The power of memories

The assassin wiped the sweat from her forehead, exhausted. She had spent hours getting the soul under her control. She still hadn't completely succeeded, and Hye Qian was getting impatient. In countless years she had perfected the art of questioning. But even she found it difficult to tame a person who did not have the greatest contributor to pain, a body that could be hurt. The torture of a soul required to make it relive the most terrible memories or dreams over and over again, or to encourage secret fears. This was exactly what the Whisper Shell was capable of. But Yan Da's soul was either very resilient, or the former Fire Princess had some tricks up her sleeve to escape the influence of the ancient magical artifact.

It is really strange. The Yan Da I know almost drowned in the hot tub, so she was clearly affected by the shell's magic. What is so different about this Yan Da? Is she really that much older and more powerful? The assassin snorted angrily. She wasn't going to give up so easily. She would give the soul some rest, luring her in thinking that the danger was over. And then, when Yan Da didn't expect it, she would strike again with full force…

Xian Xue had a dream ... or was it a sweet memory he had somehow forgotten over his long life? He was flying with his soulmate. She had turned into a phoenix, and sailed over the Endless Sea with him. She was so alive. Her wings bathed in the nightsky. Her fiery power made him proud, and he longed for being closer to her. Soon, he would build a nest with his chosen one, he felt it in his heart. She wouldn't reject him, would she? After all, he had given her his only treasure – his heart.

A gust of wind drove the female bird away from him. He saw her struggling to fight it, but in vain. The phoenix sank lower and the waves became as big as mountains. It was as if the Endless Sea itself rose to devour her. He watched, helplessly panicking, as his partner broke through the surface of the water, her light a rapidly weakening red spark in the blackness of the sea. He wanted to follow her, but the same wind that had dragged loved one down lifted him high up in the air. His heart was racing with shock and anger, and he called out for her with his hoarse cry. One last time the spark underwater seemed to light up, before it finally went out. The goddess of the Phoenix had drowned.

His eyes searched feverishly the Endless Sea. He wouldn't accept it. He wouldn't stop hoping. She couldn't be dead. After all, she was the living magic of creation. Nature itself would rise and change the wheel of fortune for her. The hope in his heart burned hot. It was the only thing that prevented him from killing himself in order to end the terrible loneliness in his heart. Then he heard it. A song rose over the sea. It was her voice, that gave him strength. He listened carefully, and suddenly it all made sense. To gain something is to lose something.

Late at night the Snow Bird Spirit woke up from his deep sleep. It took a moment before his eyes got used to the weak light around him. He could make out Ying Kong Shi's figure lying next to him, soundly asleep. But somehow his descendant seemed to sense his awakening. He opened his eyes and gently grabbed Xian Xu's arm. "How are you?" Xian Xue tried to straighten up, but his head hurt too much. Slowly, he felt for his temple with his fingers. He could feel the thick bandage that Huang Tuo had put around his head. "Xian Xue, we found you on Cherry Blossom Island, unconscious with quite a head wound. Do you remember what happened?" Xian Xue thought for a moment and shook his head. He immediately regretted it, as bright flashes started to whirl before his eyes. Groaning, he fell back on the bed.

"I wish I could. I wanted to fly up in the sky. But something was stopping me. Why did I fall?" Suddenly his eyes widened in shock, and he yelled out. "Yan Da!" Ying Kong Shi had to grab the Bird Spirit by the shoulders who trembled like aspen leaves. "Xian Xue, listen up, she's fine, she's sleeping in her room. But if you go on like this, your wound will start bleeding again. Please calm down!" Xian Xue stared at him, and he swallowed hard. He nodded slowly, forcing himself to inhale and exhale. "Ying Kong Shi, please listen carefully. I'm not talking about your Yan Da, I'm talking about mine." When he saw the irritated look of the Ice Prince, he quickly hastened to correct himself. "I mean the version of Yan Da that was with you on planet earth. The assassin found a way to remove her sleeping soul from the Magic Cube. I tried to reach and warn Yan Da. Unfortunately, since yesterday, the Assassin has used the Whisper Shell on her and is trying to drive Yan Da insane by forcing her to relive her worst memories.

I tried to come to her aid and formed a barrier with my mind. The spell of the Whisper Shell has held me captive, forcing me to relive my own fears and worst memories. But suddenly the spell stopped. I think the assassin has withdrawn for the time being. But I'm sure he or she won't leave Yan Da's soul alone for long. That evil person will definitely try again to drive Yan Da insane." Ying Kong Shi stared at his ancestor, and took a deep breath.

"I see. The assassin wasn't able to kill Yan Da directly. So now he or she is trying to turn her older soul into a weapon by depriving her of all hope and rationality. As soon as the souls of the two Yan Das merge into one, the Yan Da from this world will collapse under the chaos of feelings and memories of her much older part. In this madness, Yan Da may lose control, maybe even see us as enemies. As I know her, she will try to burn everything down or she will try to harm herself to escape the horror. And the power of the Whisper Shell is likely to block any attempt to get through to her." Xian Xue nodded, this time more cautiously. "I have to admit that this is exactly my concern. Ying Kong Shi, I'm not blaming you. But the Yan Da that I found in the Limitless Space of the Fire Tribe was indeed a battered soul.

She had heard your last words and her soul was so happy that you returned her love. But when I tried to convince her to come back with me to life, she really refused at first. Yan Zhu had persuaded her that there would never be another fate for both of you in which you wouldn't be forced to deceive one another. She told me she would love you forever, but she wouldn't be able to live another life which made you both enemies again. And she was also very afraid of how you would react to her. She suspected that you would keep your distance despite your confessed love. Let me share a memory of the time in the energy stream with you, as Yan Da can explain it best." Gently, he touched Ying Kong Shi's head, and the Ice Prince dived in a memory of his ancestor. He could see Yan Da and Xian Xue sitting in a magical illusion of the Snow Fog Forrest. The worries were written on her face as she looked sadly at Xian Xue.

"Ying Kong Shi holds himself responsible for all the bad things that ever happened in his many lives. That's why his guilt will always have him in its grip. Xian Xue, as long as I knew him, he never developed any other dream than saving his brother. He never included any other love in his plans. I can offer him nothing he desires, and in the end, he will abandon me again." Xian Xue shook his head, and took her hand. "Yan Da, do you remember the day you saved his life in the Bear Clan? You gave him nearly all of your spiritual energy. Since that day, he felt your life within himself. Don't you think that he knew you did it out of love? He told you back then, that he would repay you one day. And he did, when he resurrected you in the other dimension. But that wasn't the whole of it. Do you think Ying Kong Shi would have left you behind, had his plan succeeded? He wanted to go back to the Ice Fantasy World, to correct all that went wrong. And that includes your status as enemies, too. He planned to prevent the war with the Fire Tribe, in marrying you." Yan Da stared in disbelief. "This is a nice story, ancestor. But honestly, when did Ying Kong Shi's plans ever work out the way he planned them to be? As you two are one, I have deep doubts, that your attempt to change our fates will work out better than his."

The scene vanished, and before Ying Kong Shi could say anything, Xian Xue started to speak. "Don't forget. The Yan Da you just watched was the soul that had been under Yan Zhu's utter control for two thousand years. And Yan Zhu was a master in manipulating and hurting others. I have shown you this memory to make you understand how dangerous this broken Yan Da can be. She is a rich source of bad memories. It took a very long time for Yan Da to recover and dare to even consider coming back to life again." "How long?" Ying Kong Shi whispered. Xian Xue sighed. "Does it matter? I don't see the use in telling you." The Ice Prince shortly clenched his fist, but then he relaxed again. "I understand. Anyway, I am curious. How did you convince her to change her mind?" Xian Xue didn't look in his eyes when he answered in an awkward voice. "I restored her faith in you in showing her our good sides." Ying Kong Shi's head jerked up at the hearing of these ambiguous words. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Definitely not what you think it means. I never came close to her in an improper way. I simply spent time with her, and created happy illusions for her in the energy stream. I cared for her, and never left her side. I did all the things for her that I should have done for Yan Zhu, and slowly we became friends. After some… time, she started to ask how a new start with you could look like, and that was the beginning of her path back to life." Ying Kong Shi felt the jealousy rise again in him. He had noticed the short break in Xian Xue's last sentence. "I know you want to protect me, but I ask you once again. How long have you been with Yan Da in the energy stream?" Xian Xue stayed silent. The Ice Prince was about to get up impatiently from the bed, when the voice behind him finally spoke. "About sixty years."