260 Deep-seated Feelings (1/2)

”But we're different from each other, Tilly,” Kiho said in a bitter voice. ”You've done nothing wrong. You and our children were hurt in the past because of my incompetence.”

It wasn't the first time that Kiho felt down because of his ”incompetence.”

In the past, her first instinct was to comfort him. But this time, since her emotions weren't particularly stable after reliving her horrible past life, she didn't have the energy to ”baby” her husband. After all, no matter how strong she was, she could also get tired.

And her patience was running low at that point.

”Like I said, you weren't the only one who was incompetent back then,” she told him in an impatient tone voice. She hated using that tone on her husband but she wanted to set him straight. ”Plus, this happened because I cursed Nia Moonchester. If it wasn't for the Sun God, I wouldn't even remember that the damned Great Fire Tree punished me.”

”You had to curse Nia Moonchester because she aided Aku Moonchester then to get the upperhand in the war,” he reasoned. ”The Great Fire Tree was wrong to punish you for cursing the Guardian who caused the fall of the gods during the previous divine war.”

”If you can forgive me for that, why can't you forgive yourself for the things that you have no control over?”

”Like I said, we are different,” he said firmly. ”My parents are the reason why this is happening to our family. I have to end it with my own hands.”

”Alone?”

Pain crossed his eyes. ”Tilly, I'm their son. I'm the one who should do this. If I don't do something to protect our family, I feel like I'm going to go crazy.”

”And you think it's better for you to work alone?”

”I don't want to be a burden to you anymore, Tilly.”

She let out a frustrated sigh.

The things that Kiho was saying hurt like hell. She hated that he considered himself as a burden to her. But it hurt even more that he was seriously considering leaving their family just when they needed to be together the most.

Kiho smiled bitterly. The sudden gust of cold wind around him wasn't ordinary wind. She could tell that it was meant to be his protection from her flame. ”Yes, I can feel your bloodlust directed at me,” he said. ”My Mana is creating a barrier on its own even if I didn't summon it.”

”Good,” she said in a voice colder than Kiho's ice. ”Now, let's fight.”

”Excuse me?”

”It seems like words won't work on your current state of mind,” she said while cracking her knuckles. ”Let's play a game, Kiho. If I manage to knock you down, you'll stay with us and stick with our plan. But if you knock me down instead, I'll let you leave and do whatever you want to do to your parents.”

”Tilly, don't do this,” he said firmly. ”You know that I can never hurt you, don't you? I will not fight you.”

”Then, you'll die,” she died. Of course, threatening her husband hurt more than she'd like to admit. She was also aware that violence should be her last resort. But she felt like this was the best way for them to release the pent-up frustrations that they had been bottling up inside ever since Soleil Rosenberg and Kalel Nystrom's time. ”If you don't fight me seriously, my flame will burn you alive.”

”Tilly–”

”Kiho, brace yourself,” she said, then she flapped her wings.

The heat wave that her wings caused by simply flapping was enough to push Kiho. The wave was strong enough to break her husband's barrier and hit him on the chest. The impact sent him flying. And when his back hit the wall, it broke down and Kiho was once again sent flying. This time, he got violently pushed through outside until he fell on the snow-covered ground.

It created a huge hole in the wall, allowing her to see that her husband was now coughing blood. Ah, it was probably caused by the heat wave that hit his chest a while ago.

I'm sorry, Kiho, she said while walking towards her husband. She decided to walk instead of flying like her initial plan. She was hoping that she had calmed down by the time she stepped foot outside. I don't want to hurt you but I need to knock some sense into you.

When she reached the yard were her poor husband was sent flying, she stopped herself from walking near him. Instead, she stood a few meters away from Kiho. Sadly, she couldn't tone down her bloodlust yet.

”I told you that you'd die if you don't take this fight seriously, Kiho,” she told her husband coldly. ”Are you awake or do I need to beat you to a pulp before you come back to your senses?”

Kiho wiped the blood of the side of his mouth before he stood up. ”Tilly, you have to learn that you can't be right all the time,” he scolded her while looking at her with a blank look on his face. His words, no matter how careful he said them, still hurt. But his cold expression scared her the most. It made her feel like there was now a huge distance between them. ”I know that your plans have always worked in the past, Tilly. You're both a fighter and a strategiest. But this time, I want to do what I can to protect our family with my own power. You can't kill the enemies because you have a binding vow with Nia Moonchester. But I can. And I want to end my parents while you're headed to the Great Fire Tree.”

She would admit that Kiho had a point.

But she didn't like the tone that he used, or the hidden motive that she could sense from his plan. She knew what he was feeling behind his words because she had spent many lifetimes with him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she knew him like the back of her hands.

”Kiho, are you competing with me?” she asked with clenched hands. Her nails dug deep into the skin of her palms. But the one aching the most was her heart. ”Do you feel inferior to me?”

He flinched, and he didn't give her a verbal response.

But his silence already sounded like a painful 'yes' to her.

”I can't believe you, Kiho,” she said in a hurt tone. ”We should be fighting together instead of having this petty argument!”

She didn't mean to attack but when she yelled angrily, her wrath manifested into an eagle-sized black phoenix that came at Kiho at an alarming speed. Even she was surprised by the form that her Black Flame took, especially when she didn't meant to attack her husband that seriously.

But when she was about to warn Kiho to dodge her flame, she was surprised when he countered her attack with his ice.

To be precise, he created a serpent out of his ice with the same size as her black phoenix.