《Random One shots》 On the other side. "I am gonna sleep early today. Don''t disturb me." I said this to my so-called friend. "But I want to show you how much I have progressed since last time." My friend pouted. She looks disappointed right now but I don''t care. She just wants to show off her magic anyways and it''s not like she is special in any way. Everyone can use magic in my world. Even a five-year-old. "You can show it to me tomorrow. Now go." I lied to her again and yawned, pretending to be drowsing. Let me tell you a secret, I am never gonna meet her again in my life. "Ok. Good night." I gave her a polite smiled and closed my eyes. Only after I was sure that she won''t come back, I got up and started to pack my stuff. You guys must be wondering who I am right? I don''t know how I should introduce myself. I don''t have a name. Don''t worry, my parents did give me a name but I hate my parents so I hate the name they gave me too. I was just six years old when my parents left me outside an orphanage. They did this because I was special. Of course, they don''t think I am special, they think I am abnormal. When they were leaving they told me to hide who I am. Hide my true identity. Now after lying about my name for a thirteen year, I don''t even my true name. I have already packed everything and now I am going to jump out of the window. First I am gonna go to the river near my house. Okay, not my house. I live in servant quarters but whatever. I am feeling much more relieved after throwing everything in the river. I don''t have to carry so much weight with me anymore. Y''all wants to know where I am going? I will tell you when we get there. How about I tell you about my world until we get there? The first thing you should know about my world is that there are two sides to this world. Night side and Day side. I live on the Night side and you won''t believe me when I say this but I have never seen the sun in my entire life. No one on the Night side has. I have only read about it in books. They say it''s warm and bright. I want to see it. I want to go to the Day side but it''s not so easy. You can even say it''s impossible. There is a portal connecting the two sides. Many people have tried to go to the other side through this portal but no one has ever succeeded. Why? Because people who are born on Night side can''t go to the Day side. Whenever someone tries to go near the portal their skin burns. I have even heard people lost their lives because of this. And I have never seen someone coming here from the other side either. I have been walking for two hours and my legs are starting to hurt. I can already see the portal. Even though my legs hurting but I don''t care. I want to go to the portal as soon as I can. Do you think I will die too? Don''t worry. I have already told you I am special, didn''t I? I think I can go to the other side. Alive. Maybe. I can feel my skin slightly burning but it''s fine. I have already come this far, I can''t go back now. My head is also starting to get a little dizzy. Ok, not a little. I am about to touch the portal. I feel like I am dreaming. No, I think I am about to lose my consciousness. Am I dying? Ahh! Sh*t. " Young Lady! Young Lady!" I heard someone calling me and then patting my cheek. My head hurts like hell and I can''t even open my eyes. "Young Lady!" Ugh! So annoying. I finally managed to open my eyes and tried to see just who was calling me. "Young Lady, are you ok? A young man was staring at me with his blue eyes. There was a worried expression on his face. " No. I just died." I heard myself saying. I have done anything good in my entire life but I still managed to get into heaven? Amazing. And there is even a fairy waiting for me. A male fairy. "I think you are mistaken young lady. You are still alive. Can you tell me what happened to you?" "I am alive?" I immediately sat up and looked around. "Yes." He smiled. "Wow." Everything is so bright. I must be on the Day side. I was so happy I almost screamed. But feeling the young man''s gaze on me, I had to school my expression. "Who are you?" I tried my best to hide my excitement and calmly asked him. "My name is Muran. What''s your name?" "I am Carla." I smiled and lied confidently. "MayI ask if you came from the other side young lady?" "First, stop calling me young lady. And yes, I came from the other side." I had no choice but to tell him the truth. He probably figured this much already and was just confirming. "I thought it was impossible." "I thought so too," I said innocently.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Then why did you do that?" "I wanted to suicide." I think I have mastered the art of lying by now. "Why would a young and pretty girl like you wanted to suicide?" "It''s because I can''t use magic." I even pretended like I was holding back my tears. "Really? Everyone can use magic. Even a five-year-old ca..." He stopped mid-sentence. "You don''t believe me?" I looked at him with tears filled in my eyes. "No, no. I didn''t mean it like this. I am sorry for being disrespectful." "It''s ok. You don''t have to apologise." He is really innocent. "What are you doing to do now?" He asked hesitantly. "I''ll try another method this time." "For suicide?" "Yes." "You can not do that." He helped me stand up and said anxiously. "Why can''t I? I don''t have a home to go to or food to eat. There is nothing left for me in this world." I tried to walk away but my arm was grabbed by him. "You can come with me if want." He was looking at his shoes shyly when he said that. "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Ok then." I agreed. "Let''s go." He let go of my arm and instead held my arm. We both started walking on the bumpy road. He was walking one step ahead of me. I can see his broad shoulders and small waist. He is also tall. No. No. I shouldn''t be thinking about his figure right now. Let''s talk about something else. You guys must be feeling bad for this innocent young man? Don''t pity him just as yet. Maybe he is also acting just like me. "We are here." After walking for a long time we finally arrived at our destination. We were standing in front of a big house. Like real big. " You live here?" I asked unbelievingly. "Yes." He smiled at me and let go of my hand. Someone was coming and maybe he was too shy. "Where were you? I was waiting for you at lunch." An elegant looking girl came and said while frowning. "Sorry. Something came up."Moran patted the girls head and entered the house with her. "Why are still standing outside? Come in." He turned his head and invited me. *And here going the chance of him being my fated lover.* I thought to myself and followed after them. I was already expecting that he must belong to a rich and notable household by the way he talked and acted but I didn''t expect him to be that wealthy. And what''s more, he is the youngest child of the family. Practically the darling of the family. But what was this young master doing near the portal? "What were you doing in such a deserted area near the portal?" I stuffed my mouth with the last piece of pastry his sister brought for me and asked him. By the way, the girl we met at the door was her sister. "Nothing. I was just exploring the area." He said carelessly like it was a most natural thing to do so. "Just exploring the area? Do you have a death wish?" "It''s not like this." He stopped practising and came to sit beside me. Come to think of it, I still haven''t said how magic works in our world. People who live on the Night side can only ice magic while people on this side can only use fire magic. Everyone can use magic but the level of everyone''s magic is different. People like my friend back in the Night side spend their whole life stuck in the beginner level and can only work as servants. And then there are people like Muran who are already at an expert level at such a young age. Well, this type is quite rare but that''s why they are regarded so highly. "Then what is it like?" I grinned at the handsome youth sitting beside me. "I only went near the portal because I saw someone passed out there. At first, I was just exploring the area near the portal." "I see." "It''s time to sleep. You must be tired too. I''ll show you to your room." "What''s this? I am not sleeping in such a dark room." I was very displeased after looking at the room. I have spent my whole life sleeping in small and dark rooms and now he is giving me a room like this again. It''s not small but its dark. "But you can''t sleep if it''s too bright and I especially arranged a cool and dark room for you." "Ridiculous. I want to sleep in a warm room with many windows." "Fine if this is what you want." He then brought me to a room with two big windows. The bed was placed right beside the window. I happily went to bed and closed my eyes in hopes of good sleep. I wasn''t able to sleep for quite some time but maybe it was because I was too excited. My life on this side is definitely better than the life I had before. It''s been two months since I have come here. I am spending my days playing with Muran''s sister and eating watermelons and mangoes and whatnot. Moran himself is a busy person but he still spends some time with me. He is really good to me but now I feel a little embarrassed for freeloading at his place for so long. Even though I am a liar but I have always worked hard to earn a living for myself. I used to do odd jobs just to get a meal. So I simply asked him if he can get me a job. I know there is a need for a cook at his home but I was too embarrassed to ask his sisters or his mother. " Why do you want a job?" He asked surprised. "Well, I can''t freeload at your place and eat your food forever without paying." I took a bite of the apple he gave me and said. "You can." He stopped eating the apple in his hand and said anxiously. "I mean if you want to." He added again. He looked a little shy right now. His blue eyes fixed on the apple in his hands. "I..." I was speechless for a moment before I managed to spit out the whole sentence. "How can I?" His whole face turned red and he tossed the apple on the ground. Before I could understand what was happening, he held my hand tossing my apple on the ground too. But this wasn''t the time to think about Apple. His face was too close to mine. His hypnotizing blue eyes staring straight into my eyes. I think I blushed a little too. There was the warm sun shining brightly on her heads. "I like you, Carla. Marry me?" What? He was confessing his love to me. He doesn''t even know my name. Well, it''s not his fault but he is still stupid to fall in love with a liar like me." "You don''t know who I am." He tried to look away but it''s like I was under a spell. I couldn''t take my eyes off of him. "You can tell me more about you." His lips curved upwards. "I don''t have a name." "Carla is a nice name. He kept smiling. "There is something else too." "What is it?" "Let go of my hands?" "Oh! Ok." He let go of my hand and scratched his head nervously. I raised my left hand and a spark flew burning the nearby tree. "...." Actually, I was just going to ignite a small ball of fire but it''s too long since I have last used magic so I couldn''t control it. Well, whatever. I raised my right hand and put out the fire using my ice magic. "Still wanna marry me?" I was waiting for him to run away in fright but what was that? He was shocked at first but then he just looked amazed. "That... That was wonderful." His voice was quavering. Beautiful? Is he crazy? Even my parents were afraid of me. "You don''t think I am abnormal?" "No. I think you are special." I was rendered speechless by him again. "So are you gonna marry me?" What do you think I said? Yes or No? Memories. (Micro story) Memories... Memories... I still don''t know if memories are supposed to be a curse or a blessing? How can they make us laugh and cry at the same time?This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Whenever I remember about the time you bought me my favourite ice cream or a toy I wanted, I feel happy but tears still rolled down my cheeks. There are moments when I want to think about your smiling face but the only thing I can remember is your lifeless body lying before my eyes. The fact that you are not here but only your memories makes my heart ache but if it wasn''t for your memories I don''t think I would able to live anymore. Unexpected Friendship (part one) A beggar on the street was singing the same song for one hour. He was saying no matter how much he yearned to go home, he can not find his way back. And if it wasn''t for my image of a cultivator, I would have also started singing with him. This song just felt so relatable. I, Lou Yong Sheng, was seventeen years old when I left my sect to explore the world. My Father who also happened to be the sect leader opposed my decision. He used every possible way to change my mind but failed. I don''t understand why he wanted me to stay in the sect and take over his position of sect leader in the future. It''s not like I am his only son. I am not even the eldest. I have an elder brother who is far better than me in martial arts. When I was leaving, my Father told me to never come back and that I don''t belong to the sect anymore. At that time, I didn''t care about what he said at all. I had no intention to go back either. I wanted to roam around the world and even a lifetime wasn''t enough for that. I only regretted my decision three years ago when I got the news of my brother''s death. My brother died two years after I left my sect. The reason why I regretted my decision wasn''t because I was worried about my sect or the position of the sect leader but my brother. I wish I would have spent more time with him. I want to see my parents one more time too. However, my Father''s words always stopped me from doing so. The beggar finally stopped singing and lied down on his straw mat. He was probably tired from singing for so long. I also mounted the horse''s back and headed towards my next destination. A few days ago, I heard about an Immortal who can cure any disease in this world. He lives in a cave called " Cave of Purity". It is said that only a man with a pure heart and a clear mind can enter the cave. Right now I am going there. No, No. Don''t misunderstand. I don''t have an incurable disease nor do anyone else I know. I just want to take a look and gain some experience. Since I don''t have anything better to do, I might go and check if my heart is pure or not? The night is getting dark, I think should stop and rest for a while. I don''t have enough money to get a room though. At most I can only afford a bowl of noodles. It was also fine. I can sleep anywhere even under a tree. There is something else I miss about my sect other than my parents. Pretty maidens. When I was in the sect I thought they were just average. But now I realize how wrong I was. I hid my disappointment and asked the name of the girl who was serving me noodles. But Instead of answering my question, she panicked and left hurriedly after placing the bowl of noodles on the small table in front of me.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. She must be scared of me because of my suspicious-looking black robes. I love black and the day I left my sect, I threw the green uniform of my sect and started wearing black robes. Most people mistake me as a devil cultivator because of my black robes. After finishing my bowl of noodles I left the inn and started looking for a place where I could spend the night. Luckily, soon I found a rundown shrine. It was quite dark inside the shrine and nothing could be seen. I didn''t bother to light a candle since I was gonna sleep anyways. Soon after closing my eyes, I felt there was something wrong with this shrine. I instantly ignited a ball of fire and looked around. Sure enough, a man was sitting quietly in the corner. It looked like he was meditating and upon noticing a source of light in this dark shrine, he opened his eyes for a split second before closing them again. The man was wearing white robes and his hair were tied in a high ponytail. His facial features were gentle, giving him an elegant look. If it wasn''t for the devil qi surrounding his body, I might have mistaken him as a righteous path''s cultivator. His white robes were covered in blood. He was probably injured. Since he was ignoring me, I also went back to my initial position and lied down. I had no intention of messing with an injured man for no reason, just because he was a demon. And in his current state, he couldn''t harm me either so I just decided to ignore him too. It was already dawn when I woke up. I sat up and subconsciously looked in the corner. He was sitting in the same meditating position as last night. After checking my sword, I stood up and left the shrine. I barely walked for ten minutes before I heard someone calling me. "Excuse me, sir, can you listen to me for a minute?" "Yes?" I was thinking, why a demon would talk to me when the man I saw last night in the shrine spoke again. "You must have figured out my real identity. I was wondering if you could help me with something?" I was amused by what he said. He knew I have already guessed his identity and is still asking me for help. "I am sorry but how can I be of any help to a demon?" Maybe I shouldn''t have called someone a demon to their face. It was just a slip of tongue. "I am very much impressed by the mercy you showed by sparing me last night. I have no ill intentions nor do I want to cause any kind of trouble in your human realm. I am here for something very important. " How can I help you?" I was getting impatient. "You know I am a demon and it''s very hard for me to mix in with humans. Whenever someone finds out that I am a demon, they just start fighting with me without giving me a chance to explain. It''s very hard for me to travel like this so I want you to help me hide my identity until I reach my destination." "And why do you think I will help a demon for no reason?" "You spent the night in a shrine. I assume you are short on money. So it''s simple, you help me by covering for me and I can provide you with money." I couldn''t talk for a few seconds at his accurate guess. His offer was good but I still wanted to go to see that Cave of Purity. Travelling without money can be a little hard but I am used to it. I can do a few jobs on my way if necessary. "Where are you going?" I asked him while thinking of an excuse. "There is an Immortal in the human realm who can cure any disease. Do you know about him?" Unexpected Friendship. (Part Two) I was dumbstruck for a moment before I regained my composure and asked him, "You mean you want to go to the Cave of Purity?" What a coincidence right? "Yes, yes. You know about this place?" I could clearly see the hope and excitement in his shining black Phoenix eyes. "A little bit." "It''s perfect. So are you going to help me?" "Let me think for a moment." This time I was seriously thinking about accepting his offer. It was truly a golden opportunity for me. "Please." The youth cupped his hands and bowed. "Ok." I sighed and agreed. There was no reason for me to say no. Except for the fact that he was a demon and I had to be a little careful. "Thank you." He straightened his back and flashed a smile. "What''s your name?" "Tang Yuan." "Where is your horse? Let''s get going." I walked towards my horse and said to him. After travelling for almost a week we arrived at a small town in the north. We still needed to travel for one more day to find the Cave of Purity. "How about we rest here for a night?" I asked Tang Yuan. "Can''t we just keep going? Why waste time here?" He said looking nervous. I wanted to laugh seeing him like this. Even after so many days, he was still afraid of being found out and avoided crowded places. Since he lived in the demon realm all his life, he wasn''t good at hiding the devil qi on his body, unlike the other demons who could easily mix in with humans without exposing their identity. "Don''t worry. No one will know who you are. You know you look more righteous than me." I suppressed my laugh with difficulty and dragged him to a hotel. "What do you want to order?" We decided to have dinner together before going to our rooms. "Anything is fine except seafood." He said in a barely audible voice. "Ok." I shook my head helplessly and ordered for him too. He wasn''t even willing to talk to the waiter. "I don''t understand one thing. Why are you so scared of humans? You are stronger than most of the cultivators here including me." I finally asked the question I had on my mind since the first day. "I am not scared of humans. Humans are already so hostile towards the demon race. I don''t want to accidentally hurt someone and add to their hate towards us." He explained while playing with the chopsticks. "I see." This was the first time I realized how narrow-minded we humans are. We stopped talking when the food arrived. As expected of an expensive restaurant, the food is delicious. "Her voice is really good and her looks are not bad either." I complimented the girl who was singing. "Hmm." Tang Yuan replied without lifting his head. "Just hmm? You haven''t even looked at her. Come to think of it, you don''t show much interest in women. Are you a Saint or something?" I was disappointed by his reply. Tang Yuan''s hand holding the chopsticks froze for a moment before he spoke. "I am already in love with someone and don''t want to cheat." "You mean you have a wife at home?" It was a simple question but Tang Yuan''s face turned red after hearing my questions. His expression looked so bad I regretted asking this. "Not exactly. She... She is dead." I was shocked. "Oh. I am sorry." I truly felt sorry for him. "It''s fine." He forced a smile on his face and went back to eating his food. "Were you two married? How did she die?" I asked for the sake of conversation. "No. One month before the wedding ceremony she asked me to take her to visit the human realm. I don''t know why but she was so obsessed about coming here. Unfortunately, she was killed in the human realm. I was at my best state at that time and still couldn''t protect her. It was my fault." "It''s not your fault. I am sure you must have tried your best to save her." His story was so tragic even an indifferent person like me was touched. "But I didn''t succeed." I was wondering how I should comfort him when I realized something scary. His wife to be was killed in the human realm. Oh, God! Don''t tell me he is here for revenge. Ah, that makes sense. I screamed In my mind. I glanced at him secretly and finally muster up the courage to ask him, " Don''t you resent humans" I gulped and completed the sentence, "for killing her?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Huh? Who told you she was killed by humans?" He looked at me confused. "They didn''t? You said she was killed in the human realm." "Yes, but she was killed by a demon. I have many enemies in the demon realm. I didn''t realize someone was following us so I let my guard down and they took this chance to take revenge against me." "Sorry, I misunderstood." I felt so relieved and embarrassed at the same time. "It''s ok." "By the way, this girl will be really famous in the future. I can tell." I tried to ease the environment. "Hmm." This time he said this after looking at her. Probably to give me some face. "I heard the girls in the demon realm are really pretty. They are far more charming than the girls here." "Can you hurry and finish your food? We have to wake up early tomorrow." Tang Yuan patted his lips with the napkin and said. He was already done eating. "Yeah Yeah." The next day we started our journey again. I was in high spirits when we left the inn. However, my mood was ruined when we couldn''t find the cave after searching for two days. I mean I respect this Immortal''s choice but why can''t he live in a town like a normal person? It would be much easier to find him. After cursing the Immortal in my heart, I looked enviously at Tang Yuan whose face showed no sign of anger or irritation. "Hey, Tang Yuan. Can I ask you something?" I was so bored that I decided to chat with him ignoring the possibility that he might be annoyed by me and my questions. "If I say no, you won''t?" He said without turning his head. "Why don''t you wear black? I heard demon cultivators always wear black." "I don''t like black." "You don''t look like a demon at all." I sighed and said. I must have said this sentence to him more than ten times in the past few days. After three more hours of searching, we finally found this "Cave of Purity." "Do you think you can enter the cave? I heard only those who have a pure heart and calm mind can enter the cave. No matter how righteous you look, you are still a demon cultivator after all." I asked Tang Yuan who was inspecting the barrier at the entrance of the cave. "No idea." "I will go in first and then think of a way to get you in too. Ok?" "Ok." I took a long breath and walked into the cave. "Ahh!" I couldn''t pass the barrier and instead bumped my head. I turned to look at Tang Yuan and I swear I saw him flash a smile which he hid quickly. "What should we do now?" I had no time to be embarrassed. "Let me see." He stood in front of the cave, gathered the devil qi in his palm and blasted the barrier. In just a few seconds the hundred years old barrier was gone. "It''s gone." He said with a serene expression on his face. "Yes." I''m not blind. I can see it. "Let''s go inside." Without paying attention to my shocked face, he went inside the cave and I had no choice but to follow him. I didn''t know more surprises were waiting for me inside the cave. There was nothing inside the cave except a stone bed and a dead body resting on top of it. I held back the urge to curse loudly and patiently waited for Tang Yuan to say something. "Finally found him." He sighed in relief and started searching the body of the Immortal. "What are you doing?" I think he must have lost his mind. After all, it was too big of a shock for someone who came all the way here from the demon realm and risked his life just to find a dead body. "What do you think? I am looking for the elixir." He found a small porcelain bottle and showed it to me. "You knew he was dead all this time?" "Of course, I knew. I came here for this elixir. Before he died, he made an elixir that can cure any disease. You didn''t know this? I thought you knew." I was so angry, I wanted to murder the dead body of this Immortal. Why everyone calls him Immortal in the first place? Out of Respect? Respect my... "What are you thinking?" "Nothing. Are you done?" Of course, I couldn''t tell him my thoughts. "Done." He smiled as usual and we left the cave. "You are always so curious about everything. How come you haven''t asked me why I want this elixir yet?" "You want to revive your dead wife to be?" Judging from the past events, I would not be surprised o hear this plot twist. "No. My mother is ill. I want this for her." After saying this he suddenly stopped walking. "Is it possible to revive a dead person with this elixir?" Tang Yuan asked with all seriousness. "I am kidding." Stupid demon. When we arrived back in the town, Tang Yuan tried to pay me but I refused. "You already paid for my food and other expenses on the road. There is no need for this." I wasn''t doing this solely for the money anyways. It was enough that I had a place to sleep and good food to fill my stomach because of him. "But..." "I said no," I said firmly. "Ok, ok. Why don''t you come to the demon realm with me and be my guest?" "Demon real..." *Cough* *Cough* I choked on the water. "Be careful." Tang Yuan took the water bottle from my hands and continued. "Don''t you want to explore the world?" "That''s right. But I don''t want to be a burden on you." We have known each other only for a few days. It''s not appropriate for me to go freeload at his place for no reason. "Didn''t you say we are friends? How can you say this?" Tang Yuan looked a little hurt while saying this. And when did I say this? It was this one time when we were eating hot pot and a girl asked me about him and I casually said he was my friend. Did he take that seriously? "Aren''t we friends?" Tang Yuan asked again. "Yes." I was moved by his sincere words. This was the first time someone called me a friend. I always wanted to have a friend. Especially after my brother died, I really wanted someone to talk to. But I thought it was for someone like me to have a friend. I am not so social and have a bad mouth. "Then stop hesitating so much. I can assure you there is no sea of fire or pool of lava in the demon realm and did you forget about the enchanting beauties of the demon realm?" Enchanting beauties of the demon realm? This time he really got me. Does it hurt? (Micro story) Does it hurt? When you can not recognise yourself anymore. When you have lost yourself. Feeling like you are not living your life anymore. I am seeing a familiar face in the mirror but there is a completely different person staring back at me. Asking me the same question as always. Is it really you? Can you even recognize yourself? These questions haunt me. How can I forget myself? Why did I forget who I was and become someone I never was? But when did it all start? The day I lost myself. The day I gave up. Accepted the reality and let go of myself without realising.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I started putting a new filter on myself every day and hid my true self. Missing every shot, I forgot what I was aiming for. With every unachieved goal, I lost a part of myself. Every broken dream is like a sharp needle pierced in my heart. Killing the hope a bit by bit. Slowly. Painfully. Until there was none left. However, with time I started forgetting the number of needles pierced in my heart. Assuming it was the only way to suppress pain and continue living an unfamiliar life. I may have forgotten who I was. Lying to myself that it doesn''t hurt anymore. But a corner of my heart is still grieving. Weeping and mourning over my past self who couldn''t find a future. It does hurt. Maybe it shouldn''t but it does. It does hurt to let go. Well, I should look away from the mirror now and go back to being someone who is not me.