“Someone wants to meet me?”
Rhode was taken aback, but he responded to Arthur’s beckoning and went up to the door. Then, Arthur let out a chuckle, extended his hand, and pulled the meeting door handle. Behind the door was no longer the aisle that Rhode came in from. Instead, it was a deep, gloomy, stone-made passageway. Arthur extended his hand and made a beckoning gesture.
“Please.”
“…”
Rhode pondered in silence. Then, he stepped into the passageway in front of him. As soon as he entered, rows of torches lit up instantly and the illuminated areas transformed once again. The ceiling slowly turned white, while the walls piled up by gray boulders turned into sterile, white walls. The torches hanging on the walls transformed into bright wall lamps. The scent of disinfectant in the air assailed his nostrils. Rhode strolled ahead, clenching his fists tightly. His expressionless face seemed abnormally tense because he knew clearly where this place was and subconsciously guessed exactly who was waiting for him…
A white sign appeared before him. Rhode looked up and saw the [309] doorplate. Taking a deep breath, he extended his hand and knocked on the door. Shortly after, a soft, gentle voice sounded.
“Please come in.”
The voice sounded similar to his, but the only difference was the light, gentle tone as though the spring wind, giving one unparalleled comfort and a peace of mind. Upon hearing this voice, Rhode was startled. He gnashed his teeth, extended his right hand, and pushed the door open.
What came into his view first were the clean French windows that displayed the lush green trees and lawn on the outside. A slim, petite figure was reclining on the hospital bed, admiring the scenery. Upon hearing the door opening, she turned around and presented a smile across her beautiful, doll-like face.
“Ah… Big Brother…”
“…”
Rhode became breathless as though he had returned to the past. Back then, he came to the hospital everyday to visit his younger sister. She would always be looking blankly at the outside world through the windows. Rhode thought that this was just her way of yearning for the free, outside world. But now, it seemed like there was a secret behind it. But that was all in the past, after all. And now…
“What’s going on?”
Rhode calmed himself down and sized up everything. Everything, including the character and furniture, were the same as he recalled. But this was impossible. His younger sister had died. The agony that he felt wasn’t an illusion; he was sure about that. So who was this person now?
“Could it be that those dragon souls are trying to use illusions to trap me here and make me execute a certain conspiracy?”
“Huhuhu…”
The young lady chuckled, before shaking her head.
“I didn’t expect you to be so dubious of others, Big Brother. Yes… From a certain aspect I’m indeed considered a phantom because I’m only a remaining soul fragment. This is the only thing that my true self left behind. She handed me over to the sir and madams and reminded them to let me meet you at the right time. But I didn’t expect for us to meet again under such circumstances…”
“Soul fragment? Why now? Why didn’t you show up before me in the past? There’s so much time, so why now?”
“Perhaps the sir and madams thought that this is the best timing. No matter what, you’ve already experienced the world yourself, Big Brother, so it isn’t hard for you to accept the truth now, is it? If it were you in the past, would you believe everything I say?”
“This…”
Rhode was disconcerted by his ‘younger sister’s’ question. Indeed, if it were him in the past, he would definitely be dubious of this B&M Company and suspect whether they would exploit him. As for the words that she was trying to say, such as the soul fragment or something, he definitely wouldn’t be able to accept them wholeheartedly…
“Big Brother, the sir and madams were hoping that you would grow mature and only tell you everything after you realized your power. But they didn’t expect for this to happen. However… maybe this is better for my true self.”
The young lady tidied her clothes, before sitting up on the bed. Rhode instinctively stretched out his arm and supported her soft, delicate body. The warmth and softness he felt on his hand was the same as he recalled. Neither of them spoke a word. He reached out for two pillows and placed them behind her comfortably. Then, he pulled out a chair and sat down beside her. Everything was the same as he remembered. Even though he had left this world and went through a new life of fantasy that involved bloody fights and adventures, the memories buried deep in his mind didn’t fade away at all.
“… Regarding our situation, I suppose you’ve heard from them already, Big Brother?”
After remaining in silence for a few moments, the young lady said softly. Rhode nodded with complicated emotions. In fact, he couldn’t accept this reality completely because he was as though the predator. In the past, Rhode thought that he was extremely unlucky. He had the face of a girl and was often mocked by his peers. Besides, he was a healthy young man and yet, he had to suffer the pain of his sickly younger sister from time to time.
Why am I so unfortunate?
This was a question that he asked himself a lot before he reconciled with his younger sister. But now, it seemed like he was the lucky one. He had a healthy body that his younger sister didn’t have and even took over most of her strength. No matter from which aspect, he was the one who should feel sorry.
“I…”
Before he finished his sentence, the young lady stretched out her snowy finger and pressed lightly on his lips.
“Big Brother, there’s no need to apologize. You have already done so in the past.”
“But I wasn’t aware of the truth back then…”
“Isn’t it the same?”
“… Okay then.”
Rhode closed his mouth. He knew clearly of how stubborn his younger sister was. There was no room for discussions for things that she had decided. He gazed at the face that looked exactly the same as his. But that was a different smile, despite leaving a similar, deep impression on others. Only when looking at her smile, he would feel entirely relaxed. Everything didn’t seem to have changed at all.
“In this case… You’re the Void Dragon?”
“I was, Big Brother. You’re the Void Dragon now, aren’t you?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Rhode didn’t seem satisfied with her answer. He gazed at her with knitted brows. “You’re aware of everything from the start, right? Including the fact that I possess your strength. So why didn’t you tell me about it? Did you think that I wouldn’t believe your words and even think that you’re spouting nonsense and send you to a mental hospital?”
“This isn’t your battle, Big Brother…”
The young lady lowered and shifted her gaze away.
“This is my destiny. I created, decided, and chose my destiny. For that, I have to bear the consequences that it brings to me. But you are different. You are an ordinary human. You’re not shouldering this responsibility, not even now. I don’t wish for you to carry this burden because it doesn’t belong to you. And now, we are actually leaving it for you to accomplish… Ahh!”
Before the young lady finished her sentence, Rhode flicked his finger on her forehead, causing her to shriek in pain.
“Alright, there is no point in speaking about it now. Just like you said, you will be responsible for your choice. And I… ” Rhode smiled, pointing his thumb at himself. “Am speaking to you as the Void Dragon now, which is also the result of your choice. So just like in the past, stop talking about it and accept it.”
“That’s right, just like what you said, Big Brother…”
The corners of the young lady’s lips lifted. She held her forehead and gazed at Rhode in displeasure. But after a few moments, she presented a smile as though the invisible shackles binding her had vanished in an instant. She also seemed to have relaxed after laying down the burden in her mind.
“We can’t change the things that have happened. What we have to do now is to continue moving forward…”
The young lady smiled and extended her arms to Rhode.
“Alright, I shall reward you with a gift for arriving here safely, Big Brother.”
“Really…”
Rhode forced a smile, gazing at her spread arms and the face that was identical with his. Then, he extended his arms and embraced her body. Their lips kissed naturally.
“Mmm… Mmm…”
Rhode closed his eyes, indulging in the sweet, plump lips that were as soft as pudding. Her refreshing, aromatic breath blew in his face gently. As usual, she licked his teeth with her small tongue, flipping around as though it were alive, greedily drawing his sweet, delicious saliva. At the same time, Rhode felt a strange and familiar sensation inside his body. The contact between them had always been inseparably close. Whenever his younger sister felt unwell, he would also feel her pain. But on the contrary, whenever he felt comfortable she would also feel equally relaxed. And if both of them felt an unprecedented sense of blissfulness, the shapeless energy connecting them would be stimulated, sending them into a wonderful, heavenly paradise. It was due to this reason that they were never tired of this. Shortly after, Rhode felt the body in his embrace trembling. Then, they separated. A silver thread of saliva hung down from the corner of their mouths, dripping on the floor.
“Big Brother is still as tough as ever…”
“Frankly, I feel complicated…”
Rhode gave a forced smile at the sight of the young lady flushing in red.
“Especially after learning your identity. I’m thinking why we reached this level of intimacy back then. Back then, I was only a rascal who had just entered puberty, while you… have already become a god that created a world. Just thinking about this suddenly gives me tremendous pressure.”
“Even as a god, I’m still not omnipotent, Big Brother.”
The young lady let out a subtle sigh, before continuing.
“We’re creators. We don’t have time to consider the situation for ourselves. The threat of Chaos, the establishment of Order, and the continuation of life—these are the most important. We have never considered anything apart from them. Fortunately, after arriving in this world and losing my power, I can finally understand what I have never experienced before in my own opinion. According to a phrase of this world, this is a… blessing in disguise, isn’t it?”
“Maybe yes, maybe no. But if you think it is, I don’t have any objections.”
Rhode shrugged helplessly to his younger sister’s witty reply. On the other hand, the young lady smiled and gradually turned solemn.
“Initially, I had intentions of replacing my true self in passing the message to you. But now, it seems like you didn’t enter society, search for a job, and live a normal life as ‘I’ expected. Big Brother, I’m really worried for you. Frankly speaking, even though others have found ways to reinforce the strength of Order, the strength of Chaos is too powerful. Besides, as soon as Chaos realizes that we’re beginning to reinforce the strength of Order, it will definitely come up with ways to stop our success…”
The young lady lifted his head and gazed silently at him. Rhode smiled, extending his hand to caress her smooth, long hair.
“I know that the situation isn’t as simple as it seems. But… I do have a solution to resolve this problem.”
