Chapter 145: Dream World Of A Prince
For an unknown span of time, Damain watched himself trekking along a narrow path in a dense forest. During this journey he experienced spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and now he was in his second summer.
Somehow he never questioned a thing or stopped. He just kept walking despite his aching and bleeding feet.
Thankfully, all that hardship came to an end as he reached the edge of the path. Ahead of him stretched a field of flowers of various kinds, with a few rocks protruding from the ground.
On one of them, a familiar figure sat. His limbs and neck were bound with chains rooted into the ground.
"Lin Qui?" Damain called out the name with a gasp.
This was the last person he expected to meet here. But then he paused and looked at himself. He was wearing the same hanfu clothes he had worn during his fight with Duke Haborym.
Lin Qui glanced at him upon hearing his name, shock written across his face, leaving Damain further confused.
"Is this real or am I really dead?" Damain mumbled under his breath.
He watched Lin Qui rise to his feet and approach. The young man walked up to Damian and took him by the hand.
"Sit with me." He requested.
The two walked to the protruding rock and sat side by side, staring at the sky.
"Am I dead?" Damian asked in a low calm voice.
Lin Qui shook his head briefly and explained. "Call this the middle ground. A place of guidance overlooked by the conscience of the previous sin. When you die, the next sin of lust will be interacting with traces of your consciousness recorded everywhere by the sin. Not me. That’s why it’s so beautiful."
Damian listened with genuine interest and was surprised to hear this. Beautiful? It felt more like slavery to him. Even after death he would still have to slave away for his successor.
"Its not slaving away, dummy. it’s guiding the next generation." Lin Qui responded to his thought and Damain flinched.
He checked his mind and stared around this world curiously. A world where everything about him was revealed to Lin Qui’s consciousness.
"So how often can I come here?" He asked.
"Ooh, it’s yours, you can come here as often as you want. In fact, I spent most of my time here every night. All you need to do is enter a deep sleep and you will find your way back here." Lin Qui shrugged with a smile.
Only now did Damain’s nerves begin to calm. He stared at the clear sky briefly and a small smile played on his lips. At least now he knew his status.
"So how has it been going for you so far?" Lin asked.
Damian let out a defeated sigh and looked toward the sky. He kept thinking of the right word that would best describe his experience with these powers and all he could think of was...
"A mess..." He sighed. "I really can’t understand what I’m doing anymore."
Lin Qui chuckled at his words. Such a vague explanation was Damain’s way of saying wife problems without saying it.
"You don’t have to doubt your wives intentions. They will live and die for your honor. They always have you in mind."
Lin Qui said, only to receive an accusing stare from Damian.
"Are you for real?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "This has nothing to do with intent. Its all about respect. I can’t ignore it if my wives don’t respect me because of my age and race."
Lin Qui simply watched him pour out his heart with a small smile. It reminded him of all the fights he had with just Hazel after he married her. It took both of them a decade to learn how to communicate properly.
"Good things take time. What you want is not something that can be built in two months. Love, fight and make up with an open heart because they are all you’ve got and you are all they have. They are the only ones you can trust in this life."
Lin Qui advised with a deep, profound gaze. These words left Damain stunned and inspired at the same time. The last line made his blood boil with agitation.
Forgetting his family problem and looking at his brother’s life, he realized that fractured companionship was his only source of joy in his new life.
"Fight them, be annoyed at them. What the heck, don’t speak to them for a day or two if you have to but don’t hate them." Lin Qui added upon seeing Damain respond positively to his words.
From there the discussion flowed smoothly as they talked about each of them and what they loved about them.
Damain didn’t find it surprising that Lin Qui’s favorite would be Hazel. He always felt the most loved when he was around her. The only reason Racheal held a higher spot in his heart was because she was the only one of the three he could share his deep thoughts with after a long day of struggles.
Regardless, all his wives were amazing in their own ways, so he couldn’t be happier. It was the little things here and there that rocked their relationship.
Damain quickly decided he needed to have another discussion with them as soon as this was over.
"Thank you for everything." He thanked Lin Qui.
The latter just shook his head and waved off his thanks.
"I’m glad to help. It’s the least I can do since I’m the one who asked you to protect them." Lin Qui smiled.
Damian nodded back at him, his dull eyes brimming with life again. He finally found the urge to fight for his family again and make it whole again. But then, he remembered he just finished fighting Duke Haborym, a demon they specifically asked him to avoid.
His face went pale at the thought of Ruby’s furious face.
"I think I’ll be heading back now. I have a war to wage at home." He chuckled bitterly and Lin Qui laughed out loud.
"Hahaha, go ahead, go ahead. I’ll be here whenever you need me." He promised.