He was initially against it, but you didn't listen to him. No matter what you did, nothing helped him return to a semblance of life, only an indifferent and cold face was always preserved. Once upon a time, he could spend days drinking and laughing with his friends, but that was so long ago that some of his memories began to turn into fragments that disappeared with each new year.

And you honestly tried to save him, but you knew that the life in him had long since died out. Blade's blood-red eyes, like smoldering coals, are immersed in a thick veil of fog, always looking somewhere into the void between you. There is no light in them, only ashes – the echoes of countless battles, the traces of a path passed through death. He shuns everything bright, everything that contrasts with his existence, saturated with the bitter aroma of destruction.

Love? No, this word seems superfluous to him, alien, incompatible with the empty space that he carries within himself. He is an instrument of destruction, and nothing more. He kept saying this throughout the mission to Lofu Xianzhou, even now, after its end, after the battle with Dan Heng, whom he still calls Dan Feng and wants revenge, the man just stands there, waiting for the moment when he and Kafka can leave Luofu Xianzhou. You knew him differently, you knew him from the Inside out, before he became Mara-stricken, before he killed a lot of innocent people.

Blade was once a very ordinary blacksmith, his name was completely different, and now you see him again and stand in front of him. Your paths parted, but now you're standing next to each other again and not even looking at you. Now he's a criminal, a murderer, and a Stellaron Hunter. He's not an Yingxing anymore.

He is silent, staring at the endless expanse of water. The sea spread out in front of him as a symbol of infinity, the infinity of his pain. His gaze is empty, devoid of emotion. You feel awkward, as if an invisible thread pulls you to him, to this living and at the same time dead shell, to a man doomed to eternal war with himself. He is about to leave Luofu Xianzhou again and with a low probability of ever coming back here again, now he is wanted and not welcome.

General Jin Yuan gave him the opportunity to say goodbye to you, even though the man didn't even see the point in it. The silence was suffocating, but instead of just leaving, you did something stupid. Without further ado, your hand reaches out to him, as if trying to break through his protective shell. Fingers, gentle and timid, as if afraid to frighten away his fragile thoughts, gently squeeze his hand.

Touch. He doesn't move, his gaze is still fixed on the distance. It seems that all hopes have been exhausted, but his fingers squeeze yours with such force that you feel a slight but persistent pain.

"In vain," his voice is rough, harsh, but he doesn't let go of your hand.

The sound of the surf, mercilessly reminding of the boundlessness of the world, drowns out all other sounds, all other voices in his head.

You come closer, stand right in front of him. Finally, he looks down, and in those eyes you see something new, something deeper than just pain. You don't know if it was just a moment or an epiphany, but Blade loosens his grip. His thumb runs slowly over the back of your hand, the touch light but meaningful.

"I can't." his voice is like a confession, a bitter admission of his own inferiority.

"I don't know how to love."

But does this require some special skill, some kind of instruction? After all, love is born in the heart, in the very heart, the existence of which he himself had recently doubted.

You don't hesitate because you know you love him, and that's enough. Your smile is soft and gentle, and you lean over and gently kiss his cheek. He flinches, clenches his fists until the knuckles turn white, and then pulls you to him, burying his face in the curve of your neck.

"I'm scared."