When painful groans began to echo through the forest, discomfort was felt all around. Yang Se shrank back, falling silent. With her heart clenched and eyes closed, it felt unbearable to feel any joy in front of the horrid creature whose body was still stretched upward.

  He Rui held her hand and fought to remain steady. But eventually she closed her eyes, unable to keep witnessing such a scene. Then the problem became her other senses. Through touch, she still felt the cuts and tiny contortions of the grotesque body. And as if everything were happening right in front of her, the clear sounds kept replaying the events in her mind.

  — Yun'er...

  As the groans gradually but quickly faded, the heartbeat calmed as well. He Rui felt something tremble slightly under her arm and, looking down, saw that Yang Se was falling asleep amid shivers and whispers. The murmurs ended quickly, but the tremors lingered.

  Stroking her gently, He Rui helped her settle down. Then, slowly, she looked to the side, only to see the creature was gone.

  She sighed, turning back to Yang Se. He Rui went to the cabin to fetch a blanket after freeing herself from the small grasping hands. However, Ting was sitting on top of the only one there, so she returned empty-handed.

  Carefully, she dragged Yang Se a bit farther back so the sunlight wouldn't hit her eyes. She sat on the stairs and, though uneasy, watched the forest. She wanted to know what had happened for such a beast to have suddenly appeared here. She could sense the smell of blood in the air, and if she tried, she was sure she could see the situation in the distance.

  Sighing, she brought Xiao Ying onto her lap so she could lose herself in the soft fur and forget about everything else.

  — Huh? So she's sleeping? — Noah said as he emerged from between the trees.

  — Where is that boy and... what was that?

  — That...? Ah, I see. You were able to see that too?

  She curled into herself as she spoke, — Not just see... and I think much of the town must have done the same.

  — I see. I'll be more careful next time. — Noah sat on the grass a little past the tub. — Xiao Yun is training now, and I don't know how long he'll take to get back. Do you think you can stay with her a bit longer meanwhile?

  After looking at Yang Se's tense face, where brief spasms made it twitch, He Rui nodded.

  — Alright, then. Come over here for a bit. Let's take advantage of her being asleep now.

  — Take advantage..? — He Rui frowned, clutching Xiao Ying to her chest. — What do you mean? I still haven't—

  — I'll help you train. Don't you want that? If not, that's fine.

  — No. I do. But... — she got up, setting the puppy on the floor, — don't do anything weird.

  Xiao Ying ran under the wheelchair as He Rui stepped away, walking towards Noah. Despite hesitating, she sat cross-legged just one step away from him, facing him.

  — So, what are we going to do?

  Looking at her, Noah studied her resolute eyes, so different from the anxiety within. He took her hands and, smiling, pulled them closer as he asked, — Was it Ting who told you to act like this when alone with me?

  He Rui looked away. — I thought you said you'd help me train. How does holding my hands help with that?

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  Pulling back her sleeves, he continued, — What did she tell you? That you should be firm with me or else I'd do whatever I wanted?

  — That... and that I should go to her if you did something I didn't want. — He Rui clenched her trembling fists, making him stop pushing her sleeves back.

  Noah smiled as he rolled up her sleeves so they wouldn't fall again. — Of course... — He took her hands again. — But you won't need to do that, so don't worry.

  — She also talked about your lame jokes, like this one.

  — Lame... Anyway, let's start. Try closing your eyes and concentrating. — After checking her hands would stay in place, He Rui did as Noah instructed. — Your transformation should have given you something besides new hair and eye color and some scales. Try to find out what.

  — You say it like it's easy, — she commented, opening one eye to look at him.

  — Well, look for a different sensation, maybe a unique one, that's inside you now. Something that didn't exist before. It could be the electricity from the lightning you used during pill absorption, or the presence of one of the shadows you claimed to see. If any of them remained even after the connection was formed, you should be able to reach it.

  — Maybe... but I don't know if I want to.

  Seeing her look away, Noah noticed her expression close off and emotions held back. — Are you scared? That's natural. Honestly, it'd be strange if you didn't feel anything after seeing those creatures, — he remarked. — But, no matter how much I want to help, there's nothing I can do about that.

  A short laugh rang out, — You 'want' to help me? Isn't that just because Ting asked you to?

  — Partly, yes. After all, I promised I'd try to treat you the way I treat her.

  — The same way? — He Rui frowned and pulled her hands back. — Does that include... everything else?

  — No, not yet. — After Noah asked her to return to position, she did so, albeit slowly and hesitantly. He smiled. — Unless you want it, of course.

  — No, I'm fine. — He Rui answered loudly and clearly. — For now, you can keep hugging only Ting. I think I can handle that.

  Closing her eyes, He Rui decided to take advantage of the abnormal calm washing over her. She thought she should be nervous at Noah's insinuations, but whether it was nervousness or embarrassment, neither ever managed to actually touch her. Like a soft fog, her confused feelings seemed to be repelled by a certain shield.

  Is he doing this on purpose? she wondered as she roamed the darkness searching for anything.

  Something shone, and He Rui stopped, immersed in the darkness. She looked at the bright gray line and, feeling drawn by an odd sense of familiarity, she followed it. At first thin, it soon grew thicker. Its glow intensified. Ahead, He Rui saw something burning. Amid gray lightning, a purplish flame called to her.

  Something that didn't exist before... It must be this, right?

  She approached slowly. Her hand shook as she lifted it. She touched the flame, then saw it wrap around her body as if it were alive. Eyes widening, He Rui began to struggle. The flame didn't go out. It didn't vanish. It didn't... burn. However, she only realized this as she disappeared among the shadows.

  She would return to tell Noah of her success. But not before the crimson light illuminated her escape in awkward silence.

  He Rui looked back, but could see nothing. Her time had run out.

  — What happened, did you find something?

  Remembering the living light, she didn't know what to say. — I'm not sure... I think one of those things really did survive. — But she couldn't keep the fear alive, and she didn't know if she should be thankful for that. He Rui turned to Noah, — And I found something, a purplish flame surrounded by gray lightning. What should I do now?

  — The lightning certainly comes from the Thunder God's technique, but the flame... — Noah thought for a moment. — Neither of the two have a flame like that.

  Lifting his hands, he showed He Rui his own flames. He closed his palms, making them disappear. — I think what happened was a possible fusion, — he supposed. — Or perhaps one shadow fully absorbed the other, assimilating it within itself. Either way, it's best to be careful. Even if it's just a joining of fragments, I can't say how powerful or troublesome that creature might become. Best case, you've gained a new and very unique companion.

  — And the worst?

  — I'm not sure... I'm not a specialist in this kind of thing.

  Despite the shield formed by Noah's calmness and indifference, He Rui still felt a bit odd. It was ridiculous for her to be so calm even upon receiving such news. Yet, she didn't know if she could handle things any better if her emotions were in control of her actions.

  In a way, to her, the indifference Noah possessed seemed like some sort of gift. However, He Rui didn't want to feel or even know the reason it existed. She hoped it was natural, an unparalleled disregard for others he had always had. But she couldn't quite believe that was truly the case.

  Before Yang Se woke, they continued training. Noah tried to help He Rui use her flame, but didn't have time to make it work. The girl had woken up.