Chapter 45: Memory Restored
Life is hectic and more like a rollercoaster ride. You have all the ups and downs, thrilling but dangerous, you face unprecedented moments, and live through unimaginable situations. The decisions you make are difficult and sure to put you through hard a time and some going right by luck. The sorrows are greater than happiness, and the memories made are what's worth to live with. It includes people or things you care for.
In life, you don't easily get to choose and grab what you wish for, and whatever you try to put away stands at your doorstep, at beck and all. All you will do is dream and dream until you realise it or just give up on it. But remember, not everyone has the strength to keep going forward, and more importantly it takes a lot of courage give up than to move on with things that do not work you, after a hundred thousand times worth trials.
To Huo and Aqua, life was just like that. Growing up obediently, with the duties given to them at such a young age, they did more than what others could have performed like. They rebelled in their own way, tried to live for themselves all along, fell in love with each other, a match so perfectly made in heaven. But the universe did not let them be together for long. Fate took the shortest path and killed them both, which neither of them would for once have imagined about, with a child growing in her womb. That's what you call life. With a loving family, a man and the whole heaven to follow behind yet dying in the most ruthless and unfair way, Aqua proved how unprecedented and unpredictable life is, so did he.
Huo'er woke up which he thought was a dream, panting hard, lying in his bed. He wasn't aware of the crystals acting up in his body, unlocking the memories carried into the memory world right at the time Aqua entered as her crystals entered back in her body.
The images were still fresh in Huo's eyes. The school, his shifu, the images of Aqua, the quarrel with Volca, the river banks, their night at the tree hut, the coronation day and the gruesome scenes of their death where Fiona cheated and Aaron killed by Aiden. He could feel his heart exploding, and aching for some reasons. He couldn't contain his emotions nor the pain. He felt tears streaming through his eyes. The world has been so cruel to him, he realized. He kept breathing fast, feeling suffocated.
"Your highness, " Volca called him. "Are you alright?" Fiona was standing right next to her. It has been hours though he did not realise it.
He looked at her, hatred filled in his heart suddenly and wondered for a second if he has been really asleep for this 25 years of his life. Huo'er stretched his hand and the soul sword from his study that he hasn't been using for the past years yielded to him instantly came right into his hands. He realized that his conscious has woken up. He held his sword and plunged into Fiona's heart just like she did to Aqua, but only not from the back but straight at her face.
"Mother," Volca shouted out and held Fiona.
"What the hell are you doing Huo?" she shouted. Instead, Huo got up and put on his hanfu and ran out. He apparated and went back to the river side once again. He searched everywhere and the hut and there was none.
He was desperate and going crazy. He wondered if he should show up in the Water Realm this instant and tried his best in controlling his emotions from doing the funny things that would offend King Aenon. He then realised about the girl he ran into and got even more excited. He connected it and understood why his heart felt so familiar with a girl he couldn't remember. His heart knew though his mind did not.
He kept searching around and then he found it. Just like him, A girl was standing there, panting hard, with her hands on her knees. She was sweating alot and looked really pale. He took his steps towards her and knelt down. He didnt realise it, but he had tears in his eyes again, the pain inside his body killed him. The crystals seemed to be activated. Trying to ignore the aching inside, he bowed down touching his head to the ground. Aqua stood shocked and in tears.
"Am sorry," he said, trembling with tears running down his face. "sorry," Aqua knelt down in front of him and stopped him from apologising to her. She took his hands and touched his face. She shook her head, denying. He then leaned his on hers and stayed for few minutes in silence venting out their emotions. He watched her cry.
"We weren't responsible for anything, it's all over, leave it, it is all in past, past live, let's not ever recall those painful moments, " she said struggling with words as she sobbed, trying to sooth him while her throat ached from controlling the tears. "I wouldn't forgive them, I will never," she said hugging him this time.
"I killed her, I killed Fiona, she won't hurt us ever again," Aqua looked at him in surprise.
"What?" she asked him. "Already, " she let him go.
"I don't know what happened, I was dreaming about me, my life, about us, all of a sudden, memories flowing in my head that hasn't been clear for the past 23 years, When I was woken up, She was standing next to my bed with Volca, and I just," he showed the action and let her understand. "I couldn't bare with it or see her in front of me, a minute longer for her is like a minute shorter for us," he said. Aqua understood that it was her Crystals that got activated carried him to the memory world when she entered herself. She hit his arms and stood up. "Wait," he said as she prepared to leave. He pulled her back. He moved her hairs from the face and looked at her. "If I had, if I had known early, I would have done anything to save our family," he said to her, putting his hand over her womb.
"It's fine, it was all meant to happen probably," She said keeping her hands on top of his on her womb. "I wouldn't have let you go alone for the battle anyway, " she said, smiling at him holding his face in her hands. "Yuri told me about it, my maid, I wasn't aware of it myself even though I was tired and sick constantly since I returned after your coronation, we found out late and she said our baby was of tainlong descend though I didn't know how," she said smiling touching her stomach. " I asked her to keep it a secret afraid of how my parents would react to the news, I didnt expect to die in the middle though," she joked.
"Father was right, they were afraid of us getting together and more importantly what we could create," Huo recalled what Dritan told him. "He said out child would be the most power celestial being, a heir to throne so Tai didn't want it, it wasn't me, it was never me, that's why he wanted to pluck you away and plant in his palace, as his family," Aqua smiled and did not have anything to say back.
"How is he?" Aqua asked him.
"He didn't recover, I couldn't find out what exactly happened to him, they said he lost the battle got severely injured and that no medicines could save him," he told her. "Am sure of who did it," he let go of her. "Go home," Aqua nodded. She had to return soon since she left the palace unnoticed moment she opened her eyes and wanted to check for Huo herself. To see himnwith her own eyes. She just wanted to see if she would he able to meet him by chance and found him. Huo advised her to stay healthy and waited till she left. He himself felt like collapsing down, pretending to he fine in front of her. He stayed still for sometime and apparated back to the castle.
Volca was crying had confused about what had happened holding her mother's body. Huo avoided her and asked the guards to clean up his room and take the body away. He avoided Volca and stayed at the North wing of the castle. Hatred filled each time he thought about how he has been living for the last year guided by Volca and her dreadful mother. He tried his best in controlling his anger from killing his friend, to stay a human recalling his shifu's teachings. He started cultivating as he wa taught and felt the relief instantly. He understood how wrongly he has been being trained by Fiona, keeling him away from the realities.