Xing's POV:
I have been betrayed by the world I thought I knew.
First, it was the woman I loved. I had given my heart to her and thought she felt the same, but she betrayed me for another man, leaving me a broken man. Second, were the nine clans who had sworn to protect each other since time immemorial. Our clan had come to their aid countless times in the past, yet not only did they ignore our pleas for help, but they also secretly plotted against us with the enemy. If not for their betrayal, the Yang clan would still be standing. However, never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be betrayed by my own family.
"She is the daughter of that wench Chrystalla!"
They had kept it a secret from me. That Nox was the child of the woman who broke me, destroyed our clan and sent us into hiding. If not for her, I wouldn't be crippled, grandfather would still be alive, and mother wouldn't be dying. They had known this and still kept it a secret from me.
"No. Never betray me." I mumbled under my breath in realization.
Ping could be right. Chrystalla had gained my trust over time so she could turn around to stab me in the back. Nox could have been trying to do the same when she fixed my legs. She was trying to gain our trust so we would let her near mother, only so she could claim her life.
My family would never hide something like this from me. They must have been fooled by her, like I was Chrystalla. It's the only explanation that makes sense. If only I had known I
"If only I had known. If only I had realized sooner. If only…" I muttered as I thought of all the possible ways I could have prevented this situation.
If only I had picked up on the signs, I could have warned them. Even if it meant never walking again, I would rather that than lose my mother like this. If only I had picked up on the signs. She has Chrystalla's eyes, and silver hair is a rare hair color, but common in the Lunaria bloodline. She was even a mage for crying out loud. Had I realized who she was, I would have made them throw her out, even if it meant breaking my own legs to do so.
Mother will die, and I could have stopped it.
I could feel my world collapsing once again, as I saw my family and friend's distorted faces, as they cursed me with their final breath. Suddenly, I felt a familiar warm embrace, as I was pulled out of the darkness. I looked up to see who it was, but to my surprise.
"Mother?"
"There! There! Mommy's here! Now tell me! Who made my little Xing cry?" Mother said as she patted me on the head affectionately like she did in the past.
This must be a dream. Or was everything up until now a horrible nightmare? I couldn't tell what was real or not as my mind began to play tricks on me. I started hallucinating and hearing things that weren't there as I drifted between dream and reality. One moment, I am being told that the shrunken down Nox in my mother's arms is my long-lost daughter, and the next I am back on the battlefield fighting the eight clan and the Lunaria alongside the distorted versions of my clansmen.
It's almost like back then, after my cultivation was crippled. I started having horrifically vivid nightmares and daydreams. The only difference here is that I can't tell which is a dream and which is reality. However vivid the nightmares were, they were still dreams. In the moment it might make sense as dreams have a way of making the illogical seem logical, but if I calmly analyzed the events, I could tell what is and isn't normal, like seeing a man walk around just fine with his exposed beating heart in his hand is supposed to be abnormal.
But both seem illogical and nonsensical. Nox, who they claim is my long-lost daughter with Chrystalla, has done the impossible and healed mother's injuries from her failed advancement to the heavenly immortal stage before turning into a 5-year-old child. Meanwhile, grandfather's eyeless severed head is floating around telling me and the mangled corpses of my comrades to get ready for the battle with the sages.
I fear I might have lost my mind entirely and neither world is real, or perhaps I died at some point, and this is just what hell looks like. Either way, it seems to be just like the first time, as the two realms have started fusing together as I am now seeing horrific visions of dead relatives amongst the living.
"STOP! HAVE YOU NOT DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE?! WILL YOU NOT STOP UNTIL UNCLE IS COMPLETELY GONE?!" My nephew Feng screamed at the 8-year-old Nox, while a bloodied battlefield was right outside my window.
"Go play doctor somewhere else spoiled sheep! I'm busy! Now eat this dumbass!" Nox said as she handed me a plate of dead green worms.
"DO YOU INTEND TO MAKE UNCLE XING EAT WORMS?! GET OUT OF HERE AND NEVER RETURN!" Feng said, before grabbing the plate and throwing it out the window, hitting my sister in the head as she trudged through the battlefield, before turning towards us.
"WHO THREW THESE WORMS AT ME?!" Ning screamed in anger, while trying to get the dead worms out of her hair.
"He/She did it!" They said in unison as they accused each other.