When Lam Minh woke up, he found himself lying on a hospital bed in the laboratory. To Quyen and Quynh Nhu were sitting beside him, their faces etched with worry and fatigue.
"You... you're awake!" To Quyen was the first to notice, exclaiming with joy.
"You scared us to death!" Quynh Nhu also sighed in relief, but didn't forget to glare at him. "If you ever do something so crazy again, I'll tie you up myself!"
Lam Minh smiled weakly. "I'm fine now. How... how is she?"
He quickly sat up and looked towards the hospital bed next to his.
There, a girl was sitting, her back to him, silently looking out the window. Short, stylish hair, slender shoulders—a very familiar silhouette.
To Quyen gently shook her head. "She's been awake for a day. But... she's a bit strange."
"Strange?" Lam Minh frowned.
"She doesn't say anything," To Quyen explained. "We've tried to ask, but she just remains silent. And she... seems to not remember anything. She doesn't even remember her own name."
Lam Minh's heart sank. He knew this was the consequence of her soul being damaged and imprisoned for too long. Even though he had removed the Holy Master's "Heart-Seed" and healed her wounds, the lost memories couldn't be easily recovered.
"There's one more thing," Quynh Nhu added, her voice a bit hesitant. "We conducted a physical examination on her. The results show... she doesn't have a physical body."
"What?" Lam Minh was stunned.
"That's right," To Quyen said. "What you brought back was just a soul. We had to use a special energy condensation device to temporarily create a physical body for her, based on the shape of her soul. But this is just a temporary solution. This body can't last long."
Lam Minh was once again speechless. He had saved her soul, but there was no body for that soul to reside in. This problem was even more difficult than dealing with the "Heart-Seed."
He took a deep breath, struggled to his feet, and walked towards the girl sitting by the window.
"Xiao An..." he called, his voice hoarse.
The girl heard his call and slowly turned her head.
Her large, round eyes looked at him. They were clear, dazed, and completely unfamiliar. There was no sign that she recognized him.
"Who... are you?" she asked, her voice weak and a little frightened. "Why... do you know that name?"
Lam Minh felt as if a knife had been stabbed into his heart. His best friend from his past life, the person he had risked his own life to save, was now looking at him like a stranger.
"I... am your friend," he said with difficulty. "I'm Lam Minh."
"Lam Minh..." she repeated the name, her expression still full of confusion. "I don't remember... I don't remember anything. My head... is just a mess."
She clutched her head, a pained look on her face.
Lam Minh quickly stepped forward, intending to reach out and comfort her.
But just as his hand was about to touch her, Xiao An flinched back, her eyes full of vigilance and fear.
"Don't... don't touch me!"
She wasn't afraid of him. She was afraid of something else.
Lam Minh froze. He understood.
His "Heart-Seed."
Even though it had devoured the Holy Master's "Heart-Seed," it still existed within her soul. It was protecting her, but at the same time, it was creating an invisible bond between them.
To her now, he was both a source of security and a potential "threat." An extremely contradictory feeling.
Lam Minh slowly withdrew his hand, his heart filled with bitterness. He had saved her, but had inadvertently become her new cage.
What should he do now?
Tell her the truth? That her soul was being "parasitized" by a part of his own? No. That would only make her more panicked and scared.
He looked at the girl cowering in the corner, her gaze both distant and unconsciously reliant.
He knew the road ahead was very long and arduous.
He didn't just have to find a way to restore her memories.
He didn't just have to find a way to create a new body for her.
He also had to find a way to resolve the very "Heart-Seed" he had planted.
"It's okay," he said, his voice trying its best to be gentle. "If you don't remember, we'll find it all back together. From now on, I will be by your side. I will protect you."
He didn't know that this promise would bind him in a relationship far more complex than any life-or-death battle.
One person trying to find her past.
One person trying to atone for his mistake.
And both of them, bound by a secret that could not be spoken.
...
After a few days of recuperation, Lam Minh's soul and spiritual energy gradually recovered. The soul surgery, though dangerous and exhausting, had also given him a deeper understanding of the nature of souls and energy, making his mental state even more solid.
He spent most of his time sitting beside Xiao An. He didn't try to force her to remember. He just stayed by her side quietly, telling her stories.
He told her about the outside world, about the academy, about their friends. He told her about battles, about brave soldiers. He didn't talk about their past, nor about their previous life. He just wanted to help her get reacquainted with this world, to plant the first images and sounds into her empty soul.
Xiao An remained very quiet. She just listened in silence, her large, round eyes dazed. But her initial fear and vigilance towards Lam Minh gradually faded, replaced by an unconscious trust and reliance. She could feel a sense of warmth and security when she was near him, a feeling that came from the Dragon God "Heart-Seed" protecting her soul.
But the biggest problem remained. Her temporary body, created from energy, was becoming increasingly unstable.
One evening, To Quyen sought out Lam Minh privately.
"We can't maintain this body for her for much longer," she said, her expression full of worry. "It's consuming a huge amount of energy. And more importantly, it's not a real body. Her soul can't fully integrate with it. If this continues, her soul will also weaken."
Lam Minh knew that. He had been thinking about this a lot over the past few days.
"Creating a new body... is it feasible?" he asked.
To Quyen sighed. "In theory, it's possible. Our gene-cloning technology has made great strides. But to create a complete body that can perfectly fuse with a soul containing her unique heart-seed is nearly impossible. It requires materials, energy sources that we don't have. And it takes time, possibly many years."
Lam Minh was silent. He couldn't wait for years.
He looked towards Xiao An, who was sitting quietly on the bed, gazing out the window.
He made a decision. A bold decision, but the only one at this moment.
He walked over to her. "Xiao An," he said gently.
She turned to look at him.
"Your current body can't be maintained for long," he said, getting straight to the point. "I... don't have a way to create a new body for you immediately."
He saw a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"But," he continued, his voice full of certainty, "I will not abandon you. There is a way for you to continue to exist, in the safest way possible. Until I find a method to bring you back completely."
He held out his hand, and his radiant, golden Golden Core slowly materialized, hovering above his palm. "Come in here. Stay inside my sea of consciousness. There, your soul will be protected and nourished by my Dragon Qi. You will be absolutely safe. And you will no longer be alone. You can see what I see, hear what I hear. We will journey together."
This was a huge sacrifice. Allowing another soul to exist in one's sea of consciousness was extremely dangerous and would place a great burden on his own soul.
Xiao An looked at the Golden Core, then into Lam Minh's sincere and determined eyes. Although she remembered nothing, her instincts told her that this man would never harm her.
She gave a slight nod.
Lam Minh smiled. He carefully guided Xiao An's soul, slowly letting it merge into his own sea of consciousness.
In his golden sea of consciousness, Xiao An's soul appeared, sitting on a lotus flower created from spiritual energy, enveloped by warm Dragon Qi. The golden dragon "Heart-Seed" also flew around her, acting as both a protector and a warden.
Outside, Xiao An's energy body slowly dissipated.
"I promise," Lam Minh whispered in his mind, "one day, I will definitely find a way for you to stand under the sun on your own two feet again."
After resolving Xiao An's problem, Lam Minh felt the weight on his heart lift somewhat.
He knew the journey ahead would be even more arduous. He needed to become stronger, to seek out opportunities, heavenly treasures, in order to fulfill his promise.
His style as a lone wolf now had the most special companion. A companion in his consciousness.
He looked out the window, towards the wastelands beyond the city walls.
It was time for the lone wolf to set out again. The war with the Madakaros and the "Saintly Way" was still waiting for him.