Guiren stared at the crystal with unblinking eyes, his heart slowly overflowing with hatred. It was like he had been asleep this whole time, but now his eyes were clearing up. With all the memories of Daiyu appearing, the ones where she warned him, pleaded with him, things he brushed off and tried not to pay attention to, Guiren was angered... with himself.

He took in a deep breath, his fingers stiffened around the jagged jar handle. His hands bled from the deepening cuts yet he didn't seem to notice.

He was so foolish. How long did it take for him to finally wake up? Was he even asleep? No, he already knew.

All those accusations he unfairly tied with his senior sister... he wouldn't have tied it with Daiyu even if he just trusted another's word.

Rather, he must have wanted to believe them at some point in time. He wanted to believe in Yanmei's words because he saw himself in Yanmei.

The poor soul who was targeted by everyone.

She was helpless... just like him. She suffered just like him. She wouldn't have lied... because he wouldn't have.

Subconsciously, he already knew deep in his heart.

She wasn't a ghost of him.

Nonetheless, there was a childish longing in his head. Back then, when his parents were in the massacre with him as a sole survivor. If anyone, just anyone bothered to help, would he end up like he did that night?

In Yanmei, he found that chance.

He wanted to prove that he was right, that if he helped this poor orphan with a past like him, the result would be different. That Yanmei would live without suffering. That it wasn't wrong to help. That, if back then in that hollow night, if someone did the same for him, it would be a different life for him. He would have parents. So he tried so much just to encourage her... because he believed... in her... in himself... but the result...

He just refused to wake up.

Guiren's eyes drifted to Daiyu's face. This was the price of not waking up in time. She had to pay his price. Gently stroking his martial sister's cold cheeks, he made a promise.

"I'll be back."

************

"Senior brother!" Yanmei smiled radiantly while coming closer to the door where the youth was. Did he finally get the key? She smirked. Did Daiyu sacrifice herself?

"You...killed...ie," His low mutters drove a chill up Yanmei's back.

"What? What are you saying? Did you get the key?"

"Seni-," However soon, Yanmei found herself unable to speak another word. Guiren tightly grasped her throat with an unbearable resentment. She looked at him in shock and started to cry. Guiren stared at her blankly. His eyes were unreadable. His expression was oddly diabolical, his eyes clouded, and his aura was deathly uncontrolled.

She was the one who did this.

She was the one who deceived him.

Deep inside his heart, he had a slight feeling, but he didn't want to believe it because she was one of his own. That she was like him. That they were both orphans who suffered in their childhood. All her hardship was equal to his. It was a closeness in comrades that even Daiyu couldn't give him. There was someone like him. No! His eyes sharpened. He was the one who considered her one of his own!

This was his mistake!

How could he not have noticed? It was uncanny how similar they were: their stories, their past, even her appearance was untimely. It was the day of his parent's death. He was particularly regretful and spiteful for the lack of help people gave, which was what led him to see a sense of hope in Yanmei.

He was used.

He always wanted to be understood.

Yet, how ironic that he was too well understood, well enough to be used!

Gritting his teeth, he slammed her brutally against the wall. His eyes were saturated with unformidable fury. He abruptly aimed his foot towards her chest. Yanmei widened her eyes and flipped to her side, hardly evading the attack. Her fingers quivered.

He was serious.

She might not last long in a fight like this. Yanmei gritted her teeth and tried to signal for back up, but Guiren slammed his hand into her windpipe, forcing her quiet.

"I... I... actually... believed you?! Y-you?!!" Bitter laughter racked his body. His eyes appeared crazed. Yanmei winced, her heart hammered vigorously. Who was this? Was this the true him? He wasn't even this deranged when he thought Daiyu killed her. Yanmei swallowed and tried to hide, her hands holding her body in pain.

Guiren's sharp eyes trained to her in a flash, "You... want... to... escape? Did I allow you?!!"

A sword came flying near her head, and Yanmei trembled from fear. Perhaps she was too used to the soft and gentle Guiren, or maybe she believed she had a higher position in his heart, now she was in absolute despair.

"W-what happened?" Yanmei mustered, praying he would think she was innocent, "Did Daiyu say something?"

The name seemed to wake Guiren up a tiny bit.

"Daiyu. Daiyu," Guiren repeated her name painfully, his head nodding as he spoke, "Daiyu."

He sobbed bitterly and stumbled about the room restlessly. Yanmei started to feel slightly relieved when Guiren suddenly grasped her hair, forcefully pulling her across the room. Yanmei shrieked out in pain, but Guiren didn't seem to notice, nothing like the considerate Guiren who fretted over every injury she received during training.

"Brother Guiren, what did Daiy-," Yanmei cried out, but Guiren turned to her. His eyes so intense, Yanmei wasn't able to utter another word.

"If I have to say her name with such remorse," Guiren's eyes seemed to concentrate past her, "Then what gives you the right to say it so effortlessly? You aren't fit even to say her name."

Dragging her out of the chamber across the stone-paved courtyard, he suddenly paused. Yanmei instantly latched on to his sleeves, hoping to implore for mercy.

"Guiren. Senior brother. Please spare me! I'm innocent," Yanmei pleaded. Guiren's head seemed to take forever to face her. He stared blankly at her hands that were latched on to his garments.

Those hands.

The same one that forced Daiyu to death.

"I don't like your hands."

Yanmei froze. What? But she was soon answered by two intense pains to her wrist. She stared in hysteria as her hands plummeted to the ground, and Guiren's blade covered in blood burned into her eyes.

"Don't touch me, you filth," His words cut straight into her heart, igniting fear into her very core.

Yanmei suddenly started to giggle, her eyes red from the pain.

"Oh, did you figure everything out? Did she die already?" She ridiculed. She wasn't going to live long anyway, but if Guiren found out the truth, Daiyu must already be dead. Her eyes narrowed, then Guiren must already have the key in his hands. Her mission was complete. She just had to buy more time for her master and her junior brother even if she dies in the process.

Guiren's eyes sharpened at the mention of Daiyu's death, a wicked smile lit up his sinister face. Was she trying to buy time?

"Are you waiting for them?"

Yanmei's felt her breath stopped. Her voice shook as she tried to speak, "W-who?"

As Guiren left Daiyu's room, he was attacked. Perhaps, the attackers thought he would be lighter on his guard after seeing his senior sister's death or that he would be traumatized. Either way, the attackers had greatly underestimated him.

Not only was he traumatized, but he was also filled with killing intent.

"Who do you think?" Guiren enjoyed the look of the pain of her face. This was nowhere near Daiyu's pain. He leaned down and gently stroked her face.

"Hey. I don't like you in general. Why don't you die for me?"

**************

Back at the room where Daiyu laid peacefully, a bloodied figure dragged himself into the room. A roar of fire can be seen in where Yanmei's sect residence used to be. The night was soon filled with screams for putting out the fire, but Guiren was strangely calm.

He gingerly wrapped his arms around Daiyu and pulled her closer to him, ignoring her ice-cold temperature and slowly hummed. As he hummed, he pulled out a piece of silk cloth. With his other hand, he thrust his sword into his heart. As the blood pooled out, he soaked the cloth into the blood. His eyes were dull, but the melody he sounded was oddly happy.

After the whole cloth was coated in red, he picked up Daiyu's hand and tied their hands together.

If I ever get another chance.

I'll love you to the ends of the world.

With that final thought in his mind, their intertwined hands fell limp in the pool of blood.

One died to never love while the other died to love.

The pink blossoms on a tree outside swayed, and the night was quickly filled pink petals, disappearing into the night.

in_awe

Yep! 6th chapter is up. I really toned down the bloody parts. Tell me all your thoughts! This evil author wants to know. Fyi, his real pain will start after this.*The crystal is the key to the sect. You'll find more about the key later on but to make more sense now. I'll explain. The key isn't something passed down but it's only in people who are pure and dedicated to the sect. He realizes this and this made him realize who Yanmei was. I should have explained this more. It going to be in the next chapter. My web novel readers were confused so I rushed over to straighten it out