1

Sometime Later

RUMBLE.

Kilian jolted upwards, breathing profusely.

“Relax,” Selina said, sitting across the room. Her distinct voice was soothing, and it calmed Kilian down. “You’re finally up, thank goodness.”

The room is dim. Kilian, sitting on his bed, looked at the window ahead of him, pouring rain and gloomy clouds. He then turned to Selina’s voice, “Selina?” The outfit of hers confused Kilian for a moment as he didn't recognize her appearance.

“In the flesh,” She said while sitting in her comfort seat, reading and editing papers. Looking back up seeing him still staring at her. “You okay?”

He looked away, “Sorry. I just didn’t recognize you at first with that new fit…”

“First time seeing me in a casual fit so I expected that coming,” Selina said, putting down the papers on the floor beside her seat.

“How long was I out?” Kilian said in a low tone. His vocal cord is scorching dry by the end of his question, reminding him of when he first got out of the casket. Selina ran up to him, giving him some water to soothe his throat. He breathes as he swallows the water.

“It’s been two days. You were in horrible shape. Your internal damage caused by the lack of stamina was reversible, and the sleep helped out,” Selina said, putting her palm on his chest. Thank god. She thought after sensing his qi was stable.

“Is it true…about what happened?” Kilian looked down. He can’t fathom the loss that happened all so quickly. Something about himself he can’t truly describe or put into words. Like if a part of him, the happiness or the socializing just went astray. He is still there while simultaneously a part of emptiness hangs around. Selina pulled him on her shoulders, embracing him and offering her condolences.

“I’m sorry. This is a tragic moment for many of us here. I was planning a feast or a celebration for the prevention of the Jianke Sect’s success beforehand…I know we're gonna win but not this,” Kilian said, stopping and holding back his tears down his throat. “What are we gonna do now?”

Selina holds Kilian’s hand. “Relax, Let it all out now as you might never get the chance to,” she said. The two unembraced, and Selina assisted Kilian’s legs down to the floor. He sat up and let his eyes drain.

“Did she have any last words?” he asked.

“Not to me specifically, but she told Huo to start training and surpass her and not let her death be in vain.”

“I see…Well, may she rest in peace. Not having to worry about us,” Kilian said and shook his head, shed more tears, and Selina handed him napkins. “Even though it’s only been a week, the amount of time we four trained led them to become intimate. A rare lucky moment to be stress-free. That week was the most positive I’ve experienced so far as far as I know.”

After a moment of letting go of his inner thoughts and feelings, the downward head lifts, furrowed eyebrows, and flow of veins reveal themselves around his neck. Selina held firmly on his shoulders, “What’s next?” she asked.

“We have to deal with the…remaining four. They will eventually hear soon about this failure of one of the Jianke Sect’s units,” Kilian said, turning to Selina. “You and Roland are the only ones I have left. Try not to die on me alright?”

“Ok…” Selina muttered, rubbing off the remnant dry tears under Kilian’s eyes. “You need new clothes,” Selina added.

“Do I? Wait, did you peek at my stuff?”

Selina stood up first. “Anyway, we need to head back to the Residence. The papers are waiting.”

She provided him with a cane. Kilian lifted himself out of bed, feeling lighter towards his legs. She assisted him out of his room and left the clinic. She walks by his side to his right.

Kilian progressively feels better while walking to the residence. He slowly regains the strength of his legs. Witnessing Xiong’s lifeless stare at the sky came back to haunt him. Selina was disturbed when she felt his qi letting out. She cast a spell to contain it as they walk the remainder of the trip. That didn’t stop as vapors emitted out his shoulders and back through his clothes. “You okay?” She asked, concerningly.

He didn’t respond as more vapors emitted from his body, then tumbled to the floor. Selina ran in front seeing him clenching his jaw while his hand grasping his chest.

“Don't!” he grunted, gesturing to Selina not to touch him. “I need to let this all out,” he said, puffing steam through his mouth and nose. It hurts. Kilian tries to focus away from the painful burst of steam leaving his body while also burning his internals. Selina raised the casting of her spell, keeping the rest of Kilian’s body stable.

How much longer is this gonna be rashing my insides? Then the bursts of steam abruptly stopped. Kilian tumbled to the floor and got back up.

“What the hell was that?” Selina asked, not even understanding what happened to Kilian at the last minute.

He turned back to her, “How the hell should I even know. But that did make me feel better,” he said, handing back the cane. “I think I can walk now.”

“Maybe I’ll help-”

“I insist,” Kilian said.

The effects of the unexplainable burst of steam resulted in an irresistible ache at the bridge of his nose.

Reaching the entrance, Kilian and Selina went inside to find his office being occupied.

"Welcome back. We have been here for the past two days, leveraging your duties," Huo said, sitting at his desk. She then stood up dragging another smaller table towards his desk, sitting down.

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Kilian’s mind, still coping with Xiong’s death, he then responded with a nod, walking to his desk. The last time he was at his desk was a mess. Now it is all clean. “It’s clean, what did you do with the papers?”

Huo pointed to the shelves behind him, “All are placed in the file folders organized by the dates and topics.”

“This is where you guys have been the whole time? Not even a break?”

“We do have breaks periodically,” Roland said, drinking coffee. “No sleep though, more of short naps.”

“You guys go get some rest, I’ll take it from here,” Kilian said. One person stood up and left the office. “Was that Qian?” He asked, not noticing her to begin with.

“Oh man, she really did that,” Roland muttered, putting his head over his face, expecting the worst.

Huo looked to the right. Despite being blocked by the new dividers, she threw the bottle upwards. She snapped her fingers, and a swoosh of water summoned onto Qian, leaving a little flood on the floors up to the office. Then all the water on the floors evaporated.“Why?!” Qian yelled, coming back all soaked.

Huo got up from her seat, shooting cold water from her fingers, and shaking her head. “Can you at least shut up for god sake? You ain’t saying it for everyone. Are you that ignorant?! We could have died that day!” She screamed. Heatedly, she threw more water, ordering her to get out. Qian refused, and both stood tall, staring at each other, eye to eye.

Kilian shakes his head, disappointed. He scooted his chair to the desk and leaned forward. Others just watched as his elbows went on the table with his hands up above his mouth. He stared at Qian and Huo while the two were about to confront one another.

The first time he was able to momentarily have a sense of reading a person’s soul. Everyone in the room except Qian’s is unstable. He sees Qian’s expression unchanged when everyone else shares the same opinion towards her. “This is your first time being honest, isn’t it?” Kilian asked.

The seat creaked while he got up. “You have a lot of guts thinking you’ll be in harmony living through this world,” he said, steam emitting from his nose as the eyes turned blue.

Huo shoves Qian away from her. “I should have listened to Xiong to begin with. You are just an abysmal without the concubine.”

“What did you say-”

Huo punched her face, directing the water towards her cheek. Qian went into a rage as she barged at Huo. Leaving the two brawl it out on the floor while others are sitting on the sofas in disbelief and relief at the same time it finally broke.

Kilian looked at everyone sitting, and they all shrugged. Selina suggested breaking the brawl off. The second scholar gestured to Kilian in a panic to stop, but Roland stopped him, “Don’t Theo. It’s not gonna stop.”

“But Roland —” Theo whispered in distress.

“No questions. Let Kilian or Selina handle the matter,” Roland whispered.

Unexpectedly of everyone, Qian pulled out a sharp object from her pockets. A sudden howl of wind goes louder and louder from outside beyond the residence’s walls. The floors start to vibrate as the furniture shakes.

“So, that’s how you feel. Come on then. Do it!” Huo said without flinching. She sees Qian about to thrust the object to her.

Clang!

Huo looks from above seeing Kilian towering over her with his Katana out, blocking Qian. “Attempting murder, not here on my lot,” he said, deflecting Qian away from Huo.

“You shouldn’t ever come here. Everything is gone thanks to you!”

“Everything?” He looked around and chuckled. “You can’t be serious.”

Qian switched to Kilian, attempting to strike him. He dodged her and tossed the katana to his desk. Steam blasts out of his nose as he thrusts a punch towards her. She dodged at the last minute, stabbing his right thigh. Ignoring the injury, he pushes her in front of him. Not letting her go with his right hand on his shoulders. “Open your damn mind!” He thrusted towards her abdomen, knocking her out cold. Huo held her from falling to the floor.

“What are we gonna do with her?” Huo muttered.

“Bring her upstairs,” Kilian said.

While waiting for her, everyone seems to be internally calmer. Theo and Roland were surprised Huo also learned qi manipulation. Reminding them of how Xiong revealed herself at the training lot. “When did she learn qi manipulation?” Theo asked.

“Maybe another Xiong situation. Except never revealed it,” Roland said.

“She didn’t flinch when about to be shanked. Very contradictory when she used to be keeping herself under Qian back in the day just to be on her safe side, leaving Xiong out.” Selina added.

Huo came back, “Oi, your leg.” she pointed.

Kilian forgot he got wounded. He went to the couch and yanked the shard out of his leg. Huo spread ice around his wound to prevent the blood from leaking out, leaving Selina to do the healing. “When did you learn?” he asked her.

“A couple of days before Feng attacked our palace. Not that good till now. And I’m working on my defenses, which is the hardest of all.”

“But how? You were with us.”

“Breaks. Remember the breaks during those two days. I took the breaks to do these readings and brief training. Those papers Xiong read on natural disasters..” She then pointed out Xiong’s lack of defense was understandable and unfortunate due to the more significant time required for the defenses to be stabilized and increased efficiently when improving on any offensive tactics in the long run. She was able to figure that one out quickly, so she cut from learning every single environment of mother nature as Xiong did.

Huo’s use of water is within the studies of Tsunami. Currently, it has no name for it. The evaporation that followed was just her improvising as a solution for cleaning up the mess.

Selina sewed up the wound on Kilian’s leg. He stood up after she finished. He grabbed the sheath and reinserted the katana, returning it to his waist. Took the conical hat hanging on the wall. “Anyways, You guys can resume training and the ordinary day starting tomorrow. I’ll be right now heading out there in the rain. If you want to join to let off some steam, you are welcome to follow.” Wearing his conical hat and walking out of the residence.

Huo decided to follow him out, and the large circular flat shield with silver coating, hidden behind the dividers, tied it behind her back.

“Hold on, did she take that from the library?” Theo’s eyes followed Huo leaving the office.

“Fuck-” Roland with hands on his face. He then called Huo.

Huo stopped right at the door, “What?”

Roland handed the doctor a small box. Huo opens it to find a ring inside. “A ring?”

“Indeed. Xiong was gonna give this to you soon, but since she died, I’m doing her a favor.”

Huo took the ring out of the box, throwing it. She placed the ring on her right index finger. The black custom exterior is very fitting as it also has Huo’s name written in cursive imprinted. I wish we could have hung out. Thanks for this. She wiped her eyes and left.

“Everyone's changed. It’s not even close to a month, and things are already different,” Roland said, finishing his last sip of coffee.

“Huo was the most surprising to me other than Xiong. Seeing her today not flinching when threatened is something else that separates her from Xiong. She is even learning her stuff and improving the advantages.” Theo comparing between the two.

“I agree, but the shield. I don’t know how she was able to get it out of the library. It’s a dangerous weapon for anyone to equip,” Roland said concerningly before something popped into his mind. “I’ll tell you what you should consider training too.”

Theo sighed, not wanting to, leaning back onto the sofa. He said he is already married to his work. Insisting he is fine with what he is doing.

Roland and Theo then sat for a moment longer finishing the coffee and staring into space before heading back to the library.