Herrscher of Reason Arc: A Gift

When "Gu Ji" opened her eyes again, she was looking down from a height at a group of people.

Her expression was cold, her gaze sharp, but only Gu Yan knew she was actually thrilled, incredibly excited.

She had found her "brother."

Looking at that person, Gu Yan froze. Even though he remembered nothing, in that instant, upon seeing that person's eyes, he was utterly certain: that was him.

How could it be… me?

His mind reeled, almost falling out of the scene.

He couldn't tell if the feeling was bitter or happy.

But a sharp pain jolted Gu Yan back to awareness. He had never felt pain like this, even after sharing with the girl.

The discomfort in his body was far less than during experiments, but his heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. A wave of grievance washed over the girl's heart.

Her brother had just stabbed her.

He was her only "family." Besides God, whose whereabouts were unknown, he was the only one the girl cared about.

But he held a knife, confronting her.

Gu Yan was equally confused. Why had it come to this? She was someone so important to him!

Don't hurt her, she doesn't mean to harm you.

But no one could hear his voice.

The girl had become much stronger. In her eyes, her brother was just being a bit rebellious.

It's fine, being stabbed once didn't hurt that much.

Gu Yan naturally understood her thoughts and feelings. His heart was a mix of emotions, but mostly, he felt heartache for "Gu Ji."

"Gu Ji" protected herself with thorns and claws, reserving her last shred of vulnerability for him.

Why am I completely unaware?

Because he was human. That was the answer.

Gu Yan had been observing this battle the entire time.

"He's too weak!" the girl thought, and Gu Yan could sense it.

Indeed, to her, he was too weak. If she hadn't been worried about hurting him, the fight would have been over long ago.

"I'll scare him a little, teach him a lesson." She found an opening and thrust her weapon forward, but the other party didn't dodge.

The girl's pupils constricted, and she instantly tensed, quickly shattering her weapon.

"Why didn't you dodge, you idiot!"

"Good thing I didn't hurt him."

However, the girl soon understood his intention.

Trading injury for injury?

Gu Yan gave a bitter smile. So, the conflict between him and "Gu Ji" had reached this point.

But that wasn't him now.

He understood "Gu Ji's" feelings and knew her thoughts. He wouldn't hold a knife to hurt this pitiful girl. Towards her, he felt only guilt and pity.

The girl's emotions sank. She didn't swing her weapon again.

"Perhaps, in his eyes, I'm the crazy one."

That's right. "He" indeed thought so.

But the girl wouldn't change. She had to follow God's will. Their connection was also because of God.

The surrounding scene began to shatter. Gu Yan was powerless to resist.

She's so sad, her own brother conflicting with her faith.

"You can't kill me."

Huh?

The scene was gone, and no figures could be seen, yet Gu Yan could hear a voice – "Gu Ji's" voice.

The scene reappeared. Complex emotions flooded Gu Yan's heart again, and his whole body felt intense pain.

"Gu Ji" stood on the back of a giant dragon, facing countless human powerhouses. She was already covered in blood, and the stabbing pain continuously assaulted her consciousness.

At the same time, he understood. God no longer needed her to keep killing. She could go live the life she wanted. She had no regrets towards God.

Strangely, after being tormented by humans and killing countless beings, she still wanted to experience human life. How contradictory.

No, perhaps she just wanted to understand why "he" would do so much for humans, when they were all demons...

It didn't matter anymore. None of it mattered.

Because she was about to die, by his hand, by the hands of humans.

Did God know? Of course, God knew.

This was the destination God had found for her, or rather, this was God's...

...teasing.

Herrscher of Reason, it's time to exit the stage!

[No, no!]

Gu Yan panicked. The girl knew her end. She had killed too many, been wounded too severely, yet she still maintained a detached demeanor.

The Insight Gem appeared in her hand. Gu Yan's gaze froze—

[She wants to end herself!]

He knew her past, her despair, her wails—

He knew she was a pitiable person. Whether she deserved to die or not, Gu Yan didn't want her to die at this moment.

"I wonder if he'll feel any pity for me when he learns his identity later?"

[You don't have to die!]

"Heh, I didn't do anything wrong. What does that idiot do have to do with me?"

But Gu Yan knew she actually cared a lot.

Neither the girl of the past nor the Herrscher of the present had ever feared death.

Blinding light erupted, and the surrounding scene shattered once more.

The dream was over.

"No!"

Gu Yan, who had been slumped over his desk, suddenly shouted and stood up, startling Gu Li beside him.

"Huh?" He froze, looking at the still-open display screen.

He remembered. He remembered everything!

Reality and dreams were both crystal clear in Gu Yan's mind.

The weak, despairing girl, the aloof, detached Herrscher, and himself, who had killed her.

He couldn't quite articulate his feelings, staring blankly at the screen.

After personally experiencing "Gu Ji's" life, he still couldn't judge her. As a human, he would still unhesitatingly join the hunt to surround and kill her.

His sympathy wasn't for the messenger of Honkai, the cruel executioner, but for the girl who had never seen beauty, who had endured wails and despair, yet still showed him gentleness. These two were the same person, so Gu Yan would feel regret, feel guilt, but he wouldn't hold back.

But even so, it was all too late. She was dead.

"Xiao Yan?"

It was long past closing time. Gu Li, who had been waiting for Gu Yan, found him asleep in the office and had been waiting there.

Seeing Gu Yan staring blankly at the screen, she glanced at it too. It was an email, with no content, completely blank except for the name filled in the sender field.

"Who is Morr?" Gu Li asked curiously, but then she turned her head, her curiosity fading, replaced by concern:

"What's wrong?"

The city night was not peaceful, yet sitting in the car, looking at the crowds and traffic passing by through the window, brought an unusual sense of calm.

Gu Yan was like this. The light shone on his face, but it didn't add any color to his daze.

These events couldn't shake him, but they made him realize that the fierce and brutal Herrscher hadn't mocked him, hadn't been hostile towards him, but had been as gentle as possible towards him.

She was worthy of the title "sister."

The two of them had merely fought each other, pushed by a certain pair of hands.

Honkai...

Then why did he know these things? Was it God's twisted sense of humor?

Taking a deep breath, Gu Yan seemed to sense something and looked towards the buildings by the roadside.

A figure sat by the window of a hot pot restaurant, their striking azure blue hair easily noticeable. He noticed the person at once, and the person also looked at him, their expression unreadable against the backlight.

"Sis, stop the car!"

The car slowed down, and before it even came to a complete stop, Gu Yan was already out, rushing towards the hot pot restaurant.

It was her, it was Morr!

As he clearly saw the person's face, his heart filled with anticipation. Would it, would it be...

He quickly stood opposite Morr, unsure how to begin.

"I have something to give you."

"My master instructed me to."