Chapter 37: 22: Strings of Time, Sounds of Space_2
But for some reason, Hexia still felt a slight resistance deep inside...
Clearly, this was the best outcome, but some corner of her heart still ached, at a moment that should have been joyous, with the chance to reunite with her sister and no longer be alone.
Why is that...
Why is that.
Why is that?
Why is that!
Hexia pushed Temisia away and stepped back several steps under her sister's puzzled gaze.
"Hexia?"
"Sister." Hexia defiantly raised her head.
"Actually, there's something I've always wanted to say to you."
"What is it, because I didn't pay much attention to you before, neglected you?"
"Uh, not exactly." Hexia shook her head.
"Sister, you are great, outstanding, even when you went to high school, mom and dad talked about you the most." Hexia looked at the ground beside her.
"I can't compete with you, I'm always very timid, and a bit clumsy. Every time relatives come to our house, I like to hide."
"I used to envy your personality, sister, and I hated my own weakness."
"When I started middle school, the teacher asked us to choose a Transcendent Sequence to cultivate, preferably specializing in one."
"During the test, the direction that suited me best was the Natural Sequence, just like sister, and mom also wanted me to choose the Natural Sequence."
"But that time, I lied. I didn't choose the Natural Sequence, but rather the unpopular Withering Sequence."
"Do you know why, sister?"
"I was scared of being compared to you, afraid others would ask how my Transcendent Sequence cultivation was progressing. They would definitely say how Temisia was when she was in middle school."
"I'm a coward, self-conscious and weak, I can only escape from things like this, so I specifically chose the Withering Sequence with the fewest people. That way, even if someone asked, I could say that because the Sequences are different, the difficulty and method of cultivation are not the same, so I can't progress as fast as you did."
"Doesn't it sound ridiculous, for the sake of such a petty pride?"
"But sister, you certainly don't understand; that was my only way to maintain myself."
"I don't want to be compared by others anymore..." Her voice choked.
"After sister left, mom quickly passed away due to grief, and then dad left too."
"I lived at home alone, often having nightmares at night, sometimes only able to fall asleep with the lights on because I was afraid of the dark and of seeing strange things."
"To fight against this fear, I specifically went to the library and found Dark Visitor, an obscure Transcendent Profession. It had almost no combat power and couldn't help me find a good job or even participate in any kind of competition."
"However, its only benefit allows the practitioner to gain the ability of Ghost Vision, to see dead spirits, undissipated Fragments of Consciousness, and so on."
"Invisible things always scare people, but once you can see them, you feel secure, and since then, I've been able to sleep peacefully."
"So, sister." Hexia lifted her head.
"To avoid you, I've tried my hardest."
"Now you suddenly tell me to merge back into one with you, I can't do that."
"But, we can only become stronger by complementing each other. You must be on the brink of death by now, and without my help, you might..." Temisia looked at her unruly younger sister.
"I know." Hexia bit her lip.
"I know that obtaining everything from my sister would make me powerful, but would I still be me then... People are different; sister's pride and confidence, I never learned before, and now, I don't want to learn."
"Just let me be a coward for a lifetime, forever known as a lonely and introverted child; I know these are my flaws, but now I've grown accustomed to them being there."
"Why have you become so stubborn, getting stuck on such trivialities, you should read less of those books that dissect psychology. I've studied them before, but thinking too much in this way only makes one hesitate, life should be more natural and straightforward." Temisia reached out her hand again.
"No, no, no." Hexia stepped back, shaking her head.
"We're different, Temisia." It was the first time she called her sister by name.
"You may naturally understand many things, spontaneously adapting to various challenges of life, but not me. I'm a silly child, afraid of being hurt, cautious about trying anything, and I can only arm myself through books and various kinds of knowledge. I look for the wisdom of predecessors, constantly analyzing the reasons, only if I understand the principles and process behind what happens can I feel at ease."
"But living that way is really hard and tiring, sister." Temisia looked at her with sympathy.
"Perhaps, but when I'm alone at my desk writing in my diary, I feel a faint happiness."
"Because I've recorded the day's gains, feelings, understandings, and so on, I try to find solutions to problems, these bits and pieces nourish me."
"Now you tell me that if I just accept everything from you, none of this will be a problem anymore, what was everything I did before for, doesn't it seem ridiculous, all my tears, efforts, perseverance, would become meaningless, just superfluous things, then what am I?"