Chapter 1343: As close as lovers
A bitter and slightly ironic smile gradually grew at the corner of his mouth. Bai Zemin really didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point.
"Why do I have to have so many skills related to rage and abrupt emotional changes?" He asked to nobody in particular using an indescribably odd tone of voice.
However, that casual question that he did not expect an answer did receive one to Bai Zemin's great surprise.
"It's probably due to the serious identity problems you're experiencing lately." Said the Flame of Burning Wrath calmly.
"Identity problems?" Bai Zemin stared with a shocked expression.
"Do you really not know what I'm talking about? You can fool everyone easily, but you can't fool me? I know you much more than you think; even if you are no longer you." Said the Flame of Burning Wrath deeply.
The shocked expression on Bai Zemin's face began to waver upon hearing this. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded but did not say anything else about it.
It wasn't as if Bai Zemin didn't have his doubts about it or theories regarding many complicated and mysterious things... However, he didn't want to dig too deep into some things because in his own way he knew it was not yet the time for him to do so.
"If you ask me, your choice is the right one." Said the Flame of Burning Wrath, almost as if it could read his mind. "Your current self is too weak to come in contact with certain things, so not only are you not being a coward for evading it but instead you're being very smart. Many times, more means less... Besides, it was you who wanted to erase all past memories because of certain reasons. Eventually you will understand everything if you have to... and in case you can't overcome each and every obstacle that comes your way then there is no point in knowing more than you already know."
Bai Zemin was silent for a long time and quietly stared at no particular point. After what seemed like an eternity, he said in a somewhat hesitant voice: "Do you mind if I ask you a question? ... I have many conjectures in my head and I did manage to draw many conclusions from different angles based on everything I have experienced so far... but there is one in particular that seems to me to be closer to the truth. I just want to ask you a question and I promise not to touch this subject again on my own initiative."
This time it was the turn of the Flame of Burning Wrath to remain silent for a long time. Finally, the Flame of Divine Flame seemed to come to the conclusion that in order to release Bai Zemin's burden it would be best to answer his question as long as it could be answered without causing inconvenience.
"Ask." Said the Flame of Burning Wrath in a deep voice.
Bai Zemin carefully arranged his next words and then said in a low voice, "Over a year ago I met a girl with no memories named Kali. She mysteriously appeared in a world different from Earth only 3 months before I arrived in that world. I myself thought it was a coincidence and nothing more, but recently I began to think quite different."
On the surface, Bai Zemin was no different from his self half a year ago after awakening from his comatose state. However, only he knew how different everything was after merging with the memories of his self that lived inside the illusory world created by the Collector's Pocket Watch.
It was because of this that the Flame of Burning Wrath said that Bai Zemin could fool everyone with his act but not to that even though it was the first time they interacted.
To keep his loved ones from worrying, Bai Zemin divided his personality into two and "sealed" his other self. If he had not done this as quickly as possible he would probably cease to be himself as a thousand years of memories and deep emotions would easily overpower his short life of 22 years.
All this added to his doubts and questions about his mysterious past life had shaped a Heart Demon that Bai Zemin could not sense but knew existed purely out of instinct even though he didn't know what it meant.
Still, separating that personality completely was simply impossible unless Bai Zemin was willing to seal away even the memories lived within the illusory world. Therefore, a prestigious aura was rising from deep within him without him realizing it; similar to a ruler who was at the top of everything for centuries and something that a young man like him should not have.
As he abruptly matured along with those memories experienced in the illusory world, Bai Zemin's thought process and analytical ability skyrocketed to absolutely terrifying levels.
It was unintentionally that Bai Zemin came to a certain conclusion during the last few hours he spent inside the Collector's Pocket Watch.
And precisely because of that, his question was, "Were Kali and I related in some way in the past?"
Bai Zemin always felt a certain attraction to Kali from the first moment he saw the frail girl with sickly pale skin whose eyes were always closed and could not fend for herself without the support of a wheelchair. This kind of attraction was not necessarily a romantic one, but somehow he could not understand it well enough to describe it.
Besides, although the two of them never expressed it out loud, Bai Zemin was absolutely sure that Kali also felt the same way towards him. After all, the girl had chosen to follow him to Earth even though they barely knew each other instead of staying in Eventide World with the Second Princess of Gales; with whom she had already formed a good friendship and trust.
Even more mysterious...
Kali had an uncanny mastery over the power of runes while Bai Zemin was quite the opposite as every time he tried to learn a bit he simply couldn't do it, much to his frustration. The worst part of it all was that whenever he tried to draw a rune it would simply mysteriously break, which left him quite annoyed and perplexed.
The Flame of Burning Wrath remained tactful for several minutes. Bai Zemin soon realized that this Divine Flame was hesitating but he did not know if this hesitation was because it did not know if it should answer his question or if it was because it was carefully organizing what it was going to say next.
Although he had yet to receive his answer directly, Bai Zemin had already obtained it indirectly through the hesitation of the Flame of Burning Wrath.
It was still two hours before the sun rose on the horizon so the night was still as dark as before.
Staring at the crystal chandelier fixed on the white ceiling and with his head resting on the pillow stuffed with feathers and covered in silk, Bai Zemin whose erratic heart was beating out of his control had a complex expression on his face.
It had been about 3 hours since his conversation with the Flame of Burning Wrath ended and he got his answer.
The Flame of Burning Wrath even disappeared inside Lilith's body again and did not mention the matter of the Soul Contract or the baptism of the Sin of Wrath anymore. Bai Zemin was especially grateful for its consideration as he was not in a position to make such important decisions right now.
Although the Flame of Burning Wrath responded to Bai Zemin's doubt, the answer it gave him shook him deeply to the point where it left him tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep even now.
"Your relationship with her was so close that it doesn't lose to how close you are to this girl sleeping next to you right now... In fact, but for certain issues, you and that girl named Kali would probably have lived happily sharing all eternity." Was the Flame of Burning Wrath's answer to the question of whether Kali and he were related in the past.
"Don't fuck with me..." Bai Zemin covered his eyes with his hand and muttered under his breath.
Were Kali and he lovers in the past? It seemed to be the case since that was the relationship he and Lilith had.
After all, the Flame of Burning Wrath had no reason to make up such a meaningless lie.
What should he do now...? After all, Kali was only a teenage girl no older than 16.
Precisely because of this point, Bai Zemin did not know what to do... If he and Kali had ended their relationship on their own initiative then he wouldn't worry so much about something that happened in past lives, but now...
Even if he and she had no memories of the past and no longer had those feelings, could Bai Zemin look at her the same way now that he knew the truth? This was a great unknown that troubled him greatly since as the Flame of Burning Wrath said, he and Kali seemed to love each other very much and got along very well in their past lives; so much so that if not for external problems even today they would still be living happily and they did not part because they wanted to; it was because they had no choice but to do so.
The mental and emotional exhaustion soon began to take its toll on Bai Zemin as tonight he learned many important truths. Before he knew it, his eyes began to grow heavy and sleep began to overcome him.
He didn't fight it and let himself drift off to wonderland as he really didn't want to think too much about such complicated things. Soon, his breathing became soft and his agitated heartbeat went back to normal.
What Bai Zemin did not know, however, was that he had misinterpreted the words of the Divine Flame by a huge degree... This would lead to some pretty funny and interesting "twists and turns" as well as results that even the Gods of ancient times could not have foreseen.
But that is a story for later.