Chapter 1585: A Land in Ruined II

Jade rolled on the ground before landing hard on his backside. "My butt!" he groaned, grimacing in pain as he rubbed the sore spot.

"Oh my God, Jade!" Lory rushed toward him. "Are you okay?"

"My butt hurts," he whined pitifully the moment he saw her, his eyes watering like a scolded child seeking comfort.

Zhao Li Xin calmly assessed the boy from head to toe before speaking nonchalantly. "He’ll be fine."

Jade immediately snapped his head toward him, offended by the casual tone. "Zhao Papa, you’re so mean! What are you doing? I was in the middle of a nap when you suddenly—" Jade stopped mid-complaint.

Only then did he realize something was wrong. This was not Mystique. Nor was it Oblivion, and yet the sight reminded him of the nightmare in the past in his dream. Jade slowly turned his head and looked at the barren land surrounding them.

The sight of blackened soil, the dried plants, and the lifeless air that hung in the air stirred a faint, uncomfortable memory deep inside him. Jade’s expression stiffened.

"This..." His voice trembled slightly. "Are we back in my world?"

"No, this is not your world," Lory said gently. She helped him to his feet and brushed the dust off his pants before placing her hands on his shoulders. "You’re in my world."

Jade froze, then shock and anxiety slowly spread across his face.

"Wha—what? No, this can’t be..." His voice faltered as he looked around again.

A faint toxic scent lingered like an eerie haze, slowly creeping into his lungs, choking his breath. The ground reeked of decay, the air was heavy and suffocating, and the lifeless land stretched endlessly in every direction.

Jade’s fingers trembled slightly as he took a step back, his eyes filled with unease while the corrupted world stood silently before him.

"Zalchana has spread her nightmares into my world," Lory said quietly, her voice heavy with restrained anger. "She is destroying life and creating terrifying monsters to haunt the innocent people in my world, and the result..."

She slowly raised her hands, gesturing to the barren land around them, the blackened soil, the lifeless plants, the suffocating air that carried the scent of decay.

"You can see it yourself." Lory opened her arms with a resigned look. Lory then curled her palm into fists before she lowered her gaze back to jade again.

"But don’t worry," Lory continued, her voice firm despite the sorrow in her eyes. "She hasn’t succeeded in spreading her curse across the entire world. Only a few areas have been affected so far. No matter what happens, as long as I’m still alive, I will never let her succeed."

Jade stared around silently, his expression darkening with unbearable sadness and guilt. Regardless of what had happened to her in the past, it was undeniable that this was all her fault; she was the one who had caused this mayhem.

"It was because mother was drowned in sorrow and became that monster," Jade murmured softly. "But she was actually a very kind person... just like you, Lory Mama." His voice trembled slightly. "It was because of those people..."

Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, though he stubbornly held them back.

"When all of that happened, you were still in your mother’s womb, right?" Lory asked gently. She had always wanted to ask this, but never found the right moment. "How did you know all of this?"

Jade tilted his head slightly, as if searching through distant memories.

"It’s like a dream," he said slowly. "I could feel my mother’s pain... her sadness. I heard her crying and cursing. It was like I was there, watching everything happen, but at the same time... I wasn’t really there."

He shook his head lightly, confusion lingering in his eyes.

"I don’t really know how to explain it either," Jade admitted quietly.

Lory had heard that when a woman was pregnant, the fetus could sense its mother’s feelings, which was why many people said that pregnant women should control their emotions to avoid affecting their fetus.

Mevissa was no ordinary woman, and Jade was no ordinary child, so it was no surprise that Jade could feel more than a normal fetus and even remember everything that happened, although that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

"Alright, that’s not important right now," Zhao Li Xin suddenly interrupted, his calm voice breaking the tense atmosphere. His gaze shifted to Jade, sharp yet steady.

"Jade, can you heal this land? Since your power share similar type with Zalchana, you’re even able to influence the plants in my domain, so I believe you will be able to purify this toxic land."

Jade lowered his gaze and examined the blackened soil for a moment. The corrupted earth, the lifeless air, the lingering poison—it all pressed down on him like an invisible weight.

After a few seconds, he lifted his head and looked at Zhao Li Xin with a determined expression. "I—I will try!"

Jade stood frozen in place, his small hands clenched tightly at his sides. A quiet unease crept into his chest as he stared at the blackened land stretching endlessly before him. He had never done this before.

He had never purified anything, let alone toxic land like this—no, to be more precise, a cursed land. Ironically, it was cursed by his own mother... or rather, by the creature that had once been his mother.

A faint tremor passed through Jade’s body as the thought settled heavily in his heart. If she ever woke from her endless nightmare and saw what she had done, this ruined land, this dying world—she would be devastated. She would cry again, just like in the memories that haunted his dreams.

Poor mother, pitiful mother.

She was once a very kind person, very pure and warm, but the world’s greed and obsession crushed her. She, who was blessed with great power, never learned to face such schemes; no one taught her, and no one warned her. ℯℓ.

The moment she was pushed to the brink, she lost herself... her soft, fragile heart could not face such pain; she couldn’t bear such unbearable sorrow. If only her heart had been as strong as Mama Lory’s... maybe things would have been different. Maybe their end will not be so tragic.

Jade slowly inhaled, the dry, poisoned air burning faintly in his lungs. Then he stepped forward and closed his eyes, gathering his courage.

A soft glow flickered around him; it came very faint, barely noticeable, like the first light of dawn creeping over the horizon. Then the glow deepened, turning into a bright, viridescent aura that slowly poured out from his small body. The light spread outward in ripples, washing across the land like a quiet tide.

The wind rose into a soft, luminous howl, carrying the warmth of life as it drifted across the healing land, and soon after, the air around them trembled as the power was released and spread swiftly.

Wherever the green light touched the ground, the black soil began to crack and crumble, as if shedding a layer of death. The darkness slowly faded, replaced by rich brown earth that breathed with quiet vitality. The transformation spread outward in waves, rolling across the land.

Later on grass began to sprout, the thin green blades pushed through the soil, first in scattered patches, then in clusters, until they spread like a living carpet, covering the wounded earth in soft green.

Dead trees creaked faintly, their brittle branches trembling as if awakened from a deep sleep. Cracks along their trunks slowly healed, new branches stretched outward, and fresh leaves unfurled one by one, turning the skeletal remains into lush, living trees once more.

The land that had been suffocated by poison slowly came back to life. The barren wasteland transformed into a field of quiet greenery, bathed in Jade’s gentle, glowing light, as if nature itself was bowing to the child’s silent determination.

"Whoa... did you see that?" Lory whispered as she slowly turned in a circle, her eyes sweeping across the land that had just moments ago been nothing but barren black soil. Now it stretched before her in lush, vibrant green, alive and breathing, as if the devastation had never existed at all.

"This is amazing," she muttered in quiet awe, her voice barely louder than the wind brushing through the newly grown grass.

"En, thus I’ve reached a conclusion," Zhao Li Xin suddenly said.

"What is it, honey?" Lory cast him a casual glance before returning her gaze to the flourishing scenery around them, still mesmerized by the miracle unfolding before her.

"Mevissa was meant to be the First King of that world," Zhao Li Xin said calmly. "And when she turned into Zalchana, she became something similar to Lazarus, a demi-god. A being like that can only be killed by a descendant of the First King of that world."

Lory frowned slightly at his words, trying to process them. Then suddenly, her eyes widened in shock.

"You mean Jade is the one who should—"

She quickly covered her mouth, her heart dropping as she turned to look at the boy.

But it was too late, Jade had heard everything. His expression slowly turned hollow, then he lowered his head, staring quietly at the ground as sorrow crept into his eyes.

Lory inwardly cursed her loose mouth. She carefully walked toward him and bent slightly, tilting her head to catch his expression. Seeing the sadness written all over his small face, she let out a quiet sigh and gently stroked his head.

"Jade, don’t be sad... you know, this is not certain yet," she said softly, casting a warning glance at Zhao Li Xin before he could speak, "isn’t that right, Li Xin?!"

Zhao Li Xin understood immediately, "Uh, yeah..." He cleared his throat.

Lory turned her attention back to Jade and forced a gentle smile. "You hear that? Don’t lose your hope, Jade. We will find another way, okay. There must be another way to stop your mother without hurting her." Though Lory said those words, the truth is she was not confident at all.

Still, for Jade’s sake, she chose to believe it. She had to believe it. Because she could not imagine burdening such a child with such cruelity.

"But..." Jade’s voice was so small that Lory barely heard it.

"No buts." Lory gently poked his forehead, her touch light yet firm. "We still have time..." Her voice was soft, but it carried an unwavering determination.

Tears slowly gathered at the corners of his eyes. Jade could feel Lory’s genuine concern for him, and it moved him tremendously. He lowered his head slightly, moved by a kindness he had rarely felt before.

Lory sighed softly and turned to Zhao Li Xin. When their eyes met, he immediately understood what she was thinking without her having to say anything.

Zhao Li Xin stepped closer and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. "Don’t look so sad," he murmured, his voice low and soft. "You know I don’t like seeing you like this."

He rubbed her arm gently, as if trying to transfer his warmth to her, "As you said, there must be a way out," then he continued. "And if there isn’t..." His lips curved into a faint, arrogant smirk. "I’ll create one for you."

He stood there calmly, confidence radiating from him like an invisible aura. There was a quiet arrogance in his posture, the kind of arrogance only possessed by someone who had once stood at the pinnacle of the world, a great lord who feared nothing and bowed to no one.

For a brief moment, Lory was taken aback. Then she covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh. "Alright, I believe you, Milord~."

The heavy weight on his chest slowly eased. If it were Zhao Li Xin, perhaps he really could do something about it, somehow. After all, he had never let her down, not even once.

Jade watched them quietly. Zhao Li Xin’s unwavering support for Lory was evident in every small gesture, every quiet word, and every steady gaze. It was as if nothing else in the world truly mattered to him more than ensuring Lory’s happiness, ensuring she never lost her smile or her joy.

Jade wonders if Ezra, had been like Zhao Li Xin, would his mother’s life have turned out differently? Although Ezra deeply loves Mevissa, his loyalties are divided between his duty as a knight of his country, his debt to the Grand Minister, and his love for Mevissa. Because of this, he always hesitates to act, even though he knows Mevissa is only being used by those people.

But if it’s Zhao Papa.....

Jade had heard from the fire spirit about the life-and-death struggles Lory and Zhao Li Xin had endured just to be together. The more he listened, the more he realized that the obstacles they had faced were far more impossible than anything his parents had gone through.

Yet they did not waver. Armed with unwavering trust in one another and a fierce determination to stay by each other’s side, they continued to move forward, step by step, until even the impossible was forced to yield before them, and look how they are now.

He remembered what Zhao Li Xin had said to him, ’He who hesitates is bound to lose.’

Jade slowly raised his gaze to the blue sky above. The wind gently blew past him, ruffling his hair as he stared silently at the endless expanse of light and clouds. A moment later, his amber eyes glinted with profound resolution,