Qiu Ling sighed deeply but forced himself to continue. No matter what, Jing He deserved the truth and the full one at that. He had kept these things for far too long from him and even though he felt that Jing He’s father was mostly to blame for Jing He’s fall because of his unwillingness to let his son make any decisions for himself, Qiu Ling couldn’t deny that his own actions had played a part as well. Now that things had come to this, how could he continue as he had before?

[I don’t know how much time passed. Out there, it is difficult to keep track of the days and weeks elapsing. I only know that it should have been a hundred years at least but likely less than two hundred as I slowly reached the age where I did not grow any longer.]

Yes, at the time that his mother betrayed his father, he had been about three hundred and fifty years old. For a dragon, that was more than halfway to the age when they reached maturity even though it was an age when most of them couldn’t completely control their magic.

More than a hundred years later, that had been different. He had grown into a height that could likely rival that of his father and his command over the elements was excellent. Whether it was air or water, they listened to his call without much effort.

Much to his dismay, the same was true for the earth and fire but he mostly ignored those so-called ‘gifts’ he had received from his mother. Only sometimes, when the night was really dark, would he ignite a small fire somewhere for a semblance of comfort. Of course, sitting alone at a campsite really didn’t make for much of a feeling of home. Oftentimes, he had longed for the slightest bit of company even though he was afraid of it as well.

[At that time, I met the first person in all those years. Frankly, I don’t remember her name or even how exactly she looked. In my memories, I sometimes see her with waves of hair in the color of seaweed and water, and other times, I believe to remember that her hair was bright red like a blazing fire. I can’t tell any longer. Since then, thousands of years have gone by and I have tried hard to forget all about our encounter and the time we spent together.]

It might be uncharitable that he could remember so little but yes, he had buried these thoughts in the deepest parts of his memory. In the beginning, he had likely not dared to recall and later, he simply couldn’t any longer. Much of the memories of those years were like that, maybe because he didn’t dare to think about them too deeply or maybe it was truly only the passage of time that had caused this.

[I still remember how we met though: At that time, I had set up camp at the edge of a small meadow. It was surrounded by forest on both sides and a river passed through there, making it easy to catch fish or go to hunt close by. It was a good spot and I believe I hadn’t moved from there for several weeks already.

That day, I had gone out to hunt. Just when I returned to my camp, I felt the presence of a person close by. My senses had been honed in those years and usually, nothing would surprise me. It was just that I had never thought of meeting another dragon. After all, it had been so long and I had not dared to venture out into their world again, living quietly by myself.

When I turned, she stood on the other side of the river, looking at me in as much surprise as I regarded her with.]

Even this memory was vague. What he remembered the clearest was the instinctive fear that grabbed his heart. As for her … well, he really couldn’t remember. Maybe the light had hit her figure from behind, obscuring the face he couldn’t recall any longer and maybe the setting sun’s light had painted her hair red, making him wonder now if that had been her hair color.

[As soon as I realized just what I was seeing, I dropped the prey I had caught and pulled back into the forest, putting as much distance between us as I could.

It might seem odd to you but I had not had to face another dragon for more than a hundred years and I was afraid, terrified even. I always felt that they would see right through me and see me for what I truly was: somebody with the blood of the demon race, unworthy to live among them. Because of this, I did not dare to stay where one of them was and could only flee when confronted with this possibility. It is a pity that there are people even more stubborn than me in this world.]

He sighed and glanced up at the water mirror again. At this time, there seemed to be a faint smile on Jing He’s lips as if he was wrapped in the embrace of a comfortable dream. Well, it was good if he was. After everything that had happened, his beloved deserved to have something nice, even if it was as illusory as a dream.

Lowering his head back to the scroll, he continued with this story that he had kept quiet since the time it happened.

[She went to search for me in the following weeks and I saw her more than once in that forest. I did not want to leave though as this place was really too convenient and I thought I could simply hide from her better and sooner or later, she would give up. And yet, she never did. And finally, she managed to catch me. I presume what followed wasn’t as bad as I had feared. At the very least, it was not at first.]