He had been wanting to speak to her ever since he got back, but he hadn't been able to since he was far too busy catching up with all of them.
"First, thank you for keeping your word," Rui began. "You protected my family and enlightened them about the truth. I appreciate that."
"Like I said, I was just fulfilling my debt to you. Besides, it's hardly been a chore, it's actually been quite the pleasure," She replied, continuing. "I never had a family aside from my grandmother when I was young. These past two years have been so soul-nourishing that I've felt like I could stay here forever. Which is why I don't understand…"
Her expression grew more serious. "How were you able to leave so easily? What you have is a dream come true for many. A place and purpose in a large family full of love and hope. What more could you want? What more could you want in this cold cruel world?"
Her eyebrows furrowed. "If I were you, I would have never left this place. Not a single time. I would spend my entire life in this orphanage, and use my power to protect them from the harsh reality of this world. When you see those boisterous children running around…when you see your loving siblings raise those children with love and care, don't you feel the same way?"
Rui stared at her, listening to her heartfelt words. It wasn't that he didn't understand where she was coming from, he genuinely did. The issue was that she didn't seem to understand where he was coming from.
"I do experience the desire to protect my family," Rui replied calmly. "When I learned about the danger that I put them all in, I didn't hesitate to sacrifice billions of gold from the fruits of more than a year's worth of labor. If I had to make that choice, I would make it over and over again. However…there are some things I'm not willing to do."
Rui heaved a sigh. "This is something I didn't mention in the story back home but… back then the Martial Union offered me indefinite protection for my family as long as I became a member of their inner corps. Which basically means absolute loyalty and servitude. I refused because it would hamper my desire to live a free life and would hamper my ambition."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "That debacle taught me many things about myself, including the fact that my desire to fulfill my greatest ambition is my strongest drive, stronger than all others."
It wasn't the nicest answer, but it was the truth.
Senior Xanarn didn't respond immediately. She had already realized this truth, but it was something else to hear it so clearly from Rui himself. Not only was he self-aware about it, but he had accepted it and was not the slightest bit ashamed of who he was in any way.
"If you feel this way about the brothers and sisters you grew up with, those who took care of you, your own mother…then you'd probably feel this way even if you started your own family with a woman someday, right?"
There was a hint of disappointment and resignation in her voice.
"…I cannot say, but I would not be surprised," Rui replied before closing his eyes. "You do not understand. You cannot understand. The weight of my ambition. I am nobody, if not a man fulfilling Project Water."
She did not know what that was. Yet the details did not matter. What mattered was that they were at a crossroads, and it seemed that it was impossible for them to walk the same path.
"…I see," She replied, walking away before pausing. "I will remain here. In the past two years, I have experienced peace and serenity the likes of which even the Floating Sect did not give me. Your mother and the other caretakers accepted me wholeheartedly. They treated me like I was their own sister. The children of the orphanage adored me, looked up to me, and accepted my love like I was their own sister. Perhaps it is because the very nature of an orphanage is to give love to those who need it…But this orphanage is already my home, and perhaps the home where I'll raise a family."
She turned around, facing Rui. "That is my choice…It can also be yours if you are willing to."
Rui simply stared at her, heaving a sigh before shaking his head. "My choice was made before I was even born in this world."
This wasn't the first time Rui had made this choice either. He was not new to relationships, even if he was rusty. But in his experience, there was always a critical threshold for a relationship, a crucial make-or-break zenith.
Commitment. The commitment to put aside everything else in their life and put their relationship as the number one priority. Rui had reached this point a few times in his old life back in his younger days. And he had made the same choice every single time.
His work.
He had had a faint hope that perhaps he would meet someone who walked the exact same path as him, so he wouldn't have to choose, but alas, he had yet to meet somebody like that, in either life.
"…I see," She turned away, heading back to the orphanage. Rui heaved a shaky sigh, shaking his head before heading towards Max and Mana, slowly waking them up.
"Ngh…" Max groaned as he got up. "…Big brother? Wha-Oh."
He remembered the spar between them and the power that Rui had displayed.
"That power…" Mana murmured as she gained her bearings. "What do we have to do to attain that power? Tell us."
Rui smiled as he observed their deep desire for the power of the Martial Heart. He had achieved what he wanted by displaying his Martial Heart to them in such a fashion; stirring their drive.
