At the thought of her brother, her eyes flashed opened. Determination shone through her clear glossy pupils. In her memory, she never went after her parents because she wanted to forget about them, despite the lust for revenge burrowed deep within her.

Why? Because her father was the right prime minister of the court and she wasn’t strong enough to go against the imperial force. After meeting Yu Tian, she just wanted to care for him and pushed the matter further back in her mind.

Revenge could wait, she was a very patient person.

But, there was a tiny voice inside her that was a bit reluctant to personally raise her hands against her parents, even though she desired for them to regret what they have done. Was she turning soft?

Now a young girl stood before her and demanded answers for the injustices she suffered. And Yu Liang should answer her call of grievance.

“I cannot stay here for there are two people waiting for me. A younger brother who still needs me and a man who cares for me. When we leave this place together and the three of us will leave this place, I will then deliver the punishment those people deserved.” Yu Liang answered, with strong conviction in her unwavering voice.

She picked up the dagger by her feet and stabbed the young girl with a strong resolve behind her force.

A fleeting smile graced the girl’s face as she whispered, “You have finally found people to love you back and accept the monster dormant within you. You are now finally free of me. Goodbye…do not succumb to the darkness alone like me.”

As her last words fell, Yu Liang felt the world around her shattered and she was once again back inside the small room. Only this time, the mirror and glass walls were broken and the transportation seal was activated in a few steps away from her location.

She had successfully passed the seventh trial!

Instead of stepping into the activated seal, she browsed around the area, searching for the only two men she cared about in this world. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say the only two beings she cared about in this universe.

She walked aimlessly around until she saw another compacted quarter, caged by walls made of glass. An exact replica of the room she was trapped in. Inside, a young boy stood motionlessly as he stared at the wall mirror before him.

Yu Tian!

She broke off into a run as she raced toward her brother. Her fists banged against the glass wall as she shouted his name, but he appeared not to hear her at all. His usual bright irises lost its original luster, as he stared at the mirror before him with empty eyes.

The world hushed in silence, not a sound could be heard. All he saw was the young boy before him, a kid who looked exactly like him. The only difference was — he has a voice!

“So you can hear me…come in here then.” The boy inside the mirror beckoned him.

To Yu Tian, that voice sounded golden to his ears. He wanted to reply, but no words would come. A deep sense of frustration swelled within him as he could only walked forward, into the world the other boy lived in.

I didn’t hesitant as I approached the boy who had the same features as me. His dark eyes were garnished with golden specks dancing along the rims of those irises, exactly like mine.

I wanted to learn more about him, to hear him talk, laugh, and cry. Yes… I even wanted to hear how he sounded like when he cry and sob in pain. Would it be sweet and heartbreaking, a cry that tugs at your heartstrings?

I wanted to hear all the different tones he could produce so I could engrave every inflection into my very blood — the voice I could never have. I never knew I could be so selfish, but now I do.

The boy pointed to a woman, dressed in a luxurious robe made of fine silk. In her arms, she carried a small bundle stuffed inside a basket as she raced through the quiet trees, deep into the forest. Her footsteps paused once she reached an old ancient tree, the same tree my sister found me under when I was still an infant.

“Don’t you want to ask mother why she abandoned us?” he asked me.

I didn’t reply right away. Instead, I took a few moments to enjoy his musical voice as I let it soaked deep inside me. I was transfixed by the way how his voice soothed my soul.

Mother? I finally questioned him.

Although no sound escaped my mouth, he had no trouble reading my lips. With a sad smile, he turned toward the woman with similar dark eyes. They were beautiful like the night sky, but unlike us, there were no golden specks. Huh? Did we inherit them from our father?

A loud baby cry pierced the silent air. My eyes darted to the infant tucked inside the basket with incredulity. How?

“We weren’t born mute Bai Long… our mother cursed us with powerful demonic magic.” His dejected voice carried over by the gentle wind.

I focused my ears on the infant, listening to his wails and cries. Now I know…how I would have sounded as a baby. For some reason, a smile crept up from the corner of my mouth. I was happy, but why were my cheeks wet?

“Bai Long…” his soft voice caressed my senses. “Mother cursed us because we would become her downfall if her lord husband found out about her infidelity,” he paused as he looked me straight in the eyes.

The golden specks within those irises glowed more brightly than before, as if triggered by his emotions. “She would have killed us, but she was afraid of our real father. What he would do to her if he ever found out, so she chose to abandon us instead. Why kill us herself and risk the wrath of a powerful lover if she could borrow another’s knife to kill her enemy?”

I understood the hidden meaning behind his words. Mother could deny ever killing me, if wild wolves or animals got to me instead. But I also understood another thing — Father didn’t want responsibility of me either, even if he didn’t wish for my death. I was an unwanted child.

“But why?” I mouthed the words to him as a deep pang of sorrow coiled tightly in the pit of my stomach.

For a while, the boy didn’t answer. I was afraid he wouldn’t speak to me again. “She can’t kill us, so she decided to curse us and made us mute. That way, we wouldn’t even be able to cry for help and attract the attention of any unlikely people crossing by the woods. To decrease our chance of… survival,” he finally replied.

His eyes glanced toward the woman, attempting to steal a familiar dagger attached to the infant. “See that dagger, it materialized once we were born and had always stood by our side, protecting us. I think it might be a gift from our father due to his guilt.” He turned toward me. “One day, when you can bring the dragon to life, you will be able to stand on your own,” he said ambiguously.