Sometimes, the line between forgetting and healing blurs—one becomes a blessing, the other a curse. And in the silence that follows pain, only a single question remains: what do you truly desire?
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Yue stepped quietly into her friend's chamber within Jin Hai's palace, her brows furrowed in confusion.
The place felt familiar—achingly so—but she dismissed the feeling. Familiarity had always been her enemy, whispering echoes of a past she could never quite reach.
For Yue, memory itself was a cruel paradox.
She longed to remember—faces, laughter, even pain—but each time she reached for a thread of the past, it slipped through her fingers like mist. Forgetfulness was her curse... or perhaps, her gift.
Over the years, she had learned to ignore that sting of déjà vu, to silence the ache of recognition.
And so, she did not flinch when her eyes fell upon Huo Feng, lying motionless on the floor, as if time itself had abandoned her.
Huo Feng looked lost—like someone trying desperately to erase the image of her sorrowful mother that had invaded her fondest memory of her father.
How strange, Yue thought.
One of them fights to forget, while the other aches to remember.
With a sigh, Yue sat beside her friend and gently lifted Huo Feng's head onto her lap. Her slender fingers combed through the girl's tangled hair—hair as wild as the storm within her.
She stroked it softly, just as someone once comforted her long ago… someone whose face she could no longer recall, only the warmth of his embrace and the calm of his hands.
In a whisper, Yue asked,
"What is it you want, Huo Feng? What do you dream of?"
Huo Feng's lips trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks—tears so hot they scorched Yue's hands.
Her voice was hoarse, barely audible:
"I don't know… You tell me what I want."
Yue's voice turned gentle, laced with concern.
"Do you wish for revenge? To move forward? Or… do you simply want to understand why all this happened to you?"
Huo Feng closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears, to keep from weeping for the one she once loved—or thought she did. But her resolve broke, and sorrow swallowed her whole.
With feigned strength, she murmured:
"I think… revenge is the way forward. As for the reason—today or tomorrow—it no longer matters."
Yue leaned closer.
"So, you've made your choice?"
Still wrapped in the shadow of her pain—of memory and injustice alike—Huo Feng replied:
"Yes… I'll take revenge. But not now."
She clutched her head, her breath uneven, her voice trembling between plea and despair:
"Right now, I just want to forget. Please… I want to forget everything.
If I don't, I won't be able to stand, or move, or face time itself.
What I saw—it will freeze me where I am. I'll never move forward."
Yue's tone softened, like a lullaby:
"Then… you wish to forget?"
Huo Feng looked up at her with eyes that shimmered with both hope and hopelessness.
Yue smiled faintly and whispered:
"Then so be it, my friend. And should you ever wish to remember, your memories will be safe—with me."
She placed her palm gently on Huo Feng's forehead.
Moments later, Huo Feng's eyes fluttered open.
A faint, peaceful smile curved her lips, as if the heaviness of that day had finally drifted away.
For a while, they sat in silence, the air around them lighter than before.
Huo Feng felt a strange ease in her heart, a calm she hadn't known for a long time.
Yue looked at her with quiet relief.
"It seems," Yue said softly, "that forgetting has given you space to breathe."
Huo Feng nodded, her voice steady, her spirit rekindled:
"Yes… but it also reminded me that I still have much to do."
The two girls rose together.
That brief moment of forgetting had become their new beginning.
They exchanged a determined glance, then left the chamber, heading back toward the academy—where fate awaited them once more.
When they entered the grand hall, Mei Ling greeted them with a sly, venomous smile.
"So, you finally came to apologize to me?"
Huo Feng blinked, startled, but said nothing. She continued toward her seat.
Mei Ling sneered.
"Oh, don't bother apologizing. Perhaps it wasn't your fault after all…
Maybe you were just afraid when you attacked me.
Or maybe—you actually wanted to kill me!"
Huo Feng turned to her, her innocent tone disarming as ever:
"Apologize? To whom? And who in this realm is even worthy of an apology?"
Then, glancing toward Yue, she asked curiously:
"By the way, what's this 'fear' she keeps talking about?"
Yue answered coolly, without looking at Mei Ling:
"Fear? Ah… it's her shadow. I doubt you've ever met it before."
Mei Ling's temper flared; she raised her voice, ready to provoke another fight—
But the sudden appearance of Wu Xin silenced her instantly.
One sharp look from Master Li was enough to send the serpent retreating—for now.
And so, the tension in the room ebbed, though beneath it lingered the promise of storms yet to come.
The two masters sat upright side by side, studying the girl before them—still as stone, her silence heavy as thunder before the rain.
Wu Xin's gaze softened for a brief moment, wanting to reassure himself that she was unharmed, but Master Li spoke first:
"How do you feel now, Huo Feng? Are you alright?"
She fiddled absently with the edge of her sleeve, her voice calm yet distant:
"The wounds of the soul… cannot be spoken aloud."
Then, slowly, she lifted her eyes—sharp and cold as lightning—locking them on Wu Xin before adding,
"But don't worry. The strike of a stranger never truly wounds. I'll take it as… training."
Master Li forced a laugh, pretending to be reassured, but the faint gray haze creeping into his irises betrayed his unease.
He quickly changed the subject, his tone regaining its usual warmth:
"You've all endured much lately—struggle, pain, and trial.
So, we've decided to ease your spirits with a Talent Festival. Each of you will cook your finest dish and invite guests of your choice to join the feast.
Afterward, you'll display your special talents.
Let this celebration refresh your hearts for the challenges to come."
Mei Ling tilted her head, her voice purring with false innocence:
"And may I… display all my talents that day, Master Wu Xin?"
Her tone was thick with implication.
Before anyone could respond, Huo Feng burst out laughing—loud and unrestrained—remembering how Suo had mimicked Mei Ling's meowing voice before the last test.
Mei Ling's face twisted with irritation—whether from Huo Feng's laughter or Wu Xin's silent indifference, even she didn't know.
She spat venomously:
"We'll see who laughs last.
A girl talented in every art,… or a disaster without a shred of talent—aside from her one gift for making mistakes!
And since you've no family to invite, you won't even have guests for the feast. How pitiful."
Yue's face darkened, ready to lash out, but Huo Feng lifted a hand to silence her.
She asked simply, without a hint of anger:
"She's right, isn't she?
I have no family to invite, no talent to show, no dish I can make.
So… what should I do?"
Suo leaned forward, smirking, eager to lighten the mood by teasing her:
"You could always dance for everyone—like a cheeky monkey. That way, you'll pass without actually winning anything."
Yue smacked him lightly on the head.
"How dare you—"
He rubbed his scalp with a pout.
"You can't hit me! Only she can."
Before he knew it, Huo Feng had reached out and pinched his cheek playfully.
"Good idea! Dancing it is—decision made!"
Then, without warning, she sprang to her feet and began to dance—without rhythm, without music, without a hint of coordination.
Her movements were wild and clumsy, like a fish floundering on dry land.
Master Li couldn't contain himself—he burst into laughter so loud it echoed through the hall, his gray eyes returning to their bright ocean hue.
Suo tried to hold back his own laughter, his lips twitching… until it finally erupted, filling the air with helpless mirth.
But Huo Feng didn't seem to care.
She turned toward Wu Xin, eager to gauge his reaction—only to find his face flushed crimson.
She had thought he might find her antics amusing, perhaps even endearing… but instead—
"Enough!" he barked, his voice sharp and commanding.
"Leave the hall at once! I don't want to see you here—your madness is unbearable!"
In truth, Wu Xin's anger was a mask.
He wasn't furious—he was embarrassed for her, trying to save her from further ridicule.
But as always, Huo Feng misunderstood.
"You don't want to see me?" she asked innocently.
"Then close your eyes until I'm done—so my dancing won't offend you!"
Laughter rippled across the room, and Mei Ling seized the chance to twist the knife.
"You've proven your talent already, Huo Feng! But what about the feast?
I hope your cooking is as… graceful as your dancing!"
Huo Feng gasped suddenly, as if struck by inspiration.
"Ah! Thank you, Mei Ling—your words reminded me! The feast!"
She turned to Yue, bright-eyed.
"What should I cook, do you think? Fish? Pancakes? Sweets?"
Suo chuckled, unable to resist another jab:
"Why bother? Just make tea—and dance while serving it! That'll be a performance no one will forget."
Huo Feng's eyes lit up like twin lanterns.
"Suo, from now on I'll call you Suo the Charming! Your ideas are as beautiful as your face.
You've saved me twice today!"
Suo cleared his throat awkwardly, caught off guard by the compliment.
"But… you don't even like tea. What will you do?"
She looked at him with that same innocent admiration that always left him disarmed.
"True. I don't drink tea… but you do.
And that's reason enough for me to learn to make it perfectly."
Suo's ears flushed red. He mumbled something and stood to leave, but Huo Feng called after him:
"Wait! Won't you help me?
Play me a tune—something to practice with!"
He stopped at the doorway, half-turning.
"Not now," he said softly, almost shyly, before slipping away.
Her eyes followed him until he vanished beyond the door.
When she turned back, she found Wu Xin watching her in silence, his gaze heavy with reprimand—and something else she couldn't name.
But Huo Feng merely smiled, lost in thought, her mind already wandering.
She was trying to recall the secret tea recipe her father once taught her—the one he'd called "the brew of awakening."
Then suddenly, her eyes widened, and she leapt to her feet.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed, radiant with excitement.
"I think… I remember it!"