(OLD/NOT CANON) Immortal Ascension Tower

Chapter 67 - A Warm Yet Painful Smile

The girl stood silent for a minute then sighed "You have ten breaths!"

"I Am Grateful... That Is More Than Enough!" The voice possessing the boy exclaimed as it grabbed the character for Person and Mountain.

He muttered to himself "What You Have To Do... Is Not To Step On... The Mountain... It Is To..." he grabbed the two characters and put the character for Mountain above the one for Person.

"Become The Mountain! To Become Its Soul, the Will Of The Person Must Burn Like A Flame, Because Your Will Has To Be Absolute! Become A Person With Such A Fiery Will And Then... Support the Mountain!"

The character for Person wavered and caught fire. As soon as it did, the ancient voice muttered "A Will of Fire... For That To Happen, The Person Shall Burn Brighter Than Anybody Else! The Brightest In The Sky! To Burn Forever, Yet Never To Be Extinguished!"

The pictogram changed from the character Ren, 人, to the character Huo, 火: Fire! And above it, stood shān 山!

灵! Líng! Support the Mountain with your Fiery Will! A mind that won't accept defeat, nor losing! A Will of Fire!

The Spirit! The Soul! The Mind!

Not Immortal(xiān) anymore! It was now a Spirit, a Soul(Líng)! Of what? The Mountain of course! Not suppressing the Mountain, but becoming the Mountain! Becoming the very Soul! Not 仙... But 灵! Bearing the fate, the burden of the mountain itself, as a person to become the soul!

Ren Hong stared on wide-eyedly at what was happening and she felt as if she was looking at a great truth. Then, her mind awoke "Time's up, geezer!"

The boy turned and then an expression of pity appeared on his face "Enjoy Your Life As Long As You Can..."

The boy trembled once and then fell on the ground. Ren Hong caught him and then hugged him tight "You make me worry so much already, brother! And it has only been a few minutes ever since we have ever met!" She teared up "Don't do that ever again!"

The boy stared wide-eyedly for a bit then nodded, tearing up as well and begun crying in the red skinned girl's lap. He didn't remember anything, but he knew from his sister's reaction that he had scared her, and he hated that.

She then whispered something in his ear "Líng... Uh? Xū... Líng! Xū Líng! After all, your head is empty!

[Note: Xū - Empty, Líng - Other than soul, it can also mean mind, so she's basically saying his name is just like him, an Empty-Mind, as he has no memories]

"We should go fill it up and then, when we have made the best possible memories, we will change that Xū, that Empty, into something better!" She smiled at the boy's reaction and then she grinned "How about it? Do you like it?"

Xū Líng's eyes widened and then a smile broke on his face "I like it a lot, that is so awesome Sis! You are the best!"

The girl smiled "Want me to walk you around the place?"

Xū Líng nodded excitedly "Yes, please!" Then, after a while, he smiled "Sis?"

The girl turned and tilted her head "Yes? What is it?"

Xū Líng smiled, showing off two perfect rows of fine, white teeth "You are not sad anymore!"

The girl gaped and before she could reply, the boy passed by her and ran outside the door "Catch me, catch me!"

Ren Hong bit her lips, and then her heart that had been encased in ice ever since her mother had died millennia ago... Warmed up! The ice cage melted, and finally one beautiful, warm smile found its way towards the woman's lips as she shouted back "If I catch you I will tickle you!"