Inside the cage, Si Yan saw only pain, despair, and then helplessness.
The moment he saw his parents disappear, he was plunged into endless pain and forced to recall his last remaining childhood memories.
Si Yan heard an annoying voice swirling in her mind.
"If it weren't for protecting Jiang Nuo, your mother wouldn't have died."
"If it weren't for Jiang Nuo's background, Gui Ci wouldn't have been discovered by the system, and their plan wouldn't have failed."
" Jiang Nuo is the root of all evil; you should hate him."
Cold sweat streamed down his pale, handsome face. Si Yan kept his eyes tightly shut, unable to use the power that bound him in the cage. No matter how hard he tried to break free, it was to no avail.
After an unknown amount of time, the overwhelming Spiritual Power within his body finally prevailed, and Si Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze towards the darkness extremely cold.
"Nonsense."
Jiang Nuo is utterly innocent.
Hasn't he suffered enough here?
Suddenly, Si Yan noticed that the cage bars were entwined with deep red vines, and red shadows flashed by.
Gui Ci appeared in the cage, her crimson robe trailing to the ground, her long hair tied up with rose branches, and her face, so beautiful it seemed inhuman, exuded endless allure.
He frowned slightly, stopped in front of Si Yan with a puzzled look, and gently waved his fingers around Si Yan's body, absorbing the remaining Dark Power.
It was precisely these things that were constantly interfering with Si Yan's thoughts.
"You are... Si Xun and Yang He's child."
Why are you here?
After all these years, does He still have no intention of letting go of the present world?
Si Yan nodded politely, "Are you Nuonuo's father?"
Gui Ci was even more puzzled. "How did you know?"
Si Yan became even more respectful, " Nuonuo is my boyfriend."
Gui Ci: "..."
Have I been sleeping too much lately? I'm getting all groggy.
What did he hear?!
It took Gui Ci several minutes to process the news, and she was quite angry.
"Did you bring Xiaoqi back?"
Si Yan fell silent, then said in a low voice, " Nuonuo and I have come back to repair the Feng Mountain Dragon Vein."
So this is what meeting the parents is like; it's kind of awkward.
Gui Ci stared at him for a long time, seemingly recalling the past, when he first awakened to self-awareness, and the group of sincere and passionate young men he had met.
"You should go back. Sixty minutes is the limit of human survival here."
Long, pale fingertips traced the blooming roses. Gui Ci withdrew her gaze from Si Yan, saying cryptically, "Don't trust the players too much; you belong to different factions."
"Only by abandoning the humans here can you secure peace in your world."
Before Si Yan could answer, a thick red fog suddenly spread, Si Yan lost consciousness again.
" Gui Ci, you have once again chosen to help humanity."
A static, devoid of any emotion, emanated from the void, like that of a creator.
Gui Ci ignored him and continued to sleep in the darkness. After a long while, he murmured to himself.
"I was just helping Daoran fulfill his last wish."
The rise and fall of humankind has never been related to him.
--
<Congratulations to player Si Yan for completing the hidden quest: Illusory Calamity Cage, random reward: "Rose Petals" - A Gift from the King of Aberrant Monster >
The system's reluctant voice disappeared, Si Yan opened her eyes at the last minute.
Jiang Nuo had already reached the limit of her patience.
Almost the instant Si Yan opened her eyes, a body rushed into her arms.
" Nuonuo..." Si Yan whispered, instinctively hugging his lover tightly. He wanted to tell her what had happened in the Soul Cage, but he noticed that Jiang Nuo was trembling slightly.
Jiang Nuo leaned against Si Yan's chest, tears welling up in her bloodshot eyes, her thick eyelashes concealing all her vulnerability.
She gradually calmed down only after feeling Si Yan's body temperature rise.
"Honey, I'm fine."
Si Yan gently stroked Jiang Nuo's lower back, his voice low and soothing, filled with deep concern, "Look at me, I'm not hurt."
"Why did it take so long? The mission time limit was sixty minutes. Are you really going to stay until the last minute to come back?"
The tears at the corners of her eyes dried in Si Yan's arms, and Jiang Nuo complained aggrievedly, "Why didn't you wait until the last second to come back?"
" Nuonuo, I saw your father in the Soul Cage."
"Oh... ah?" Jiang Nuo poked her head out from under the covers, her eyes still red and wet, and looked at Si Yan in surprise, "Who did you see?"
Its eyes are red, like a rabbit's.
Si Yan smiled, lifted Jiang Nuo's face and kissed her, then pulled her back into his arms and continued, "I saw Gui Ci, and the memories of the previous generation."
He told Jiang Nuo the story he had witnessed, and when he spoke of the baby wrapped in rose petals, Si Yan's tone softened even more, " Nuonuo was very cute when she was little."
But Jiang Nuo only heard about the heartbreaking scene that Si Yan witnessed after everyone had died in battle.
He didn't have such strong feelings for his parents, but Si Yan did.
Jiang Nuo cupped Si Yan's face in her hands. " Si Yan, you look very sad."