MMmm … my consciousness slowly faded in sluggishly as I couldn’t help but shift my body. Hmm? Why is it so … airy down there? I squeezed my eyes open and blinked a couple of times to see the wooden ceiling of the bed I slept on in the temple. Huh? Why am I here? I glanced downwards and noticed the blanket covering me. I lifted it gently and realized what was causing the airy feeling. Uhhh … what happened, why am I naked?!

I got up while rubbing my head with my hand. It was then that I felt a twinge of pain from my palm. I looked down at my palm and noticed a cut. Wait … why is there a cut and who the f**k cut this young master while he was enjoying his beauty sleep?! I glanced around the room and frowned when I noticed my clothes scattered on the floor. Wait just one moment! Just what in the hell did I do?! I can’t have done the deed right?

I calmed myself down as I tried to recall what was happening before. I remember luring a certain idiot into a forest, a tree came down and crushed him, then … a powerful being appeared? After that, I seemed to have … blocked an curse for Ling’er? Wait … I’m cursed?

I looked at my body and noticed it looked perfectly fine. I frowned as I realized this looks like a healthy body. Perhaps, am I already dead? But this doesn’t look like heaven or else there would be a beauty sleeping right next to me instead of me being naked alone. Perhaps I’m inside the cursed world b*llsh*t arc where everything is a dream? Errr … but I seriously don’t think any world can trump the original world in being cursed. So … does this mean, I’m still alive? But how?

Well first off, let me get dressed and go find Ling’er. Perhaps she can tell me why. I hurriedly got dressed and went to the door of my room. I opened the door and headed over to Ling’er’s room next door.

“Ling’er, are you there?” I asked as I knocked on the door, but there was no response.

I frowned before I gently pushed opened the door to see no one inside. It was then that I noticed that it was too quiet in the temple … much too quiet. I glanced around with a frown at the hallway before seeing a small, black smudge on the wall nearby. I walked over to take a closer look and realized that the smudge looked like … black blood?

My heart began to beat ominously as I glanced at the wall ahead. I noticed a couple more black smudges leading towards the back of the temple. I froze in place as multiple possibilities were rapidly processed in my brain. Why am I alive? What can save an un-curable poison. Why is there black blood that is not mine? Based on my experience from novels and drama, there’s only one confirmed solution.

My heart shook in fear as I felt a little dizzy. No. It can’t be. I quickly sprinted towards the back of the temple while yelling, “Ling’er! Wait for me!”

I hurriedly shoved open the back temple door to be greeted by the familiar garden … yet it was empty of signs of life. I glanced around the garden with the tiniest hope that I would find Ling’er lying in a flower bed somewhere or maybe hiding behind the stone-

It was then that I noticed there was traces of writing on the stone slab. My heart shook in fear but my curiosity forced my legs to march towards the stone slab. As I neared the stone slab, the words written on the slab became clearer. Although it was a bit messy, I still recognized them to be Ling’er’s handwriting … and the ink it was written with was blood.

“We promised to grow old together and never part with each other no matter life or death, but fate is cruel. Ling’er can only be selfish and seek a new life in hopes of changing fate. Although our fates shall part ways here, know that Ling’er will love you for eternity …”

“No! Ling’er!” I howled as I rushed towards the chasm, but not long after I was repelled backwards and slammed onto the ground, “This f**king barrier! Let me through! ARGGGGHH!”

I howled in grief as I slammed upon the barrier repeatedly but nothing I did was effective. Alas I could only weakly walk over and stare at the final words of Ling’er. My knees weakened as I plopped down upon my knees in front of the slab as tears rolled down my face. Why … why must fate be so cruel to separate us?

“Alas … I am still too late … fate is inevitable after all cough cough cough,” a gruff voice resounded beside me.

My blurry eyes glanced to the side to see the old grandpa. Anger boiled up inside me as I couldn’t help but furious, “Y-You! Why are you here now?! Where were you when we needed you! Fate is inevitable, fate is inevitable! Is that all you know how to say?!”

In my fit of anger, I couldn’t help but punch out at the old grandpa. Surprisingly, m attack connected and sent the old grandpa tumbling backwards. When he stabilized himself, he coughed out a couple mouthfuls of blood. I froze in place as my head cooled, “Y-you …”

“Alas, this was all a trap … the mysterious power of plot is too formidable after all,” the old grandpa stated solemnly.

“Power of plot?” I couldn’t help but question.

“Yes, the power of plot … that mysterious power that is a plague, the power that resides on you …” the old grandpa continued.

“You knew?” I asked in shock.

“Yes, and I told Ling’er about it; however Ling’er wanted to try fighting against the power of plot. As her grandpa, I couldn’t just stand by and watch. Although I tried to shield this place and stop the aura of plot from penetrating it, in the end, I still failed and ended up a victim of it cough cough cough,” the old grandpa stated grimly.

So in the end … everything happened because of me. I despaired over this fact as I could not help but curse … f**k you Mr. Aura.

The old grandpa sadly read the words on the stone slab, “She loved you till the end, and couldn’t escape her fate … you … what do you plan on doing now? If you desire to stay here, I will not stop you as I’ve long treated you as my grandson-in-law.”

“Saying that now … is there any point? She is already gone … what is there for me to live for?” I stated as I gently touched the words on the slab.

“Y-you! Ling’er traded her life to give you a chance yet you are going to throw it away just like that?!” the old grandpa glared at me as he huffed in anger.

I responded sadly, “What do you expect? You don’t know how important she was to me. I already treated her as a part of myself, and now that she’s gone … a part of me has died with her. I don’t think I will have the will to live on much longer unless she comes back to l-“

At that point, a certain thought ignited hope in my mind. I couldn’t help but ask the old grandpa in a shaky voice, “W-what was the legend of the Life and Death Chasm again?”

The old grandpa froze for a bit before he stared at my in shock. Then, he sighed before stating, “That hope … no matter how much I also desire it … is slim.”

“No matter how slim the hope is … there is still a chance,” my gaze was burning as I stared at the Life and Death chasm with a spark of hope that gradually set my heart ablaze.

“Ling’er … no matter how long it takes, no matter where you will be, I will wait for you … so … please … come back.”