"Wha..." Ray's eyes widened. "Was that the mutation too?"
He laughed softly. "That gold was beautiful. Can you do it again?"
The Grass Snake didn't respond. Its intelligence was too limited to understand such requests.
Ray thought for a moment, then grinned. "You can shine gold, so I'll call you Gold. How about that? If one day your whole body turns golden, just imagine how strong you'll be."
The little Grass Snake, incapable of refusal, accepted its fate.
Gold.
A simple name. Yet filled with freedom, promise, and quiet hope.
Early in the morning, Ray awoke from his meditative state and found himself surrounded by grass.
It was as if he were sitting within a sea of Silverfalls Vine.
The sensation was far more comfortable than meditating at home, calm and refreshing, as though the surrounding plants were breathing together with him. He didn't realize that this change came from two causes.
One was his advancement into the realm of Soul Masters.
The other was the variation in his martial soul. Together, they had significantly accelerated his cultivation speed.
Ray jumped to his feet and shook the morning dew from his clothes.
"Ray! Ray!" Selina's anxious voice rang out from a distance.
"Mom, I'm over here!" Ray replied as he hurried out of the small garden.
Something was wrong. The tone of his mother's voice made his heart tighten.
Selina ran toward him, panting heavily. "Vivi… Vivi… she…"
"What happened to Vivi?" Ray's face instantly turned pale.
Selina took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "She's gone. Vivi is gone."
"What?" Ray froze for a split second, then spun around and sprinted back toward their house.
Vivienne was truly gone.
Her bed was neatly made. There were no signs of struggle, no mess. Only a single letter lay quietly on the pillow.
Ray snatched it up with shaking hands and read.
"Mom, Dad, Big Brother,
I'm leaving now. Thank you for taking care of me all these years. I've remembered who I am, and my family has come to take me home. I have many things I must do, so I have to go.
The days I spent with you were the happiest of my life. I really didn't want to leave. But I know I must.
Big Brother, I will always remember how you stood in front of me when those bad people tried to bully me. I'll always remember the taste of the treats you bought for me.
– Your Vivienne"
Ray stood there, completely dazed.
From the very first day Vivienne had entered their home, she had brought warmth and laughter with her. Even though she had added to the family's burden, she had also filled their lives with joy.
Ray had loved having a little sister.
Watching her happily eat the snacks he bought with his forging wages always filled him with a strange sense of fulfillment. Her smiles had made every drop of sweat feel worthwhile.
"How can this be…" His voice trembled. "Vivi, how could you leave like this? How could you just go? Even if you found your family, you can't leave like this… you can't…"
He suddenly turned and rushed out the door.
"Ray!" Selina called out, but she was too late to stop him.
"Vivi! Vivi!" Ray ran wildly through the streets, his sobbing cries echoing through the small town as he searched for silver hair and violet eyes.
At the edge of town, Vivienne leaned against a wall, clutching a crude rag doll tightly to her chest.
The doll had silver hair and violet eyes. Ray had dyed it himself. It was the very first gift he had bought her with his forging wages.
Tears slid silently down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground one by one.
Ray's figure kept replaying in her mind.
When they were together, both of them always smiled. He was constantly thinking of ways to make her happy.
Whenever someone tried to bully her, he would stand in front of her without hesitation. Even when facing people much stronger than himself, he never stepped back.
"Big brother…" Vivienne whispered softly. "Big brother…"
Tears fell like pearls.
"Young Lady, it's time to go," a calm voice said from nearby.
*
Ray searched the entire town.
He ran through every street and alley, even along the coastline, shouting her name until his throat went raw. But no matter where he went, there was no trace of Vivienne.
She had vanished without leaving a shadow behind.
All she left behind were a few items.
Among them was a small silver pendant necklace. In its center was a perfectly round silver gem, edged with delicate silver threads. Within the gemstone, seven faint rays of light shimmered softly.
It was clearly something of great value.
But to Ray, it was meaningless.
Nothing could replace Vivienne.
The days that followed passed in a blur.
Ray went to school. He went to Gilbert's workshop. But his mind was absent. Every night, he wandered through Ironspire City, searching until late, hoping for even the faintest clue.
His forging suffered badly. Mistake after mistake earned him harsh scoldings from Gilbert. Yet Ray barely heard them.
Why did she leave?
Why didn't she tell me where she was going?
It wasn't until a full week passed that his spirit finally began to recover.
Ironspire Academy;
"Ray," Gerrad Frost called out from the podium.
"Here." Ray stood up. The sharp pain of Vivienne's departure had dulled, though the ache remained.
He walked forward and accepted the recommendation letter from Gerrad Frost.
This was the academy's official recommendation letter. With it, one could register at an intermediate Soul Master academy. Any student who successfully became a Soul Master was eligible to receive one, regardless of their martial soul.
Holding this letter marked the end of Ray's days at the elementary academy.
Hugo winked at him from nearby. "We're graduating. Let's spar later."
Ray glanced at him coldly. "I'm busy. I have to go to work."
Hugo's mouth twitched. "Coward. You're just afraid of losing to me."
Ray's eyes flashed. "I'm not afraid. Fine. After school, the grove."
Behind Ironspire Academy was a large grove used for Nature Studies. After school, it was usually deserted.
The moment classes ended, Hugo dragged Ray straight there.
"I'll make it clear, Ray," Hugo said smugly. "You're no match for me now."
Ray remained silent.
"Good. Let's start here!" Hugo stopped and released his martial soul.