Flint Winter blinked against the winter moonlight, her eyes adjusting to the dark world around her. The frigid waves gently lapped against her toes, sending a chill through her body but strangely not to cause discomfort to her. She sat up slowly, sand clinging to her bake skin. She was not wearing any clothes.

Where am I? Who am I?

Her mind felt foggy, memories just out of reach. All she knew was that she had been... a stone? The thought seemed absurd, yet it felt true. She clenched her fist, half-expecting to feel the hardness of rock instead of flesh.

From the distant pine forest, a faint scent of pine smoke drifted over. She walked toward there on her bare foot, even though she didn’t know what there was.

As she walked closer, she saw the faint glow of a campfire. A young man with ash black hair sat by the fire, dressing in a sleeveless vest adorned with moon patterns, adding a black long-sleeved shirt underneath and black pants tucked into a pair of tall boots.

Her sudden appearance startled the young man, who then felt a bit ashamed to see her standing there naked.

“Who… Who you are? Why are you… are you naked?” Spark Lumin said.

I am a Inferno Wolf, and a wolf would not have physiological response to a naked body of a human. Spark said it to himself, trying to suppress a somewhat shy thought.

Actually, Flint didn’t know how to call herself. She finally noticed the flint used by Spark to ignite the fire. She pointed to the flint and said: ”What is that?”

Despite a bit annoyed by her ignoring his own problem, he still answered her question: “That is a flint.”

“Well, I am a flint.”

“A… flint?”, a little confused by her answer, Spark thought about her answer for a while and said: “You mean… your name is Flint?”

Flint accepted this new name as naturally as we referred to her as Flint at the beginning. She nodded to Spark: “Yeah.”

“Okay…Fine. My name is Spark Lumin. And the second quesion I’ve asked, why are you naked?”

Does she need to wear clothes? It seemed like she had never been human before, as evident by her lack of understanding about the need to wear clothes

She scrutinized both her own body and Spark's, causing him to feel self-conscious under her silent gaze.

“You mean that… I am lack of clothes?” Flint didn't know why she blurted out the word “clothes”, but she instinctively felt that Spark thought she was lacking clothes.

Spark shifted uncomfortably, averting his eyes. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. You need clothes. It's not... proper to be without them."

Flint tilted her head, curiosity evident in her eyes. "Why?"

The young wolf's cheeks flushed red, and he stammered, "It just... it's just how things are. Here." From his luggage, he pulled out a spare long-sleeved shirt, pants, and socks. He handed them to her without hesitation. "Put these on, at least."

Flint caught the garment, running her fingers over the soft fabric. She slipped it on, the material hanging loosely on her smaller frame. "Thank you," she said, though she still didn't quite understand the necessity.

“I don’t have spare shoes. We can buy a pair along the way in the small towns.” Spark nodded, relief evident on his face.

Just like suddenly realizing that something was still not right, Spark asked a series of questions : “Where will you go? And… Why you are here? ”

Flint frowned, trying to recall some memories but to no avail. Her smile was apologetic as she spoke, "It may sound odd, but the truth is, I don't know either."

Spark's brow furrowed, his golden eyes studying Flint with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. "You don't know? How can you not know where you came from or where you're going?"

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Flint shrugged, her gaze drifting to the crackling fire. "I just... woke up on the beach. Everything before that is... hazy." She paused, her fingers absently tracing patterns in the sand. "But I feel like I need to remember something. Something important."

It wouldn’t be right to leave her alone here. Spark sighed deeply, placing his fist against his lips in a thoughtful manner.

Does she have amnesia? And who brought her here? Spark couldn’t find the answers.

Finally, he gave up searching for these answers and said: “I plan to join the Celestial Sword Sect as an apprentice and study the art of cultivation. They might have a solution for your amnesia. And…” Spark paused for a moment, watching Flint’s reaction.

After hearing the word “solution”, Flint seemed to be interested. Spark continued saying:

“Would you like to go with me? ”

Flint's eyes lit up at the suggestion, a spark of hope igniting within her. "Celestial Sword Sect? Cultivation?" The words felt foreign on her tongue, yet strangely familiar. She nodded: "Yes, I'd like to go with you."

Spark found himself smiling despite his initial wariness. There was something about this strange girl that intrigued him. "Alright then. We'll set out at dawn. I’m going to sleep."

Flint nodded, watching as Spark settled into his bedroll. She sat cross-legged by the fire, her eyes fixed on the dancing flames. Sleep didn't seem to call to her, so she remained awake, lost in thought.

As the night wore on, Flint found herself drawn to the surrounding nature. She rose silently, careful not to disturb Spark, and wandered to the edge of the clearing. The moonlight filtered through the pine branches, casting ethereal shadows on the forest floor.

Flint reached out, and an unnamed force was flowing into her body through her fingers, like a river of energy flowing into her veins. She could feel the power coursing through her, filling her with an ethereal strength. Her skin tingled and glowed with a faint white light, evidence of the mystical energy now coursing through her being.

As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, Spark stirred from his sleep. He blinked groggily, expecting to see Flint curled up nearby. To his surprise, she was already awake, sitting with her knees drawn up by the dying embers of the fire. Her eyes were closed, her breathing slow and even.

"Have you been up all night?" Spark asked, his voice still rough with sleep.

Flint's eyes fluttered open, a serene smile on her face. "I don't think I need to sleep," she said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Spark raised an eyebrow, but decided not to question it further. There were already too many mysteries surrounding this strange girl. He stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "We should get moving. There was still some distance left to Celestial Sword Sect, and we'll need to stop in towns along the way for supplies."

The two walked silently through the pine forest after the snowfall. Yesterday was a snowy day.

In an attempt to break the awkward silence, Spark asked, "Is your feet cold without any shoes on?"

“No.” In fact, Flint didn’t feel cold even without wearing clothes.

It seemed that the attempt to start a conversation had failed. Spark started a next try: “Do you happen to recall your family name? It could possibly help with triggering your memory recovery.”

Born in a royal family, Spark was inherently sensitive to the concept of family. Subconsciously, he believed that everyone represented their own family, and he was no exception. He came from the Lumin family, a family that ruled over the Inferno Wolves.

Flint was puzzled once again. Why did she need a new name? a family name?

She understood that a name was something you were called, so she just needed to come up with some word as a answer.

Her eyes scanned the winter wonderland surrounding her. The world was blanketed in a layer of pristine white, with snow gently piling up on the branches of towering pine trees. She could feel the cold seeping through her socks as she breathed out a cloud of mist into the crisp air.

Thinking she hadn’t figured it out, Spark continued to speak about random things: “Well, today is Winter Solstice…”

Winter Solstice? She seemed to have the answer and suddenly replied to the previous question: “My family name is Winter.”

She looked at Spark’s golden eyes, seemingly proud of herself for coming up with a good answer.

Spark was taken aback by her sudden announcement and couldn't help but think that his earlier random speakings had some effect. "Winter? " It sounded like a plausible common family name. "Flint Winter, then? Do you remember anything about your family?"

“Nope.” Flint answered again with straightforwardness.

Spark sighed, his breath forming a small cloud in the cold air. "Well, at least we have a full name to call you now. Flint Winter." He tested the name, finding it had a pleasant ring to it.

Out of nowhere, she asks, "Spark, you mentioned something about cultivation yesterday. Can you give me more details on that?"

Spark's golden eyes lit up at the question, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. "Cultivation is the practice of absorbing and harnessing natural aura. It is the key to elevate one's own cultivation level. Through this practice, one can learn new skills and abilities that allow them to manipulate and control the raw power of nature around them.” he explained, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "It's a path to power, longevity, and even immortality of the soul."

Although she didn't fully comprehend, Flint listened intently. "So, how does one get started with this practice?" she inquired.

“The first step is to test a person’s spiritual root. There’re six types of elements, that is: Flux, Stasis, Light, Shadow, Vita, Void. And there are also six types of spiritual roots that individuals possess, one for each element, whose tier represents your affinity to this type of element. Like me… ”

Spark hesitated briefly, hoping to see a glimmer of anticipation on her face.

Flint's black eyes met with Spark’s goldern eyes. "What's your spiritual root?" She asked, but not with the expected eagerness and curiosity that Spark had anticipated.

Nevertheless, spark couldn't help but puff up his chest a little, a hint of pride in his voice. "My spiritual root for the light element have reached the first tier, known as Transcendent. As for my spiritual roots for other elements besides Shadow, they have also reached the third tier, known as Basic."

“Only one is the first tier, em, Transcendent?” There was a tone of disappointment in Flint’s voice.

This disappointment made Spark a bit sulky. "What do you mean, 'only one'?" His tone carried a sense of anger. "Having a first-tier spiritual root is extremely rare. Most people are lucky to have even a second-tier root in one element."

Flint cocked her head, gazing at Spark with wide, innocent black eyes. "Oh, I see. I didn't mean to offend you. It just that 'Only one' sounds a bit scarce."

Spark huffed, crossing his arms: “Well, it's enough for every cultivator.”

Spark added another sentence with a tone of dissatisfaction: “You'll see when we get to the Celestial Sword Sect and they test your spiritual roots. I doubt you'll have anything close to mine.”

Flint nodded, ignoring the sarcasm in his tone. "I see. So when we reach the Celestial Sword Sect, they'll test my spiritual roots too?"

"That's right," Spark replied, his earlier irritation fading slightly. "They'll determine your elemental affinities and the strength of your spiritual roots. That will guide your path in cultivation."

As they walked, the forest began to thin out, revealing a small town nestled in a valley ahead. Smoke rose from chimneys, and the distant sounds of life reached their ears.

"We'll stop here for supplies," Spark announced. "And to get you some proper shoes."

Flint's eyes lit up at the sight of the town. "What's that place called?"

"Pinewood Village," Spark replied. "It's just a small trading post."