Chapter One: Why Do I Exist

Prologue

“Black Cat... Liuli. Let’s break up.”

On a pitch-black night in a dimly lit park, beneath a weak streetlamp, a boy and a girl stood together. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and all around was silent. A night breeze stirred, tossing the girl's hair gently.

Under the streetlamp, the boy appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen. His looks were bright and handsome, with long hair falling to his waist and a well-proportioned figure. Were it not for the bony horn on his forehead and the enormous bat-like wings on his back, he would have been the very picture of a radiant youth. The cruel words had spilled from his lips.

The girl was only fourteen or fifteen, clad entirely in black Gothic Lolita attire, with two flowers adorning her head. Her face was sweet, with neat bangs and a tear-shaped mole at the corner of her left eye, accentuating her delicate, demure beauty. Yet there was a touch of darkness about her. In her eyes flickered a trace of panic, and her expression held a smile tinged with discomfort.

“Ha, even if you’re joking, saying something like that makes me angry. I am—”

“I’m not joking. Let’s break up. I’m serious, let’s end it here.”

“You… I told you not to—”

“I’ve fallen for someone else. So, let’s break up. That’s all there is to it. I’m leaving—just pretend I was never here, that I never existed in your world.” With those words, the boy turned away, his bat wings unfurling as he prepared to leave, unwilling to spare her another glance.

Smack. The girl seized his hand. She bowed her head, hiding her expression, and spoke in a voice impossible to describe, “Why? Didn’t we make a contract to be together?”

“The contract... has been annulled.”

Her body trembled. “Is it because, in the eyes of the world, we’re siblings?”

“I told you, I’ve fallen for someone else.” His tone was flat, almost indifferent.

“Is it because you’re returning to your original world and I can’t keep up with you?”

“No. I’ve fallen for someone else.” His voice remained chillingly calm.

“Who is she? Is it Kirino or Ayase? I... I can... share you with her.” The girl’s voice quivered, on the verge of tears.

“It’s not them... she wouldn’t agree.” For the first time, the boy’s voice wavered.

“Qi, I love you. I love you more than anyone else in this world ever could. Even if my heart must love you for all eternity...” Tears fell from the girl’s downcast face.

“I will take her, alone and helpless, to travel the world. This is goodbye.” With that, Qi wrenched his hand from the girl’s grasp, spread his wings, and soared into the black night, vanishing from her sight.

The moonlight pierced the clouds, illuminating the girl’s upturned face, cold and desolate. Her voice, each word slow and haunting, seemed to echo from the depths of hell:

“The world shall be shrouded in darkness.
My name is the Avenging Angel, Dark Cat.
I deny all love.
I will curse you all.
Curse all those in love.
I will curse the world.
Curse—the—world.
To all who flaunt their happiness, I grant a future in hell.
And as my final curse, for abandoning me—
I—will—bring—hell—upon—the—world. I—will—make—this—world—you—wander—be—bereft—of—light.
Until—you—return—to—my—side, I—hate—you—
but—I—still—love—you.”

A torrent of black mist surged forth, swallowing the moon once more. Hell was about to descend; the world was losing its light.

Far above, Qi’s expression was twisted in agony as he hurtled through the atmosphere, desperate for the burning pain to numb the ache within his heart. Tears streaked down his cheeks. “Ah—! Why does it hurt so much? I, who can control my body perfectly, who can regrow lost limbs and even my head, can do nothing to stop this pain or these tears. But what pain must Black Cat be suffering now? Ah—! That lunatic god up there, one day I’ll come for you. Ah... forgive me... Black Cat, forgive me...”

“This is the ending I prepared for you. Such an ending, how thrilling. Don’t disappoint me.” A distant, ethereal voice echoed.

Chapter One

In the eastern mountains of the Qi Kingdom, a youth sat cross-legged on the ground. His name was Qi. Though he looked fourteen or fifteen, he had no idea how old he truly was. Five years ago, he seemed no more than a five-year-old child, but now he stood nearly six feet tall, with a lean, well-built frame befitting a boy his current age. To grow two years for every one—truly worthy of the name “Qi,” he mocked himself.

Five years earlier, he had appeared in a small village called Qidian. He had no memories before the age of five; his mind was blank, as innocent as a newborn. But he was fated to be no ordinary person. In a short time, he learned to walk, run, and eat like a human.

After being beaten for eating without permission, he, in a five-year-old’s body, sent the burly attacker flying with a slap. Then, when a dozen robust farmers armed with various tools rushed him, he knocked them all down as well. From that day on, the villagers were so afraid they dared not leave their homes. While wandering the village in search of food, he was lured by the village scholar, Elder Qi, into a house with the promise of a meal. There, the old man began teaching him to speak, read, and write. Once he understood enough, Elder Qi took him to apologize to the villagers, after which he was allowed to stay—though their fear never truly faded.

His body was strong, and he often hunted in the mountains to support himself and Elder Qi. Life was simple and happy until, half a year later, he returned from a hunt to find the village razed by bandits. He rushed home, only to find the old man lying lifeless in a pool of blood. Enraged, he stormed into the midst of the bandits and slaughtered them all—one hundred and twenty-five in total, not a single one escaped.

Under the villagers’ fearful gazes, he returned to the small house and wept all night. The next day, he erected a gravestone for Elder Qi and mourned for half a year before leaving the village.

It had been over four years since he left. Not long after departing, he joined the army and, step by step, rose to become a great general of Qi. With his ascension, bandits and marauders across the land were all but eradicated. The massacre of villages by bandits became a thing of the past. Once he had fulfilled this vow, he lost all attachment to his position and escaped the capital at the earliest chance.

Yes, escaped—for certain reasons, he was now a fugitive.

He had come to these mountains because he had heard of a mystical peak deep within, called Mount Qiqi. It was said to be inhabited by immortals who could fly and breathe clouds and mist. High on the mountain stood the Immortal Sect of Qiqi, and so the mountain bore its name. Qi had come to seek these immortals, to ask about his origins, his true family, and why he had been abandoned in Qidian Village. This was his next goal after eradicating the bandits.