Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Shattered Bonds of Fate
The Su Family Manor, which had always pulsed with pride and strength, was now covered in a heavy silence… as if it were an eternal mourning.
News of Su Ling's fall had spread throughout the continent, but within the walls of this manor, its impact was different. It was like a direct stab into the heart of the family.
Inside the grand hall, Su Tian, Su Ling's father, sat on his ivory throne. But he was not sitting as he once did. He was no longer the strong man before whom clans stood in respect.
He was now a broken man.
His hands were stiff as he held the letter that had reached him, his eyes fixed, unable even to read the words that told of his only son's death.
His only son… who was the pride of the family… who was the heir… who was his dream and source of strength… was dead!
Slowly, the letter slipped from his hand, falling to the ground silently, yet to his ears, it sounded like thunder.
He did not speak. He did not cry. He did not rage.
He only sat there… helpless.
His eyes burned with deadly black flames, his fist clenched, and tears shimmered at the corners of his eyes. But he was not crying out of weakness… but out of hatred!
"My son… my only child… Who killed my son? Who dared to take your life from me?!"
He struck the wall with his fist—the entire wall exploded!
But the one who couldn't endure it was his wife, Su Ling's mother.
"Noooooooooooo!!!"
She screamed, her voice tearing through the silence of the manor. She collapsed to her knees, pounding the floor with her fists, her tears falling endlessly.
"This is a lie… This can't be true! My son… my dear child… Ling'er!!!"
She ran towards the letter lying on the ground, grasping it with trembling hands, pressing it against her chest as if trying to embrace him through it.
"You promised me… You promised you would never leave! You told me you would return stronger… You said you would make our family great… So how… how can you leave me like this?!!"
But the letter did not respond.
Because her son would never return.
In the corner of the hall, Su Mi stood, her body stiff, her face as pale as the dead.
Everyone was crying, screaming, wailing… but she alone remained silent.
Her gaze was completely lifeless.
Her lips trembled, her hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her skin, drawing blood… but she didn't care.
In her heart, Su Ling wasn't just a brother.
He was the only person she had ever truly loved… The only man who had embraced both her weakness and her strength… The one who made her believe that there was someone worth living for.
But now…
He was gone.
"Su… Ling…"
"No… This is impossible… Nooo!"
Su Mi collapsed to the ground, her hands trembling as she read the letter sent to the family. Her black eyes filled with tears she could no longer hold back.
"Brother… My brother won't die… You're lying… aren't you?!"
She screamed in a broken voice, clutching the paper as if she could burn it with her pain.
She whispered his name, her voice barely audible, as if she feared saying it would make it the final truth.
Her dark eyes finally filled with tears, but they did not fall.
Because they were not just tears of sorrow…
They were tears of hatred, resentment, and an uncontrollable thirst for revenge.
"It's just a nightmare… My brother will return… He'll come back to me!"
But the Su Family Manor remained silent, as if grief itself had manifested within its walls.
"Brother… Ling… why?! You promised me… You promised you'd never leave!"
Her eyes were filled with emotion, but she wasn't just a sister mourning her brother…
She was a girl who had lost the man she loved more than anything in this world.
She was ready to do anything… but she hadn't even been able to tell him how she felt.
She slammed her fist against the floor—a massive force erupted from her body!
The marble beneath her cracked apart, and a powerful aura surged from her, threatening to destroy everything.
Deep within the Turtle Clan, a beautiful woman sat inside one of the clan's palaces—the Water Hall Palace…
She was Su Ling's teacher, the wise and elegant woman who had taught him since his childhood.
She stood there motionless, her closed eyes unable to stop the silent tears that streamed down her face.
"That boy…" Teacher Xuan whispered in a hoarse voice, her hands trembling against her wooden staff.
She remembered the first time she met him, his stubborn smile, his unwavering determination.
"How can the world be this cruel?" she murmured.
In her right hand, she held a torn piece of his black robe—the last thing that remained of him.
"Su Ling…"
His name was nothing more than a whisper on her lips, but inside her, it was a storm raging through her heart, mercilessly shattering it.
She wasn't just his teacher… she was the woman who had loved him in silence.
She had always stood by his side, watched him grow, overcome hardships, smile despite the pain… yet she had never been able to say a word.
She always thought there was enough time, that the days would grant her a chance to confess what lay in her heart… but she was wrong.
She closed her eyes, and the memories rushed over her like raging waves…
"Xuan, do you think I'll reach the peak one day?"
He was sitting beside her under a cherry blossom tree, and that smile… the one that stole her heart from the beginning, shone as brightly as the sun.
She had laughed back then and said, "If you believe you will, then who am I to say otherwise?"
But now, he was gone… and he would never smile at her again.
She opened her eyes, a single tear sliding down her cold cheek, yet she didn't wipe it away… she no longer had the strength to.
Suddenly, the earth trembled beneath her feet, and spiritual energy erupted wildly from her body…
The entire world felt it!
Xuan had always been a calm, composed, and serene woman… but now, she was something else entirely.
She was a lost soul who had lost her reason for existence!
Her gaze lifted toward the sky, and she screamed in an anguish unlike anything the heavens had ever heard.
"Oh cruel world… WHY?! WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME?!"
"Why didn't you give me the chance to tell him… that I loved him?!"
In that moment, the clouds shattered, and the rain poured down violently.
Her black hair suddenly transformed into a brilliant shade of blue—her unique physique, the Heart of Water, had awakened!
Then, as she stood in the midst of the raging storm, she whispered in a broken, fragile voice…
"If I had known this would be the end… I would have never hesitated to say it from the start…"
But now… there was no one left to hear her.
No one left to answer her.
Deep within the Gu Family Palace, in a room that had always been elegant and orderly… everything had been destroyed.
The tables were overturned, the windows frozen, the chandeliers suspended in the air, covered in ice, and in the midst of it all…
Gu Yue sat on the ground, her hands coated in frost, her tears freezing before they could touch the floor.
She couldn't even scream… she couldn't even breathe properly.
"Our wedding was supposed to be in a month… I was supposed to stand by his side…"
Her glistening eyes were filled with tears, yet she could do nothing but drown in regret.
"I was a coward… I was a fool… Why didn't I tell him? Why didn't I let him know that I loved him?!"
She clutched her chest, the pain was stronger than any wound, harsher than any battle she had ever fought.
Then… an explosion of icy energy erupted from her body. The ground beneath her turned into pure ice, and the walls cracked under the deadly cold she unleashed.
He was supposed to sleep here beside her after their wedding… but he no longer existed.
He was dead.
Suddenly, she felt her breath hitch, as if something invisible was crushing her heart violently. Her hands trembled, then she collapsed to her knees in the middle of the room, her eyes widening in devastating shock.
"No… No… This can't be real…"
She whispered in a trembling voice, then placed a hand over her chest where she felt a black hole of agony tearing her apart from the inside.
There were words stuck in her throat, words she had never said to him…
"You idiot… why didn't you stay alive?! Why did you leave me?! I was… I was…"
She had loved him.
But she had never said it… not even once.
She could no longer hold herself back. A scream tore through the deadly silence of the palace.
A terrifying wave of ice burst from her body, freezing the walls, shattering the mirrors, and covering the scattered dust in crystallized frost.
"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!!!"
Her voice was a mixture of rage and despair, of love and regret, of the helplessness that had completely shattered her.
Everything around her began to break… just like her heart.
She knew she was stubborn… She thought there was enough time… She believed she could remain a little arrogant, make him chase after her a bit more, make him suffer just a little before she finally admitted her love for him.
"We were supposed to get married…" Gu Yue whispered.
Her voice was barely audible, as if she were speaking to herself, as if she were trying to convince her own heart that this was not just an illusion.
Just one month ago… she had worn her wedding dress in this very room, pretending she didn't care, but deep inside, she had been dreaming of that day.
But fate did not grant her that chance.
"He's gone… gone forever." Gu Yue said.
She started trembling, her lips turning a pale shade of blue due to the uncontrolled icy energy that erupted from her body. In that moment, she looked at her shaking hands, then clenched them tightly.
If she wasn't strong enough to protect him…
Then she would become strong enough to avenge him!
She suddenly stood up, her blue eyes frozen solid, yet deep within them… there was something else.
A cold flame of hatred!
"Su Ling… I'm sorry… but I won't cry anymore." Gu Yue declared.
She stretched out her hand, and in an instant, the air around her froze, ice crystals swirling through the room, forming a dazzling storm.
At the center of that raging blizzard, Gu Yue stood, her eyes glowing with an unshakable resolve.
"I will become stronger… even if I have to tear this world apart with my own hands!"
And at that moment… Gu Yue changed forever.
——————————————————————————————————————
To my dear readers,
I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for the delay in posting the recent chapters. I am a high school student, and right now we are in exam season, which makes it difficult for me to write.
(Number of words in this chapter: 1,865 words)
I know that writing is tiring and difficult, but reading is easy and enjoyable. Your support through ratings and comments will ignite my passion for writing, and I will work harder to entertain you even more.
I truly appreciate your continuous patience, and I promise that I will return stronger soon. Thank you for your understanding and loyalty. Your support means a lot to me, and I hope you will continue to stay with me on this literary journey, encouraging me to keep writing.
Best regards,
[Ss1000101]
———😘——-