Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  “You are a genius magus at the number one magus institute in the continent, and at age 15, you were able to have your own private exhibition booth at the Proulx Gallery. By the sound of it, you are very perfect, but because of that perfection, I feel like I can’t see you clearly.”

  Alice’s voice grew lower. “The most important thing is, the two of us are always in separate places. At the beginning, it wasn’t so bad, but as time went on, I got tired. I’m used to always having someone by my side, just like how big brother Kalan is always by my side.”

  After saying all of these things, Alice fell silent.

  Linley was silent as well.

  After a long time passed, enough for the wine to grow cold, Linley spoke. “Alice, do you remember what we once said to each other? I once said to you, I can directly come live with you. But you told me, no. You don’t want to interrupt my training.”

  “But now, you say that I’m never with you?” A very pained smile was on Linley’s face.

  Alice wanted to speak, but there was nothing she could say.

  Everything she had just said was just excuses.

  Looking at Alice, Linley continued. “Alice, do you remember that first time we were together in a hotel, you said to me, you hoped that if my love for you disappeared, I would tell you and wouldn’t hide it from you. You would quietly leave me.”

  Linley suppressed his agitation, forcing himself to remain calm. “Back then, I also said, if you ever feel like you’ve lost your feelings for me, I too would hope that you would tell me directly and not lie to me. I, too, would quietly leave.”

  Alice’s eyes grew moist.

  “It isn’t a big deal that you are now with Kalan. But I wish you didn’t deceive me. For you to now be with Kalan behind my back and not openly explain things to me, to let me continue to harbor hope in my heart, to let me wait for you time and time again….do you know how it feels to wait for someone like that?”

  Linley’s body began to tremble. “September 29th, that was the first day you missed our meeting. I waited from midnight until nearly dawn. Every minute, every second, was hard to endure. When I returned to school, I was thinking, was it because I made you angry the previous time? So I wanted to make you happy. Like an idiot, I went to buy memory crystals to record the scenes of all the places around the Institute. I hoped that when we were not together, when you missed me, you could watch me.”

  “Carrying these two memory crystal balls, in mid-October, I once again went to you, my heart filled with hope. But once again, you weren’t there.”

  “In my heart, I started to grow restless. But I held firm. Because I remember that promise that we made each other. I believed that if you were going to leave me, you would let me know first. That’s why I held firm. The end of October, mid-November, I went as well. But in the end…”

  Linley stood up, regarding Alice with a bitter smile on his lips. “I came again today. But I’m lucky. This time, you didn’t continue to deceive me.”

  The tears were welling up in Alice’s eyes.

  “Big brother Linley-”

  Linley opened up his backpack and removed those two memory crystal balls. As he did so, Linley couldn’t help but think back to how he had gone everywhere in his school to record scenes. Thinking back to it, he felt himself to be such a fool.

  “These two memory crystals, I’ve carried from the Ernst Institute to Fenlai City four times now. But now…they are meaningless.”

  Linley was holding a memory crystal ball in each hand. Those two crystal balls suddenly collided….

  “Smash!”

  Countless cracks appeared on the surface of each crystal ball. Linley’s hands went limp, and the two crystal balls dropped to the floor. “Crash!” With a splintering sound, they each split into over ten pieces, rolling about on the floor of the hotel. The splintering sound was very clear and high, and caused all the patrons of the hotel to turn and look at them.

  Alice could no longer restrain her tears, which began to pour down her face.

  “Big brother Linley, in the future, will we still be friends?” Tears blurring her vision, Alice raised her head to look at Linley.

  On his feet, Linley looked at Alice, but he didn’t answer her question. After a while, a faint smile appeared on his face. “Alice, if I’m not mistaken, we started our relationship on November 29th of last year. Today is also November 29th. It’s been a full year. Thank you. At least you’ve given me some beautiful memories.”

  Suddenly turning, Linley directly left via the front door of the hotel.

  The entire hotel was silent. Kalan, previously in a corner, hurriedly ran over to Alice. As he did so, he ran over and stepped on some pieces of the shattered crystal balls. The crystalline sounds of the memory crystals being further shattered echoed in the hotel.

  “Alice, are you okay?” Kalan embraced Alice comfortingly.

  But by this time, Alice had been reduced to a puddle of tears. Despite being in Kalan’s arms, she still turned her head to watch as Linley departed. At this moment, in her mind, she began replaying every moment she had spent with Linley, but Alice knew….

  From this moment onwards, Linley would never treat her like that again. Perhaps he would never see her again.

  …..

  The Fragrant Pavilion Road was covered with white snow, and some snowflakes still fluttered about in the air.

  Walking on the Fragrant Pavilion Road, Linley’s shadow seemed very desolate. Raising his head to look at the sky, Linley allowed the snow to cover his face with a layer of coldness. Right now, Linley’s heart was trembling. He couldn’t help but fiercely clutch at his chest.

  His heart hurt. Deeply.

  The pain penetrated his heart!

  Within Linley’s mind, one moving scene after another floated through his consciousness.

  That set of violet clothes. That beautiful, spirit-like appearance under the moon.

  Hiding in the corner of the balcony, warmly talking to him in soft tones.

  While the snow flew about, she had hidden her face bashfully in his chest.

  At the hotel, she had lain coquettishly in his embrace.

  …..

  Linley had once believed that he would forever be together with Alice. But today, his dream was shattered. And with it, Linley’s resilient, tough heart shattered as well.

  “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

  Standing in the middle of the Fragrant Pavilion Road, Linley couldn’t refrain from letting out a pain-filled howl. That howl was like the howl of a wolf separated from his pack, a howl of desolation, of despair. All the people nearby looked at him in shock, and all of them slowly backed far away from him.

  These people all looked at him as though he were an idiot.

  Two rivers of tears flowed down silently from Linley’s face.

  Idiot. He really was an idiot.

  An idiot who believed in promises!

  “Smash!” Linley suddenly, painfully, knelt to one knee, clutching his chest hard.

  His heart hurt. Hurt so bad, it was as though it had been stabbed with needles.

  Hurt so much, even his hand started to hurt. Hurt so much his ten fingers had lost all feeling. Linley could only tightly clutch at his chest with his hands. It seemed as though this was the only way he could lessen the pain.

  “Haha!”

  Tears flowing down his face, Linley suddenly stood up and started laughing wildly. Laughing at his own stupidity. Laughing at his naiveness.

  At this moment…

  That savage pain in his heart caused Linley to begin coughing, so hard that he felt like his chest was being stabbed by knives. But Linley continued to cough, so hard that he curled up in the street like a caterpillar.

  “Cough, cough!”

  With a particularly vicious cough, a mouthful of bright, fresh blood was splattered onto the snow.

  Staring at the fresh blood on the snow, Linley suddenly felt that this blood was like a rose, a blood-colored rose. In Linley’s mind
, he couldn’t help but think back to an image from a year ago, an image of Alice holding a red rose.

  “The moon’s reflection in the water, the flower in the mirror, the man in a dream. In the end, all of it is illusionary, is reduced to nothingness. Haha…” Linley began laughing wildly on the Fragrant Pavilion Road, as though no one else was there. But his laughter was so desolate…

  Doehring Cowart, dressed as ever in his snow-white robes, stood quietly by Linley’s side. He didn’t speak, only looked sadly at Linley. In his heart, he sighed, “Oh, Linley…in the end, you’re still just a kid.”

  This year, Linley was only sixteen years old.

  “Third Bro!”

  Suddenly, a frantic shout could be heard. Yale, Reynolds, and George all ran over from not too far away. It wasn’t too far from this place to the Fragrant Pavilion Road, and so the three of them had also noticed Linley standing in the middle of the road. Upon seeing Linley spit out a mouthful of blood, all of their faces changed.

  “Third Bro, are you okay?”

  “Linley.”

  George, Yale, and Reynolds all hurriedly propped Linley up.

  Linley looked at his three bros. He minutely shook his head. “I’m fine. Don’t be worried about me.” Linley looked up at the sky. “In the past, I liked the snow. But now, I feel as though the snow is very desolate, very cold.”

  “You guys can stay here. I’m going back.” After speaking these words, Linley headed directly towards the end of the Fragrant Pavilion Road.

  Yale, Reynolds, and George all looked at each other, their eyes filled with concern and worry. And then, all three of them chased after Linley…

  That day, the snow continued to fall. Gradually, that rose-shaped stain of blood was covered up by the snow, with no traces of it left behind.

  Book 4, The Dragonblood Warrior – Chapter 13, Ten Days, Ten Nights

  Upon returning to the Ernst Institute, Linley just got his usual backpack from his room, then directly headed to the mountain behind the Ernst Institute. Within the backpack, there was just his clothes, his magicrystal card, and a straight chisel.

  “Second Bro, Fourth Bro, watch after Third Bro.” Yale instructed.

  George and Reynolds both nodded. They, too, were worried about Linley.

  “Boss, what are you going to do?” Reynolds asked.

  Yale’s eyes flashed with a frozen look. “Me?”

  “I’m going to investigate and see why Alice, that blind girl, decided to betray Third Bro. And I’m going to see what little bastard dared to steal my bro’s woman.” As he spoke, Yale stood up. “I’m heading to Fenlai City right now. You guys help me take care of Third Bro.”

  “Got it.” Reynolds and George nodded.

  And then, Yale left, taking with him his clan’s guardsmen, heading directly out of the Ernst Institute to Fenlai City. As for Reynolds and George, in the middle of this icy winter night, they hastened to the mountain behind the Ernst Institute.

  ……

  Riding a fine stallion, Yale led his guards charging across the snowy plains. Quite soon, they returned to Fenlai City. Upon entering the city, Yale headed directly to one of his clan’s headquarters in Fenlai City.

  This was a nine-floor building, a famous hotel in Fenlai City.

  Behind the hotel, there were a number of small buildings that were not open to the public. Yale directly charged into a smaller, two-floor tall red building. As he did, five extravagantly dressed middle-aged men came out. Upon seeing Yale, they all respectfully called out in union, “Young master Yale!”

  “Walt [Hua’te], where is my Second Uncle?” Yale immediately asked.

  Amongst the five middle-aged men, there was one named Walt. He was the only one of them dressed in long black robes. Walt respectfully replied, “His lordship returned to our main headquarters seven days ago. For now, the affairs in the Holy Union are under my management.”

  Walt knew very well that ever since this second young master became a pupil of the Ernst Institute, his position within the clan’s hierarchy had skyrocketed.

  Yale was not like one of the ordinary clan members, because Yale was in the direct line of descent. Even Walt’s highest supervisor, the ‘Second Uncle’ in charge of all of the affairs of the Holy Union, wouldn’t dare to be discourteous to Yale.

  “Young master Yale, if you have anything you need handled, please just let me know.” Walt said respectfully.

  Yale was quiet for a moment, then gave direct instructions. “Go and do some investigations for me. On Fenlai City’s Dry Road, there is a girl called Alice. She should be sixteen years old this year. She’s also a student of the Wellen Institute. Recently, she’s been together with a man. Provide me with all of the information regarding this man.”

  “Yes, young master Yale.” Walt smiled slightly. “Young master Yale, do you like this Alice? If you do, then I can…”

  “No need.” Yale’s face was cold and dark. “What I need is information, as fast as you can provide it. Understood?”

  “Yes.” Walt could sense that this young master Yale seemed to be truly enraged this time.

  …..

  That same night. Candles flickering.

  Yale was sitting at a table, pouring himself a cup of wine, his face unhappy. But clearly, his mind was elsewhere and not on the wine.

  Suddenly, urgent footsteps could be heard. Walt suddenly hurried inside, along with a woman in her 20’s who looked as cold as ice. Upon entering the room, Walt bowed respectfully. “Young master Yale, we have clearly investigated this Alice and her male friend.”

  “Speak.” Yale said coldly.

  Walt looked at that cold woman, who bowed respectfully. “Young master Yale, that Alice has two male friends. The first one is named Linley Baruch, who was born in Wushan Township…”

  “Stop. Discuss the second one.” Yale frowned.

  “Alice’s current boyfriend is named Kalan Debs. He was born in Fenlai City, and is currently seventeen years old. He’s a student at the Wellen Warrior Academy, a warrior of the fifth rank! This Debs clan is a major clan in the Kingdom of Fenlai, and Kalan Debs will be the direct successor to the clan leader.”

  “Kalan Debs…the Debs clan?” Yale frowned. “Just a small clan within a kingdom?”

  Walt, seeking to ingratiate himself with Yale, said, “In the Kingdom of Fenlai, the Debs clan can be considered a major clan. But of course, in the Yulan continent as a whole, it can only be considered a very unremarkable little clan.”

  “Oh. I want to severely punish this Debs clan. What would you recommend?” Yale looked at Walt.

  “That’s easy!”

  Walt began to laugh. “Young master Yale, you don’t know this, but this Debs clan is actually the working partner of our Dawson Conglomerate here in Fenlai. In the Kingdom of Fenlai, the Dawson Conglomerate makes the big money, while their Debs clan gets some of our scraps. After all these years though, those scraps have fattened up the Debs clan.”

  “Oh, this Debs clan is actually the working partner of our Conglomerate here in the Kingdom of Fenlai?” A hint of a smile appeared on Yale’s face.

  Walt nodded. “Yes, young master Yale. You should know very well that our Dawson Conglomerate doesn’t seek to gain all the benefit from every single trade. In the Four Great Empires and in the dozens of various kingdoms, we always have a working partner. Naturally, we have to give them some benefit as well.”

  Yale nodded.

  He knew this very well. The Dawson clan controlled the Dawson Conglomerate, which was one of the three titanic trading unions in the Yulan continent. Even the Four Great Empires and the two alliances did not dare to look down on them. This was the reason why Yale was able to enroll in the Ernst Institute.

  Behind the Ernst Institute was the Radiant Church. On the surface, they claimed that the enrollment standards were fair and open.

  How could an ordinary clan manage to get someone in through the backdoor of the Radiant Church?

  The creed of t
he Dawson Conglomerate was this: “When there’s money to be made, everyone gets a share.”

  In the Four Great Empires, the two alliances, and the various other kingdoms and duchies, the Dawson Conglomerate always would have some trading partners, and would allow them to make some profit as well.

  To be able to work alongside the Dawson Conglomerate was the same as getting on top of a massive money-making war machine. In the Kingdom of Fenlai, the Debs clan only get a small fraction of what the Dawson Conglomerate made, but it was enough to make them fabulously wealthy by the standards of the Kingdom of Fenlai.

  “Young master Yale, there are always many clans in the Kingdom of Fenlai who clamor to replace the Debs clan as our local partner here. The only reason we still work with the Debs clan is because they have been fairly decent partners, which is why we haven’t given any other clans the opportunity.” Walt smiled.

  Yale understood Walt’s intentions.

  “Immediately change our local partner here in the Kingdom of Fenlai. As for the Debs clan? Suppress them!” Yale’s voice was as cold as ice.

  “Yes, young master.” Walt replied respectfully.

  This was nothing more than an issue of working partners in a small kingdom. Even Walt, who was just the second-in-command of the Dawson Conglomerate here in Fenlai, had the authority to make this decision. Much less Yale, a clan member who was in the principal family branch.

  “Poor Debs clan.” Walt secretly said to himself.

  …..

  In the mountain behind the Ernst Institute, the snow covered everything with a layer of silvery white clothes. Within the dense trees, there were some large stones. At an empty spot in the mountain, Linley was standing quietly, eyes closed, on top of one of those giant stones.

  The Shadowmouse, Bebe, was next to him, standing in the snow, quietly protecting Linley.

  George and Reynolds looked at each other with concern.

  “George. What is Linley doing? He’s been standing there on that boulder for a full day and night now. When we call out to him, he has no response. And he hasn’t eaten or drank anything. If this continues…” Reynolds was starting to grow frantic.