newbobooks Chapter 269 Scars
Chapter 269 Scars
Chapter 269 Scars
Tears still lingered in Tan Zhixin's eyes, her dark pupils filled with endless self-blame, and her voice was hoarse and heartbreaking, as if something was blocking it.
This was the first time Tang Zijun had seen Tan Zhixin like this, which made him swallow back the words he was about to say.
Ms. Qingnang has always given people the impression of being a very reliable older sister. Although she has lost the ability to transform, she can still bring a sense of security to the other magical girls with her gentle yet strong personality. This kind of personal charm is something that ordinary people cannot learn.
Her presence subtly inspires a desire to rely on her; this applies to Qin Nan, Xiao Hui, and all the magical girls she has encountered.
Even Tang Zijun wouldn't have cooperated with Tan Zhixin if it weren't for the qualities she displayed; he even proactively entrusted her with handling the Flower Fairy Clan and the Tree of Life.
However, at this moment, the pear blossoms in the rain revealed a soft side to this woman to Tang Zijun for the first time.
After a life of wandering and a fleeting dream, who in this world doesn't have scars buried deep in their heart? For Tan Zhixin, that battle back then is a pain that can never be erased from her heart.
Staring directly at Tang Zijun, Tan Zhixin's lips trembled slightly, as if she had a lot to say.
But in the end, all those words of dialect were reduced to just one sentence.
"If it weren't for me, none of us would have died..."
Hearing Tan Zhixin's words, Tang Zijun pursed her lips, her brows furrowing with melancholy, before letting out a long sigh.
The room fell silent again, and the light and shadows cast through the window seemed somewhat dim.
"I don't know how much time has passed," Tan Zhixin said softly.
"...You actually want to ask me about loss, right?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Zijun looked up and gazed at Tan Zhixin's face.
He had indeed had this idea, but now he found himself unable to bring himself to ask it.
Having just experienced the "resurrection" of an old friend, and then being eroded by the shadows, memories buried deep in my heart have been stirred up, and scars have been painfully reopened. Now is certainly not a good time to ask questions.
Tang Zijun remained silent, but Tan Zhixin suddenly raised her hand and wiped her face.
"Qing Nang"
"It's okay, ask whatever you want."
Tan Zhixin raised her head, a bitter smile appearing on her pale face.
"You want to know about Shi? Deputy Director Chang should be able to find out some information about her through the Demon Surveillance Bureau, right?"
"Yes." Tang Zijun nodded slightly. "Chang Lei found the missing files, including her birthplace, school, and the time of her sacrifice."
"Words are just words after all. There are many things that are not recorded in those cold archives. Although I don't know how Shi became Shadow Woman, the Shi I remember is not like this..."
Tan Zhixin took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
"Shi is actually a very lively girl."
Without making a sound to disturb her, Tang Zijun listened quietly.
"We met in junior high school. She was a transfer student who moved from the next city. At that time, I had already awakened as a magical girl and became partners with Ao.
"Shi's personality is completely unlike that of a girl. She is always noisy and carefree in the face of everything around her. In the words of her classmates, she has great athletic ability. Logically speaking, people like us are like two parallel lines that will never have the chance to intersect."
"But one day, when I was about to go home after eliminating the heretical demons in the city, I saw her sitting alone on the street, covered in wounds."
"At the time, she was dressed in tattered clothes and holding a small dog in her arms. Later I learned that she had encountered dog thieves. When they used a rope to pull the dog out of its neck and were about to drag it onto their vehicle, she rushed up and grabbed the rope. Because of this, she was dragged by the van for nearly 20 meters."
"That was the first time I actively wanted to connect with other people after becoming a magical girl..."
"From that day on, we gradually became familiar with each other, and I forgot that magical girls are absolutely not allowed to make friends with ordinary people."
Tang Zijun knew that Tan Zhixin had omitted some details, but he did not interrupt her.
"Half a month later, I paid the price for my mistake—the Outer Demon attacked me, and I had to reveal my identity as a magical girl in front of her."
"I succeeded; that heretic demon had no power to threaten us. I also failed because I dragged Shi into a world I shouldn't have entered."
"I know I made a big mistake, so I decided to cut off all contact with her. It was painful, but she's safe now."
"I know it's selfish of me to do this, but I have no other choice."
"However, what I didn't expect was that Shi had been searching for me ever since that day. She even went so far as to actively search for the traces of the Outer Path Demon. I don't know what she went through. All I know is that when she reappeared in front of me, she was already a magical girl like me."
"I can't describe my feelings at that time. No words can describe it. I was excited, happy, or sad. My feelings were very complicated. I didn't even know if it was right or wrong."
"But what's done is done, and there's no point in thinking about it too much. All I can do is tell her everything I know about magical girls and make her understand just how dangerous this identity is."
After a pause, Tan Zhixin continued, "Shi's talent is very strong, extremely strong. She is the most outstanding one among us."
"Although she awakened later than me, her advancement speed was extremely fast. She possesses a passion and fearlessness that other magical girls lack, which allowed her to surpass me in just over half a year."
"Gradually, it seems that I was also infected by her."
"She's so sunny, although sometimes she messes things up like a hot-blooded idiot, but she never shies away from any difficulties."
"I can't believe it, really, I really don't want to believe it could turn out like that."
Tang Zijun felt a sudden tightening in her arm as she saw Tan Zhixin's hand gripping her arm tightly. When she looked up, she met Tan Zhixin's eyes.
"Tang Zijun, where are you now?"
Tang Zijun hesitated for a moment, then shook her head silently.
Her tense nerves suddenly relaxed. Seeing Tang Zijun's reaction, Tan Zhixin seemed to suddenly lose all her strength and leaned against the headboard.
After a moment of contemplation, Tang Zijun spoke. "...I don't know Shi, but I'm willing to believe you. That's precisely why we should try to understand the whole story."
Tan Zhixin's eyes flickered, and she tilted her head slightly. "You're right. Actually, after I woke up, I kept recalling what happened that day. I... I really should have sacrificed myself."
"What happened to her body afterward?" Tang Zijun asked.
"Burn it."
Tan Zhixin replied.
He paused, then added a sentence.
"I burned it."
The wound was pierced through the chest, which was beyond saving even by a miracle. The most important thing is that if such a wound were sent to a forensic doctor, they would definitely find something.
According to the files Lao Chang found, the "Illusory Dragon Incident" in the magical girl circle turned into the "Several Girls Died After Falling While Climbing Mountains Incident" in reality.
Meanwhile, the file shows that Shi came from a single-parent family. After graduating from elementary school, her mother abandoned her and ran off with someone else, which meant that no one investigated Shi's whereabouts.
"Are you sure it really burned? Was it not affected by the illusions of the greedy ones?" Tang Zijun asked.
"I...I can confirm that ever since that day, whenever a greedy person appears around me, the scars on Xiaoqing and me will ache faintly," Tan Zhixin replied.
This wasn't the first time Tang Zijun had heard these words from Tan Zhikuan, and he now understood why Tan Zhixin and Xiaoqing had the same scars.
However, if that's the case, then it proves that the birth of "Shadow Girl" has nothing to do with the lost body.
Noticing Tang Zijun's furrowed brows, Tan Zhixin leaned forward slightly. "What are you thinking about?"
"The Shadow Clan is born primarily from the shadows of humans, just as the Greedy Ones are born from the reflections of humans."
Tang Zijun didn't hide anything or keep anyone in suspense, and spoke directly.
"I suspect that the Shadow Woman is very likely the Lost Shadow."
"The Lost Shadow..."
Tan Zhixin opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then her eyes widened suddenly.
"Wait, you mean that on the day the illusory dragon descended, there weren't only us and that greedy one present?"
"Yes."
Tang Zijun said in a deep voice.
"It may be hard to believe, but the Shadow Clan may have existed before the Greedy Ones disappeared."
"Loss is neither the first nor the last. I currently do not know how the other party corrupted Loss's shadow, but I have reason to suspect that something even darker exists in the shadow world."
"...But negative energy belonging to desire only flows into the mirror dimension. Logically speaking, it's impossible for life to be born in the shadow world." Tan Zhixin frowned slightly. "Even if a shadow race was born before, without enough negative energy, they shouldn't be able to survive."
"That's how it is in theory."
"Theoretically?" Tan Zhixin stared blankly at Tang Zijun.
"Yes, under normal circumstances, beings born from negative energy cannot survive for very long without a considerable amount of negative energy..."
At this point, Tang Zijun sighed softly and looked up.
"But what if the other party is someone who can control the rules of the shadow world?"
"You mean—"
Tan Zhixin's pupils dilated.
At that moment, a possibility slowly emerged in her mind.
"In the world of shadows..."
Is there a God?