ShuYan stepped out from the shadows. His eyes were filled with pain as he stared into RuJin's eyes.

Immediately, RuJin panicked. How had ShuYan found out about this valley? Without knowing the answer to this question, his eyes also looked back.

"What are you doing here?" RuJin's voice rung out, cold and distant.

ShuYan's heart clenched in fear, in pain. This side of RuJin, it was something that he had never experienced before. But what was he expecting? For everything to still remain the same as it was in the past?

"RuJin, I...Please, let me explain." ShuYan's eyes begged RuJin, his voice shook and trembled with pleading.

"Humph! Explain? For what? There is nothing between you and I, what should you have to explain? I don't know how you got into this place, but it will be best if you get out as soon as possible. This place is different from where you came from. We are from two different worlds, the boy you once knew is gone. He was killed during the time you didn't come to save him, the time you failed to keep your promise." RuJin said these words, but deep down, he still felt this aching.

"If you give me one more chance, I promise to explain to you. I know that deep down, you resent me. I understand that better than anyone. I know that everything was because of me. If I had come in time, I would've been able to save your mother and your sister. But because of me, you lost two of the most important people in your life. I know that no matter what, I will never be able to clear up this incident. But I beg of you to give me one more chance." ShuYan asked, his eyes filled with pain started to flicker.

"Like I've said! There is no such thing as me giving you a second chance. You know better than me, you know that I have change. Do you think that I will believe in trust? Would you still think like what you are now if you knew just how many people I have killed?"

"What if I told you that my hands were more tainted than anyone else in this world? Once trust is broken, gaining it back is harder than when it first was established." RuJin replied back, his voice was now more layered with emotions as he try to fight against giving in.

"I know! I know how hard it will be to gain back your trust. But I still want us to part ways knowing that we both understood each other. I know that you will blame me for as long as you live, I know that we can't return to what we were."

"But I will take this chance, and even though we might not return to how we were before, if I can be by you, that is enough for me." ShuYan said, taking another deep breathe as he fought off the pain in his heart, he walked over to RuJin.

"If only it was so easy. Do you know how much I went through? How much suffering I was in as I fought my way up to this position I am in now? To get to this height, I suffered through unimaginable pain. In order to survive, I jumped off a cliff just so I could get revenge. And then, I went through the pain of feeling my broken bones slowly mend themselves."

"I went days without any food, I fought against animals, almost getting myself killed. Then, I had to find a way to take control of the dark energy within me. Every day, it felt like I would go crazy from the dark energy that spread in me. It fought against me, made me hallucinate, and worst of all, it made me want to give up. If I was merciless, everyone I wanted dead would be dead. But I am still called cruel by people, my name is still being spit upon on."

"Because I have sided with the dark, because I killed people from the righteous sects. If you were me, do you think that you could go through everything I went through? My mother and sister were killed right in front of my eyes, I saw their deaths. But yet, they were killed under the excuse that everyone in the town was invaded with dark energy. No matter what you do, it won't stop me from wanting to get revenge. You—"

"I won't! I have no reason to stop you. I just, I want to be by your side once more. I want to be the one to make you smile, to make you happy. I understand that you hate me, that with all your heart, you resent me. I know! But think about what I went through!"

"Do you know how much I went through? I searched for you continuously for six months, still wanting to believe that you were alive. I went back to our town, and buried your mother and sister, and during that time I hated myself. Hated myself for not being able to protect anyone, hated myself for being gone in the time that you needed my most."

"I went through nights sleeping to only wake up from my nightmares. Because in them, it showed you dying, dying in my arms and I couldn't prevent anything. For years, I had this nightmare and began to not want to sleep. Because I knew that if I did, you would die once more. Even though I knew that it wasn't you, some part of me believed that it was you, and this only clawed at my heart more."

"If I could, I would go back in time to save your mother and sister, to prevent all these misunderstanding, and still be by your side. I wish I could, I wish I can, but I can only do so much. For those years that you were gone, everything in my life began to dim. You meant so much to me and you disappeared just like that."

"Why are you so slow? Why don't you know yet? Why don't you understand my heart? When will you ever know about my heart? When will you finally understand my feelings? Why do you think I gave you that pendant, the reason I made you keep a favor for me?"

With each question, ShuYan stepped closer to RuJin. His strides got bigger, and his face got angrier.

He suddenly grabbed onto RuJin, surprising him, and held him close to his chest. He wasn't even afraid that he could be killed so easily by RuJin.

"RuJin, it has been so long since I have realized this. Why haven't you? RuJin, I love you."