Chapter 549 – Order And Chaos

“…”

“…”

Mei Gui and the blue-haired girl stared intently at each other, hatred sparking through the air. Murderous auras were being emitted from both of their bodies, and I could practically see the two primordial powers at conflict through their two small frames.

“Okay, that’s enough,” I said, pulling Mei Gui back by the collar, while my ‘elder sister’ on the other hand simply gave the shorter girl an even colder and more murderous glare. The shorter girl immediately retreated, sweat on her forehead.

“… I apologize for that, Kai Kai,” my elder sister said with a conflicted expression on her face, showing a gentleness that greatly contrasted with her cold glare from earlier. “Bai He here can be quite… domineering, sometimes.”

My ears perked up at the name she called me for a brief moment, but that was all.

“… It’s fine. Mei Gui is the same.”

Sensing my slight hesitation, she averted her gaze awkwardly.

“Oh, um… sorry. Was I… not supposed to call you that?”

“Uh… it’s fine,” I replied. “I’m just not very used to it, that’s all. I’ve only just met you, after all.”

“Hm… are you certain about that, Kai Kai?” My mother said wistfully, closing one eye. “She’s been by your side for a very long time, you know, back before you even awakened your powers. You just never noticed, that’s all.”

“Huh…?” I blinked in surprise, and at this, my ‘elder sister’ gave a soft nod.

“It’s true. You see, your mother always told me many stories about you. Eventually, I became curious of who you are, and I transferred into your school. The reason you didn’t notice is probably because I wore a disguise at the time that transformed my appearance. Do you recall a girl with curly white hair like this, but purple eyes and glasses and freckles on the cheeks?”

“Hm…”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to dig in my memory. Ultimately, however, I failed.

“Nope. Can’t say I do.”

“Ahaha…” Xuan Yu, my elder sister, gave an awkward laugh, and my mother sighed.

“You’re just as bad with women as your father is, Kai Kai…”

“It is quite alright,” Xuan Yu said, waving the matter off like it was nothing. “If you truly don’t remember, it’s actually a good thing—it means my original goal of blending in with the background was achieved. You see, at the time, since you hadn’t awakened to the powers of Chaos yet, it would be difficult to introduce me to you as your older sister.”

“Right… but about this whole powers thing… you’re telling me Order is as powerful as Chaos?” I asked, and my mother nodded.

“Yes. They are equally strong, but whereas Order is far more controlled, Chaos is wild and untameable. As a result, Xuan Yu’s control over her power is still greater than yours. If you were to fight right now, I’m afraid you’d lose.”

“Well, it’s not like I’d want to fight her anyway,” I muttered. “But… earlier, you told me not to touch that red gem thing. What is it?”

My mother’s expression tensed up, and she folded her arms. 

“If you touched that without Xuan Yu here, you would’ve died.”

“Wha… but…”

I turned to Mei Gui, who was still glaring at Bai He on the other side—the embodiment of Order. She had told me to touch it. But… she would never do something to hurt me, so… what was going on here?

“More accurately,” my mother clarified. “You wouldn’t have died. However, you would’ve been consumed by the berserk power of Chaos, and turned into a demon. I don’t mean a Demon as in the Demons in this land. I mean a real monster, one seeking nothing but chaos and destruction.”

“I… kind of get it now,” I said after a short silence. “So in essence, Chaos is a wild beast, and Order is the beastkeeper who keeps it in check. Without Order, Chaos will run wild and rampant, and the lack of balance will cause Chaos to run berserk.”

“That’s right,” my mother said. “This place… it’s not in reality the Chaos Realm. More accurately, it should be called the Nirvana Realm—the place where both Order and Chaos come together, and achieve peace.”

“Wait,” I frowned. “You just said Order and Chaos are opposite though, no? They’re nemeses and hate each other, all that?”

“Yes,” Xuan Yu replied in my mother’s stead. “However, like stated before, they are two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, order is necessary to keep things in check. Other times, though, a little bit of wild and ruthlessness from Chaos is also necessary. In that sense, they are harmonious, and in fact compliment one another.”

“So what’s gonna happen once we touch that thing together?” I asked. “Will we reach ‘Nirvana’ or something?”

“Close,” my mother said. “Even I’m not 100% sure what will happen for certain. But one thing is for sure—you and Xiao Yu will form a deep bond, and both of your strengths will be amplified.”

Xiao Yu obviously referred to Xuan Yu, just in a more affectionate way.

“… Don’t do it, Master,” Mei Gui said, tugging on my sleeve. “If you do this, you will become constrained by Order. Your power will be limited to what she allows.”

“Yes, but at the same time, I will be able to make sure he does not go berserk,” Xuan Yu said in argument, determination in her tone. “Xuan Kai may have not even known about me until today, but all my life, I’ve thought of him as my little brother. At the school, as much as I hated it, I could not step in the bullying to stand up for him. After he’d leave, I’d punish the bullies myself, but I had to do it in a way that didn’t reveal my identity, so it wasn’t enough to let off my anger at all. Now that I can finally do something for my dear little brother… I’m not going to let this opportunity go.”

“… Mei Gui, answer me truthfully,” I said without turning to her. “Do you want me to reject their offer because I’m truly better off on my own… or is it simply to satisfy your own desires of running rampant?”

“What… that’s… Master…” Mei Gui’s eyes widened, and she froze at the bitterness in my voice.

“… Just like that girl over there, whose the embodiment of Order, you are the embodiment of Chaos, isn’t that right? It’d make sense for you to want to break free from the restraints of Order. You want me to go berserk, because in your heart, you secretly lust for the destruction, the chaos it would bring, no? That’s where you feel at home—a world where everything’s been destroyed, and everything’s fallen apart.”

“Master, that’s not…”

“Be honest, Mei Gui. Is this really for me… or is it for yourself?”

“I…”

“Don’t try to force it out of her, Kai Kai,” my mother said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “That won’t be possible. If my guess is not wrong… her memories are not completely intact, correct?”

I nodded. “What does that have to do with anything, though?”

My mother gave a sigh, and continued.

“Thousands of years ago, Order and Chaos had a major clash. It wasn’t their first, of course, but it was the deadliest one yet. Both primordial entities were gravely injured and forced to resort to mere pieces of stone to preserve themselves—but as a result of their transformations and reborn-like mechanism, they lost many pieces of their memory. They are no longer who they once were, and the hesitation you see from her right now is just the remnants of her past self still haunting her. I am certain that she is loyal to you, Kai Kai. She is just confused in her mind right now. After the bond has been formed, however, everything shall become clear.”

“I see…”

“Bai He is the same,” Xuan Yu said, glancing at the shorter, blue-haired girl. “Her grumpy personality will become better after the bond is formed… hopefully.”

“Hey… I helped you so much, and that’s all you have to say to me?” Bai He growled at her master, who merely smiled softly like a loving elder sister and patted the shorter girl’s head.

“Yes, yes… you’re the best, Bai He. What will I ever do without you?”

“In any case,” my mother interrupted, clearing her throat. “The time is right. Whenever you two are ready, go ahead and touch the gem—together. If you do it at even a fraction of a second later than one another, then the entire process will fail, and the world may very well be ruined. This is no joking matter. Be careful.”

“Great… the fate of the entire world is now in our hands,” I muttered, glancing down at my palm. “Literally.”

“To guarantee we do it at the same time, holding hands is probably the best option,” Xuan Yu suggested, and held out her hand with beautiful snow-white skin.. “Let’s do it, Kai Kai.”