Our pasts define us, and no matter how much we want to escape them, the only person we hurt is ourselves.

~Belenus the Sun God

“Zarya,” Hooligan mumbled tiredly.

“What?”

“That’s my name. Zarya Novikov, but I’d prefer it if you kept calling me Hooligan.”

“Why?”

“It’s your pet name for me, and I’m quite fond of it.”

Crow chuckled and rubbed her head absently.

“I don’t normally—do you want… never mind,” Crow wanted to ask about her scars but didn’t know how to broach the topic.

“My sister,” Hooligan said and then sighed. “There was this boy my mom also trained alongside me. He was awful and only came because our parents tried to engage us. He was into me, but I couldn’t care less about him. I thought he was annoying and a jerk, but my little sister fell in love with him.”

“But he never noticed her?”

“He did. But it was like she was his little pet, doing his bidding. Thankfully, he never took advantage of her sexually, but beyond that, he ignored her. Once, I overheard him berating her and saying cruel things about her body and how she couldn’t compare to me. I didn’t think anything of it because I already knew he was a jerk,” Hooligan sighed.

Crow’s finger gently traced the scars on her face, finding them soft and pliable. She grabbed his hand and made him stop, but he could see her flushed skin.

“Anyway, a year went by like that. One day, that asshole cornered me in my own home and tried to take advantage of me. Only he was never the fighter I was, not even close. Again, I didn’t think much about why he knew where I’d be and that no one would be around.”

“Your sister?”

“My heart says yes, but I couldn’t confirm it. Anyway, Mr. Jerkface thought he could overpower me with pure strength, but it only took me three seconds to toss him to the floor and break his fucking arm. My sister saw it all and told on me when our parents got back. Initially, I didn’t want to say anything, but seeing the situation escalating, I told them what happened, and they kicked him out of our house.”

Crow could already see where this was headed.

“That night, she drugged me. Some type of slow-acting paralytic left me awake but unable to move. I lay in my bed for almost an hour before she showed up. She had a small leaf blade in her hand, and I thought she was just trying to scare me. All the while, she lectured about how that asshole was a perfect man, and I was a fool not to become his woman. Even though I couldn’t move, I could make sounds and talk without moving my tongue or mouth. Even garbled, my sister knew I was laughing and bad-mouthing the guy.”

Involuntarily, Hooligan raised her hands to cover her face. But Crow held her tightly, not allowing her to hide. “Don’t hide from me. You can hide from the rest of the world, but not me.”

Hooligan looked at Crow, and her tears came down even heavier than before, but she nodded and relaxed.

“She cut me. I was so shocked that I didn’t say anything. I think she was afraid of really harming me, so she avoided my eyes, mouth, and throat. Still, she kept cutting and cutting. I could taste the blood in my mouth, so I knew she went all the way through my cheek in places. Finally, she stopped. Only she wasn’t done. In her hand was a jar filled with a medicinal cream, and she smeared it on my wounds. I thought… I thought she was healing me, so I remained silent and tried not to antagonize her further.”

Crow hugged Hooligan while she sobbed.

“She used a sinister product called Open Wound Salve, which prevented wounds from healing. Even after my parents went through many hurdles to cure me, the best they could do was force the wounds closed. The product is still inside my wounds, so the scars won’t fade.”

“What happened to your sister?” Crow asked.

“I don’t know. When I woke up, she was gone.”

“Do you hate her?”

“At first… but now, I don’t know. She is still my sister and what she did was wrong and hateful and… evil. But I can’t make myself hate her. That said, next time I see her, I’m going to beat the shit out of her. Beat her so hard she can’t recognize the sun from the moon.”

Crow chuckled. “That’s my little Hooligan.”

“Can you tell me about your other wives? Will they like me?”

That was unexpected, but he spent a few hours talking about his people. Even some of what he hoped to achieve in the upper realms.

“Crow… when you reach the upper realms, there is a continent called Alba, where most of the people from my tower end up. There is a country on the west side called Skye, and within the city of Dunvegan, you’ll find an inn called Snowshoe Inn. Go there, and I’ll leave word for you. If I haven’t left word, you are either faster than me or… I’ve died. I’ll wait for you, but if you haven’t heard from me and can’t wait, then provide a way for me to find you.”

“First, you won’t die. And I’ll definitely come for you, but you are right, I can’t stay there long. However, I have something for you.” Crow took out a few wooden tokens that he Soul Carved a long time ago. “A drop of your blood essence will Soul Link this item to you. As long as I have it, I will know if you live and if you are close enough, I can sense you.”

Crow bit his thumb and smeared one token, and they both watched as it was filled with a golden glow. He handed it to her without hesitation. “Don’t lose that.”

Hooligan did the same and handed it to him. Crow used his mana to sense it and make sure he could find her. Noticing everything was fine, he put it inside his Vortex Pin.

“This is amazing. You have more of these?” Hooligan asked. Crow took out a dozen and handed them to her. “You made all these?”

“I did. Something I crafted for my wives, and you are one of them now, so what is mine is yours.”

“Just like that?”

“Does it need to be complicated? We have already affirmed our relationship. The following ceremonies are mostly for our families to celebrate with us.”

“I want a wedding.”

“You’ll get one, but it might be years or decades before I can give you one.”

“I’m a cultivator, what’s a few years. But you better not go back on your word.”

“I won’t. Now, let’s talk about something else.”

“What?”

“This trial and future Shrines. They are only getting harder, and our trio is now down to a duo. I’ll keep going until you wish to stop.”

“Then there isn’t anything else to talk about,” Hooligan laughed. Her head tilted up to Crow, and she took the initiative to kiss him and then dozed off, too tired to think or talk.

*She… no matter what, you have to go to her in the future. I’ll kick your ass if you let her suffer more than she already has.* Lily sighed.

*What kind of grievance must exist to scar someone to that extent? She might forgive her sister, but I’m not sure I can.*

*Do her scars really not repulse you? They are gruesome.*

*They really don’t bother me. Look at her. Strangely, I feel like they augment her alluring face, and I can’t get past her beautiful smile.*

*You might not be smooth at seducing women, but the things you say definitely melt hearts. How is your condition?*

*Excellent. Her vital yin has almost completely abolished the accumulated yang. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was sleeping because her body was working in overload to cultivate the infusion of energy. Tomorrow, I’m sure she will wake up covered in that black tar substance from expelling impurities from her body.*

*And have you resolved the knot in your heart over Munro?*

*I’ve realized it isn’t worth thinking about. If we are destined to cross paths again, I’ll just figure it out at that time. I don’t want to be his enemy, and it’s up to him to seek forgiveness for the things he did in the past. Hooligan’s story made me realize I’m fretting about something I can’t control and never could. I’ve done what I could to mend things, and now it’s up to Munro to see how sincere of a person he is.*

*Good. I’m going to absorb more energy, so I’ll be cultivating for a while. If you need anything, you’ll need to give me a big jolt.*

*Thanks for coming with me. My journey wouldn’t be nearly as smooth without your companionship. I treasure you.*

Lily didn’t say anything, but it felt like her body was on fire. She was thankful that Crow couldn’t see her flushing face. She broke her connection with him before he noticed her embarrassment through their empathetic bond. Even though she’d already left, Crow chuckled. He didn’t need the bond to know Lily’s heart.