Three Towers Game

Chapter 338 Don't Let Cowardice Ruin Your Life
Wen Xishu noticed the gleam of the letter. And not only him, but even Anya, the Shadow of Mourning, noticed it.

Her gaze briefly became unfocused.

Wen Xishu was still wondering if this thing could directly redeem the boss?

He was definitely overthinking it.

Because the next second, Anya raised her hand and unleashed her skill again.

Mirror Blade Storm.

Her mirror-like body was cracked, and from those seemingly irreparable cracks, many shards of light shone through.

This time, however, the lens was moving even faster.

Last time, Wen Xishu was able to dodge the lens and even observe the countless memories etched within it.

Those lenses reflected the past of Anya, Charlie, and even Wen Xishu himself.

Wen Xishu was only cut by a few pieces of glass.

But this time, the lens was moving faster and more wildly.

The dense storm of lenses slashed Wen Xishu's arms, cheeks, shoulders, knees, waist, and abdomen, leaving numerous wounds.

The memories reflected in those lenses were like whips, directly imprinted in Wen Xishu's mind.

"Wait, is he confiding in someone?"

Although it hurt a lot, Wen Xishu felt that this time, even after being scratched by the lens, he could still feel the memories inside the lens.

Countless scenes flashed back.

Combined with the pain of the body being separated by the mirror blade, it was as if those painful memories had been materialized.

Black thorns appeared on the ground and ceiling, reaching towards Wenxi Tree like snakes, which Wenxi Tree dodged repeatedly.

But Anya seemed to have seen the trajectory of the Wenxi Tree...

It immediately floated towards the Wenxi Tree.

Her figure was like a ghost, giving Wen Xishu the feeling that he had become a ghost groom, able to move to a very far place in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, Anya appeared behind Wenxi Tree and hugged him tightly as he dodged the black thorns.

then……

Wen Xishu felt a tremendous sense of weightlessness. He saw Anya holding him as they were lifted into the air before plummeting downwards.

Space seemed to shatter at that moment!

Wen Xishu saw mirror-like cracks appear on the ground, and his bones began to break.

This was clearly a body slam.

A powerful slam from a great height.

Wen Xishu really wanted to complain: Is Anya such a violent girl? She can even use wrestling and fighting techniques.

But he really wasn't in the mood to complain.

The Mirror Blade Storm eroded his memories, the thorns forced him back, and then he landed a slam. It was clearly a three-hit combo.

Wen Xishu cursed inwardly. Charlie's letter was full of guilt towards Anya, but it seemed... it wasn't of much use.

Anya hit herself even harder.

However, those eroded memories allowed Wen Xishu to experience Anya's painful past.

"I'm not going to die here, am I?"

Blood trickled from the corner of Wen Xishu's mouth.

Anya returned to her original position once again.

She waved her hand again, sending out countless shards of light.

This time, the number of lenses was greater, the density was higher, the speed was faster, and the pain was more intense.

Wen Xishu was covered in blood and gore; that slam had rendered him unable to move.

This time, almost all the lenses hit Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu's consciousness also became blurred due to massive blood loss.

Black thorns once again pierced through the floor and ceiling.

Under the influence of the trapped beasts in the marshland, they moved slowly, becoming slower the closer they got to the Wenxi Tree.

But the trapped beast in the marshland could not stop Anya.

Yes, the final move of the three-hit combo, the Embrace of Mourning, is about to be delivered with another aerial slam.

Wen Xishu couldn't use his arms of rejection to push Anya away, because those arms of rejection were protecting the spark behind him.

Spark was so scared that he wet his pants and dared not move.

When Wen Xishu's head slammed into the ground, he once again took a solid hit comparable to the Lotus Flower...

The sparks howled in agony:
"Wen Xishu...are you alright? Let's run! This woman isn't a good person! Let's run!"

"Damn it, how can the human world be so brutal!"

It sensed that Wenxi Tree was going to die here. It tried to stick out its tongue to lick Wenxi Tree's arm, but as it realized that it seemed to have gained intelligence and was no longer a pure dog, it felt ashamed of this action.

Wenxi Tree did not die.

Two tackles left Wen Xishu half-dead, especially the one where his head hit the ground, which felt like the whole world had collapsed.

This was definitely the toughest battle he had ever experienced.

Ke Wenxishu truly felt it...

This girl named Anya is pouring out her pain.

Moreover, he discovered that the cracks had not disappeared.

The first time Anya tackled Wen Xishu, Wen Xishu noticed that the space was beginning to shatter like a mirror.

This is not surprising; he had seen Albert and the marksman exchange blows and produce similar "sky-splitting" effects.

Strangely, this level of visual effect represents the shattering of space, which is the most powerful attack.

He admitted that he was strong, but definitely not strong enough to withstand this kind of attack.

Moreover, spatial rifts heal themselves very quickly.

But not only did he withstand the attack, the cracks did not heal.

He suddenly realized...

Anya's strength wasn't that great; she couldn't tear through the air. Those cracks weren't from tearing through the air, but from something else entirely.

Anya's third attack began.

Like a boss in a game, she has a fixed attack mechanism.

A storm of mirrored blades, entangled thorns, an embrace of mourning.

Wen Xishu had no way to dodge.

He began to manipulate his consciousness, making all his thoughts revolve around one thing: to survive.

Utilize the mutation effects in the Weird Sequence: Mutant Carnage.

The intense desire caused Wenxi Tree's wounds to begin healing, which stopped the bleeding and also blocked the even stronger Mirror Blade Storm.

He relied on his mutation effect to completely withstand all the mirror blade storms.

Because of the Earthly Beast's trapping effect, the Black Thorns could not get close to the Wenxi Tree, but the Wenxi Tree actively dispelled these geographical advantages.

After a brief recovery, he even took the initiative to crawl towards the thorns.

The black thorns infused Wen Xishu's consciousness with immense sorrow.

Like endless dust, it thickly enveloped a person.

At the end of countless dust clouds, he saw Anya sitting alone and helpless in the corner.

The image flashed by in an instant.

The next instant, Anya's slam, powerful enough to crush flesh and break bones, came down again.

But this time...

Despite enduring all the attacks, Wen Xishu's last lifeline wasn't severed by the slam.

He saw more cracks; the third impact was more violent than the first two, and more and more cracks appeared, finally causing something to shatter completely.

at last……

A passage has been opened.

Wenxi Tree began to fall as if weightless, as if it had fallen into some kind of cloud, surrounded by endless, grayish-white dust.

“When you are willing to face my pain and not avoid me... I will consider you my best friend, Charlie.”

You guessed right.

Wen Xishu realized that this was the key to passing the level.

Only when you stop dodging and start to feel the pain Anya once felt will you realize that Anya is not the enemy.

……

……

All the memories have finally been pieced together.

This is a sad story about a boy named Charlie.

From a very young age, Charlie didn't receive much attention from his parents. It seemed that being born into this family and enjoying its material comforts meant he had to constantly meet his parents' expectations.

He craved his parents' attention and response. He began to study diligently.

But life isn't all about effort; even at his best, Charlie only managed to get a bronze medal.

That was the result of his best efforts.

His father never praised him, even when he did something good... It seemed the world could always find someone better than him.

There will always be one name on my father's lips.

In Charlie's eyes, those weren't names, but mountains. He didn't know how many more mountains he had to climb to win his parents' love.

Parents often believe that as long as they provide enough material things, that is love.

After all, in their generation, parents generally couldn't afford to provide these things.

When the two people's concepts of love diverge, it's like a person eating food that increases their hunger...

The harder you try to swallow, the hungrier you become.

Spark appeared when Charlie was still in elementary school. One day when he came home, Charlie saw Spark wagging its tail at him, its eyes fixed on the bread in Charlie's hand.

Charlie shared his bread with Spark, who wagged her tail even more eagerly. Spark followed Charlie as far as he went.

That was the first time Charlie felt that his life had meaning. He felt like he was needed by something.

Like a glimmer of light emerging from the dark dust.

He truly believed it, so he named the puppy Spark. Charlie took Spark to the clock tower. It was the clock tower his grandfather had built, a place he used to escape the world.

Sometimes, when his parents neglected him, he would especially long to escape that Victorian house.

The house was warm, but the clock tower was somewhat dilapidated and cold, though he liked the clock tower. Spark also had her own place in the clock tower.

Spark was Charlie's only medicine during his childhood, and it helped him overcome the loneliness of many childhoods.

Life is full of partings.

When a dog is healthy, it will love to stick close to its owner, but when it knows it is about to die, it will stay away from its home and die far away from home.

One day Charlie returned to the clock tower but found no spark.

He panicked and started calling out Spark's name repeatedly, searching in a certain direction.

He finally found the spark, only to discover that it was on the verge of death.

This dog is very old, and stray dogs are generally weak and sickly.

Charlie clutched the spark and begged his father to find a way to cure it, but the response he received was that the spark was not even worth as much as a few books.

Dust continued to fall, covering the corpse of the spark.

……

Years later, Charlie grew up and it was time for him to start college.

He has finally grown from the stage where his parents spent the most time with him to the stage where his classmates and teachers spent the most time with him.

As children grow into teenagers, many desires emerge in a state of innocent ignorance. These desires, which should be beautiful and symbolize vitality, become unspeakable and taboo due to the shift in perceptions of stigma and shame.

Charlie began to miss someone; he wanted to be friends with the person he liked, and he didn't want to appear too lonely.

But all of this ended prematurely in an extremely cruel way.

He became a perverted Charlie, a Charlie who bites ears. All his explanations seemed pale and powerless. His father said to him, "How can you act like an animal?"
He never felt that animals were lowly, nor did he ever feel the greatness of humans.

After the "ear-biting" incident, Charlie became increasingly withdrawn.

Until one day, a transfer student named Anya arrived.

Charlie didn't care at first, but he was a little surprised when Anya arrived. Anya was injured and had some bruises on her face.

Anya and Charlie did not sit in the same seat, but they were both in the last row.

Anya seems to be another Charlie in this class, and is also someone who is often bullied and ridiculed by some classmates.

The reason is that Anya, as a girl, has short hair like a boy, and the bruises on Anya's face led to rumors that Anya has a mental illness.

There were even rumors that Anya had injured her mother. Anya's parents were both criminals.

In short, Anya, the transfer student, is not likable.

Their real connection began with an art activity where the school required each student to draw a picture and then displayed all the students' drawings.

Charlie's drawings are of countless whirlpools.

He used a black pen to draw vortexes, with vortexes inside vortexes, and these vortexes intertwined, like a person's chaotic eyes.

Compared to other people's buildings, cars, airplanes, flowers, toys... Charlie's paintings appear extremely dark.

Especially when Charlie stood next to the painting, his gloomy eyes made the painting seem unspeakably terrifying.

On the day of the art exhibition, some people mocked Charlie's portrait as a child's doodle, while others said Charlie was a freak.

Charlie was back in that strange feeling...

Dust rained down from the sky, and the dust fell on him, causing him a piercing pain. He couldn't avoid it because it was everywhere, omnipresent.

He longed to find a corner to escape this dust. There was once a clock tower that could have, but it was too far away, farther than time itself.

"Like being submerged in deep water...nobody cares."

It was Anya's words that brought Charlie back to his senses and brought him out of his pain.

Without anyone noticing, Anya was already standing in front of the painting, side by side with Charlie.

Charlie paused slightly, then looked at Anya, who said:
"This painting gives me the feeling that it's sunk underwater, and nobody cares about it."

That was the first time Charlie had really looked Anya over carefully.

Anya wasn't particularly beautiful. She was too thin, and her yellowish hair made her otherwise fairly regular features appear weak and sickly.

Anya turned around and said:
"Charlie...you're called Charlie, right?"

Charlie nodded, and Anya said:
“I like this painting.” Charlie never expected that someone would like a painting that looked like a doodle, as if it were a jumble of lines piled up by a painter.

Even more unexpectedly... Anya actually expressed that feeling.

Like being submerged in water, unnoticed by anyone.

As if possessed, Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. Just like many years ago, when he looked at the spark and instinctively parted his bread.

He thought he had grown up and that after experiencing so much pain, he was no longer as naive as he had been as a child.

Many years later, he still subconsciously shares his possessions with strangers, just like he did back then.

"Wow, nougat? This is so sticky, but I really like it."

Anya accepted the candy.

After that day, Anya began to intentionally or unintentionally get closer to Charlie. Charlie was very scared. But... deep down, he also secretly thought, maybe we really can become friends?
On one occasion, he discovered Anya being grabbed by the hair by a girl, who said:

"Your mother is a criminal, your father is too! And you are too!"

Anya looked helplessly at Charlie, but Charlie didn't help.

His life seemed to consist only of bad things and even worse things; all his teachers and classmates disliked him.

I feel that isolating myself in a corner is the best choice.

After this incident, Charlie thought Anya probably wouldn't come looking for him again.

He felt somewhat relieved.

If a person has no one they care about, when that person appears, they feel anxious; when that person leaves, they feel regretful yet... relieved. It's as if they've returned to their comfort zone.

The school bell rang, and Anya suddenly called out to Charlie.

"Charlie... could you talk to me for a bit?"

Charlie didn't expect Anya to contact him again.

He wanted to refuse, but in the end he nodded.

That day, Anya and Charlie didn't go home immediately; the sound of a ball bouncing could be heard from the gymnasium.

“My parents are not criminals…and I am not mentally ill, I am not.”

"Charlie, we're friends, right?"

Charlie hesitated for a moment.

Anya then began to recount her past.

Her father was a university lecturer, but had been dismissed. Her mother was a talented piano teacher, but suffered long-term verbal and physical abuse from her father. Her father was filled with resentment towards life and blamed his failures on his family.

Especially for those who are sensitive and remind him of his wife Anya when she was young.

The house was perpetually filled with alcohol, fear, and silent anger. The mother, Martha, gradually became numb and resigned to her fate.

She even occasionally directed her resentment at Anya. Anya remembers her mother saying several times: "It's all because of you."

Every time her parents argued, Anya would hide in the small closet and cover her ears with a pillow.

She often had barely noticeable bruises on her body. She would always hide them by wearing long-sleeved or high-necked clothes, whether from being pushed or bumped by her father or grabbed by her mother in a fit of rage. She had a strong panic reaction to sudden loud noises, such as doors slamming.

As Anya recounted these events, she kept looking into Charlie's eyes, afraid that he would despise her.

People are often like this: when you have an unfortunate past, even if the root of the evil in that past is not you, you will still feel inferior and afraid that your honesty will make others disgusted.

Just like at school, even though she only had short hair and hadn't told anyone about her past, she was still frequently ridiculed and hurt.

Anya was afraid of having her hair pulled out because of her short hair. Once, her hair was actually pulled out, ripped from her scalp, and it bled. So she cut her hair short.

The transfer was not actually due to academic reasons, but rather because a serious domestic violence incident alarmed the neighbors and the school. The father had even beaten the mother in public, and Anya was forced to transfer schools to "get rid of the negative influence of the environment." In reality, it was a helpless move by the school and social workers.

Because of this, Anya's parents were detained.

Anya repeated it over and over:

“I’m not mentally ill…I didn’t hurt my mother…I really didn’t do that. My mom and dad…are not criminals, they are not criminals.”

She looked at Charlie with a pleading expression.

She was afraid of losing Charlie as a friend, and she thought that Charlie hadn't come to her rescue that day because he believed those people's rumors.

She mustered her courage and told Charlie about her family, which was the only social skill she had learned—honesty.

Although this trick doesn't seem to work very well most of the time, it's the only one she knows how to use.

As Anya spoke, she began to cry.

Charlie didn't leave; he just said to Anya:
"sorry."

Charlie handed Anya a tissue, and Anya said:

"Charlie, we're friends, right?"

Charlie nodded:
"Yes! We are friends."

Strangely enough, Anya was always afraid that Charlie would be disgusted by her after hearing her story, but Charlie did not feel disgusted by Anya.

He even realized that there was someone else in the world like him, someone who wasn't loved by their parents. He wasn't the only one like this…

He truly began to consider Anya his friend.

From then on, the freak and the psychopath often chatted together after school. Anya was incredibly honest with Charlie. She would even show Charlie her diary.

Anya inherited her mother's artistic talent. Her diary contains not only words, but also heartbreaking sketches and abstract watercolors.

The painting depicts a small white bird entangled in black thorns. A vortex, painted in deep blue and blood red, symbolizes the parents' argument.

The broken mirror reflected countless crying little girls.

At that moment, Charlie finally understood why Anya liked the vortex in his painting.

They are two people suffering from the same illness, sharing the same feelings in their world, never knowing who life will send to hurt them suddenly.

Charlie was very happy that day; he had found a friend just like Spark.

Anya is a mirror for Charlie, reflecting his own repressed pain, loneliness, and family misfortune. In her, Charlie sees a more extreme kind of "vulnerability," which gives him an object to project and care for his own pain.

Gradually, Charlie began to look forward to each day after school. He looked forward to hearing Anya's past, hearing Anya's voice, and hearing Anya talk about her past life.

He thought Anya was relying on him, but more often than not, it was actually him relying on Anya.

Being Anya's only listener was the only time in Charlie's life, filled with feelings of failure, that he felt useful and needed. This created a complex dependence on Anya in him.

They are like two thorns intertwined, using each other's thorns to heal the other.

Charlie thought that Anya's appearance... made him feel like he could finally overcome his past pain. He saw a special kind of resilience and strength in this girl who was more unfortunate than himself.

Around that time, a smile began to reappear on his face.

His paintings were no longer swirling eddies, but colorful pupils. During that time, even Anya often smiled; her smile was very sweet.

Then one day, Anya reappeared in the classroom—the biology classroom. Yes, it was the same classroom where Charlie had once embarrassed himself.

Anya didn't smile that day. She looked at Charlie with some anxiety, and then came to stand in front of him.

Say to Charlie:
"Charlie...can you hug me?"

Countless boys and girls started to jeer:
"Oh! A freak and a psychopath are dating?"

The words "dating" triggered a stress response in Charlie.

In that instant, Charlie heard countless jeers, the image of a locked heart on a anatomical chart, and his father's words:
How could you act like an animal?

Charlie whispering in her ear, Sylvie's disgust, the teacher's reprimands... all the sounds came crashing down like a tsunami, destroying the little boat that had been painstakingly woven together.

Charlie panicked; his eyes once again swirled like a chaotic vortex.

He took a step back in fear.

With that retreat, Anya's eyes instantly lost their light.

"I'm sorry... Charlie, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have made that request. I was being inconsiderate."

Anya forced a smile.

The bruises on her face, caused by the pressure, made her feel pain, and her smile appeared distorted and ugly.

That day, Anya skipped class and left the school. She didn't come to class for several days afterward, which panicked Charlie.

Two days later, Charlie finally received news of Anya.

Anya committed suicide.

Before her death, she suffered inhuman torture and abuse. This had happened before, but never to this extent.

Upon hearing the news, Charlie felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow; he huddled in his seat, trembling.

Charlie was overwhelmed by immense guilt and panic.

……

……

The fall of Wenxi Tree has finally come to an end.

Suddenly, he found himself in a dilapidated attic. In the distance, there were many books scattered about, and a dusty piano covered in thorns.

Not far away was a dusty diary.

The diary originally had light, but it was covered in dust and the light was dim, looking like it might disappear at any moment. But in this dark place, it still caught Wen Xishu's attention.

Wen Xishu discovered that the letter in his hand... suddenly shone brightly, and the light began to spread towards the diary.

This is a guide.

Wen Xishu seemed to understand something.

He tore open the envelope and handed over the page of letter.

The dim light gradually merged with the intense light.

The tattered diary began to reveal its words.

October 19th.

“I’ve actually heard some things about Charlie. Those people are really bad, and I find it hard to imagine... whether he will be able to accept kindness from others in the future.”

I like Charlie. Lately, I've found that I seem to have rediscovered the courage to live. As long as Charlie is around, it seems that all the pain can be relieved by confiding in him.

The candy in his pocket was really sweet. I want to be Charlie's best friend. I want to be with him forever, and I want to always have him in my sight.

The illustration accompanying the diary is two sparks embracing each other.

October 22nd.

"Dad went crazy again today, and Mom is in the hospital again. Maybe people like me are just born to bring misfortune? Mom keeps saying it's all because of me, all because of me..."

Because of me, because of me, because of me...it's all because of me.

The diary still has illustrations, but they are less like paintings and more like vortexes twisted from countless "because of me".

October 23 (first half).

"I really... can't take it anymore. I miss Charlie so much, I want to see Charlie, take me with you... just hug me. I really, really miss Charlie..."

The diary was not accompanied by any illustrations.

All that can be seen are traces of the girl's tears that once soaked the diary.

October 23 (second half).

"I'm sorry, I'm such an unfortunate person. How could someone like me dare to hope to hug you? I heard it, a freak and a lunatic are together."

I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I've dragged you into this mess.

I'm sorry... but I really want to hug you. I can't hold on much longer, Charlie, I'm running out of strength. Why are you backing away too?

A huge, ever-deepening vortex filled the entire page.

October 26th.

"This world is so frightening every day, but even with your eyes closed, you still have nightmares. But I think I know how to get rid of the pain. I should have done this a long time ago."

The image is filled with countless specks of dust, like the remnants of a spark after it has burned out.

That day, Anya committed suicide.

Anya was actually ill; in that environment, she had long suffered from severe depression. There had been moments of light in her life too.

But Charlie, who was that ray of light, also experienced painful memories.

Perhaps that hug could have brought about a huge turning point in the girl's life. But Charlie's own experiences prevented him from making that move.

Knowing all this, Charlie blamed Anya's death on his own incompetence and fell into immense self-reproach.

If she had taken that step forward, would Anya have survived?
If I had held Anya tightly back then, would our lives have been different?

But it was all too late; there are no "what ifs" in life.

A moment of cowardice can lead to a lifetime of regret.

Thus, the Hanged Man appeared, burying his regret for Anya and his pain over Spark's departure in the clock tower guarded by countless Hanged Men.

He began to deeply hate the world, and he also hated himself.

Wen Xishu experienced a lot of misfortune and pain, the misunderstanding between the An brothers, Jack's protection and purity towards Jennifer, and the mutual redemption between Xiaotong and Xiaoxing.

He witnessed too many emotions as the apocalypse approached.

He thought he had seen a lot in life, but he didn't expect that the story of these two children would still leave him feeling uneasy.

Finally, Wen Xishu smoothed out the apology letter that had never been sent and could not be sent. The letter, with its blurred handwriting, finally had new content.

"I keep saying I want to redeem you, but I can't get over the wounds of the past. I'm sorry... Anya, I'm sorry. I want to be your friend for life, and I want to see you every day from now on."

"I'm sorry, I didn't do anything. You won't forgive me, and please never forgive me."

Wen Xishu sighed deeply.

He knew what to do. He flattened the letter and then tucked it into the dusty diary.

The light on the letter paper gradually washed away the dust from the diary.

The duel with Anya, the Shadow of Mourning, is also coming to an end.

"I've always been curious why there are no apocalyptic elements in this story, and now I think I understand."

“Anya, Charlie really cares about you. Without you, even if the world doesn’t end, it’s like the end of the world for him.”

“Charlie, Anya has never held a grudge against you.”

"You told Anya never to forgive you, but actually you can't forgive yourself. But Anya has already forgiven you."

Yes, Anya has forgiven Charlie.

Wen Xishu now fully understands that as long as he doesn't evade or back down from Anya's attack, he will be able to see Anya and Charlie's past.

Several times, Wen Xishu thought he was going to die, but he didn't.

That terrifying impact merely opened a channel within Anya's heart. Even after transforming into a monster, she still longed to be honest about her true feelings.

In this dilapidated attic, there was my mother's piano and my father's books... but these things were all covered in dust and thorns.

Only the diary.

After Charlie's letter of apology arrived, the dust settled on the diary.

"You have always been Anya's only light, Charlie."

Wen Xishu knew that saying these words was meaningless, but he hoped that the child in the dusty land could hear him.

He also learned how to break down the wall of rejection and find the child who hated himself.

(End of this chapter)