The deeper regions of the Flame Planet grew quieter.
Not peaceful—
but watchful.
The volcanic winds no longer howled freely. Instead, they moved in slow, heavy currents, carrying with them the scent of scorched stone and ancient blood. The cracked earth beneath Little Fire's boots glowed faintly, as if the land itself was breathing.
Ahead of them, half-buried beneath layers of hardened magma and blackened stone, stood the Ruined Flame Altar.
It was massive.
Six broken pillars surrounded a circular platform etched with ancient runes, most of them shattered, incomplete, yet still faintly alive. At the altar's center lay a hollow depression shaped like a blazing sun—dark now, but pulsing weakly, like a dying heart.
Spirit Fairy stopped walking.
"…This altar," she whispered, "it isn't dormant."
Shuye's body stiffened.
The moment her gaze landed on the altar, the black ancient wind inside her surged violently, twisting through her meridians like a beast waking from sleep. Pain exploded behind her ribs.
She staggered.
Little Fire caught her instantly.
"Shuye!"
Her breath came out in broken gasps. "It's… pulling at me…"
Spirit Fairy rushed to her other side, supporting her arm. "Your wind—it's reacting to the altar."
The black wind didn't merely resist the realm anymore.
It resonated.
As if the altar recognized it.
Shuye clenched her chest, nails digging into her robe. Dark wind leaked from her pores in thin threads, cracking the ground beneath her feet.
"I—I can't stop it…" she whispered, fear breaking through her usual composure. "It feels like… something is trying to take it back."
Little Fire's expression darkened.
He could sense it now too.
Her ancient wind wasn't just unstable—it was being called.
And her body… was losing.
"Spirit Fairy," he said lowly, "set a barrier."
Spirit Fairy didn't hesitate. She opened her fan fully, spinning it in a smooth arc. Blue liquid fire flowed outward, forming a translucent dome that isolated them from the altar's influence—partially.
Shuye still trembled.
Little Fire knelt before her, placing both hands around her wrists, grounding her.
"Look at me," he said gently. "Focus on my voice."
Her eyes were glassy, unfocused.
"I'm… scared…"
That single sentence pierced deeper than any blade.
Little Fire inhaled sharply.
The First Kiss — To Save
He knew immediately.
Light aura through the hand…
was no longer enough.
Her meridians were rejecting surface contact. The black wind had wrapped tightly around her core, sealing itself away like a wounded beast.
There was only one way left.
He looked at Spirit Fairy.
Their eyes met.
She understood.
Her lips parted slightly—but she nodded.
"…Do it."
Little Fire leaned closer to Shuye, his forehead resting briefly against hers.
"Shuye," he whispered, voice steady despite his racing heart, "trust me."
She barely managed a nod.
He cupped her face gently.
Then—
He kissed her.
Not rough.
Not hurried.
A soft, firm seal—mouth to mouth.
Golden Light Aura flowed from his core, not as a burst, but as a slow, steady stream, passing through breath and soul alike. It entered Shuye gently, wrapping around the black wind, calming it, easing its violent tremors.
Her body stiffened at first.
Then slowly… relaxed.
The black wind screamed silently—then quieted.
Her lips parted unconsciously, breath syncing with his.
Spirit Fairy watched, heart pounding painfully.
She told herself this was necessary.
She told herself this was to save a life.
But when Little Fire pulled away—
And Shuye collapsed forward into his arms, unconscious but stable—
Spirit Fairy's chest hurt.
Badly.
Little Fire held Shuye carefully, lowering her to the ground and laying her head on his lap. Her breathing was steady now, peaceful.
He exhaled shakily.
"…She's stable. For now."
Spirit Fairy turned away slightly.
"…You didn't even hesitate."
He looked at her.
"I couldn't."
Silence stretched.
Then Spirit Fairy spoke again, voice quieter.
"…Do you love her?"
The question struck like lightning.
Little Fire didn't answer immediately.
He looked down at Shuye's sleeping face—peaceful, fragile, trusting.
"I… care for her deeply," he said truthfully. "But my heart—"
Spirit Fairy turned back suddenly, eyes bright, cheeks flushed.
"Then what about me?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
The silence that followed was heavier than magma.
She swallowed, then forced herself to continue.
"…You kissed her to save her. I understand that. I accept it."
Her fan trembled slightly in her grip.
"But if you're going to stand between us—
If I'm going to share this path—"
She stepped closer.
"…Then I want a kiss too."
Little Fire froze.
"Spirit Fairy—"
She lifted her chin, eyes steady but vulnerable.
"Not as a healer.
Not as a savior."
Her voice softened.
"…As someone you love."
His heart thundered.
Slowly, he reached out.
He touched her cheek.
Her breath caught.
Then he leaned in.
The Second Kiss — Of Love
This kiss was different.
Warmer.
Deeper.
Not driven by urgency—but by choice.
Spirit Fairy melted into it instantly, her hands clutching his robe, her blue liquid fire flaring softly around them like blooming petals. There was no light aura, no technique.
Only emotion.
Only feeling.
When they finally separated, her cheeks were burning, her eyes shimmering.
"…That," she whispered, trying and failing to sound composed, "was unfair."
He smiled faintly. "Why?"
She tapped his chest lightly. "Because now I won't let you go."
Despite everything—
Despite the danger—
He laughed softly.
Spirit Fairy knelt beside Shuye, gently brushing hair from her face.
"…She's strong," she said quietly. "Stronger than she knows."
Little Fire nodded.
Spirit Fairy glanced at him, then back at Shuye.
"…I'll protect her too."
Not as a rival.
But as a sister.
Far away, atop a jagged obsidian ridge overlooking the ruined altar—
Two figures watched silently.
One was a tall man clad in flame-etched armor, his aura steady and refined—a perfect Soul Creation realm cultivator, fire coiling obediently around him.
The other—
A woman wrapped in crimson silk, her pale skin marked with faint, unnatural veins. Her eyes glowed faintly green, blood within her veins moving sluggishly—poisoned.
She smiled faintly.
"So that's him," she murmured. "The one Young Master is interested in."
The man beside her crossed his arms. "They're closer than expected."
Her smile widened.
"That makes it more fun."
Below them, the Ruined Flame Altar pulsed faintly.
Waiting.
As Shuye slept peacefully between them—
Little Fire sat quietly, Spirit Fairy resting against his shoulder.
Three hearts.
One burning path.
And beneath the ancient flames of the realm, unseen forces slowly began to align.
The altar had awakened.
And fate had taken notice.