Chapter 1241 – Never Forget Your Original Intention
Actually, I knew that after Older Brother Jayad handed MacDuff over to the soldiers, he went back to find his former brothers and sisters. Because of Older Brother Jayad and my elopement, they had a very difficult time, having been severely beaten by the enraged MacDuff multiple times.
Feeling guilty, Older Brother Jayad gave them a lot of money and food. However, since we were still living in an apartment and struggling to protect ourselves, we couldn’t let them live with us. Older Brother Jayad hadn’t thought about that.
But after MacDuff was captured, those children lost their leader. Without MacDuff’s protection, they couldn’t hold onto their shanties. Their territory was quickly seized by other beggars and vagrants.
Most of the children were forced to join other beggar organizations, while some drifted to various places to make a living. Some could find work, while others barely survived on Older Brother Jayad’s aid.
And this was Older Brother Jayad’s beautiful dream. All the children were still there, including those who were caught stealing, those who starved to death, and those beaten to death by the capricious MacDuff. All the children in his memory were in front of him, laughing and talking.
This was Older Brother Jayad’s beautiful dream: no MacDuff, and all his brothers and sisters could live happily together, eating their fill, chatting and laughing. That was enough to satisfy him.
I thought about how a Dream Card could allow people to vent their stress, calm their emotions, and thus restore their sanity. In this beautiful dream, Older Brother Jayad was also regaining his sanity.
However, he wasn’t achieving it by calming his emotions. Instead, he was confirming his aspirations and original intentions again, and by strengthening his belief, he made his sanity unshakable.
This was a bit like the Church’s methods, through asceticism, abstinence, or rigorous training, to make one’s will as strong as steel. But Older Brother Jayad could easily reach this state.
Moreover, I felt that his method was better than the Church’s. Because the young and easily bent tend to break, being too firm can lead to stubbornness, easily pushing one to extremes and crashing headlong down the wrong path. This was a kind of madness in another sense, simply put, being obsessed.
Older Brother Jayad’s method was more like a natural persistence, never forgetting his original intention, always remembering his initial ideals and pursuits. It was much stronger than the Church’s self-brainwashing mental imprint.
I heard Mr. Zhang say that there were also many different schools of cultivation in the East, avoiding madness through various means, such as strict precepts, detachment from emotions, and the Taoist way of nature, etc., and I didn’t know how effective they were.
Finally, Older Brother Jayad finished talking with them. These children turned around and walked back into the shanties, disappearing. After all, they were not real people, but merely dream figures of Older Brother Jayad.
But before leaving, the little girl who had already passed away came to my side and whispered, “Parul (Sister), we entrust taking care of Older Brother Jayad to you, in place of us who can no longer do so.”
I felt a moment of daze, unsure if this was a dream or reality, whether they were people with their own consciousness, or personalities created by Older Brother Jayad’s imagination.
“Parul, come sit with me,” Older Brother Jayad said casually as he sat on the roadside steps. I also naturally sat down beside him, as if this action had been done countless times before.
I leaned on Older Brother Jayad’s shoulder, admiring Cando City bathed in golden light. This light was Older Brother Jayad’s Holy Light. He used the Holy Light to illuminate the inner dark side of my heart, forming this world, and then imprinted it on the Dream Card.
“Parul, thank you for giving me this beautiful dream. I’m very happy,” Older Brother Jayad said softly, hugging me.
“Huh? No, this beautiful dream isn’t mine, it’s yours, right?” I asked confusedly.
“This is of course the beautiful dream I wish to see, but the foundation of this beautiful dream comes from this scene that emerged from the depths of Parul’s heart. I only managed to see this nostalgic place and my old friends again by connecting to your heart through the Dream Card.”
Oh, right. Older Brother Jayad was correct. This dream was formed based on the inner dark side of my heart. The shanties in the Slums were the location of my inner dark side.
At that time, I had wondered why it was this place. I didn’t have much nostalgia for this place, nor did I have any good impressions. All I could remember was the violent MacDuff, poverty, and hunger.
“Remember when you were little, you also liked to sit here like this, leaning on my shoulder, listening to me talk about my day’s experiences,” Older Brother Jayad said nostalgically.
“Back then, to tell you stories, I had to spend a lot of time on the streets eavesdropping on the conversations of those big moms and big dads. But it also taught me quite a bit of knowledge.”
Ah, indeed. In the depths of my memory, I did find memories of Parul as a child, leaning beside Older Brother Jayad and listening to stories. Those were rare sweet moments in a bleak childhood.
“It seems to be around that time, I was listening to people talk about the adventures of Legendary knights, the treasures left by Pirates, and the battles commanded by Generals. I was thinking then, if I could become a prominent figure one day and help all my brothers and sisters, how wonderful would that be,” Older Brother Jayad said, looking into the distance.
“It’s not too late now. Don’t we have a Factory now? Let’s find our brothers and sisters, give them a relaxed job, and provide them with enough to eat and wear. We can also teach them knowledge to establish themselves,” I said.
“Parul is right. The dream of becoming a prominent figure, which was once out of reach, now doesn’t seem like an impossible fantasy. What a big change,” Older Brother Jayad said with a smile.
I finally understood why this place was the inner dark side of my heart. The inner dark side corresponds to what a person is unwilling to face, fears, or has forgotten.
In the shanties of this Slums, MacDuff was the person Parul feared the most in the past, yet this was also the place where she was once happiest, with many brothers and sisters.
After I transmigrated, this memory, which didn’t hold much significance for me, was naturally forgotten, and thus became the background of my inner dark side.
As we sat quietly leaning on each other like this, I experienced the most precious warmth as childhood Parul. I assumed this was Older Brother Jayad’s beautiful dream?
“Older Brother Jayad, do you really want to join that cult?” I asked casually, pretending to be unintentional.
“Of course. This is a good opportunity. There’s still a long way to go to reach my goal, and to protect Parul, I must become stronger,” Older Brother Jayad said.
“That might be very dangerous,” I hinted indirectly.
“Since embarking on this path, how many times have there not been dangers?” Older Brother Jayad said.
It seemed so. It looked like Older Brother Jayad’s own intention was to join. I didn’t ask further and quietly accompanied Older Brother Jayad as we watched the scenery, enjoying this beautiful dream.
