On My Way: The Demon King Made Me His

Chapter 82: Missed chances

Aqua felt weak suddenly, her form experiencing a force towards something she was unaware of. She got out of the pool and walked towards her seat. She did not care about being wet. She performed a spell and safe still for sometime. 

A light flashed before her eyes, and she saw the lady before her. Shenlong appeared in front of her once again. "It looks like you're having guests and getting along well," she said to Aqua. 

"I am just trying to help a traveller who is trying to restore his health," Aqua said. 

"That's all? Can you not feel anything?" The lady asked her. Aqua wondered what she would look like in her original form. 

"Feel what? I feel extremely drawn towards something right now and I feel tired," Aqua replied.

"I guess my instincts are right," the lady smiled and walked towards Aqua who stood drenched with water dripping down from her hair. The lady used her spell to the dress up her descendant and made Aqua look like the real princess as she used to be. She then took the petal of a lily she had on her head and smiled at her. She pinched Aqua's cheek and Aqua stood there surprised. The lady hugged her suddenly. "You will live well, you will," she blessed Aqua. 

"What?" Aqua was confused. 

"I thought I could confine you, but the fate demands differently, you seem to have different future ahead of you, and the emotion shared looks too strong, you will live well," the lady said and she put a spell on Aqua. The sparkles entered the body and momentarily stopped the discomfort Aqua had inside her since morning. 

"I, your great mother has decided to forgive you," she said and smiled before she slowly disappeared once again. 

Aqua stood there looking clueless. "What?" She asked again. Yet she felt good to be back and walked towards her harp. Her only companion. She stared slowly then played them vigorously letting out her emotions. The tune reminded her of her past. It reminded her of him. She felt too hurt to think that she came back to life without him in the universe. It killed her inside and vented out those painful emotions in the harp. She tore her fingers while playing on the string but still didn't stop playing till she collapsed on her back, all exhausted, panting heavily. 

"Wow, that was good," she heard the voice that reminded her of him. Onky because of this one reason, she decided to help the stranger to recuperate well. 

She looked at the ceiling of the cave, with tears streaming down her eyes and moved her arms over her belly, cradling it. "Thank you," she said to the man outside the cave. 

"I started cultivating, thank to you, I used few methods you instructed me with, it was helpful," he said to her.

"I'm glad," she said. The same distress in her body rised again. She took a deep breath.

"Where are you?" He asked her. She had no idea that he had seen her while she was basking in the sun earlier. 

She did not say anything back, unwilling to tell the stranger about the whereabouts afraid of letting him into the power resource of the realm. 

"Okay, am starting mixed martial art from tomorrow, I feel much better after mediating in the pool you asked me to go to, thank you. My blood flow feels healthy," he thanked her.

"Don't mention it, everybody has their own reasons to do favours," Aqua replied back.

"And what exactly is your purpose of doing these favours to me?" He asked her back.

"It is nice to have someone to talk while being confined to a place for a long time, " she lied hiding the real reason, hiding ut is because of his familiar voice.

"It is the same to me," he said. 

"Great," she said and grew silent. She sat back and played  the harp again. This time she sang a song along. Few minutes later, she heard a flute being played that matched her rhythm. They played together for sometime into the night. "you are really good at this," she complimented him. 

"Thank you, even I didn't know I could play flute until two weeks back, " 

"Practice yoga a little and stop few medications you take regularly. It will help you heal though it would take time," she advised him before she stopped talking for the night. 

"I will remember that," he said and got up. The sun was about to set and he looked for Hawk who was seen nowhere around the meadow they were staying at. 

"General Hawk," Huo walked around searching for the old man. He remembered to carry his sword with him. He heard some distances coming from the east direction. He walked towards it and as he got closer he heard the sounds of the swords and chains. He ran forwards and saw Hawk fighting alone. 

"They are the bandits who have come to steal, please run, " Hawk managed to say in between the fighting. 

"Why should I run away, am completely capable," Huo said and prepared to fight. Then he heard some unknown instructions he had heard before. Close your eyes and concentrate on their footsteps to predict the moves and their sword techniques, " the voice. Huo trusted it and did as he was instructed. He had no idea that he had such sharp ears and the highest level of concentration enough to read the movements in matter of seconds. 

Within the next five minutes, The bandits lay curled up on the muddy ground, hurt and wounded but none killed. "I couldn't just bring up myself to kill these jerks," he said panting, looking at Hawk who was cleaning the blood dripping from his sword.

"Your skill has improved from 0 to 70% your highness," 

They left the scene and walked back to their hut slowly picking up medicines to heal the wounds both had earned from the fight. 

Huo remembered to ask Hawk as they rested eating the grilled rabbit Hawk hunted. Huo hesitated in the beginning but he had to know if whatever he restored in his memory has been right. He made sure he was outside the circle of communication so that the spirit wouldn't hear anything. 

The vision of the lotus pond and garden while being carried by a young lady. "Was I born in the Water Realm?" He asked Hawk since he could see the same kind of lotus everywhere in the pools, streams and rivers like ones in his memory. 

"Yes," Hawk said. 

"And my mother really is the Heavenly Empress?" He continued. "And my father abandoned us so my mother decided to marry the Emperor?

"Kind of, " Hawk was not willing to talk about the past at all worried that it might affect it nature of the heart, hurt him and his cultivation. 

" Was I thrown away but later brought up in a school by a saint?"

"Yes," Hawk gave another one word answer. And he waited for Huo to ask the next thing but he stopped. That was all what was restored while he was meditating on the pool and got knocked off in the middle trying to enter the cave. 

"It feels too real, ok let me get back to training," he said and got up. He left his sword behind and sat inside the circle to get instructions from her if possible. But she was too silent. Little did he know that she was unconscious. He tried different yoga postures but nothing useful since he didn't know much about it.  Hence huo decided to go back to the pool and start meditating again. He used his minimum powers and energy and felt the flow in his blood again. Soon he travelled out of his body and once looked for the spirit who has been helping him. He kept attempting and tried to look for an alternate way in. 

After hours worth if searching, he found an entrance connected to underground. Without thinking twice, he got into the water tunnel and followed the water current.  It got colder and colder as he travelled deep into the tunnel that opened to a cave. 

He safely got inside and looked around. The dark area.  There were mosses, stalgamites and dampness everywhere inside the cave. He walked in carefully, trying to find an answer, to see who has been mentoring him all these weeks. He was eager to know about the spirit. And he wished to catch her. To thank her. He then caught the site of a harp placed in one corner of the cave. He smiled and looked for the lady who play it. He understood that this was the music he kept hearing all day and all night. 

He recalled what he had seen and tried find the lady in the white clothes.  But to his shock, there was something else that he witnessed. There was a barrier that separated her from him in front of him and she was kneeling down. Her soul seemed to be preparing to disappear slowly some of her parts were faded. 

Huo had never witnessed anything like that as long as he could remember. He walked forward and knelt down, and called Aqua whom he was not aware of who it is. "Hey, this is me, the person you are mentoring outside the  cave," he said keeping his hands on the barrier trying to catch her attention. But she looked tired of everything. He kept his hands on top of hers hoping to grab them and save her to return the favour.  But she did not respond. After sometime she looked up at his face. It hit her hard. She started crying. "You," she said sobbing. "I knew it was you, the voice, I wasn't wrong," 

"What is happening?" He asked her having  no idea who she is. By that time she recognised her Huo'er, she lad lost her senses and couldn't smell nor speak properly. She got on her knees and tired to move forward as she felt her body parts disappearing slowly, losing her strength. She wished she got a little bit of time with him before she was freed from the cave.

"Huo'er, " she called him. "Huo'er, " the voices echoed. She tried to take his hands but sadly by that time almost all of her slowly disappeared into thin air. She missed him and he did not recognise her. Nobody knew what would happen to her. He sat there dumbfounded to have witnessed such a terrible thing and felt hurt to think that he will be alone once again. 

"Live well for me," he heard a voice whispering. "Live well," it said again before it vanished just like her. 

"Who are you?" He asked and waited, looking around.