"Open your mouth, say ahh." Xia tenderly lifted her chopsticks to Kyorin's lips. His hands and feet were tied—a punishment for eating the snow.
"Honestly," Xia sighed in frustration as Kyorin chewed on the rice she offered.
"You can't just eat things out of curiosity," she admonished, but Kyorin paid no attention, savoring the food with contentment.
"Hey!" Xia pulled at his ears, her expression stern, which made Kyorin yelp, "Ow, ow, ow!"
"Looks like my little gem has discovered how to be rebellious, hmm?" she said sweetly, flashing a smile as Kyorin winced in discomfort.
"Back in the village, when you were three, you ate grass just because you saw some sheep. Lucky you didn't spot a dung beetle," she added with a chuckle. "What if you end up with a stomach ache? We should only eat what we can properly digest."
"Mommy, I'm sorry," Kyorin murmured, his eyes welling up.
Xia offered a small smile, while Changli scoffed from the side. Kyorin shot her a glare, but Changli simply stuck out her tongue, causing Kyorin's face to turn peppery.
Meanwhile, Xuanmiao calmly sipped his tea, indifferent to the unfolding scene. However, there was one... one individual who watched this drama not with amusement or aloofness, but with confusion and a quiet sense of disappointment—DEVA.
Though resting on Kyorin's belt in the form of a gourd, she felt a growing sense of dissatisfaction with her Resonator.
Having known his past, she wondered, 'Is this truly the same person who once shook six realms and earned the title of "Great" through his accomplishments?'
He was childish, immature, and craved affection—so unlike the person he once was. DEVA pondered, 'Had he become so attached to love that he had forgotten his pursuit of immortality?'
Kyorin had once told her that impermanence was the nature of samsara. Yet, why did he sought love from Xia if he knew she would eventually leave? Was it because, in his previous life, he had never experienced love from his parents?
Did he perhaps long only for parental love?
Moreover, unlike in the past, Kyorin was no longer as heavy-handed, decisive, or ruthless. When Changli bullied him during sparring sessions, he no longer resisted or retaliated as he once did against those children in Yang Niu village.
Instead, he fought against her for Xia's attention.
Changli, who had never known a mother's love, had begun to see Xia as a maternal figure. Both Kyorin and she now competed for Xia's affection.
Changli, being older and much stronger, frequently bullied Kyorin, yet unlike before, when Kyorin had devised plans to deal with his tormentors, he didn't retaliate. Had he truly come to see Changli as a sister? Was this all he wanted: a family?
Is he just someone who lives for fleeting moments of satisfaction, seeking instant gratification rather than actual progress? DEVA wondered, as Kyorin showed no signs of meaningful development, only continuing to act like a fool.
'Did I perhaps make a mistake in choosing my Resonator?' she questioned, her frustration growing as Kyorin's antics continually disappointed her.
'If this is the case, how will I ever realize my dream?'
While DEVA was lost in her thoughts, a quarrel had broken out between Kyorin and Changli. Kyorin shouted, "She's my mother! Go away!"
"Can you not share? Didn't I share the snow with you?" Changli retorted, but quickly covering her mouth as her eyes darted toward Xia.
"Oho, I thought only one of you was guilty," Xia said, her voice carefully controlled, upon hearing which, Changli thought, 'Danger!'
She wanted to escape, but soon realized that Xia had already tied her hands and feet. Changli stood frozen, dumbfounded. 'She's fast—how did she do that? Is she really just an ordinary human?'
"Elder, would you mind if I disciplined your students?" Xia asked politely. Xuanmiao simply replied, "Whatever you think is best for them, Miss Dan."
"Thank you," Xia said with a smile. "I'll be sure to show them plenty of love during this session." Xuanmiao nodded and stood up, leaving the house for a stroll while the pitiful screams of Kyorin and Changli echoed from behind...
The lively sounds from the Dan household had quieted, and the inky, silver-streaked sky settled over Hongzhen.
As punishment, both Kyorin and Changli were tied together, their backs facing each other, with Xia instructing them to spend the night in this position.
Both were Resonators, and had they wished, they could have easily freed themselves from the ropes. However, they accepted the punishment, as they both held great respect for Xia.
Although the night was cold, Changli, with her unique constitution, was unaffected. Kyorin, however, lacked such an advantage and suffered from the chill.
Yet, as the honorary elder sister, Changli chose to stay close to Kyorin, offering her warmth. Soon, Kyorin, feeling comforted, fell into a deep sleep.
Changli couldn't help but sigh at the sight of him, so vulnerable. 'He would never have survived living as an orphan like me, before I met Master,' she thought before closing her eyes and falling asleep as well.
Once they were both asleep, a figure stirred and slipped away from the tangled mess of ropes—DEVA.
'I can wait another hundred, if not a thousand, years for a better Resonator,' she thought before quietly leaving. As she left, someone else entered—Xia. She had brought blankets and gently wrapped them around the two of them.
Satisfied with her work, Xia turned to leave the room, only to see Xuanmiao standing at the door, holding a blanket as well.
"No need to worry, Elder. I've taken care of it," Xia said, her hands cupped together, though they trembled with a hint of guilt—guilt over her abilities as a mother and her actions.
"You did nothing wrong, Lady Dan," Xuanmiao reassured her. "Parenthood is a time when both children and parents make mistakes."
Xia nodded, looking back over her shoulder, murmuring, 'I hope they don't hate me.'
Hearing her words, Xuanmiao replied, "You don't need to worry. They're still growing." Xia, however, still seemed anxious. "I fear that I am not giving my all as a mother."
Xuanmiao chuckled. "You speak as though you are going to die soon. If anything, it's me who should be afraid of dying."
Xia smiled softly. "Hah, I just wish those two can tolerate each other after we are gone." She sighed wistfully.
Xuanmiao, raising a brow, asked, "Do you want them to be together?"
Xia widened her eyes, realizing what she had just said. "I'm sorry, Elder. I know you strictly told them to have a sibling relationship."
Xia quickly began to correct herself, but Xuanmiao raised a hand and said, "No, I'm not completely against it, just that, as of now, I just don't think they're a good match yet."
Though Xuanmiao didn't explicitly say it, Xia understood the underlying concern. The problem was that, despite both having five-star potential, her son—Kyorin—seemed somewhat lackluster compared to Changli, who had a bright future ahead of her.
But Xia didn't feel disheartened. "Elder, do not worry," she said confidently, adding, "He is my son, I believe in him."
As the two conversed outside, Kyorin, from inside the room, had observed everything. From DEVA leaving to being wrapped in blankets, he had seen, heard, and understood everything that had transpired.
"Lackluster, huh?"
A familiar word, both memorable and painful, for so many things in his self were tied to it. In his second life, all he could do was watch—much like now—with no opportunity or need to act.
"Abbot Xin Yao, what are you saying? You speak of carrying feelings for that lackluster demon. Even his royal mother didn't want him at birth."
"No one wants him—neither society nor Buddha. How can you speak of adoring someone like that, whom no one adores?"
"You're wrong, Abbot Gui Jiang. I accept him... No... I adore him."
"Abbot Xin Yao, it seems you've been seduced by that foul demon."
"That's right. You should return to the way of Buddha before we, the four Abbots, are compelled to strip you of your title as Abbot."
"Hahaha, you honorable four do not understand. If not for my devotion to Buddha, I would have relinquished not just this meager title of Abbot, but even Buddha from my heart... for him."
'What a foolishly brave declaration.' Kyorin inwardly complained, as those were the very thing that had led to her death at his hands.
In her attempt to prove her devotion and honor redemption, the Lotus Eye Abbot and the Wraithblade had ended up seeking each other's destruction.
Yet, though these memories held a place in Kyorin's mind, they no longer carried any weight in the present. After all, why should he live mourning the past when he could embrace the better life he is living right now?
As a child who knew only sunshine and rainbows, Kyorin, too, lived in the present: a growing child who made mistakes without regret, neither worrying about the future nor the consequences.
It was only that some individuals expectations of him had failed to align with his current way of life.
"Hmm…"
A small grunt escaped from Changli as suddenly the temperature began to rise. However, it was soon brought under control. Even in DEVA's absence, Kyorin had begun to use his Resonance.
His Resonance had two primary capabilities: one, to alter the rate of energy transfer between systems, and two, to induce or control the randomness within a system.
Using his Resonance, Kyorin manipulated the heat from Changli's body, making it dissipate quickly.
At the same time, he carefully introduced a degree of randomness into her body, not to harm her, but to create a more stable constitution that could use randomness to combat the volatility within her body.
While secretly helping her, Kyorin made a decision. 'Looks like DEVA needs to realize something,' he thought before closing his eyes, maintaining the chain of Resonance that seeped into Changli's body.
In the blink of an eye, night passed, and morning arrived. Groaning, Changli unwillingly opened her eyes, feeling irritated at being disturbed from her sleep. But her eyes soon widened in surprise as she realized she was wrapped in a blanket.
'Oh no, Kyorin.' She looked at him, worried that she might have overheated him with her body heat. But strangely, Kyorin appeared completely fine, sound asleep.
Relieved, she let out a sigh, but then something caught her attention. Her eyes widened in disbelief. 'It can't be… is this even possible?!'
For some reason, today, her Resonance power seemed to be in a much more optimal state than usual. At first, she couldn't believe it, but it was true—her Resonance, though slightly, had become more controlled.
This is amazing! she shouted excitedly, breaking free from the tied ropes and pushing Kyorin forward, causing his face to kiss the floor.
"Argh!" Kyorin groaned in pain. "What's going on?"
But Changli, thrilled by her unexpected surge in strength, simply challenged him. "Let's fight!"
"This early?" Kyorin whined as Changli grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside.
"Of course! How else are we supposed to grow if we don't spar?" she said matter-of-factly.
Kyorin sighed. "You know, fighting isn't everything when it comes to growth."
But the overly excited Changli wasn't in the mood to listen. The two now stood in the backyard, ready to spar. Drawing her sword with eagerness, Changli suddenly paused.
"Where's your gourd? Did you forget it in the room?" she asked, brows furrowing.
Kyorin simply glanced at the roof of the house for a fleeting moment, then shook his head. "No… it's here."
As he spoke, strands of Resonance began to swirl around him, coalescing into the shape of his scythe. He took his stance. "Let's fight."
With no more hesitation, Changli lunged at him.
As the two clashed, a baffled spectator watched from a hidden corner—lens wide with disbelief.
"How is there another DEVA?!"
DEVA, who had left Kyorin earlier to test his resolve, had returned out of curiosity—to see him struggle, to watch him falter without her. And yet, what she saw defied all logic.
"This… this isn't possible," she whispered. "A Resonator must have a vessel. For Kyorin… I was that vessel."
And yet here he was, wielding a construct of Resonance, something that was not a separate vassal like her, but something which emerged from himself.
"How did he…?"
Suddenly, a voice echoed through her consciousness.
"Didn't you say everything in this world is made of Resonance?"
Her thoughts stilled.
"…!!?"
It was Kyorin's voice—calm, distant, yet unmistakably real.
Only now did DEVA realize the depth of her own illusion. She had believed that Kyorin needed her. But in truth, he never did. Sooner or later, he would have found the path on his own. She had merely helped him take his first step.
Yes, that was all.
"He never needed me togrow…" She realized her foolishness.
But now, another thought took root within her. "Then what about me? Do I… need him?"
She still had a choice: to wait another hundred, another thousand years for a new Resonator—or to return, to apologize, and to hope that he would forgive her.
"Impossible!"
Changli's voice tore through the quiet, cutting clean through DEVA's thoughts. She lay flat on the ground, defeated. Her second loss to Kyorin.
The sight rattled DEVA even more than before.
Within her logs she thought with trepidation, 'He used to lose every time… even with me as his vessel. And now—'
"Alright, I win!" Kyorin beamed, raising a hand in victory.
Changli grumbled, brushing off dirt from her clothes. "Tch. You got lucky." With a huff, she turned and marched back inside.
The moment the coast was clear, DEVA approached.
"Resonator Kyorin, I…" she began, hesitant, her usual proud tone nowhere to be found.
But Kyorin cut her off, his voice cool and sharp. "DEVA… You are my Resonating vessel. Yet you left me. You abandoned me, forced me to face everything alone."
DEVA fell silent.
Kyorin's gaze held her, steady and unreadable. "It seems, you hold me in quite a high regard, or is it something else that had made you dissatisfied?"
DEVA's orb form dipped slightly, a gesture of shame. "No, Resonator. You're right. I was the one who was blind. I saw only the surface, judged only by the flaws of the present. I had forgotten your true nature."
She hovered closer, her voice softer, quieter now.
"I was wrong. Please… take me back as your Resonating vessel. Allow me to walk beside you again." She pleaded.
"DEVA," Kyorin began, his voice calm but resolute. "I've told you before—don't see yourself as lesser or greater than your wielder. I hold to the same. Now…"
He pointed towards his belt, gaze steady. "Return to your rightful place."
Without a moment's hesitation, DEVA shifted back into her gourd form, a soft glow enveloping her as she quietly settled at Kyorin's side—right where she belonged.
At that moment, Xia stepped outside, her presence like a breeze after a long night.
"Good morning, Mother," Kyorin called out with a warm smile.
Xia returned his smile with gentle surprise, clearly pleased by the mood.
But within the depths of DEVA's core, in the part of her that tracked the unspoken and unseen, a silent countdown ticked on—[Borrowed Time: 89 days remaining]
To be continued...
****
A/N: Hey Readers, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'd love to hear what you thought—your feedback truly means the world and helps me grow alongside the story.
I also wanted to share something personal: Around three months ago, I spent time with my niece and nephew, and it gave me a whole new perspective on how children truly are.
Their joy, curiosity, mischief, and vulnerability made me realize that in stories, we often make main characters too mature—miniature adults rather than actual kids.
But for Kyorin, I didn't want that. Even though he's wise in his own way, he is still a child, and I believe he, more than anyone, would embrace the wonder and messiness of growing up.
I want to honor those small moments of laughter, mistakes, warmth, and chaos that define childhood. So thank you for being patient with his journey, even when he stumbles.
Also! Serialization will resume properly on April 9th, with daily updates. Tomorrow is my last exam for the semester (wish me luck 😭), and then I'm back to writing full-time.