The Innkeeper

Chapter 1757: Childhood

Lex raised an eyebrow, and almost wanted to tell her there was nothing to apologise for. Instead, he sighed.

“It’s not your fault, Liz. You didn’t do anything to me,” he said softly.

“No, Lex. We’re not kids anymore,” she said with a hint of more vigor in her voice. “After a certain point, we have to stop blaming our parents for our own misbehaviors. You found me, rescued me, provided me with a safe place to hide from everyone pursuing me, and even provided me with the most incredible partner for my cultivation, and all I did the whole time was throw a tantrum like a spoiled child.

“I admit, I spent too much time on my own, running, so I felt unsafe in other people’s company. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the way things were. But if we expect other people to behave more maturely, and if we expect the best from everyone else, then we too have to be the best. You treated me like your little sister, and I took that for granted. So I apologise.”

Lex did not immediately respond, instead took in her words and accepted them. To be entirely honest, Lex didn’t care too much about his family baggage anymore – not since he accepted the Inn as his home and family. His parents had some major issues, but it had been so many years, and it was so long ago that Lex hardly cared.

Sure, Lex was abandoned and had to fend for himself, but fend for himself he did, and things turned out well. They gave him a decent enough childhood, which could have been much worse, so he used that to kind of balance out the scales in his eyes. If anything, he was upset on Moon’s behalf, not himself.

He had no expectations of anything from his family anymore – including his sisters. He only had some unfinished business to take care of, such as finding Belle, and ripping Damian limb from limb, but that was all.

So to unexpectedly get an apology, and such a sincere one at that, took him by surprise. To be honest, he didn’t really need it, nor did he feel like Liz had done anything wrong. He could understand how traumatizing it must have been for her to live on the run for so long, so it was natural that she was so distrusting.

That did not mean he did not appreciate her apology. While she had nothing to apologise for, it was a sign of the sincere effort she was putting into mending… or maybe creating their relationship.

“You know, I don’t even know the last time I even properly saw you,” said Lex, with a faint smile. “Or have I just been seeing clones of you my whole life? I don’t even know.”

Liz was silent for a time, her eyes losing focus, as if she had gotten lost in her memories.

“It was a random Thursday morning,” she said. “I wish I could tell you something special that happened that day to mark it, but there was nothing. We went off to school, but in reality, I was brought away from Earth and my clone was left here. Having a clone was weird – sometimes I was connected to it all the time, and at other times I would download the memories of the clone in my dreams. As a kid with no cultivation, it was hard to process all that additional information sometimes.”

Lex couldn’t help but turn his attention to the clones. How did that even work?

“Where did you get your hands on such amazing clones anyway?” Lex couldn’t help but ask. “Even now, as an Immortal, I haven’t been able to find a cloning technique that satisfies me or works properly far away. How were you guys, as kids, able to have clones that worked from across star systems, without any cultivation at all?”

“Mom,” Liz answered, without even needing the time to think about it. “Moms like… some kind of biology genius. I’m not joking, even before she reached the Nascent Soul realm she designed dads cultivation technique that would make him an immortal. The technique I use with Nemo to channel his powers in my body, the technique Belle uses to utilize divine energy, they were all created by mom.

“She’s also the one who made the clones, and lord knows what else she’s done after so many years. I’m fairly certain that the reason all of us have such amazing physiques is also because mom made them somehow.”

Lex chuckled. A genius? She could have fooled him – not that he cared anymore.

“Anyway, forget all that old stuff. I appreciate your apology, and though I still don’t think you have anything to apologise for, I accept. So the question is, now what are your plans?”

“Oh, I have a few ideas, but I wanted to consult you first – since you know this place better than anyone else.”

Lex smiled and leaned in closer, ready to listen to her plans.

“Well, first of all, I don’t plan on leaving this place any time soon – at least until I become really strong. An immortal at the very least. If, I mean, if that’s alright with you. I know the Midnight Inn costs a lot to stay, so if it’s expensive I can get a job. I’ve already checked, and the Guild room offers a lot of opportunities for a girl like me – I don’t want to be a burden on you anyway.

“But I can’t just do nothing while I cultivate, so other than getting a job, I thought I’d travel. According to what I’ve heard from Nemo, the Midnight Realm is a lot bigger than Earth, so I could spend countless years traveling, and exploring, and meeting people, and…”

Lex smiled softly as he listened to Liz burst out with all the plans she had made, her excitement and enthusiasm pouring out of her like a little girl brought to an amusement park. In those tiny little details that she elaborated on in so much detail, Lex could see the childhood that Liz never had, and could feel a warmth fill his chest. This… this is exactly what the Midnight Inn was all about. A safe place where people can live and enjoy life, without fear of persecution.

It was a place where Liz could be a child. It was a place he would protect forever.