Chapter Nineteen: Tyson's Story

  Lia stretched and then shamelessly took the last roasted fish in her hand, apparently knowing it was the last one. She cherished it by putting it in front of her nose to smell it first, then took a small bite on the back of the fish, where the flesh was the most tender and delicious. She closed her eyes and savored it for a long time before reluctantly swallowing it down. Then she remained still for a long time, savoring the rich aroma of the roasted fish and the unique flavor brought by the mixture of seasonings and fish meat.

  I sat next to Lila, forcing down the urge to grab the bright yellow roasted fish from her hand and retreat to a corner to enjoy it alone. Instead, I just gently shook her arm, urging her to continue telling the gossip story about Tissen's older brother.

  Lia came back to her senses from the delightful enjoyment, frowned slightly in dissatisfaction, as if blaming me for interrupting her pleasure of savoring the delicious food. She let out a sigh and said: "Actually, Tissen was originally one of us villagers, he grew up with my sister and me, we played together, and were bullied by other village kids. Tissen always helped us fight back, but every time he came back home with a bruised face, his father would scold him, yet he never said it was for our sake that he fought."

  "Tyson's father loved to drink, and when he was drunk, he would beat Tyson and his mother. Not to mention when Tyson came back after fighting outside." Lya sighed, picked up the roasted fish and took a small bite, then it was another long process of savoring...

  It was as if a century had passed before Lila finally came back to her senses, satisfied from the pleasure, and continued: "We will eventually grow up. Humans are strange creatures; the older we get, the better our emotions between men and women become, yet we seem to drift further apart. Gradually, we interacted less and less. Later, the great magician Ankala happened to pass by the village, took a liking to Tissen, said he had the potential to become an excellent magician, and took him to the magic tower for training. We had even fewer opportunities to meet after that. Even when Tissen occasionally returned to the village, there was no chance to talk; even if we met, it was just a nod of acknowledgement. My sister is a naturally shy person, extremely timid, she deeply loves Tissen in her heart but never dared to speak out.

  "If things had continued like this, maybe there would have been a better ending. But on a hot summer night, a group of bandits raided our village, and my parents took us to the nearby mountain to hide. On the way, I got separated from my sister. My sister was caught by the bandits and taken away. Not knowing what to do, I came to the magic tower to ask Tissen for help. But Tissen had locked himself in the magic tower to meditate in preparation for the intermediate magician exam, and I waited outside the magic tower for two whole days before he finally came out." As she spoke, I clearly saw tears shining in Lila's eyes, with the firelight reflecting off them like a jumping spark. She was lost in thought, recalling that painful past, as if she had forgotten where she was.

  Lia seemed to take revenge by biting a mouthful of roasted fish, not savoring it, but swallowing it quickly and continuing: "After Tissen received the news, he immediately rode his horse to track him down."

  Lia, whose complexion had returned to normal, resumed enjoying her roasted fish and only continued telling her story after a long while: "A year later, Tyson came back, looking gaunt, covered in bloodstains, with wounds all over his body, and carrying his sister's corpse. He fainted before he even reached the village entrance. The villagers found him and called for the town's pastor to treat him. After examining his wounds, the pastor told us that Tyson had seven blunt-force injuries, twelve sword wounds, four arrow wounds, four broken ribs, and a fractured left arm bone. The pastor said he couldn't imagine how Tyson made it back to the village, nor did he know how Tyson hadn't died from excessive blood loss."

  Hearing about Tyson's miserable situation, I felt a chill from the bottom of my heart. I never thought that Brother Tyson would be so tough and unyielding. I couldn't help but feel sincere admiration for him from the bottom of my heart.

  "Tyson woke up three days later, and the first thing he said was: My fault, I'm late. Then he fainted again. Three days later, Tyson finally woke up for real, but became even more taciturn."

  "What did Tyson do with those thieves? How did your sister die?" I asked curiously.

  "I later asked Tyson about these things, and he said it took him more than half a year to find the thieves' den, and then another month to kill all of them - more than 50 thieves - without any escaping. Later I asked my sister how she died, but he refused to say. When I pressed him for an answer, he finally told me... My sister... She..." Lila suddenly became hesitant here, and I looked at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.

  Lia didn't continue speaking for a while, and I got impatient, urging her: "What's going on? Hurry up and say it!"

  "Tyson told me that since my sister was taken away, she had been ravaged by those robbers. After Tyson killed all the robbers, my sister took her own life in front of him. This is what my sister told Tyson before she died. She said she lived just to see how those robbers would die. Tyson killed them and fulfilled her wish." Lila was immersed in sorrow, lowering her head and remaining silent for a long time.

  To change the subject, I hastily asked: "Then when did you know that Tissen brother fell in love with you?"

  When it comes to Tyson, Leah quickly walked out of sadness and rarely smiled gently, saying: "My father thanked Tyson for bringing back my sister's body and avenging my sister. He specially took him home to take care of him. During that time, I took care of him every day, fed him, helped him with medicine, helped him wipe his body, and changed clothes for him..." At this point, Leah's face turned red.

  "I was afraid he would be lonely, so I often accompanied him, talked to him, hoping he would become happy again, no longer sad, and no longer miss my sister. Because from his crazy behavior, I could see that he also loved my sister. Gradually, perhaps because I accompanied him every day, his mood seemed to improve a little, but he still didn't like to talk much, kept things in his heart, and often stared blankly into space. But the way he looked at me gradually changed, and when speaking to me, he became gentler. I knew, he had fallen in love with me." Lilia's voice was filled with a growing sense of pride.

  "These years, I increasingly know that he likes me, but because of his sister in his heart, he has never dared to tell me that he loves me, what a fool!" Lilia sighed and resentfully devoured the roasted fish in her hand, then vigorously threw the fish bones and fork into the fire, as if it were Tyson's brother.

  I stood up, patted Lila's shoulder: "It's late, go back early, I'll teach Tissen to roast fish tomorrow." Lila happily gave me a quick kiss on the face and turned around and ran away, leaving me touching my face in a daze, standing still on the spot. Was I just kissed?