The morning sun cast long shadows across the courtyard as Flint swept methodically, each stroke of the broom accompanied by the quiet scraping of bristles against stone. The large character for "Thief" emblazoned across her back seemed to grow heavier with each passing hour. Behind her, the cleaning puppet stood motionless, its crystal eyes fixed on her every movement.

"Your section is incomplete," the puppet's monotone voice cut through the morning silence. "Return to the eastern corner."

Flint gripped the wooden handle tighter, her knuckles whitening. The broom—meant for the puppet's use—felt foreign in her hands. As she turned back to re-sweep the indicated area, her thoughts drifted to the events that led to this punishment.

Why did I act so recklessly? The question echoed in her mind as she worked. The memory of the black obsidian's pulsing energy still lingered, like the afterimage of lightning behind closed eyes. Perhaps it was the surge of Genesis natural aura that gave me that feeling of power. And with power...

She paused mid-sweep, remembering the overwhelming force she'd felt radiating from that crystalline form. Even as a mere remnant of Obsidian's physical form, the Genesis energy stored within had been immense.

Sage South Rain had stepped in to pay the hefty fine imposed by the sect, but she doesn’t blame Flint.

The morning sun cast longer shadows as Sage South Rain's words echoed in Flint's mind. The elder's expression had been filled with barely concealed grief when she learned the obsidian was Obsidian's remains. "I'll help you find a way to retrieve it," she had promised, though they both knew the futility of that hope.

The irony wasn't lost on Flint as she continued sweeping. Labeled a thief for attempting to reclaim her own former body - the cosmic joke of it all would have been amusing if it weren't so painful.

Footsteps approached, and she recognized Spark's presence without looking up. His arrival was hardly surprising - her name had once again become the subject of widespread gossip throughout the sect, with many questioning how she had avoided expulsion.

Spark's gaze fixed on the character branded across her back, his brow furrowing. But instead of judgment, his voice carried only concern: "What drove you to this? You've always been the levelheaded one."

Flint glanced meaningfully at the watchful puppet behind her before responding with quiet restraint: "There are reasons."

"Please do not cease your assigned task! Please do not cease your assigned task!" The puppet's mechanical insistence grated against her nerves, each repetition stoking a slow-burning anger.

With deliberate casualness, she took several steps forward, waiting for the puppet to follow. Then, in one fluid motion, she swept the broom handle across its path. The puppet crashed to the ground with a satisfying clatter.

"If you want to know more," she said to Spark, keeping her voice low, "meet me on the slope behind Heaven-Piercing Grand Hall tonight."

The secluded hillside rose behind the grand hall's imposing white spires, obscured from the main pathways by ancient pines. While technically within sect grounds, the area saw little traffic - most disciples preferred the dedicated training grounds and meditation caves elsewhere. The cleaning puppets rarely ventured there as well, considering there were no facilities to maintain.

Spark's expression showed he understood the choice. The slope offered privacy without being too far from the sect. And unlike the heavily monitored courtyards and halls, this forgotten corner of the sect provided a brief respite from constant surveillance.

"I'll be there," he replied quietly, then hesitated before adding, "The evening patrols still pass by the grand hall though."

Flint gave a slight nod, then resumed her sweeping as another puppet approached. The fallen one was already righting itself, its cracked crystal eyes flickering as it reestablished its monitoring protocols.

———

As dusk settled over the mountainside, Spark was already waiting, his silhouette stark against the darkening sky. When Flint approached, he turned briefly to acknowledge her before returning his gaze to the cliff edge before them. "What happened?" he asked simply.

Flint walked over and sat beside him. "They're keeping my body in the attic of the Vault of Heaven's Wisdom," Flint replied evenly. "Obsidian's body, to be precise."

"Your body?" Spark's mind immediately conjured grotesque images of preserved human remains.

"More accurately, a piece of obsidian stone," Flint clarified. "It's saturated with Genesis natural aura."

The tension in her voice was subtle but present, explaining her willingness to share these details now that Spark had asked.

Genesis. Spark recalled Flint mentioning this unique form of natural aura she alone could absorb. Though he still struggled to comprehend the existence of a seventh type, he had come to accept it as fact.

His mind flashed to a blood-stained figure bound to a cross - Obsidian in his past life memories, mouthing "kill me" with desperate intensity. The image made him shudder.

But something didn't add up. "If it's just a stone," he questioned, "why would the Celestial Sword Sect keep it?"

"They use it to cleanse resentment force," Flint stated matter-of-factly.

"What?" Spark's mind raced. "Resentment force - you mean that reddish-brown energy that surrounded you?"

"Yes."

"So if they need cleansing..." Spark pieced it together, "you're saying someone in the Celestial Sword Sect is absorbing souls, and they're using that stone to remove the resentment force?"

"Correct." Flint's quiet affirmation hung heavy in the growing darkness.

The moonlight cast a silvery sheen over the mountainside as Spark shook his head in disbelief. "No, the Celestial Sword Sect would never allow such things," he protested, his golden eyes widening. There was an instinctive resistance in his voice to the idea of corruption within the sect.

After all, even the recent incident with Flint supposedly triggering the Abyssal Pavilion's soul-gathering formation had been explained away. The Sect Leader had promised to clear her name eventually - it was just a temporary measure, wasn't it?

Flint met his gaze with a troubled expression, her brow furrowing deeply. Any desire to confide further evaporated at his blind faith. How could he trust the sect's leadership so completely?

They stood in awkward silence, each caught in their own thoughts, until Flint turned away with resignation.

Spark lifted his eyes to the moon overhead, releasing an almost imperceptible sigh. "Then why did you suddenly resort to violence?"

"Perhaps being near Obsidian's remains..." Flint's voice grew distant. "I absorbed too much Genesis from it. Felt the power."

She paused, then added thoughtfully: "Such overwhelming power... it stirs something primal in you. Makes you want to reclaim what should have been yours."

Flint picked up a small stone beside her and hurled it forcefully into the darkness, as if demonstrating her point about power stirring primal instincts.

"Oops." A soft exclamation drifted up from below - someone had been hit.

What? There's someone down there?! The thought flashed simultaneously through both their minds.

They peered over the cliff edge to see a man with long hair sitting in an ethereal canoe. He raised his hand in greeting.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Hey, little stone!" He called up excitedly. "We meet again!"

Spark's features twisted with distaste as he recognized the figure below - Lenient Pine. His brow furrowed deeply, making no attempt to hide his aversion.

Lenient Pine floated up on his ethereal canoe, wearing a collar-like band around his neck with a jade-green crystal that served as his storage stone. With a casual gesture, he shrank the canoe and stored it away.

"Ah, the wolf prince is here too." Lenient raised his arm high, almost level with Spark's mouth, and smiled. "Care for another taste?" The taunt referenced when Spark had bitten off his arm, only to get a mouthful of pine needles.

Spark nearly lost his composure at the provocation but managed to steady his breathing. "This is Celestial Sword Sect territory. Abyssal Pavilion members aren't welcome here."

He glanced at Flint, his irritation growing at the thought of Lenient being her past life's lover. "For Flint's sake, leave now and I won't call anyone to arrest you."

Flint bristled at Spark's commanding tone, her frustration with him mounting. Before she could object, vines burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around Spark.

"You're much less agreeable when you're awake," Lenient said with an unsettling smile. " Dearest stone, should we just kill him?"

Flint turned to Lenient with shocked eyes. "No... I think we... shouldn't."

Spark struggled desperately against the vines, but they only constricted tighter. He could sense his opponent's cultivation level was likely far beyond his own.

"Little stone, I heard you're not being treated well here..." Lenient kept the vines firmly wrapped around Spark while addressing Flint in a sorrowful tone. "I've finally reached Adept level recently... dearest, I'm here to take you away! Come back to the Abyssal Pavilion with me! Just like..."

Lenient paused, giving Flint a tender smile. Looking into his gentle, water-like gaze, Flint suddenly realized he must have recovered his past life memories - memories of being The Bamboo Sovereign, and likely quite extensive ones at that.

"Just like before you died," Lenient finished softly.

Spark channeled his natural aura frantically against the vines, but each time he split them open, new layers grew back to bind him even tighter.

His anger mounted as he listened to Lenient's words. He'd been unhappy enough when Flint mentioned returning to the Abyssal Pavilion, but watching her potentially leave with someone he despised made his blood boil.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just leave... Flint was tired of this place too, but...

"They're keeping my remains here though - that piece of obsidian," she said hesitantly. "I want to get it back, but it won't be easy."

She weighed her options. I suppose I could always come back for it later.

"A piece of obsidian?" Lenient unfastened his outer robe, revealing only trousers beneath. His hand paused briefly over his abdomen before he suddenly tore open his flesh, reaching inside to pull out a black stone. "Like this?"

As the stone was out, Flint clearly felt a strong surge of Genesis flowing into her body.

Both Flint and Spark stared in horror at the grotesque scene. After a moment of shock, Flint managed to respond: "Yes, that's it."

Lenient nodded and tucked the obsidian back into the gaping hole in his stomach before retying his robes.

"Then we must retrieve it before we leave," he said, maintaining his gentle yet chilling smile. "We can't leave little stone's possession in a den of villains."

"Do you have a plan?" Flint asked in surprise.

"No," Lenient shook his head, still smiling. "But little stone is clever. I'm sure you'll think of something."

When did I say I had a plan... Flint gave Lenient an exasperated look. Just then, Spark's jade tablet vibrated, slipping through the gaps in the vines to fall on the ground.

Flint picked it up, glancing at Spark - he clearly wasn't in a position to take it back. She scanned the message. It was from Raven.

"I'll be visiting the Celestial Sword Sect in a few days. I heard many of your puppets are malfunctioning..."

Was that because I damaged them? Flint opened the full message.

"I heard many of your puppets are malfunctioning and your sect'll need to buy new ones. Spark, I'm so excited to see you again..." Flint grimaced at the saccharine tone and scrolled up, finding messages sent two or three times a month saying things like "I miss you" and "What are you doing?"

Why hasn't he blocked her? Flint thought, frowning.

While Flint read through Raven's messages, Lenient walked over to the vine-bound Spark, smiling. "I didn't recognize you at first, but seeing those golden eyes... I realized you must be that wolf."

Spark glared at Lenient with undisguised disgust but remained silent.

"You haven't taken good care of little stone at all," Lenient said in a reproachful tone.

Spark's gaze grew colder, but he still didn't speak.

"You know, I've had countless dreams," Lenient's voice trembled with emotion, "dreams where I grieve for little stone's death. But my greatest regret is that I didn't stop little stone from being deceived by an Inferno Wolf..." His voice nearly broke. "Every time I have that dream, I think of how you brought little stone to the Celestial Sword Sect. You Inferno Wolves are all the same - treacherous and faithless..."

Spark barely registered the unhinged wooden man's criticisms, but that detail about Obsidian being deceived by an Inferno Wolf caught his attention. Was that Inferno Wolf Blaze Mighty? Could Blaze Mighty have been from the Inferno Wolves like himself? It wasn't impossible that there had been someone named Mighty in their clan... Was the Celestial Sword Sect actually founded by a spiritual beast in disguise?

His racing thoughts were interrupted by Flint, who had been deep in contemplation. "I think there might be a chance, but..."

"There's a sealing formation under the crystal case holding the obsidian. It's not the kind that needs a password - it emits red light to stop me whenever I try to open it..." She sighed.

"Ah! Could it be the Abyssal Pavilion's soul verification formation?" Lenient Pine's voice lifted with excitement.

"You know how to break it?" Flint asked hopefully.

"Oh no, of course not. Formations are too difficult, and I'm not very clever with such things," Lenient said, running a hand through his hair.

Just as Flint was about to sigh, Lenient added, "But I know someone who might. Let me call her."

After a brief wait, a voice crackled through Lenient's jade tablet: "Damn it, why are you calling so late?"

"Felicity, don't be angry," Lenient said soothingly. "I thought you wouldn't need sleep now that you're at Adept level."

"Why wouldn't I need sleep? I'm exhausted from staring at the Terminal all day," the girl called Felicity complained.

She's right about that. That's exactly why I started sleeping too, Flint silently agreed.

But why does the Abyssal Pavilion also have a Mystic Terminal? Flint suddenly felt strange.

"I'm sorry," Lenient's voice took on a wheedling tone. "But do you know how to break a soul verification formation? These villains copied our formation."

"You mean the kind used on personal lockers?"

"Mm-hmm," Lenient quickly confirmed.

"Well, formations can become unpredictable when they're copied..." The voice trailed off thoughtfully. Flint felt herself tense with anticipation.

"But if they didn't modify it when copying, we should have a backdoor," Felicity's words rekindled Flint's hope.

"What backdoor?" Lenient asked.

"A glove that can manipulate the formation and unlock it. It's a failsafe in case someone sets up the soul verification formation with a non-existent person. Otherwise it would be permanently locked," Felicity explained.

"I see. I'll go back and get it."

"Where are you? Old man Patio's been looking for you everywhere."

"At the Celestial Sword Sect."

"That far? From the far southwest to the northeast? Whatever, just come back and get it. And don't call me late at night again. I'm going to sleep."

"Sweet dreams." The call ended.

Lenient's voice took on a dejected tone. "I have to leave right after finding you, little stone. I'm so sad..."

But then he forced a smile. "Could you give me a kiss to comfort me?"

The sudden request made Flint's mind go completely blank. "Uh... while I appreciate..."

Lenient made an exaggerated sniffling sound. "It's alright if little stone doesn't want to. After all, you haven't remembered yet how deeply in love we were in our past life..." As he spoke, he shot a meaningful look at Spark, who glared back venomously.

"Also, little stone, this bad wolf has heard too much," Lenient continued, clenching his fist. The vines constricted even tighter around Spark, making it difficult for him to breathe. "For safety's sake, we should just kill him."

Flint found herself in a dilemma, realizing Lenient might have a point. She hadn't thought to be wary of Spark earlier, but given his unwavering faith in the Celestial Sword Sect, could she truly trust him not to betray her?

Yet the thought of letting Spark die was... too heartless. She quickly considered how to convince Lenient to spare him, then said: "Actually, I think we can leave the obsidian for now. I'll go back with you first. Let me just get something from my room, then you can release Spark."

"Flint!" Spark called out desperately, struggling against the constricting vines. His outburst drew both Flint and Lenient's attention.

"First... loosen... the vines... a bit..." Spark managed between labored breaths. Lenient glanced at Flint, who said softly: "Let's hear what he has to say."

I feel like a bandit discussing what to do with a hostage... Flint thought to herself.

Spark gulped in air desperately, recovering from his near-death state. "Flint, I won't betray you. I'll do everything in my power to help you get that obsidian."

"Oh? Why should anyone trust the word of an Inferno Wolf?" Lenient's eyebrow lifted in contempt.

Once planted, seeds of doubt were hard to uproot. Flint wanted to trust Spark, but struggled to find a compelling reason why he wouldn't betray her.

Through her damaged mental barrier, Flint could sense Spark's emotions clearly - there was no undercurrent of tension that would suggest deception, only a raw honesty that she doubted he had the skill to fake.

"Flint, you know that even though I'm a prince..." Spark paused, swallowing down his sorrow, "my life or death means nothing to my mother. So killing me wouldn't hurt the Inferno Wolves at all."

The quiet sadness in his emotions resonated through their connection. "I don't want you to die..." Flint said softly.

"At the Celestial Sword Sect, I'm just as insignificant," Spark continued evenly. "A Transcendent spirit root may be precious, but it's hardly rare here."

"When I could barely breathe, I thought about what I hadn't accomplished in this life." A bitter smile crossed his face. "I regretted... not making you fall in love with me."

The wave of aching melancholy that washed through Flint's mental barrier drew an involuntary sigh from her lips.

"I thought we had more time, but now you're leaving." Spark's smile was both warm and desolate. "I want to do something for you."

Lenient's expression twisted with irritation. "These must all be lies from this wicked wolf," he said. "Little stone, we really should just kill him."

"Besides, if I'm killed and a disciple goes missing, Flint would easily fall under suspicion," Spark fixed Lenient with an icy, fierce gaze. "You wouldn't want Flint to be accused of murder, would you?"

Lenient arched an eyebrow dismissively. "What's wrong with killing? Humans cut down trees all the time."

Spark turned back to Flint, at a loss for words. Flint gave a wry smile, pressing her lips together. "I trust him, Lenient. Having help would make success more likely."

"Little Stone!" Lenient's voice broke with emotion as he gripped Flint's shoulders, his words raw and intense. "Have you fallen in love with him?"

Flint grew concerned about Lenient's emotional state, worried he might suddenly kill Spark in a fit of passion. After all, though Obsidian and The Bamboo Sovereign had been close, she and Lenient were different people now.

"Lenient, I just think having his help would make it easier to recover Obsidian's remains... that piece of obsidian," Flint carefully sidestepped the topic of her relationship with Spark. "Please don't get too worked up..."

"I understand, little stone. You've forgotten so much, and I didn't find you soon enough, letting you fall for a wicked wolf," Lenient sniffled, genuinely on the verge of tears. "I'll listen to whatever you say. If you don't want him dead, I'll release him... I'm just afraid now that because you love him, you won't want to come with me anymore."

"That won't happen," Flint stroked his sage-colored hair in the moonlight. "Once we get the obsidian, we'll go to the Abyssal Pavilion. I've always wanted to find you, but Sage South Rain said I should reach Adept Level first to travel safely. And the Celestial Sword Sect has cultivation resources, that's why I stayed."

Lenient's mood softened at her touch, though he still pouted. "The Abyssal Pavilion has resources too. How could Rain Ink say such things?"

Rain Ink? Is that Sage South Rain's name? Flint wondered silently.

Lenient moved to Spark's side, using his vines to lift him higher before suddenly withdrawing them. Spark crashed heavily to the ground, ending up on his knees at Lenient's feet.

"Little stone asked me to spare your life," Lenient's voice remained gentle as ever, but carried an underlying chill.

"The next time I see you," Spark tilted his head up, his face breaking into a broad, mocking smile, "I will kill you."

Does this wolf cub really need to provoke Lenient at a time like this?! Flint's eyes widened involuntarily as she looked between Spark, kneeling in the dust, and Lenient, standing serenely with his robes billowing in the wind.

Lenient smiled. "I look forward to it."

He retrieved his ethereal canoe from the jade-green crystal on his collar band, stepped onto it, and turned back to wave enthusiastically at Flint. "I'll return soon! Don't forget to miss me!"

"Mm," Flint responded vaguely. Lenient turned and guided his ethereal canoe away into the distance.

Spark had gotten up from the ground and stood behind Flint, watching Lenient's retreating figure with a self-mocking smile.

I'm still too weak, he thought.

Spark's hand came to rest on Flint's shoulder. "Do you really like me a little? Even just a bit?"

Flint turned to look at his silhouette in the moonlight, noticing with puzzlement that he had manifested his wolf ears. She smiled helplessly. "Maybe... a little."

"Are my ears cute then?" Spark dropped his usual calm reserve, his tone taking on an almost playful note.

His unexpected shift in manner made Flint laugh. "Cute," she admitted.