Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 329 - 330: Youlan and Yuan’er [2/2]

A few weeks ago, during the time when Yuan’er first met Youlan, far away from the Snow Night Empire in the Kingdom of Mordor, atop a mountain.

As night fell, this primordial forest instantly fell into a tranquil atmosphere. Everything was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Various nocturnal beasts began to move, and their eerie howls gradually spread throughout the forest.

At this moment, after the darkness of night descended, Yuan’er, who had just solved the washing problem by the river, couldn’t help but gasp. She anxiously looked around at the unknown beasts with red eyes glowing in the dark.

"Mon...monsters..."

Even though she now possessed the vast power of Shadow within her, and had become a demon king that countless creatures feared, Yuan’er’s heart was still that of a child in her teens. Yuan’er, who was naturally afraid of the dark, fell into panic when she accidentally crushed a glowing magic stone, because of the pitch-black surroundings.

Under these circumstances, seeing so many unknown monsters around her, Yuan’er’s mental string of reason completely snapped. Apparently, Yuan’er still sees herself as an ordinary child. For an ordinary child, encountering a group of monsters in a pitch-black forest at night is undoubtedly a terrifying experience.

"Ahhhhh! Sister Youlan! Sister Youlan save me!!"

Yuan’er, who was afraid of the dark, could no longer suppress her inner fear. Her heterochromatic eyes of red and blue immediately filled with tears, and her petite body was shaking. The next moment, guided by fear, Yuan’er immediately ran toward where Youlan was, without looking back!

In an instant, a portion of the black Shadow power within Yuan’er exploded out due to the instinct to protect its holder, sweeping the entire forest in a moment. The various monsters who were baptized by this power suddenly felt a chill, as if the Grim Reaper had swung his scythe and placed it right on their necks.

The monsters near Yuan’er are called Black Moon Panthers, a type of nocturnal beast that lives in groups. They were originally planning to come out for food at night...

Just as they left the cave, they saw the terrifying creature, Yuan’er, by the creek, and they were scared stiff on the spot.

With the surge of the Shadow power, these monsters were understandably terrified! Under the guidance of instinct, the Black Moon Panthers exploded with all the magical power in their bodies, and began to run around in panic, letting out one terrified howl after another,

"Awoo awoo awoo awoo!!"

However, hearing the panicked howls of the beasts, Yuan’er’s little heart almost jumped out of her chest.

After all,

It seemed to Yuan’er that the monsters were letting out vicious roars, ready to charge up and eat her!

"Ahhhhhhh!! Don’t eat me! Sister Youlan, save me!"

Terrified out of her wits, Yuan’er instinctively summoned more of her Shadow power to speed up.

The release of more Shadow power further stimulated the monster group, causing them to scream even more heart-wrenchingly. The increasingly horrifying roars from the monsters further heightened Yuan’er’s fear...

So,

Under the influence of this nauseating cycle, the entire forest fell into a restless state,

If it were not for the barrier set up by the Red Moon Tower protectors nearby, the peace of the entire Mordor Kingdom would have been irrevocably shattered.

And at this moment,

Thousands of meters away, a honey-haired woman lying in a hammock among the trees frowned slightly, opened her right eye, revealing her slightly tired blue eyes, and looked helplessly at the black light rushing from the distance,

"Sigh, how many times do I have to tell her..."

"Who should be afraid are those monsters"

"Not a Demon King Like herself"

However,

As the pink-haired girl arrived at the side of the hammock,

The honey-haired woman’s plan to educate Yuan’er again was unexpectedly put on hold after seeing Yuan’er’s pale face and teary eyes. But before the honey-haired woman could speak, Yuan’er pointed anxiously behind her:

"Sister Youlan! There, there are monsters! Monsters want to eat me! Quick, help me!"

"..."

In the face of Yuan’er’s terrified words, black lines appeared on the forehead of the honey-haired woman, also known as Youlan.

At this moment,

Youlan felt a heavy burden.

After a helpless shake of her head, Youlan slowly sat up from the hammock,

"Calm down, little one, there are no monsters chasing you..."

"Huh? No, no monsters, really?"

Hearing this, Yuan’er nervously turned her head to look at the quiet forest behind her. The scene of countless monsters charging she had imagined did not happen.

"Huh?"

Seeing this, Yuan’er couldn’t help but let out a cute exclamation. After confirming there were indeed no monsters chasing her, a bunch of question marks appeared above her head:

"Huh? Where did, those monsters go?"

"Sigh."

For this girl who sometimes seemed quite slow-witted, Youlan couldn’t help but feel a sense of tiredness. While patting the scared girl’s shoulder to comfort her, Youlan stressed again:

"Yuan’er, I’ve told you many times, you don’t need to be afraid of those monsters. You are a Demon King; they should be afraid of you. Don’t get so scared by a few level three or four monsters, you’ll lose all the face as a Demon King "

"Sorry, Sister Youlan..."

After hearing this, Yuan’er seemed to have just realized her real identity, and she lowered her head in guilt,

"I’m sorry, Sister Youlan, I disturbed your rest..."

"..."

Seeing Yuan’er’s reaction, Youlan gave up her plan to reprimand the girl and silently lay back on her hammock made of vines,

"Just like that. Since there’s nothing wrong, you should go rest too. Tomorrow morning, I still have to teach you how to compress Annihilation Beam"

Saying this,

Youlan quietly closed her eyes, ignoring Yuan’er.

However,

It didn’t take long before she reopened her tired eyes, without any expression. A prickling sensation, as if a thorn were in her back, made it impossible for her to rest. So, Youlan, who had slightly tightened her lips, glanced sideways at the ’culprit’ of the situation.

Our little friend Yuan’er,

"What’s wrong? Why don’t you rest?"

"Well, I’m a little afraid of the dark..."

Looking around at the pitch-black forest, which seemed like it could spawn some alien creature at any moment, Yuan’er instinctively gripped her skirt tighter.

"Um, Sister Youlan, can I sleep with you tonight? I’m afraid of the dark and I don’t like to be alone..."

"No. You have to learn to be independent. Go and rest by yourself," Youlan responded decisively, completely ignoring Yuan’er’s plea, and closed her eyes.

However,

*Stare~*

"Sigh"

Feeling the continuous pleading gaze from the side and the increasingly anxious atmosphere around Yuan’er, Youlan eventually couldn’t resist those watery eyes after several minutes of silence. Eventually, the honey-haired woman looked at the pink-haired girl next to her with mixed feelings.

She really hadn’t seen such a timid demon king...

"Just a reminder, the bed made of vines isn’t very comfortable to sleep on."

"No, no problem! I, I don’t mind!"

Seeing this, Youlan simply replied:

"Okay then, only for one night... get on..."

"?! Thanks!!"

Seeing Youlan agree, Yuan’er immediately wiped the tears from around her eyes. She quickly took off her small shoes and outer clothes, and excitedly climbed onto Youlan’s hammock. Then, disregarding Youlan’s slightly ’resistant’ movements, Yuan’er hugged Youlan’s slender waist without saying a word and burrowed under the blanket.

Youlan was speechless,

However, considering the little girl was really afraid of the dark, Youlan didn’t plan to say much more. Although she didn’t like physical contact with others, she could tolerate it for one night.

Squinting slightly, a dim blue light slowly rippled in Youlan’s eyes.

Under the guidance of this light, numerous vines gathered from all directions, weaving around Youlan, quickly expanding the hammock by a factor of two. Then, in order to rest peacefully for the night, Youlan slowly raised her hand, and through the blanket, she gently patted Yuan’er’s back.

It seemed like she was comforting her.

Feeling Youlan’s body heat, the comfort coming from behind, and the strong sense of safety when being with Youlan, Yuan’er gradually stopped shivering. Her anxious mind returned to peace, and the black shadow power that pervaded around Yuan’er also dissipated slowly with the girl’s inner stability.

...

After some time,

The now calm Yuan’er slowly moved her body and poked her little head out of the blanket, curiously looking at the honey-haired woman beside her, her red and blue heterochromatic eyes blinking.

Even though her eyes were closed,

Youlan could still feel Yuan’er’s gaze:

"What is it now?"

In response to Youlan’s question, Yuan’er didn’t directly answer. Instead, she stared at Youlan’s face for some time before slowly voicing her feelings:

"Sister Youlan, you’re really kind..."

"Hmm?"

Hearing the little girl’s reply, Youlan couldn’t help but chuckle, as if she had heard some top-tier joke. Then, the honey-haired woman slightly opened her right eye, using her half-closed blue eye to glance at the little girl clinging tightly to her:

"You’re calling me kind? You’re the first to describe me with that word."

"Hmm? Aren’t you?"

"At least, not in other people’s eyes."

"Other people? Hmm, I don’t care about them... Anyway, I think Sister Youlan is very kind."

"..."

Facing Yuan’er’s innocent eyes, a hint of bitterness emerged on Youlan’s face, and she opened her mouth a few times as if she wanted to say something, but closed it again.

"Suit yourself then."

"Then I think Sister Youlan is very kind!"

Under Youlan’s somewhat complicated gaze, Yuan’er spoke in a somewhat willful tone,

"By the way, Sister Youlan."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Sister Youlan, you were speaking earlier about a person, Mother, right? Is she as gentle as you ?"

"You mean her, huh..."

"What... what is she like?"

"She’s far gentler than me. Not only is she gentle, but she’s also strong, beautiful, benevolent, kind, and patient... Yet, there are times when she is too naive, even to the point of being foolish..."