Chapter 205
by Need_More_SleepChapter 205: Home
“Little girl, can you give me some water?”
It was late spring, six years ago. Misha was still alive as Misha. Gloria was still relatively well-behaved. The Chairwoman wasn’t yet the Chairwoman, nor was she as wealthy as she was now.
The location was the Lasvedo Estate in the Lankamduo Forest.
The estate had been built there so that the younger generation of the family could hone their abilities by facing dangerous beasts. But by this generation, it had become a vacation home for the mother and her two daughters.
A log cabin. As a permanent residence, it couldn’t compare to a city home, but as a short-term getaway, it was surprisingly well-liked.
Back then, Misha had stood at the doorway, her tiny hands patting a rubber ball against the ground—clumsily, losing control of it every third bounce.
She wasn’t playing alone.
So when the man approached, he wasn’t looking for the little one—he was looking for the slightly older Gloria.
Late spring was the season when most animals had just finished breeding. The weather wasn’t too hot yet, making it perfect for hunting, so the forest was often visited by hunters.
Occasionally, they’d trade tough jerky for supplies. But the man this time carried only a camera.
Mi Xiaoliu hadn’t recovered the full memory of what happened next, but in one of the blank spaces that had been revealed, she saw the man—in that condescending tone adults use with children—ask Gloria.
“So, do you think your parents love you more, or your little sister more?”
Like some tactless relative, his words instantly put Gloria on the spot, leaving her flustered and unsure how to answer.
But even the most socially inept relatives know when to stop.
“Actually, your parents love you more,” the man said gently, patting Gloria’s head. “Because your eyes are orange.”
“That’s not true! Me and Misha are equal!” Gloria glanced back nervously at her sister.
The man’s lips curled. “Don’t believe me? I can prove it.”
……
……
A scorching meteor crater. Two little girls screamed for their mother.
The same man who had been gentle and friendly moments ago now stood at the edge of a cliff, holding both girls over the drop—one in each hand—with a small camera hanging around his neck.
“Please, I’ll give you anything, I’ll die in their place—just let my daughters go!”
The current matriarch of the Lasvedo family knelt on the ground, begging pathetically. If this footage were released today, it would surely shock the world.
But the demon before her remained unmoved.
“You have ten seconds to choose. Ten… nine…” The countdown didn’t slow.
“Please—”
“Four… three…”
“No!”
“Two…” Rutherford’s arms lowered slightly, as if he could no longer hold the weight of both girls.
“I chose Gloria!”
Rutherford didn’t put Gloria down. “I don’t want to hear which one you choose to live. I want you to say, out loud, which daughter you choose to die.”
“Please, spare them… they’re just children. If they’ve done something wrong, I’ll take the punishment—” Her voice broke.
“Then there’s nothing I can do.” Rutherford shook his head.
“I… I choose Misha to die…” How much despair must have been in those words?
“Louder.”
“I CHOOSE MISHA TO DIE!”
Misha’s crying grew louder.
“Who dies?”
“Misha… wuu…”
“I made you say it so many times, and you didn’t hesitate even once.” Rutherford finally set Gloria down, grinning.
“See? Your mom loves you more.”
He held Misha up, letting her take one last look at her family.
Then, with a gentle smile:
“Madam, I sincerely wish your family of three eternal happiness. Make sure to keep smiling, okay?”
He let go.
From Misha’s perspective—her mother clutched Gloria tightly, eyes shut, unable to bear looking at her one last time.
And before that, hundreds of blank memories surfaced one by one.
The happier they were, the more they hurt.
The “bad woman” was her mother.
It wasn’t her parents who had died.
It was her.
Sasha had lied.
Mi Xiaoliu’s left forearm hung limp, not healing immediately.
The bones, long preserved in formaldehyde, needed time to shed its effects.
But the wound she had torn open herself had already begun to close—only the shards of glass still embedded in her flesh slowed the regeneration.
Even specially treated glass couldn’t completely negate her defenses.
She was terrified.
Blue flames flickered in her eyes.
The air still carried the scent that terrified her.
Mi Xiaoliu covered her face with her right hand and slowly crouched down.
This time, it wasn’t just her eyes that burned.
“What the hell is going on…?” Gloria muttered in confusion, looking around desperately for someone to explain.
The shattered hand bones on the floor were already forgotten.
“Misha…”
The Chairwoman didn’t understand.
She had just learned that her daughter wasn’t dead—that she had been suffering all this time—and before she could even process it, her daughter had suddenly appeared right in front of her.
No time to adjust.
This is a dream, right? She often had dreams like this—Misha wasn’t really dead, and the family was happily eating dumplings together at home. The meals weren’t as lavish as now, but they were infinitely happier.
But in those dreams, Misha was always frozen as that tiny little girl.
Even though she had grown so much, even though she looked so different now—this girl’s face was too much like Gloria’s. And the distinctive Lasvedo family ring was still there in her irises.
What was Shen Qing saying?
How could the Black-Clothed One be that annoying brat?
The Black-Clothed One was her daughter.
“I’m your mom… don’t you remember me?”
The Chairwoman forced a smile, cautiously stepping toward Mi Xiaoliu.
Mi Xiaoliu backed away until she hit the wall.
Then—
A searing blue pillar of fire erupted from the basement, burning straight through the ceiling and into the sky, yet showing no sign of spreading. By the time the flames cleared, Xiaoliu was gone.
The Chairwoman collapsed into Okulet’s arms, murmuring, “I’m your mom…”
Too much had happened today.
Far too much.
Between exhaustion and emotional devastation, she finally passed out.
Okulet gently laid her down away from the flames, then sprinted outside—Gloria right behind him.
“What the hell is going on?! Say something! He—she—was that—?!”
Gloria was frantic, nearly smacking her own father in the back of the head.
“Mi Xiaoliu is Misha,” Okulet said bluntly.
Hearing that, Gloria froze mid-step, completely stunned.
“But—but—she—”
This can’t be right. There’s gotta be some mistake.
Maybe this was another ability user trying to scam the Stars? Or an illusion? Some kind of spatial-swap ability that switched the brat with Misha?
Gloria stood motionless.
Luckily, most of the family’s bodyguards had gathered in the basement. Aside from one unlucky guy who lost a foot to the flames, there weren’t any major casualties.
Tonight’s air was hotter than usual.
A blue streak cut across the sky—the trail of Mi Xiaoliu’s flight.
About ten kilometers long.
Finally, the flames weakened, leaving only a small flicker in her left eye.
She crashed into a small grove in the city park, tumbling twice and scaring off a couple sneaking around at dawn.
Mi Xiaoliu curled into a ball.
Her body burned.
She wanted to go home.
“Heli…”
“Xiaoliu! Are you there?!” Yiwen’s panicked voice.
She always showed up at the most critical moments.
That giant streak in the sky? She wasn’t blind.
“Xiaoliu!”
She gently lifted the girl.
So hot. Even a 40°C fever wasn’t this scorching—yet there were no visible burns.
Was it the Black Element acting up?
But the Black Element wasn’t this vicious!
Yiwen panicked. “I’ll take you to the hospital right now. You’ll be okay.”
“Yiwen.” Mi Xiaoliu weakly tugged her sleeve.
“Yeah?”
“Home.”
“Okay, we’ll go home soon. It’s okay… it’s okay…”
She didn’t know what had happened, but Yiwen patted her back reassuringly anyway.
Mi Xiaoliu closed her eyes, the unbearable heat gradually fading.
Yiwen let out a relieved sigh.
Her time-slowing ability wasn’t fully mastered yet—and she’d never tested it actively on a person before.
Who hurt her this time?
Why did someone always have it out for Mi Xiaoliu? She was so innocent, so kind.
Then she turned and saw Gloria—who had overused her abilities to chase after them—leaning against a tree, gasping for breath.
And staring straight at… Mi Xiaoliu in her arms.
“You br—Misha!”
Her brain still hadn’t caught up.
Yiwen recognized Gloria immediately—she’d tailed her before, watching her get all cozy with fake Misha.
Which meant the girl in her arms was undoubtedly the real one.
So this family messed with Mi Xiaoliu again?
What kind of soap opera nonsense was this?
Ignoring Gloria, Yiwen walked past her, still holding Xiaoliu.
“Give Misha back.” Gloria blocked her path.
Yiwen turned slightly and whispered, “Xiaoliu’s tired. Whatever it is, talk tomorrow. Her mom’s waiting for her at home—she’ll worry if we’re too late.”
“……”
Gloria’s arm dropped. She clutched her chest, eyes still lost.
[Translator’s Note: I would have to said this is one of my favorite parts in this Web Novel.]
[Translator’s Note: See the index page for this Novel if you want to see the Amazon Link for the eBooks.]
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