A Bitter Fruit (Part Thirty) (Thanks to Cat Zini for the Alliance Leader reward)
It was as if he were watching an inner struggle made manifest.
In the blink of an eye, two Xilaliyas stood at odds, looking ready to fight over who would get to pull him into her arms.
Despite being the one involved, Fu Qian remained unmoved by such devotion. His body didn't move either; he merely watched the show.
As things stood, Xilaliya the First clearly represented who she had been before her thoughts evolved.
A desperate believer who had never been willing to give up, even as her faith crumbled and the masses condemned her.
As for Xilaliya the Second, with her eyes covered, she was undoubtedly the new side of herself that had emerged after endlessly reflecting through this seemingly unending torment.
A more extreme faith, steeped in nihilism.
So this scene before him had probably played out countless times in the real Xilaliya's mind.
"What's the point? You stubbornly persist in numb silence, never asking why you no longer receive a response?"
It was no wonder the Second was the more progressive one. Her verbal attacks were visibly formidable, and she sneered before the other could even reply.
"Or have you seriously considered why, only to end up like everyone else and blame 'Them'?"
"They abandoned us? And now your persistence is meant to remind Them of Their misdeeds?"
And it was no wonder this was self-directed criticism. Every word struck home, cutting to the heart.
"Nonsense! We're no longer favored only because we aren't devout enough—"
Xilaliya the First's face, already devoid of color, had gone as white as wax.
"Is that so? Then you've persisted in this insufficiently devout form of worship for all this time, continuing to offend Them?"
"Then