Shen Qingqiu sensed an ominous aura surrounding him. He was deep in thought. He sat motionless, waiting for something to happen.
[You should run]
The foreboding voice taunted him to leave their bamboo house.
[You should flee and bring that half-demon with you.]
The voice reminded him of when they were fighting in the first war.
Devils.
That is what they are known as.
He used to read them when he was a NEET. That category is made up of demons and monsters, but devils are in their own league.
[that boy will die.]
Shen Qingqiu kept ignoring the voice. Lou Binghe is the only one who can taunt him.
He remained silent as he listened to the voices calling out to him.
He chose to ignore it. And continued to ignore it.
It would have been better if he had died instead.
Shen Qingqiu stared at the light screen with only a bad ending attached to it.
He would been hearing all kinds of nonsense because he knew the world was coming to an end.
Wei Wuxian, Lou Binghe, and Hua Cheng will perish for all eternity in order to achieve the gods' vision of the future.
It would have been ideal if they despised them from the bottom of their hearts.
His story is the sad epitaph of a great fall.
He couldn't wish to be free because his freedom had died along with them.
He could only kneel in front of their bodies and wait for the end of his time.
Black hair, those red eyes—the prestige of his bloodline paled in comparison to their warmth.
They were present when no one dared to accompany him. They were there to protect his heart when most people despised him. They were all alone, waiting for him in vain.
Now that time is trying to reset the world to its rightful path, with a human king that will lead humans to prosperity.
He'll have the chance to redo everything. In a future, where the gods won't be able to touch them.
"...I will protect them."
He's not allowed to have regrets in this life. All for the sake of following the code, he had taken things for granted. If given the opportunity to live a life with them, he will do so... guard them... and may they meet happiness, as well as an end filled with laughter and happiness.
Yes, he wished them happiness more than anyone else in the world.
Lou Binghe, Hua Cheng, Wei Wuxian.
He walked away from the bamboo house on his own. Today is the day he will begin deserting th norm that the world set on them.
They deserved better than what they were given. They were deserving of everything the world could offer.
Now that time has turned against them, he can relive the life that the gods tampered with...
"There really are no gods in this world," he curses as he looks down at the dragon.
He did not bow or show him any respect..
This is the deity who is causing them to fall apart.
Forcing those three to fall into a deep abyss from which they will never be able to return.
"...I love them..." he says with all his heart and soul. He spoke up. They are already his family and more.
Shen Qingqiu could not help but think that the rest of the world had deserted them. It's willingly sacrificing such good-hearted people they condemned.
They didn't do anything wrong! They just want to live. Why? Why? Why are you driving them into a corner?
In this time when no one was there to help them, he would live his life as a curse. A cruse that Lou Binghe will forever follow.
He'd gladly accept the curse if he could spend another lifetime with them.
"Do you hear me?" He'll gladly go to war with heaven or hell for this last chance. "I will not let you take them away," he said sternly as he approached them. He won't allow it. He will not let things end like this... If only he had been honest... If only he had been honest from the beginning.
His soul could never be free until he knew they were happy.
His body and soul are theirs.
His entirety is for their little family but of blood.
Those people were their friends, brothers, and special someone. He will never be free until they live the lives they took away from them. Until they are free of the shackles that humanity and the world have condemned them to.
"...I..." prayed a proud man who has never and will never bow and beg anyone, "...will not let you take them away..."
He will not allow the deities to dictate their fate once more.
[Traveller. You can not go against fate.]
He will sell his soul to be with them—to hear their laughter, to see them live. He will give them a second chance at the life that was taken from them...
"Just... I..." even if he will not be human in that life, "...this lifetime wish..."
He looks up at the Dragon God. He was aware that he was a third person in this world. He knew he was just a prop for the protagonist to become the demon lord, but...
"I am not going to let you steal their future once more."
Shen Qingqiu is more attached to them than he thought.
He swallowed all of his words as he looked at them. He remembered how filthy they were due to dust and rain. They were so skinny that their skin wrapped around their bones. Their soiled clothes will not keep them warm or dry in the wind.
Every second he witnessed their meekness, his heart broke and crushed.
Three cursed villains once saved the world.
They now want these villains to be the pillars that hold up that messed-up future.
Those people died in front of his very eyes. But— not yet... Even if he wanted to, he cannot take them back. He can not even if he wanted to.
Wei Wuxian, Hua Cheng, and Lou Binghe simply wanted to live a normal life but were unable to do so.
[You can not go against fate. This is what the heavens' scribe has already written for the world.]
"CURSE THEM ALL!" he screams, drawing a sad expression from the deity. "FATE? YOU CALL THAT FATE? THEY'RE NOT TOYS YOU CAN PLAY AND DISCARD WITH! THEY'RE YOUR CREATION AS WELL!"
Shen Qingqiu never believed in gods; instead, he placed his faith in chance and hard work.
His eyes widen. His heart began to beat again after it had stopped. He was awake.
"When they needed your help, did any of you come to save them?"
A hero would sacrifice for the world... but Shen Qingqiu is not a hero...
Finally. He approached him with trepidation. Just seeing him in this state makes him unhappy. A loyal friend who would give his life for him. A devoted man who prioritized their lives over his own.
Lou Binghe, you know... My proudest achievement was falling in love with you. I have no regrets about giving my life to you.
He fixed his gaze on the deity, and the deity, in turn, fixed his gaze on him. He did not withdraw his hand. He waited patiently for the deity to figure it out.
Those dead black eyes started to shine.
That is correct; for the time being, you should admire me. This time, we will safeguard everything we did not safeguard the previous time.
This world had robbed him of everything.
Shen Qingqiu will become a deserter.
If the world has turned its back on them to betray them, I will turn my back on the world and betray it for them.
He will not allow them to control his life, no matter how insignificant it may be.
[You will be cursed for all eternity.]
So be it.
"No matter how many lives I have, if my life can save my world, I would rather be cursed eternally than live having betrayed that one."
Lou Binghe. Lou Binghe.
Shen Yuan mockingly chuckles.
"I am a plot destroyer, and fate will not be able to stop me."
He will choose a path that the deity fears the most.
TBC