One year later, Y-Zone Prime had transformed. The square now held a school, where children learned to read the Nine Li Scripts alongside math and starship mechanics. The fortress had become a library, its vaults converted into shelves for the scrolls and Vex journals—“so we never forget,” the elders had decided.
Lord Vex Ji, unable to accept his defeat, and with all the evil things he did in the past coming back to haunt him, decided to take his own life in the cell but failed. He was in a coma.
Confucius no longer wore rags. He has now matured into a rather handsome young man quickly due to the hardships. His robe was simple, woven from blue and green fabric, a gift from the Water District. More importantly, his wish not to be the leader for the District was granted by the elders. He taught archery in the mornings, using the quantum bow to demonstrate precision and focus, but his afternoons were spent in the library, translating the scrolls into common language.
“The Guru says you’re leaving,” Lila said, appearing in the library. She has now evolved into a young and sweet looking lady, but her beauty can never cover her wounds.
Just like in the past, she wore rags but back then to her it was a representation of her poverty, with the honor to stand-off against Lord Vex Ji’s oppression.
Now the dirty rags she wore presented her as the “Casualty of War”, though she wore them with pride. They are the proven remains of numerous battles she fought Lord Vex Ji’s army a year earlier as an archer. In a way, she wanted to be remembered that way: a symbol for the price of peace and freedom.
There are people in the Water District that scorned upon her and called her crazy. Yet most respected and cared for her, understanding the traumas she went through and the resulted hidden sorrows.
Whereas Confucious faced near-death situations many times before the downfall of Lord Vex Ji, she faced the slim chance of survival when she was unfortunately captured twice by the enemies who tormenting her body and soul. The only luck she had back then was to recover weakly but quickly and escaped.
Like Confucious, she entered this course of life with the innocence of a youngster and matured quickly into a grown-up in a short time because of these war mishaps. In a way, it was their choices to get involved. It was the price to pay for peace.
As a pair, Lila to Confucious is always the innocent girl that he shot the data chip to with his arrow. And Confucius to Lila is always the innocent boy who she helped to escape when being chased after by the machine-ninjas.
Now that they are both in a peaceful world, it does not matter how she is being seen by him. She knew he is aware about her ordeals, but she does not want him to be unsettled over the details as there are many good things ahead that he needed to achieve. Keeping him away from the full truth ensures the innocence in him. That is a quiet love for him.
The irony side of life is with the traumas had she been through, she dare not regard him as a lover, boyfriend, or husband anymore. Neither could he be a brother or closed relative. But little did she know Confucius did not think likewise. He just did not want to talk about their future as lovers and even married couple because he was waiting quietly for her to release her miserable past and re-live the present.
Ignoring, or unwillingly to talk openly may not be good thing psychologically but in their case, may be perfect philosophically. Who knows?
But to her, he is indeed a good companion that could give her comfort, warmth, and guidance. To him, she is always a he could trust and support him in need-be situations, a bond created in the acts of war, let alone being orphans.
Together, they are a real couple.
Confucius nodded in answering her question as to whether he is leaving, rolling up a translated scroll. “The scrolls mention other villages. Ones Lord Vex Ji oppressed. They deserve to hear the Sage’s words, too. To know they’re not alone.”
“Then I’m coming with you,” Lila said, shouldering her bow.
He opened his mouth to argue, but she raised an eyebrow. “Don’t even start. I can shoot better than half the archers in Y-Zone Prime. And someone has to keep you from getting caught by guards.” That comment is nevertheless funny but sad, and in the deeper part of her soul she knows she needed him more to give her the security.
He laughed, shaking his head. “Pack your things. We leave at dawn.” And that comment was what Lila wanted.
Their journey took them across Vex-5: through the Lava Marshes, where Taren’s body had been dumped (they left a stone marker, inscribed with “A father, a guardian”), over the Bamboo Expanse, where the Guru still lived, tending to his scrolls, and into the Iron District, where Lord Kol’s abandoned palace now housed a group of scholars.