness. Junius instantly froze. What had happened? Was the world… was the perfect world he imagined going to be destroyed?

s.h.i.+n's small mouth opened, this time with a detachment within his tone. "You… killed Ariel, Junius… You killed her..." s.h.i.+n's azure eyes turned obsidian, and his voice was distorted. There wasn't love in his expression anymore… Instead, there was hate and anger… Hate that Junius had murdered the girl that he loved, and an anger at his own incompetence to bring Junius down.

"You also… killed me..." Lily was the next to turn. Her clean and puffy bosom had turned crimson, and numerous holes broke her body. Beads of lifeblood flowed out from the wounds, tainting the beautiful white Lilyflowers that lay underneath her.

"You tore us apart, Brother Junius..." Elyse cried, forcing black tears to fall out from her eyes.

"You took everything from us!!!" Ella screamed, her face contorted entirely. "You took everything from me!!!"

One by one, the orphans turned on Junius. The eyes that were filled with love had been stuffed with hate. They wanted nothing to do with the Kshatriya… They wanted nothing to do with their former brother…

"Guys..." Junius collapsed onto his b.u.m. His entire body was shaking like a leaf in the autumn's breeze. The skies were split open, and thunder boom out as lightning struck. The orphans were slowly disintegrating in a pile of black grime, and they weren't the only ones… All of the flowers, the trees… Everything beautiful in the white world was now fading into oblivion.

And then… Finally…

Junius' world… The world that he had dreamt of from the day he joined the Black Masks…

Faded into darkness...

✵✵✵

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