"Why does this child have such a large scar on his face? Sigh, and he's the eldest son too."
This was the first sentence Leonard Lei ever heard and understood. The Lei Clan, located in the easternmost remote woodlands of the north, had fewer than ten thousand people.
Leonard Lei’s father, Laurence Lei, had suffered injuries from fighting in the bitter cold when he was young, leaving him with a chronic illness. His legs were weak, and he often needed care. By the time Leonard was old enough to understand, his father was frequently bedridden.
Because of the birthmark covering his entire face—a black mark—he became the subject of ridicule among the tribe. Though he was the clan leader’s son, he was ugly, even strange. As he grew older, his body grew larger, and if someone saw him at night, they’d be frightened. Behind his back, everyone called him a monster.
Because of this birthmark, Leonard Lei suffered greatly, crying countless times over it. He wasn’t good at remembering things, and compared to others, he learned slowly. He was clumsy at hunting and often lost his patience, scaring the prey away.
There was only one thing: Leonard Lei was much stronger than most people. By age eleven, he was already stronger than the adults. But no one respected him; they gradually began to avoid him, leaving him out of hunts and calling him a freeloader behind his back.
Only when physical strength was needed did Leonard Lei feel a little confident. There was one other thing: he was good at weaving little animals out of grass, and the village children liked them. But over time, under their parents’ influence, these children also began to mock and shun Leonard.
Long ago, Leonard Lei wanted to leave the tribe. But because of his father, he stayed. Though Laurence Lei was bedridden and in pain for years, whenever Leonard felt down, his father would smile and say, ‘Health is a blessing. Don’t mind what others think. No one accepts you now, but one day someone will.’
Laurence Lei was loving and became Leonard’s spiritual support. He always talked to Leonard, saying that when he got better, he’d take Leonard to Grant City himself. The Grant King was a wise ruler who valued talent, and when Leonard grew up, he could lead the tribe there.
Every year, Leonard watched his uncles and cousins go to Grant City in his father’s place. He envied them and sometimes begged to go along, but was always ignored. Some of his cousins even teased him, saying he was so ugly he’d scare people in Grant City.
Though he was young, Leonard Lei gradually realized that he and his father were merely ornamental in the tribe. No one remembered his father’s service in the war for the clan; only those who could lead and feed the tribe were remembered, since no one wanted to go hungry.
All tribal affairs were managed by his uncle, and even his father seemed to accept this. As long as it wasn’t in front of his father, people in the tribe called his uncle the clan leader. There was nothing they could do—his father was bedridden, and Leonard was powerless.
But years of drought made their already hard lives even worse. His father was awake less and less, spending most of his time asleep. Leonard took care of all his father’s needs, while the rest of the tribe rarely came by. They claimed it was for his father’s recovery, but in truth, they wanted to abandon father and son completely.
Leonard Lei remembered the only time he saw his father truly angry: it was during negotiations with people from the Sage Domain. His father’s face was furious, while their own tribesmen laughed. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.
After returning from Grant City that time, his father changed—becoming cold and distant. He told Leonard’s uncle that he was useless, but at least this time he could do something for the tribe: he sent Leonard as a hostage to Grant City.
Leonard cried, heartbroken. On the day he left the tribe, he looked at his father standing in the doorway of their hut and broke down in tears. His father didn’t hate him—he was saving him.
On the journey, his uncle repeatedly reminded him not to reveal anything about their tribe or the Sage Domain. Leonard remembered this carefully.
"It wasn’t my father who abandoned me—it was I who abandoned my father!"
Leonard sat cross-legged on the ground, head bowed, surrounded by endless darkness. He knew, from the tribe’s prisoners, the news that made him furious: after he left, his father had no one to care for him and died in hunger and cold.
Always so timid, Leonard gradually understood himself: he had a huge body but a weak heart. If he had told the Grant King everything when he arrived in Grant City, maybe he could have seen his father again.
Eventually, Leonard met Yvonne May—the first woman to praise him. He made more and more friends; at first, they were distant, but soon they played together every day. In Grant City, Leonard experienced happiness he’d never known before.
Yvonne May confided many things to Leonard, her biggest secret being that she never wanted to leave Grant City and return to May Domain. Leonard always listened to her with a smile, no matter what.
"You’re a gentle person!"
Thinking back now, Leonard remembered Yvonne May smiling and saying this to him, as if it were only yesterday. When she left, he wanted to stop her but hesitated—he did nothing.
"I really am a coward—not even as brave as Yuna."
When Leonard heard about Yuna chasing all the way to Jiang Capital, he was deeply shocked.
"Hasn’t the answer always been in your heart, Leonard?"
"Ah, I understand now, Father."
Leonard looked at his father, who was slowly fading away—a father he hadn’t seen in a long time.
"Yuna is the second person to tell me I’m gentle."
Leonard smiled, tilting his head back to keep his tears from falling.
Light and shadow swirled. Leonard remembered the day he took Yuna—her bottom still sore from a heavy punishment—out of the city to play. Nervous, Leonard asked her a question.
"Yuna, am I really that much of a coward?"
The young Yuna grinned, shook her head, and replied.
"You’re very gentle! You may look fierce, but in all of Grant City, there’s no one gentler than you. If only your gentleness could help me—like when I get punished, you could take the blame for me. You’re so big and strong, you can handle it! Heehee."
There was a crack—a sound like chains breaking inside Leonard’s mind. It was as if the shackles binding him had snapped. He slowly opened his eyes, sensing something strange.
"There’s nothing wrong with being gentle. It’s only cowardice when you turn a blind eye. Why did you come to this battlefield? Even if it devours all the gentleness in your heart, you still didn’t hesitate."
Leonard started running, his massive, almost clumsy body charging toward the faint green light ahead.
With a bang, Leonard roared and swung his obsidian axes. Yuna stared in shock at the sword in Wraithshade’s hand above her head.
There was a snap—the sword in Wraithshade’s hand broke. He stared in astonishment at Leonard, whose face was twisted in rage, fierce as a demon.
With a boom, Wraithshade was sent flying backward. He stared in shock at Leonard, whose strength surpassed even his own in ghost form.
The surrounding black ghosts began to dissipate. Wraithshade felt his control reaching its limit. Those spirits with strong resentment were easier to manipulate, but as his restraint weakened, they vanished—driven by fear of the people before them.
Joseph Qiao kept moving forward in the darkness. In his heart, there seemed to be no light left—nothing mattered to him anymore.
Not far away, a faint glow appeared. Joseph quickly approached—it was Lucille Xing, looking just as lost, her eyes devoid of light. The weak crimson glow was slowly turning black.
"Hold on, you two. Those idiots always acted like teachers, but look at them now—what a mess."
Sensing something was wrong, Yuna rushed over. When she reached them, she was panting from exhaustion, but still wore a smile.
"Are you like this too?"
Joseph Qiao sat down, exhausted. Lucille Xing forced a stiff smile and sat in front of him, staring absentmindedly.
"Is this really okay, Yusheng? Leaving Yuna behind?"
Joseph Qiao took a long breath, tilted his head back, and smiled helplessly.
"Maybe so."
"Joseph Qiao, Lucille Xing, you two idiots—where are you even trying to go?"
A soft call echoed through the darkness. Joseph Qiao and Lucille Xing’s eyes regained some light, and they looked around as faint green glows appeared in the shadows.
Joseph Qiao turned his head slightly and slowly stood up.
"Father, I’m sorry—I still can’t follow your teachings. I really can’t leave right now!"
"You two idiots, you taught me so much. You were always lecturing me from childhood, but now? Listen up—I’ve held on this long because of you..."
Her voice grew louder, and Joseph Qiao and Lucille Xing’s eyes regained their sharpness.
"It’s because you’re by my side—because you stand behind me, I have no fear. I dare to charge ahead because I know you’ll follow, protect, and support me. Because you’re my friends..."
"Stop holding me back, Sophie Grant."
Suddenly, Lucille Xing shook off Sophie Grant’s hand and turned to smile at her.
"You are you, and I am me, Sophie Grant. What I’ve been searching for, I’ve already found—even if I can’t say it yet. But I see them, and they see me."