A Failure's hopeful Journey

You Xi Wang drove his Countach to the Pro-code office to pick up Celestia. It took him an hour to reach the edifice where pro-code was located. Celestia and Petra were already waiting for him at the entrance. The little girl held Petra's hand and stood at the gate with no intention of leaving. You Xi Wang got off the vehicle and came to their side. He asked Celestia, "Little one, where do you want to go?"

Celestia loved You Xi Wang very much and his soft voice made her change her mind of clinging on to Petra in an instant. She hugged You Xi Wang who was squatting in front of her and said, "There is a place I found on the Metro frame. How about we go there? Big brother they make a good cheeseburger." stars sparkled in her eyes. This girl was a very big foodie. You Xi Wang shook his head in helplessness and picked her up in his arms. He looked at Petra and gestured with his chin and eyes, 'will you join us?' that's what the gesture meant. 

Petra shook her head and returned the gesture with her eyes and tilted neck, 'I still have work to do.' The two of them understood each other without saying a single word and then after exchanging a smile they separated. You Xi Wang started the vehicle and took Maya and Celestia with him to the restaurant Celestia mentioned. The ride was smooth although people stared at the vehicle they did not block or tried to start up a conversation with You Xi Wang. The one and a half humans entered the restaurant named, 'Social' with a spirit beast in tow. The Wolf and the little fairy attracted a lot of attention. You Xi Wang took them both inside the restaurant and found the place had a good ambiance. 

As soon as they entered a girl wearing an orange cap and matching apron came to them. She spoke, "Hello sir, welcome to social. Would you like to have a private table or a shared one?" her voice was very calming

You Xi Wang asked, "Can you tell us a little more this is our first time here?"

The girl in the apron nodded and spoke with a smile, "Yes, sure sir. The shared table is where you can sit down with other unknown people. The private table is as the name suggests, it is private. The price for both of the tables is the same." 

You Xi Wang nodded and spoke, "Celes, what table do you want?"

Celestia spoke, "Shared table." in a crisp voice.

You Xi Wang smiled and gestured to the girl to get them a shared table. The girl noticed Maya with them and she asked, "Sir, is this your spirit beast?"

You Xi Wang nodded and the girl said, "Spirit beasts are treated equally in our restaurant. So..." before the girl could carry on You Xi Wang understood her meaning and said, "Yes, I understand what you mean. Please get us a table." 

The girl did not delay anymore and took the three of them to a table of four people where a man was already sitting. The man had unkempt hair but his clothes were clean. he wore round glasses and had a well-groomed goatee. As they got closer You Xi Wang noticed that the man's hair was still tied in a clumsy bun. The man did not react when they approached. The serving girl spoke up, "Mr. Rudra, this gentleman will be sharing the table with you."

The man was called Mr. Rudra. He raised his head and nodded to the girl. He spoke, "Rose, can you get me another bowl of hot soup please?" the serving girl was called Rose. She nodded and left to get a bowl of soup. 

Rudra shook his head. He gestured for You Xi Wang to sit down and spoke, "The staff makes the introduction but this girl is still new. Don't mind her. My name is Rudra. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

You Xi Wang smiled and said, "It's alright, I don't mind. My name is You Xi Wang." he pointed to Celestia and said, "This is my younger sister, Celestia." then Maya, "This is Maya, my spirit beast."

Rudra greeted, "Hello Celestia. Hello Maya." although his voice was calm and soft he had no smile on his face. 

Celestia noted this and she spoke, "Uncle do you not know how to smile?" You Xi Wang retorted her, "Celes, is this how you speak to someone elder?"

Rudra shook his head and said, "It's alright, Mr. You. What Celestia said is true. I don't know how to smile." the tone in his voice did not change much. You Xi Wang realized that this was a man with a story. Though he did not plan to pry open someone whom he just met.

Celestia spoke up, "Uncle, you should smile more. You will feel good." her bell-like voice could even melt stones but Rudra was not affected, on the contrary, a flash of grief flashed in his eyes. 

Rose returned with a bowl of soup quickly and stopped Rudra from replying. She spoke to You Xi Wang, 'Sir, have you decided what you want to order?"

Before he could reply Celestia replied, "Three double Cheese Chicken burgers, with Potato Fingers and three cokes." her sparkly eyes made You Xi Wang helpless. He shrugged and asked Rose to note down what the little fairy has spoken. 

Rudra kept drinking his soup in silence. You Xi Wang asked, "Mr. Rudra, may I ask what is your profession?"

Rudra replied, "I am an author."

You Xi Wang nodded and praised, "Authors are very talented people. I don't know what is your pen name?"

Rudra said, "My books are usually sad things Mr.You do not read them in peace. It will only disturb you."

You Xi Wang nodded and realized that the man did not want to say anything, so he did not persist. Rudra spoke, "It's not that I do not want to know you but I did watch your live broadcast. I liked that vehicle. Good job."

You Xi Wang scratched his nose in embarrassment. He spoke, "What does Mr. Rudra think about the present situation of the world?"

Rudra replied with a sigh, "It depends on what the world means to you, Mr. You. To me, the world means just a single person. A person whom I couldn't call my own. So the whole world is ultimately meaningless to me." his voice contained an unhidden grief and pain. Before they could continue, Rose came over with their order. You Xi Wang helped her place the food on the table. He knew the little foodie with him will jump at the burger as soon as it is placed in front of her. So he quickly picked up a napkin and tied it around Celestia's neck. 

The little girl pouted and said, "Big brother, Celes was about to do it. Humph, you think of me as stupid." she puffed her cheeks and looked ultimately adorable. You Xi Wang chuckled and poked her cheeks. He coaxed her by saying, "Who said, our little Celestia is stupid. I tied the napkin because it is my duty to care for and pamper my princess. No?"

Celestia squinted her eyes and then said, "Hmph, you are forgiven, commoner." she raised her chin over to the sky as if she was a princess in real. The two people chuckled and laughed together. When You Xi Wang turned he was surprised by the smile he saw on Rudra's face. The smile was the depiction of endless bliss as if the man was not pained at all. Soon, You Xi Wang found out the reason behind the smile. 

A woman walked over to their table and smacked Rudra on his shoulder as she said, "Rudra, long time no see."

Rudra gazed at the lady. You Xi Wang understood, this lady was the reason for his pain. yet, the man loved her so much that just one sight of her would heal him. Rudra replied, "Indeed, a long time no see, Chitra."

He turned to face You Xi Wang and said, "This is farewell, Mr. You. We will meet again if fate permits." he stood up and left the restaurant with the woman called Chitra. You Xi Wang did not notice much about the woman but he could tell that she was an average person. As the two walked away Rose walked over and saw You Xi Wang gazing at the two leaving people in a daze. She spoke, "Love is such a bad thing for some people."

You Xi Wang asked instinctively, "Why do you say so?"

Rose hesitated and said, "Mr. Rudra is a kind and humble man. He has been in love with the woman who just came in for who knows how long. Ms. Chitra suffered a backlash in cultivation after meeting Mr. Rudra here 6 months ago. Every time she falls asleep her memory resets back to today morning. Mr. Rudra has been enacting the same thing for 6 months. They consulted a lot of people but this condition is incurable. Imagine the pain he suffers every day to see the woman he loved more than himself become like this. Yet the love for the woman in his heart is so great that he ignores himself just in the hope to stay with her. Now you know why he does not smile." she sighed and took away the soup bowl she delivered for Rudra earlier. 

You Xi Wang felt very touched, yet heavy-hearted to hear this. Just as he was lost in contemplation the system spoke in his mind, [Phew, I was so fucking scared just now.]

You Xi Wang asked, 'What happened?'

The system replied, [The man sitting beside us just now was no ordinary samaritan. He had a spirit energy value higher than your master. His energy was filled with a destructive element. I felt like if I spoke up, he would erase us all with a snap of his fingers.]

You Xi Wang was shocked to hear this. He used his Holo-Phone and called his master. He asked as soon as the call connected, "Master, is there a person who is stronger than you and has a destructive element in him?"

Alester Book's face turned pale and he said, "Where did you meet him? Did he say anything to you?" his tone was rushed. 

You Xi Wang shook his head and said, "No, he sat at the same table as me in a restaurant and just talked normally. Then he left with a lady. Saying to meet again."

Alester Book sighed and replied, "I can only tell you this, that you must not anger that person. At any cost do not anger him. Although he a reasonable entity. His power is not something our planet can handle."

You Xi Wang was even more shocked and asked, "Master, who is that man?"

Alester Book replied, "All you need to know is that the man is the god of destruction while the lady is his love the goddess of creation. We found out about this 5 months ago. The god and goddess would come out of their abode once every millennium. They would act like normal humans for six months as penance. This time the goddess suffered from an illness and thus the present situation. We are all hoping that they return with peace after the time duration of their penance is finished."

You Xi Wang was shocked to hear about the existence of gods. They were talking with the mental uplink feature. Otherwise, the people around them would think they were both lunatics. Alester Book spoke, "Xiao Wang, stop thinking about it at this moment. do not go looking after him. A god drowning in the sorrow of love is very volatile."

You Xi Wang asked, "Did he do something?"

...