Kael stared at the girl as though the valley had birthed something impossible.
She was beautiful in a way that made no sense.
Selene's beauty burned warm—soft skin flushed pink beneath moon-pale flesh, pride and temper dancing in her eyes. Lyra Farrow had looked like forbidden sin wrapped in silk and milk-white skin. Peria carried the playful sweetness of spring snowfall.
This girl was different.
She looked cold.
Not cold in temperament—though there was caution in her eyes—but cold in the way untouched glacier water looked cold. Her skin was so pale it almost seemed translucent, like frost layered over clear glass. Her sharp brows and elegant features gave her a seductive edge, yet there was also something strangely clean about her. She felt like morning dew on sharpened steel.
What kind of girl is she...?
Then Kael noticed the smear of dirt on her cheek.
It stood out horribly against that flawless pale skin.
Without thinking, he stepped closer and pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve.
"Hold still."
The girl blinked in surprise.
Kael gently wiped the dirt from her cheek.
For a moment she stiffened.
Then she simply stood there and let him do it.
Kael's thoughts immediately drifted somewhere stupid.
Women really are unfairly complicated creatures.
Selene's skin feels warm and soft. Lyra's was smooth like cream. Peria's looked like snow. And this one...
His gaze lingered.
This one looks like carved ice.
The girl suddenly met his eyes.
Kael froze.
Only then did he realize how absurdly intimate this looked.
He jerked backward and nearly tripped over a shattered piece of wooden wreckage.
"Ahem."
He coughed into his fist and shoved the handkerchief away.
The girl acted as though nothing strange had happened.
Instead, she calmly straightened herself.
"I still don't know your name, big brother."
Before Kael could react, she casually plucked the handkerchief from his fingers and used it to wipe sweat from her forehead.
Kael stared at his now-empty hand like he'd just been robbed.
"I'm Kael Ashvane."
"Kael..." she repeated softly.
The way she said his name made it sound like she was tasting it.
Then she tilted her head.
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking for bamboo."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Warding-Vase Bamboo?"
Kael nodded.
He opened his mouth—
She cut him off immediately.
"What do you want it for?"
Something about her made lying feel pointless.
Kael gave her a shortened explanation—the undead army, Mirekeep, Rovan's war effort, and their need for anti-undead weapons.
When he finished, she fell silent.
"I see."
Then she murmured thoughtfully,
"Warding-Vase Bamboo naturally suppresses evil forces. Using it against skeletal armies makes sense."
Kael nodded.
"But?"
Her expression shifted slightly.
"But it's incredibly rare. The people here may not be willing to simply hand it over."
Kael grinned.
"That part should be fine. Hadrian Corvel came with us. He claims he knows the young master of this valley personally."
One elegant brow rose.
"Does he?"
Something in her tone felt strange.
Before Kael could question it, his eyes moved toward the burning wreckage scattered across the earth.
The remains of the bamboo falcons still crackled in green fire.
He finally asked the question gnawing at him.
"What exactly were those things?"
The girl glanced at the ruined constructs.
"Blade Falcons."
"Blade Falcons?"
"They're one of the valley's automated defenses."
Her expression darkened.
"I haven't returned here in a very long time. I didn't expect new patrol routes. I flew directly into an ambush."
Kael looked at the destroyed machines with renewed shock.
"One of the valley's weaker defenses nearly killed you?"
The girl let out a cold snort.
"Weaker?"
She folded her arms.
"Those things are trash."
Kael blinked.
She pointed toward the wrecked wooden phoenix.
"The only reason I lost was because my mount was made from ordinary ironwood."
Her voice grew irritated.
"Blade Falcons are built from Warding-Vase Bamboo. Their durability far exceeds normal materials."
She glared at the ruined phoenix.
"And they attacked without warning."
Kael slowly turned toward the broken construct.
He crouched beside it.
Then his breathing stopped.
The machine was magnificent.
Its internal structure was absurdly complex.
Interlocking gears.
Thread-thin metal cables.
Tiny hooks.
Layered joints.
Rotating pressure locks.
Every inch of it reflected genius-level craftsmanship.
Kael had always loved construct-work.
Even as a child, he'd dismantled half the training tools at Vane's Summit simply to see how they worked.
This thing was on another level entirely.
He looked over his shoulder at her.
"You built this?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"You don't believe me?"
Kael immediately corrected himself.
"No—I mean yes—I mean…"
He stood abruptly.
"I mean you're clearly a master artificer."
She lifted her chin proudly.
"Obviously."
Not an ounce of humility.
Kael almost laughed.
She continued,
"If I had better materials, those birds wouldn't have stood a chance."
Kael returned to examining the broken phoenix.
The more he looked—
The more horrified he became.
The damage was catastrophic.
"This thing is wrecked."
He looked up.
"It'll take forever to repair."
The girl stared at it.
Then quietly said,
"Who said I'm repairing it?"
Kael frowned.
She nearly said something else.
He noticed.
For just a second.
When I take back—
That was what she had almost said.
But she changed her words.
"When I get better materials, I'll build something better."
Kael looked at her like she'd gone insane.
"You're abandoning this?"
She nodded.
"I have more important things to do today."
Kael swallowed.
Then hesitated.
Then hesitated again.
"What?"
She looked amused.
"You keep stuttering."
Kael rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well…"
He pointed at the ruined phoenix.
"If you're really abandoning it…"
He coughed.
"Could I have it?"
She blinked.
Kael hurried on.
"I might be able to repair it."
That part was a lie.
He absolutely could not.
"Or at least study it."
That part was true.
"I'd learn a lot."
The girl stared at him.
Then burst into a smile.
"You want it?"
Kael nodded violently.
"Take it."
He froze.
"That's it?"
"You saved me."
She shrugged.
"Why would I be stingy?"
Kael nearly shouted in joy.
This trip had become absurdly profitable.
First, he obtained the corpse of a mutated ancient phoenix beast.
Now this masterpiece?
Even broken, it was priceless.
Then the girl looked down at the handkerchief in her hand.
Her eyes spun mischievously.
"However…"
Kael's soul nearly left his body.
"However what?"
She smiled like a fox.
"You can't take it for free."
Kael exhaled in relief.
That was manageable.
"What do you want?"
She tilted her head and slowly examined him from head to toe.
Kael immediately began searching his pockets in panic.
Pills.
Talismans.
Coins.
Nothing felt valuable enough.
Then she lifted the handkerchief.
"I'll trade it for this."
Kael stared.
"This?"
She nodded.
"I forgot to bring one today."
Kael looked at her like she had gone mad.
"That's all?"
She shrugged.
"If you don't want the deal—"
"I do!"
He nearly yelled.
"Absolutely."
Then, without thinking, he stuck out his little finger.
"Seal the agreement."
She blinked.
"What?"
"At Vane's Summit we always do this."
Mostly with Selene.
Though Kael wisely kept that detail to himself.
"It makes promises official."
The girl stared at him.
Then she started laughing.
Not mockingly.
Genuinely.
It was bright enough to make the forest feel warmer.
Still smiling, she raised her delicate hand and hooked her finger around his.
Kael solemnly shook their linked fingers.
"Promise made. A hundred years unchanged."
The girl stopped laughing.
She stared at him strangely.
For a moment, her expression softened into something unreadable.
Kael quickly released her hand before his heartbeat became embarrassing.
He immediately chanted a storage incantation.
The shattered phoenix vanished into the Wardian Satchel.
Kael released a deeply satisfied breath.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
He looked at her.
"So where are you heading?"
He honestly wanted to leave.
Find Selene.
Collect the bamboo.
Return to Mirekeep.
Then lock himself in a room and spend weeks dissecting his new treasures.
Instead of answering, the girl asked:
"You like construct-work?"
Kael snorted.
"Like?"
He grinned.
"I'm obsessed."
Her eyes gleamed.
"Then you've heard of the Tiger-Spider War Chariots."
Kael stiffened.
He nearly shouted.
"The war machines used by Marquis of Valdenmere?"
She nodded.
Kael's excitement exploded.
"Of course I've heard of them!"
His voice rose.
"They're legendary!"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"They've shattered armies for over a decade. People say entire enemy formations collapse the moment those monsters appear."
He leaned closer.
"They're one of the greatest mechanical weapons ever created."
He frowned.
"Why?"
Her smile returned.
"Do you know where they came from?"
Kael blinked.
"No."
He scratched his chin.
"Their origins are heavily guarded."
Most of what he knew had come from Sylva.
Selene, despite being nobility, had known absolutely nothing useful.
The girl calmly said,
"They were born here."
Kael's jaw dropped.
"What?"
She continued.
"The original prototypes were guardian constructs built to defend critical regions of this valley."
Her voice grew quiet.
"They were called Dread-Feet."
Kael stared at her.
"The military version was redesigned later."
She tapped a nearby bamboo stalk.
"Their core material?"
Her lips curled.
"Warding-Vase Bamboo."
Kael's breathing turned ragged.
This valley was becoming more unbelievable by the minute.
"How do you know all this?"
She gave him a sideways look.
"Still don't believe me?"
Then she smiled.
"Want me to show you?"
Kael nearly answered instantly—
Then Selene flashed through his mind.
Sleeping naked in that giant nest.
Waiting for him.
His excitement faltered.
The girl noticed immediately.
"If not, forget it."
She turned as though ready to leave.
Kael panicked.
"How far is it?"
"Not far."
She paused.
"Could be dangerous."
Then she waved dismissively.
"You should probably stay here."
That made it worse.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Dangerous?"
She nodded.
"Very."
His pulse quickened.
Kael loved many things.
Treasure.
Women.
Winning arguments.
And reckless danger.
Sometimes in that exact order.
"Let's go."
She turned back.
"Are you sure?"
Her smile returned.
"It could be very dangerous."
Kael straightened proudly.
"The more dangerous it is…"
He puffed out his chest.
"The more obligated the Little Saint-Lord feels to investigate."
She laughed again.
"Then follow me."
Before the last word fully left her lips—
She moved.
Her body shot forward like wind over grass.
Her movement technique was exquisite.
Elegant.
Fast.
Almost weightless.
Kael's eyes widened.
That's an incredible Ground-Sprint Art.
He immediately chased after her.
They tore through the forest.
She remained just ahead.
Her green robes fluttered behind her.
Her slender figure looked like she might vanish into the wind itself.
Kael's excitement slowly gave way to suspicion.
She knows this valley.
She knows its defenses.
She knows secrets about its war machines.
And she's hiding who she really is.
His eyes narrowed.
Who exactly are you, Eya Verdane?
Then another thought hit him harder.
Sel.
He looked back.
The Ancient Reed was no longer visible.
They had run far.
Too far.
Selene was still asleep in that nest.
Alone.
Kael's chest tightened.
He almost stopped.
Then Eya's voice suddenly cut through the forest.
"Up!"
Kael looked forward.
She was already leaping skyward toward a towering bamboo tree.
He instantly followed.
They climbed into the dense canopy.
Kael opened his mouth—
A cold, soft hand seized his wrist.
He was yanked violently into a cluster of thick leaves.
Eya pressed herself against him to keep them hidden.
Her lips brushed his ear as she whispered:
"Don't move."
Her voice dropped lower.
"There's a patrol coming."
"What patrol?" Kael whispered.
Eya's fingers rose instantly to her lips.
Silence.
Then he heard it.
Clack.
Clack-clack.
Clack.
The sound came from below the canopy floor like bones knocking together inside a coffin.
Kael slowly parted a cluster of leaves and looked down.
His jaw nearly fell open.
A column of constructs marched beneath them.
They were shaped like men—but only in the cruelest, most unsettling sense. Their bodies were built from polished green bamboo segments fitted together with impossible precision. Jointed limbs moved with eerie fluidity. Their torsos were lean and upright. Their hands gripped long spears taller than a grown man.
But their heads—
They had no faces.
No eyes.
No mouths.
Only smooth bamboo helms where a human face should have been.
They marched in perfect rhythm through the forest, their hollow bodies producing that mechanical clattering sound with every movement.
Kael stared with naked fascination.
The joints were extraordinary.
Every rotating socket had hidden locking grooves. Every segment fit together so tightly that he could barely see the seams.
He had seen constructs before.
He had even built disasters of his own.
These things made his old failures look like children hammering scrap metal together in a barn.
The Great Verdant Vale really is insane...
At last the patrol disappeared deeper into the forest.
Eya still held him in place.
They waited.
And waited.
Only when the clattering completely vanished did she finally release his wrist.
"They're gone."
Kael immediately turned to her.
"What in the hells were those?"
"They're called Spear Soldiers," Eya said. "One of the most common construct guards in the valley. They handle patrol routes and perimeter security."
Kael blinked.
"They looked almost human."
"They're not."
"They moved pretty well." He grinned. "Question is—can they take a beating?"
Eya shot him a flat look.
"Do not underestimate them. They may look slower than the Blade Falcons, and they cannot fly, but they are stronger."
She tapped a nearby stalk of bamboo.
"They're made from Warding-Vase Bamboo. Blades struggle to cut them. Fire barely harms them. Water ruins nothing. Most conventional methods fail."
Kael remembered how easily he had reduced the Blade Falcons into flaming debris.
He smirked.
"Fire barely harms them?"
Eya immediately caught the arrogance in his face.
"Kael."
"Hm?"
"Your cultivation path is fire-aligned, isn't it?"
"Obviously."
"And what does fire dominate?"
He answered automatically.
"Wood."
Then he paused.
Then his eyes widened.
"You mean—"
"Yes."
Eya nodded.
"Your cultivation method naturally counters many of these constructs."
Kael's grin widened into something unbearably smug.
"So what you're telling me…"
Eya sighed.
"No."
"I'm basically this valley's natural-born king."
"No."
"These walking bamboo puppets were born to kneel before me."
"Absolutely not."
Kael folded his arms proudly.
"The heavens clearly sent me here because this entire valley needed a hero."
Eya stared at him in disbelief.
"How does your Master tolerate you?"
Kael coughed and immediately straightened.
"Right. Serious face."
Her eyes drifted toward the coiled weapon at his waist.
"That flaming whip."
He blinked.
"What about it?"
"What is it called?"
Kael puffed his chest out slightly.
"The Eight-Claw Flamescourge."
Eya's brows lifted.
"The name sounds excessive."
"It deserves the name."
He leaned closer.
"It was forged from the sinew of an eight-clawed flame dragon and three hundred sixty dragon scales."
This time he managed not to grin like an idiot.
Barely.
Eya looked thoughtful.
"That explains why the Blade Falcons died so quickly."
Then her eyes sharpened.
"Who trained you?"
Kael's entire face lit up.
"My Master?"
He stood straighter.
"Lady Magister Isara Ashvane."
Recognition flashed across Eya's face.
"The white-haired master of Vane's Summit?"
Kael looked offended.
Only that?
"She's far more than that," he said proudly. "In the Jade Peaks, thousands revere her. She could flatten mountains if she felt mildly inconvenienced."
"That sounds exaggerated."
"It absolutely is not."
Eya looked at him for several moments.
"So you're from the Ascendant Covenant."
"That sounded far less impressed than I hoped."
Instead of answering, she asked quietly:
"Have you ever heard of someone named Simeon the White?"
Kael nearly shouted.
"Heard of him?!"
Eya flinched.
He lowered his voice.
"He's my sworn brother."
Her eyes widened.
"Your what?"
Kael proudly slapped his Wardian Satchel.
"The Eight Wardens of the Jade Peaks. He's second. I'm eighth."
"You..."
She looked genuinely stunned.
"You're telling me a disciple of the Ascendant Covenant swore brotherhood with spirit beasts?"
Kael blinked.
"Yes?"
"Aren't you afraid your Order would exile you?"
He frowned.
"How do you know Simeon is a spirit?"
Eya ignored that.
"Answer me."
Kael shrugged.
"What's there to fear?"
His expression became unexpectedly simple.
Honest.
"I've met spirits kinder than men."
Eya froze.
Kael continued.
"If someone's cruel, I don't care whether they're human, spirit, demon, or god."
He leaned against the tree trunk.
"And if someone's good to me?"
He smiled.
"Then I don't care what they were born as."
For a moment, Eya simply stared at him.
Then—
she smiled.
Kael forgot how breathing worked.
It transformed her face completely.
Until now she had been beautiful in a distant way—like moonlight over winter ice.
This smile shattered that distance.
Warm.
Bright.
Soft.
Like a flower blooming through snow.
Kael stared like an idiot.
Eya tilted her head.
"What?"
He answered before thinking.
"You're terrifying when you smile."
Her expression darkened.
"...terrifying?"
He nearly bit his own tongue off.
"No—beautiful."
She folded her arms.
"So I'm ugly when I'm not smiling?"
"That is absolutely not what I meant."
Her lips curled upward again.
She was enjoying this.
Kael was dying.
They stood absurdly close together.
Too close.
He caught the faint scent of her skin.
Something clean.
Something wild.
Like rain on green leaves.
Heat rushed into his ears.
Why am I reacting like this?
You literally just left Selene naked in a bird nest.
Guilt stabbed through him.
He forcefully redirected his thoughts.
"You asked about Simeon. Why?"
Eya answered after a moment.
"I met him years ago."
Kael blinked.
"You did?"
"At the Carefree Grand Meet."
That erased every other thought in his head.
"What?"
She nodded.
"I went with my Master."
Kael stared.
"The one at Gladhaven Isle?"
"Yes."
He looked horrified.
"Only spirit beings and major powers get invited there."
"Yes."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"What exactly are you?"
Eya smiled faintly.
"I'm me."
"That clarified absolutely nothing."
She ignored him.
"Your brother was extraordinary."
Kael leaned forward.
"Tell me."
"At that tournament, he defeated multiple powerful challengers."
Her gaze drifted into memory.
"He fought without arrogance. Without noise. Your brother moved like a monk and struck like thunder."
Kael puffed up proudly.
"That sounds exactly like him."
"He won one of Sovereign Vaela's Gladspring Essence casks."
Kael froze.
Then grabbed her shoulders.
"He what?!"
Eya frowned at his hands.
He released her immediately.
"Sorry."
His mind was exploding.
A cask of Gladspring Essence.
One of the most coveted treasures in existence.
Wine brewed from one of the world's nineteen great ley-veins.
Enough to extend life.
Strengthen Aether.
Heal ancient wounds.
And that bastard had never mentioned it.
Kael's face twisted.
"That hairy fraud…"
Eya blinked.
"What?"
"I've spent years brewing alchemical preparations for him while he apparently hid divine liquor from me."
His expression became murderous.
"When I get back to the Jade Peaks, I'm holding a tribunal."
"A tribunal?"
"Yes."
"Against whom?"
"Simeon."
"For what crime?"
"Being selfish."
Eya stared.
Then laughed.
A real laugh this time.
Then a dangerous thought surfaced.
"You said your Master brought you there."
"Yes."
"Who is your Master?"
Eya grew quiet.
Then she answered.
"He is called the Fell Sage."
Kael's entire body went cold.
"What?"
She watched him carefully.
"The mortal world has another name for him."
Kael's mouth went dry.
He whispered it.
"...the Demon Sage."
Eya's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Do not call him that with contempt."
Kael nearly choked.
Contempt?
The Fell Sage was a nightmare whispered across all three realms.
A monster who slaughtered divine beings.
Killed archdemons.
Invented forbidden ward arts.
A figure parents used to frighten children into obedience.
And this girl was his disciple?
Kael's mind screamed at him to run.
Instead he coughed awkwardly.
Repeatedly.
Buying time.
Eya glared.
"You're young. Why are you coughing like an old man?"
Kael straightened.
Panic smile.
"No reason."
He desperately changed topics.
"So... at the Carefree Grand Meet…"
"Yes?"
"Did your Master win first place?"
Eya stared at him.
Then burst into laughter again.
"My Master does not compete."
"Why not?"
"Because Sovereign Vaela personally invites him as a judge."
Kael went silent.
Then slowly raised a trembling thumb.
"That is... extremely impressive."
"It is."
His eyes narrowed.
That only made her more suspicious.
A disciple of the Fell Sage.
A girl who knew ancient construct secrets.
A woman wandering the deadliest valley in the region like she owned it.
Who are you really, Eya Verdane?
Then another thought entered his mind.
Sovereign Vaela.
He had heard stories for years.
The most beautiful woman in the Fell Realm.
Perhaps in all existence.
Even Grimhog and the Flying Marshal used to drool when speaking about her.
Kael looked at Eya.
"Is Sovereign Vaela truly as beautiful as the stories claim?"
Eya's expression changed.
For the first time, awe entered her eyes.
She looked toward the distant horizon.
When she spoke, her voice softened.
"She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
Kael swallowed.
"That beautiful?"
Eya nodded.
"Beautiful enough to make kings kneel."
Her voice grew quieter.
"Beautiful enough to make women envy her."
Then came something unexpected.
A hint of sadness.
"Beautiful enough to make the world feel unfair."
Kael stared into the distance, imagination running wild.
A supreme ruler.
Unmatched beauty.
Gladhaven Isle.
Endless wine.
Ancient monsters.
Beautiful women.
He clenched his fist dramatically.
"One day…"
Eya glanced sideways.
"One day what?"
"One day I'm going to attend the Carefree Grand Meet."
She laughed softly.
"You?"
"Yes."
"You'd get arrested within an hour."
"Then I'll get arrested magnificently."
Her smile returned.
And Kael, against all reason—
smiled back.