In the Inner World, FrostyLily Dream and I chose to settle by Xiyue for a while. To be honest, comfort draped over us like warm silk, and the food tasted bright.
Most of all, Xiyue’s manner shifted; not blade-on-blade like at the Worldgate, but a softer tide, her edges worn smooth.
Night pooled outside. Full and drowsy, I sank into a soft, wide bed, idly turning a history of the Inner World’s rise.
FrostyLily Dream still bristled at Xiyue, yet curiosity tugged her like a kite string, and she’d already slipped out to wander.
A soft creak. The door eased open. Xiyue drifted in wearing a sheer black nightgown, sat by the bed, and toyed with my hair like silk reeds.
“Xinuo, aren’t you going out for a walk? Nights like this are rare.” Her fingers slid from my hair to my cheek, her voice a hush like moonlight.
“I’m not in the mood.” I brushed her hand away, set the book down, and sat up to watch the lit window, a city of fireflies.
What next? Our truce felt like a thin snow-bridge. The Worldgate stayed a stone in the river—so long as the Inner World’s breach sat unsolved.
“Cold as ever. You and I used to be fine—like sisters.” She laughed and complained, then pressed close, thick-skinned as granite; no pushing her away.
“Back then you were a good kid who listened. Then one day you turned like a gust; nothing I said could reach you. What else could I do?”
Memory rose like mist. I witnessed Xiyue’s birth; she’s only a shade younger. She truly was my sister for a long stretch—pure, bright, soft as spring.
“I didn’t want that either; I was anxious seeing you drift through empty days. You were the sole Pinnacle of Origin Realm then, holding the reins of the Prime Realm, yet you did nothing.”
“You make it sound nice. If you hadn’t gone too far, I wouldn’t have driven you from the Prime Realm.” A thorn pricked up. Did she still resent me for casting her out?
“My methods were a bit extreme, but... forget it. Arguing now is ash in the wind.”
Unease gnawed like a mouse. “Xiyue, do you still resent me?”
“Resentment?” She tilted her head and gently shook it. “You mean when you pushed me into the Inner World? No. I never held that against you. Instead, my fondness and longing for you have only grown, like vines year by year.”
“Thinking of what you did recently, it doesn’t feel that way.” I bled effort to hold the Worldgate, and she piled trouble like stones; and still she said it straight.
“Believe it or don’t. I did all that just to earn your approval, Xinuo.” Mid-sentence, her head landed on my shoulder like a warm weight.
A shiver of goosebumps raced over me; I slipped away on reflex.
“Bottom line, I came to solve the Worldgate. Same proposal as before—accept my terms, merge the two worlds into one whole, and the tears in the seam stitch shut.”
“But your premise demands every life in the Inner World—including me—live under your oversight. That’s a bitter draught to swallow.” She offered no space for compromise, her tone hard as lacquer.
Annoyance flickered like sparks. Was it that excessive? To the Prime Realm, Inner World dwellers are outsiders. Leave it alone, and chaos blooms.
She paused, then continued. “Talking more now is useless. Walk the Inner World for a while; learn its breath. Maybe you’ll think differently. I’ll guide you the whole way.”
“Hope so. Honestly, the Inner World doesn’t grip me. I just want this solved so I can return to my usual life.” After too many days tended by Servants, even a short stretch away feels like walking without a coat. I almost miss it.
“Your usual life? Do you really want that day-after-day monotony? Eat then sleep, sleep then eat, a book now and then—retirement in slow motion. A year or two, fine. How did you keep that up for years?”
She lectured me like she’d heard a joke, her voice tapping like rain on bamboo.
“It’s nothing. I’m lazy. I don’t want to spend much thought on other things—living my own life is enough.” I hated to admit it, but that unchanging life, that still world—over time it dries out like autumn reeds.
“Fits your lazy streak, sure. Yet you refuse to let me govern, set the Mizumi Clan to cap every faction’s growth, and leave the Prime Realm quiet as a tomb... Forget the nagging. Walk the Inner World and maybe you’ll change. I’ve got matters to handle. I’ll take my leave.”
She stood and stretched like a cat, then, catching me off guard, pinched my cheek. Only then did she leave, satisfied like a thief with a trinket.
Annoyance fluttered like a moth. That rude girl needs a lesson next time. Yet oddly, I wasn’t that upset. I knew our good terms were only borrowed time; if the Worldgate stays unsolved, we’ll likely return to being enemies.
“Let’s walk.” The room felt stale as a closed jar. I slipped out the window, then blinked myself to the temple’s peak, gazing at distant towns jeweled with light.
A cool breeze slid by. The pale moon hid half behind a thick quilt of cloud; sparse stars winked now and then. Above was hush. Below, the towns swelled with noise—streams of people, rivers of traffic. For night life, the Inner World outshines the Prime Realm by leagues.
In the Prime Realm, night sends most people indoors, unless a festival calls them out in waves. The Prime Realm lacks the Inner World’s amusements; there’s hardly anywhere to wander.
“Sis, what are you doing up here alone? I just ran through a nearby small nation. It’s so different from the Prime Realm—super lively.” FrostyLily Dream popped into place beside me like a firecracker.
“Nothing, just getting some air. I still have no lead on the Worldgate. Xiyue refuses to yield an inch.” The Inner World blazes with splendor, but how much dusk lingers behind that shine?
“Don’t worry. Take it slow. I’m sure a small thing like this won’t stump you, Sis!” Her grin was a lantern in the wind.
“Mm.”
