Night of the Broken Gliph

Filled with curiosity, Chui Yim reached out for the stack of paper just like how he did for the countless books over the past year. 

But when he laid his eyes on the first sheet of paper, Chui Yim was utterly stupefied. 

A pattern was drawn on the paper, and the ink hadn’t dried, meaning that it was only recently drawn. 

Chilly Snow gliph. 

The names of the respective gliphs were written at the top of each page. 

Golden Horn gliph, Rising gliph, Spiral gliph, Tempestuous Fire gliph...

Thirsting for knowledge, Chui Yim stared at the gliphs, trying his best to imprint them into his mind. But he soon became so exhausted from studying the first two gliphs that it made him dizzy. 

Cramming was undoubtedly a dry process where one studied without understanding or digesting the content. But Chui Yim knew that he only had tonight to remember the various gliphs, which was why he chose to cram them into his head. Not only did Chui Yim bring along the valuable experiences and memories from his past life, but also his great mental strength, perhaps even more so than before because it was soul-bound.

As the best metalsmith in his previous life, Chui Yim needed to carve runes similar to gliphs onto his weapons. He had never once felt dizzy when doing so, and this was the first time he had experienced such an issue. 

Thus, Chui Yim guessed that the stack of paper he was holding onto were precious design plans. 

For a metalsmith, every weapon’s blueprints were priceless. Only common and worthless design plans would be accessible to all. The design plans for treasured weapons were all well kept top secret by influential organisations. 

These gliphs in front of me might be top secret. 

However, the ink is still wet. Does that mean my father was the one who drew these? 

Who exactly is my father, Chui Tin? 

---

The next day. Chui Yim opened his eyes slowly. Darkness graced the sky as the world awaited dawn. 

“You’re up?” Chui Tin called from the kitchen. 

Noticing that Chui Yim had woken up, Chui Tin came over with a bowl of piping hot soup. 

“Mmm,” Chui Yim answered. He took the bowl and sipped. He could taste his favourite fish soup flow down his throat to his stomach, warming him up.

“Ah, that feels so good.” He let out a sigh of satisfaction. “How long did I sleep? Why is the sky still dark?” 

“It’s been twenty-four hours ever since you fainted.” 

“Ahh?” Chui Yim exclaimed, spitting out his soup. “Twenty-four hours?” 

Chui Tin frowned and looked at the soup that splattered across the floor. “Don’t be wasteful.” 

But Chui Yim ignored him and looked around frantically. “The papers! Where’s the stack of paper?” 

“I’ve burned them all.” Chui Tin shrugged. 

Burnt? 

Burnt them all? 

You felt nothing when burning those precious drawings, but you got upset because I spilt some soup that cost nothing compared to them?

“But I haven’t finished them yet!”  Chui Yim gritted his teeth, holding in his urge to grab Chui Tin by his collar. 

“Whichever gliph you stopped at is your limit. To be honest, I never thought that you’d make it this far. Be at ease; you’ll get to look at them in the future. They’re all in my head, after all. I can draw them whenever I want. This also means that you should start treating me with respect from now on,” Chui Tin said nonchalantly. After six years, he had finally learnt how to deal with this cheeky boy. 

There’s no point in being a loving father to him; he’s the kind to only do things when they are beneficial to him. Look at how he ignored me when I told him to study, but he studied diligently after I told him that he can become a gliphist after studying for a year! 

Hah, why is my kid such a weirdo? 

Hearing Chui Tin’s blatant threat, Chui Yim sneered and plopped down onto his bed, drinking his soup. 

He finally yielded, huh? Chui Tin was currently on cloud nine, but he managed to keep a poker face. 

When was the last time I felt such a sense of achievement? Oh, I think when I made the  Scarlet Lady fall for me. Chui Tin stared blankly into space, losing himself in his thoughts. 

“Remember to pack your stuff tomorrow. We’re already a day late.” 

“Where are we going exactly?” Chui Yim couldn’t help but ask. 

“Didn’t you say that you wanted to learn about gliphism?” Chui Tin smiled happily. “I have no idea how to teach you, so you’re going to learn it yourself. 

“We’ll be heading into the city tomorrow.”