Every Lifetime I Fall {COMPLETED but undergoing revisions}

Chapter 30: Third Life - Different in the Same Ways

"Senior Luo!" The little girl ran to me with a broom in hand. I was on my way to practice martial arts. She quickly bowed while looking at me expectantly.

Looking past her shoulders, I could see the other young students whispering and when they met my gaze, they jumped. Most likely afraid since I had the reputation of being quite callous.

"What is it?"

"Senior Luo, are you heading out to practice?"

"Mmm," I confirmed.

"Senior Luo, you really are amazing!"

Becoming flustered, I asked, "What do you want... I'm leaving now."

"Bye, Senior Luo!"

I ignored her as I walked away but could hear her turning back to the other students.

"See? Senior Luo isn't scary. She's actually very nice."

Master returned from her journey. Gracefully, she placed a cup of tea to her lips. Master encouraged me to keep up with my skills as she had an important assignment for me.

"I want you to track down the Demon Lord's loyal subject, Wu Dufeng. With the Demon Sect now defunct, he has nowhere to hide. If you find him... kill him."

"Yes, Master."

I'd been assigned jobs like this before from Master. This would be my fifth mission. In the past, I killed criminals or thug lords causing havoc among the people. It was easy for me to wipe them out. They would never suspect that a young girl like me knew how to mercilessly end their lives.

Of course, I got to training. I had to prepare myself for the worst, prepare myself for death. I wasn't afraid to die if it meant I could do the world justice.

I swung my Meteor Sword from a distance to slash across a Crimson Tear branch. The tree's limb fell to the ground from my powers. Small footsteps approached, which irritated me as it was one of my pet peeve to be disturbed while training.

"Senior Luo, I thought you would like something to eat." The little girl smiled brightly under the moonlight with a plate of scallion pancakes in hand.

"..."

Well, she had a point. I could always spare time to eat and regain my energy. I took a piece from the plate and bit into it. Chewing, my mouth welcomed a flavor of fried delicacy.

"Are you going to head out on an assignment for a long time?" She asked me, also biting into a slice.

"Yeah."

"How long will you be away?"

"I don't know. Not much longer than three months."

"Three months..." I heard her say under her breath.

After the last slice of pancake was finished, I told her, "Go back."

She nodded, but I felt her stare from afar as I practiced the night away.

My Meteor Sword evaporated from my hands as I retired for the night. Just then, I saw the little girl napping under a Crimson Tear Tree. With her neck exposing the skin underneath her clothes, and I saw a striped scar.

Is this the burn she mentioned?

It seemed to have healed. Looked more like an old burn scar rather than a new one. She moved around a little causing me to step back. I didn't realized I was inspecting her scar so closely. Not wanting to leave her to suffer the cool temperatures of the night, I carried her back to her room.

Lying her down on the bed, I pulled the covers over her and was about to leave.

She pulled on my sleeve and whispered, "Don't leave me."

As if she was still dreaming, her closed eyes and incoherent ramblings made me realize that she was still a child. A child who probably saw terrible things. Was scarred. Was traumatized. Like me.

Petting her head, I whispered, "I'm right here."