Chapter 80 – Sparks of Unity and Silent Bonds
The morning sun rose like liquid amber, spilling across the Liu Clan training ground. Mist clung to the courtyard stones, and faint echoes of qi resonated in the air. The scent of earth and metal mingled with the rhythmic sound of strikes and breathing.
Liu Yue stood at the center, her black hair tied with a crimson ribbon, obsidian-violet flames flickering faintly around her hands. Her expression was one of fierce focus, eyes reflecting both her youth and her growing power. Before her stood a wooden sparring dummy, carved with beast runes and reinforced with spirit iron.
She drew in a steady breath, her voice low but steady.
"Eternal Soul Ember — Soul Spark Revival."
The flame around her palms deepened in hue, violet bleeding into the darkness of her qi. She thrust both hands forward, pressing the flames into the dummy's chest. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the carved eyes of the wooden form glowed faintly, and a guttural roar escaped its mouth.
The sound rippled across the courtyard — deep, beastly, and alive.
The dummy twitched, its limbs moving under her command, a faint ember flickering in its chest like a pulsing heart.
Anika clapped softly from the edge of the training ground, her smile bright and proud.
"Well done, Yue'er. You've given it life from the ashes — not through dominance, but through remembrance."
Liu Yue released the technique, the flame dying down. Her chest rose and fell with effort, but her eyes gleamed with triumph.
"I… I did it! The spark stayed stable this time!"
Anika nodded approvingly. "Good. But raw life is only the beginning. To sustain what you revive, your qi must flow in harmony — warm, not fierce."
She stepped closer, her hand glowing faintly gold as she traced a sigil in the air. "This is the Primordial Sun Crucible's Soul Warming Hearth. Let its rhythm purify your flame."
Golden light enveloped Liu Yue's body, threading through her meridians like sunlight through fog. The violet embers steadied, transforming into a soft radiance that danced at her fingertips. Her shoulders relaxed; the struggle smoothed into serenity.
Liu Yue's lips curved. "It feels like breathing light…"
Anika chuckled. "That's the soul warming itself. Fire doesn't have to burn — it can comfort too."
Lin Xuan approached from the veranda, arms folded loosely, his aura calm yet grounded. "You're improving faster than expected," he said, his voice warm. "But the flow between your qi and body still feels uneven, Yue'er."
She tilted her head. "Uneven?"
He raised his right palm, green light pulsing faintly from it. "Watch."
His Celestial Unity Crest shimmered, and he invoked Jade Pulse Harmonization — a supportive art meant to align multiple flows of qi. As his aura intertwined with Liu Yue's, the jade-green and violet energies met, spiraling into one seamless rhythm.
"See?" he explained gently. "The Jade Aegis harmonizes by following the pulse of the other — not forcing it. Try syncing your breath to mine."
Liu Yue mirrored his stance, breathing in tandem. Her flames flickered, then steadied, the pressure of conflicting energy vanishing. A serene warmth filled the courtyard.
Anika smiled from where she stood, hands clasped before her. Watching them spar and align.
When the spar began, Lin Xuan stepped forward, his movements fluid — not relying on raw power, but precision. Liu Yue countered with flexible, flame-infused strikes, her palms glowing as she spun and pivoted. The air crackled, every motion alive with qi.
The clash of palm and forearm, the rush of wind — it became less a battle, more a dance.
Lin Xuan deflected a blow, then smiled faintly. "You're faster."
"Because you held back!" Liu Yue retorted, smirking.
He laughed softly, sidestepping and letting her momentum carry her forward, then tapping her shoulder. "Lesson one — don't argue mid-attack."
Liu Yue wiped sweat from her brow, panting lightly. "Sister Anika… do you think I'll ever catch up to him?"
Anika approached, brushing a strand of hair from the girl's face. "Maybe not today. But the fire that burns with purpose always finds its dawn. You'll stand beside him, not behind."
Her words carried the calm of someone who had seen empires rise and fall.
Lin Xuan watched her carefully — not just her power, but her humanity. For the first time since she appeared, he didn't sense the divine distance that had once shadowed her presence. She belonged here, even if only for a while.
That evening, the Liu Clan gathered on the terrace under lantern light. The stars were faint but warm, reflected in their cups of jungle-spiced wine. The night air was cool, carrying the faint chirp of crickets and the rustle of wind through the garden's peach trees.
Liu Yang sat cross-legged near the railing, red glaive resting beside him, while Luo Shuang poured wine into small cups, her expression lighter than it had been in months.
"To family," she said softly.
"To family," they echoed.
Anika raised her cup, her smile small but genuine. "And to second chances," she added.
Liu Yue giggled. "You sound like an old sage, Sister Anika."
Anika feigned offense. "Old? I'll have you know I've barely reached my third rebirth."
The group laughed, and the tension that had long shadowed the Liu Clan dissolved in that shared warmth.
After a few rounds of light-hearted teasing and talk, Anika leaned closer to Liu Yue, her tone softening.
"When I was a child, I had a brother who always told me to chase the horizon. We'd sneak out at night and climb the tallest cliffs just to see the stars."
Liu Yue listened, enraptured. "What happened to him?"
Anika smiled faintly, her gaze drifting to the night sky. "He never stopped chasing. Even when the world forgot him, he kept walking. Maybe that's why I still look for him in every dawn."
There was something wistful in her tone — a quiet ache she didn't try to hide.
Lin Xuan watched her from across the table, the flickering lamplight painting shadows beneath her eyes. For the first time, he felt the faint thread of her loneliness — not as a goddess or a warrior, but as a woman who had lost too much.
When the family finally dispersed, the night deepened. Lin Xuan remained behind, standing by the terrace railing, staring up at the stars. The Celestial Unity Crest pulsed softly on his back, mirroring the steady rhythm of his heart.
He heard footsteps behind him. "You're still awake," Anika said quietly.
"I could ask you the same," he replied, turning. She carried a small object in her hands — a faintly sparking relic, shaped like a teardrop crystal etched with runes.
He frowned slightly. "That's not from this realm."
Her smile was sad. "No. It's a memento — from someone I lost long ago."
He didn't press further. "It must be precious, then."
"It is," she whispered. "When I hold it, I can still hear his laughter. It reminds me that even divine beings were once human enough to love and lose."
The words lingered in the quiet. Lin Xuan stepped closer, the moonlight catching in his dark eyes. "You've lived too long with ghosts," he said softly. "Maybe it's time to let the living walk beside you."
Her lips parted, but before she could respond, Liu Yue appeared at the terrace entrance, her qi flickering faintly around her.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep."
Anika smiled and beckoned her closer. "Then come. You should practice calming your spark."
They moved to the garden pavilion, the night air cool against their skin. Liu Yue sat cross-legged, her Eternal Soul Ember igniting softly — a flicker of obsidian-violet fire that danced across her shoulders. But the flame pulsed unevenly, flickering in bursts.
Anika sat behind her, channeling the Samsara-Burning Plumes. Gentle violet feathers of flame floated through the air, settling over Liu Yue's shoulders, dissolving into warmth.
"Let it flow," she whispered. "Don't fight the ache — soothe it."
The uneven pulses smoothed, the flame becoming tranquil. Liu Yue sighed softly, her features relaxing.
Lin Xuan watched from nearby, his arms folded loosely, the faintest smile on his face. Even Luo Shuang, who had lingered at the garden's edge, seemed at peace watching them.
Anika's care was genuine, her every motion imbued with patience — like someone nurturing what they'd once lost.
Liu Yang leaned against a pillar, murmuring quietly to his mother, "She's not like anyone else, is she?"
Luo Shuang shook her head. "No. But she's exactly who we needed."
Later, as the night waned, Lin Xuan sat with Anika beneath the pavilion's hanging lanterns. The garden shimmered with fireflies, and the distant sound of flowing water filled the silence between them.
He turned his head slightly, his voice low but sincere. "When you first arrived, I didn't know whether to trust you. Now… it feels strange to imagine this place without you."
Anika looked at him, eyes reflecting the lamplight like twin stars. "Then don't imagine it," she said softly.
Their hands brushed — a fleeting contact that lingered longer than either expected. The night seemed to hold its breath around them.
"Do you ever wonder," Lin Xuan said quietly, "if fate brings people together for strength… or to remind them of what they lack?"
Anika smiled faintly. "Maybe both. But tonight, you lack nothing."
They sat in silence for a while longer, the stars above faintly veiled by drifting clouds.
When Lin Xuan finally stood, his mind felt lighter, his heart steadier — though a quiet question still stirred beneath the calm.
Anika watched him leave, the faintest glimmer of warmth and regret crossing her eyes. She touched the relic at her neck — the spark of her brother's laughter still echoing faintly within — and whispered into the night,
"Maybe this time, I won't lose what I've found."
The lantern flickered once, its flame steadying under the breath of wind,
and the Liu Clan house fell into peaceful slumber beneath the whisper of stars.