Kael woke with a violent jerk.
For one terrible instant the world was ending again.
Mountains split apart. Earth cracked open. Everything around him—stone, flesh, sky, memory—came apart in utter silence. Not shattered. Not burned. Simply... undone. Reduced to drifting ash and smoke.
Then the dream broke.
He stared up at the sagging roof of the ruined hut, breathing hard, unable to tell whether he had escaped the nightmare or merely fallen deeper into it.
Cold sweat soaked his back. Dried blood and dust from yesterday's battle clung to his skin like filth. Every muscle ached. His head throbbed.
"What kind of cursed dream was that..."
He dragged himself upright and stumbled outside.
Morning had only just begun to bleed across the lake. Pale mist drifted over the abandoned fishing village. The world looked dead and half-forgotten.
Then he remembered Lyra.
Kael hurried toward the neighboring shack and shoved the half-open door inward.
Empty.
Only the remains of a dying fire glowed inside.
His stomach tightened instantly.
"Shreve Lyra?"
No answer.
"Shreve!"
Panic hit him harder with every second. He searched hut after hut, pushing through rotting doors, calling louder each time.
Nothing.
His thoughts spiraled.
Did enemies find them?
Had the Sixth Elder-Uncle finally tracked them down?
No... if the old monster came, he'd come for me first...
Kael broke into a run toward the lakeshore, shouting her name through the mist.
Then, faintly—
"I'm here."
The sound came from the water.
Kael spun toward it.
A tiny fishing boat floated near the reeds, barely visible through the white haze. A graceful silhouette sat at the bow.
Lyra.
Relief hit him so hard his knees nearly weakened.
He splashed toward the shore and finally saw her clearly.
She sat sideways upon the little boat, slowly combing out her long black hair with her fingers. The morning light touched her damp skin and turned it luminous.
"You scared the hell out of me," Kael said. "Why'd you come out here this early?"
Lyra smiled faintly.
"I felt filthy. I went for a swim."
Only then did Kael realize she looked completely renewed.
Yesterday's blood and exhaustion were gone. Her pale skin glowed softly like fresh cream beneath dawnlight. Tiny beads of water still clung to her hair and shoulders, sliding slowly downward.
Even weakened, she looked unreal.
"Your condition's better?" Kael asked quickly. "The injuries?"
"I circulated my Vitae through the night." She leaned forward over the edge of the boat and twisted water from her hair with both hands. Droplets spilled down in glittering streams into the lake below. "I've recovered somewhat."
Kael stared stupidly.
The movement drew his eyes helplessly along the curve of her body.
The damp cloth clung to her waist and chest.
Beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful.
"What?" Lyra asked without looking up.
"N-Nothing."
She flicked him a sideways glance that carried the ghost of amusement before continuing to comb through her hair.
Then Kael spotted something near the stern.
"A net!" he exclaimed. "There's a fishing net on this thing!"
Lyra blinked.
"And?"
"And I'm making fish." He grinned broadly. "Roasted fish. I'm incredible at roasted fish."
He pushed the little boat away from shore and began rowing through the mist.
The lake felt dreamlike.
Thin white fog drifted across the water like watered milk. The distant shoreline vanished entirely. Only the creaking of the oars disturbed the silence. Occasionally a cool breeze swept across the surface carrying the scent of wet reeds and lakewater.
Lyra finished tying back her hair with a cloth strip and leaned lazily against the bow watching him.
Every so often she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, as though savoring the rare peace around them.
Kael studied the water carefully until he found a thick school of fish beneath the surface. He hurled the net dramatically.
Missed.
He tried again.
And again.
Barely anything.
"What the hell?" he muttered. "There are fish everywhere!"
Lyra burst into laughter.
"You think throwing a net means you automatically catch something?"
Kael's ears reddened.
He'd caught fish in streams near Vane's Summit before, but never with a real net.
The fat silver fish swimming beneath the boat seemed almost to mock him.
"Oh, I'll catch you bastards," he growled.
Then he stripped off his clothes and dove straight into the lake.
Lyra blinked in surprise.
Moments later fish began flying through the air one after another, slapping wildly across the deck.
Kael burst from the water laughing.
With his physical skill and the Water-Parting Art Selene once secretly taught him, catching fish by hand was effortless.
"Enough!" Lyra called as water splashed across her. "You can't possibly eat all those! Stop splashing me and get back up here!"
But Kael only dove again.
The cold water felt incredible against his overheated body.
"This lake's amazing!" he shouted. "Cold right down to the bones!"
Lyra watched him with smiling eyes.
Then slowly... the smile faded.
Something distant entered her gaze.
Her expression softened with sudden melancholy.
A single tear rolled quietly down her cheek.
Kael noticed nothing.
He continued playing in the water like a fool until finally he vaulted back onto the boat in a spray of droplets.
Water crashed across Lyra from head to toe.
She hurriedly wiped at her face and glared at him.
"You little beast. Did you do that on purpose?"
"Accident!" Kael laughed. "Here, let me help."
He dug out a handkerchief and knelt before her.
Then froze.
His eyes locked onto her chest.
Lyra instinctively wiped her cheek again before realizing where he was truly staring.
The soaked cloth clung tightly to her body.
This morning she wore no chest wrap beneath it.
The outline of her breasts stood clearly against the wet fabric, the hardened tips visible beneath the cloth. One side had become so soaked that even the faint shadow of her nipple showed through.
Kael's gaze stuck there like iron pulled to a lodestone.
Lyra abruptly sat straighter, trying to conceal herself with her arms, suddenly unsure what to do with her body.
The rough fisherwoman's clothing somehow made her even more devastating. The coarse fabric only emphasized how smooth and soft her skin truly was.
Kael swallowed hard.
His throat felt dry.
His hand trembled holding the cloth.
He didn't know where to touch her first.
"I'll wipe myself," Lyra murmured, snatching the handkerchief away.
That tiny movement snapped whatever restraint remained inside him.
Kael lunged forward suddenly and wrapped both arms around her.
His mouth crashed against her neck and jaw in hungry kisses.
Lyra gasped softly.
Her body trembled in his embrace.
She wasn't resisting.
That realization nearly drove Kael mad.
His kisses grew rougher, more desperate. His hands roamed greedily over her body.
Still she did not stop him.
One hand rested weakly against his wrist as though uncertain whether to push him away or pull him closer.
Kael's pulse thundered.
His hand slipped beneath her soaked clothing and seized one of her breasts fully.
Warm.
Heavy.
Incredibly soft.
Lyra let out a quiet moan as he kneaded her firmly.
Color flooded her cheeks.
Kael's breathing turned ragged. He lifted his head from her neck and stared at her through clouded eyes.
"Shreve..." he whispered.
A plea.
A question.
Lyra bit softly against her lower lip.
"Mmh."
The faint answer sounded almost like permission.
Their eyes met.
Then both their gazes drifted helplessly toward each other's lips.
Slowly they leaned closer.
The moment their mouths touched, something inside Kael shattered completely.
He knew then with terrifying certainty—
This woman would remain carved into his soul forever.
Their lips parted hungrily against each other.
Tongues tangled.
Breath mingled.
They kissed again and again, slow and wet and deep, unwilling to separate even for a moment.
Lyra's arms gradually slid around his neck, pulling him tighter against her body as though she wanted to lock him there permanently.
Kael eased her down onto the boat.
His trembling hands began loosening her clothing piece by piece.
Without a chest wrap restraining them, her breasts spilled free first.
Full.
Proud.
Perfectly shaped.
The wind picked up around them carrying the cool scent of reeds and wet earth.
The little fishing boat drifted deeper into the tall reed beds unnoticed.
Only when the stalks began brushing softly against the hull did either of them realize where the current had carried them.
By then Lyra lay completely naked beneath him.
Her pale body glowed against the deep green reeds surrounding them.
Every inch of her looked crafted by some cruelly generous god.
The darkened peaks of her breasts stood proudly atop their heavy curves.
Her navel dipped delicately above the smooth softness of her stomach.
Below, the plush mound between her thighs beckoned irresistibly.
Kael stared shamelessly.
His eyes devoured her again and again while his hands explored every inch of her body as though trying to memorize her forever.
Lyra looked back at him through eyes filled with trembling moisture, flushed with desire, allowing him to touch and play with her however he wished.
Then Kael found the sensitive little nub hidden between her folds.
His eyes widened slightly.
Selene's had been tiny. Zaeli's and Peria's even smaller.
Only Mira's had ever compared at all.
Lyra shuddered beneath his fingers with a low, breathy moan.
Kael nearly lost his mind hearing it.
The boat rocked harder as he thrust against her body impatiently.
Her enormous breasts swayed wildly with every movement, soft and heavy beyond belief. No matter how fiercely he squeezed or kneaded them, they always sprang back into their lush perfect shape.
Kael couldn't stop touching them.
"So damn full..." he groaned. "Nothing like Sel or Zaeli or Peria..."
He squeezed harder, almost cruelly, unable to resist the addictive softness filling his palms.
Lyra whimpered.
"Not there... ah... don't use your fingers there... it's too much..."
Her legs suddenly clamped shut around his wandering hand.
"Don't move," Kael snapped instinctively.
The sharp authority in his voice startled even her.
Lyra froze.
Kael forced her thighs apart again and spread them wide across either side of the narrow boat.
Then he stared openly at the slick flushed petals between her legs while continuing to tease and thrust his fingers inside her.
Lyra's cheeks turned scarlet all the way down her throat.
"You really are..." she whispered shakily, staring at him in a daze.
Suddenly her body jerked violently.
Hot fluid spilled across his fingers in a rush, soaking both their bodies where they joined.
Kael groaned at the feel of her.
Inside she felt molten.
Soft beyond reason.
Yet impossibly tight around him.
The sensation drove him toward madness.
Then his cock suddenly swelled violently.
The Dracoiling erupted forth in full.
Lyra cried out.
The sudden expansion stretched her completely. She could almost feel every delicate fold inside herself forced open around the blazing hardness filling her.
Pleasure hit her so intensely it bordered on pain.
Kael thrust harder.
Faster.
The narrow boat rocked savagely among the reeds.
Lyra's head tossed helplessly across the rough wooden deck while her long ivory legs trembled and flexed against the sides of the boat.
Kael could barely endure the sight.
He drove into her deeply again and again, each thrust burying itself to the root.
Wet slapping sounds echoed through the reeds.
Her slick folds clung desperately to his cock each time he pulled back.
Lyra's body gradually softened completely beneath him.
Though some of her strength had returned overnight, she had no desire whatsoever to use it now.
She only wanted this.
Wanted him.
Then Kael suddenly struck deep inside her at precisely the right spot.
Lyra cried out sharply.
Her entire body arched violently off the deck, forehead pressing against his chin as she convulsed in his arms.
For a breathless instant she froze there—
Then climax tore through her completely.
Kael gasped sharply as heat spilled across him.
For a stunned instant he thought he had lost control already, but when he looked down he saw thick pale fluid flowing from between Lyra's swollen folds instead, coating the length of him in glossy streaks. Verdis had once told him that women of certain heavenly constitutions only released such nectar at the height of pleasure. The memory hit him like strong wine.
Desire almost broke his restraint instantly.
His body clenched hard. He nearly spilled himself inside her right then.
Then another memory surfaced — that humiliating moment back in the pavilion when he had lost control too quickly beneath Verdis' mocking laughter.
Kael grit his teeth.
Vitae stirred deep in his Crucible.
Quietly, desperately, he invoked the method Verdis had taught him — the Nine-Vessel Reclamation.
Warm currents immediately circulated through his body. The violent pressure eased without disappearing entirely. The urge remained savage, but no essence escaped.
"D-don't move..." Lyra whimpered weakly against his chest.
She clung to him like a drowning woman, trembling from the aftermath of climax. Her face glowed with helpless pleasure. Yet Kael, feeling her soft body rubbing against him, smelling her intoxicating scent beneath the drifting reeds, found stopping impossible.
He thrust again.
Harder.
The little fishing boat rocked violently across the narrow channel.
Lyra gave a broken cry as another wave of pleasure overtook her. Her fingers pressed weakly against his shoulders as though she wanted to push him away, yet lacked all true intention. Her breasts quivered against his chest. A sweet fragrance spread across the boat, thick enough to dizzy the mind.
Kael's control nearly shattered again.
The Nine-Vessel Reclamation was still unfamiliar to him. Under the assault of pleasure from above and below alike, his concentration frayed rapidly. He buried his face against Lyra's lips, kissing her fiercely as he drove deep one final time.
His restraint collapsed.
Lyra cried out sharply.
The force of his climax nearly pushed her over the side of the tiny boat. Her dark hair spilled across the water while Kael held her desperately against him. White streams splashed across both their bodies before dripping into the lake below.
Tiny silver fish immediately gathered beneath the boat, darting through the water in a frenzy.
Kael could barely breathe.
The warmth flooding through him felt endless.
He stared at Lyra's flushed face, at the tears trembling faintly at the corners of her eyes, and could not stop shaking.
The boat tilted dangerously beneath their combined weight.
Neither of them cared.
The wind remained gentle, but the drifting reed-flowers thickened around them. Pale petals with faint traces of violet floated through the air like summer snow, settling across their damp skin and tangled hair.
"So this is Reed-Snow..." Kael murmured up at the sky. "Selene once said it was one of the sights a man had to see at least once in his life."
Lyra remained silent.
She lay weakly against him, boneless from exhaustion, her eyes half-lidded and dreamy.
"She said someday she'd drag me out to see it herself," Kael continued quietly.
Sadness crept unexpectedly into his voice.
Lyra slowly lifted her face from his chest and studied him in silence.
Kael lowered his gaze toward her.
His arm circled her waist. Her damp hair clung around his neck. Sweat and warmth mixed between their bodies.
Lyra finally looked away, faint color still lingering across her cheeks.
Normally she was composed. Dangerous. Untouchable.
Now she looked unbearably soft.
Fragile enough to break beneath a careless touch.
"Shreve..." Kael whispered.
His heart pounded violently.
He wanted to say something — anything — but Lyra gave a small sound and murmured:
"Don't talk."
The words struck him strangely hard.
Kael lowered his head and kissed her hair, her brow, her eyelashes, the tip of her nose.
Eventually their lips found each other again.
Time drifted away among the reeds.
At last Kael pulled back reluctantly.
"Where are you taking me?" he asked quietly. "Do I really have to go?"
"Yes."
Lyra answered immediately.
Her voice left no room for argument.
"You must leave. No matter what happens, you cannot allow yourself to be taken to Phoenixspur. You absolutely cannot meet the Primus."
Kael stared at her miserably.
He did not want this moment to end.
Lyra seemed to read the thought in his eyes.
"You'll see me again someday," she whispered.
Just one sentence.
Yet the tenderness hidden inside it struck Kael harder than any blade.
He pulled her close again and kissed her fiercely.
Lyra trembled softly beneath him.
Then she hesitated.
"Will you..." she began quietly.
"Hm?"
"Will you remember this place? This moment?"
Kael answered without hesitation.
"I don't need to remember it. It's already carved into me forever."
Lyra smiled then.
Not her usual calm smile.
This one carried enough sweetness to stop his breathing.
She kissed his forehead gently, then his brows, his nose, his mouth.
"Shreve... I..." Kael muttered thickly.
"Yes?"
"I still want you."
Lyra's cheeks deepened with color.
Yet instead of retreating, she answered in a low heated voice:
"Then take enough to satisfy yourself. In a few days, you may not even have the chance."
The words made Kael's chest tighten painfully.
He kissed her again with renewed hunger.
This time Lyra answered him just as fiercely.
The reeds swayed around the little boat while the morning passed in heated silence.
Only near midday did Kael finally stop rowing long enough to realize how badly lost they were.
The reed beds stretched endlessly in every direction. Narrow waterways twisted through them like tangled veins.
Kael frowned.
"I think we circled the same patch three times."
Lyra leaned weakly against the side of the boat, still flushed and languid from exhaustion.
Kael hesitated before deciding to summon the skeletal dragon and rise above the reeds for a better view.
Then the sunlight vanished.
He looked up sharply.
Dark clouds rolled rapidly across the sky.
Not natural clouds.
The light dimmed almost instantly.
Kael's instincts screamed.
Before he could react, Lyra suddenly grabbed his wrist and yanked him down into the reeds beside her.
Her expression had changed completely.
One finger pressed against her lips.
Silence.
The black clouds churned overhead without dispersing.
Then several streaks of light appeared from the northern horizon, racing toward the reed sea at incredible speed.
Kael and Lyra crouched low inside the reeds, hidden beneath the drifting flowers.
Unease settled heavily in Kael's stomach.
A harsh voice suddenly roared from within the black clouds.
"Stop! Identify yourselves!"
The incoming lights slowed.
Kael finally saw them clearly.
A green flying sword.
A jade scepter.
And a white tiger pulling a chariot through the air.
Several figures stood atop them.
One of them shouted back:
"We are Reverend Stillwater of the Still-Heart Order, Reverend Watercloud of the Heartwatch Shrine, and the honored monks of Dustless Temple! Who are you?"
Laughter boomed from the clouds.
"We serve under Marshal Gorven of the Sevenfold Dominion — the Five Tiger Generals. What business brings you here?"
"We have learned that the remnant of an ancient evil has appeared," another voice answered coldly. "We came to seize him."
Kael's blood turned cold.
He looked immediately toward Lyra.
Lyra frowned deeply.
The Sixth Elder-Uncle should not have reached Phoenixspur yet. So how had news spread already?
"Which evil?" someone inside the black clouds demanded.
"That matter does not concern your Dominion," the sword-rider replied sharply.
"Doesn't concern us?" another voice roared angrily. "Are you here to steal the Primordial Sigil?"
Kael instinctively touched his stomach.
Then his face drained white.
The Emberseal Sash was gone.
He had lost it during the battle yesterday — probably inside the skeletal war chariot.
Silence briefly filled the sky.
Then one of the newcomers said slowly:
"So you're after it too?"
"We care nothing for that treasure," the Dominion voice sneered. "But the Sevenfold Dominion has a blood feud with the Wandering Fox. We will not spare his descendant. Besides, rumors say the Sevenfold Shroud appeared somewhere within the marshlands. We came to see whether the rumors were true."
The riders on the white tiger chariot immediately became hostile.
"So you intend to oppose us?"
The clouds churned violently.
"The Sevenfold Dominion's name should be warning enough. If you know what's good for you, get lost."
The air instantly tightened.
Kael crouched lower in the reeds.
Fight.
Please fight...
Then suddenly—
The entire sky flashed violet.
Everyone froze.
Massive purple clouds descended from far above, glowing with golden radiance hidden inside their depths.
A thunderous voice rolled across heaven and earth.
"We are soldiers of the Empyrean Throne. By order of the Heavenly King, we have come to reclaim a treasure of the Upper Realm. All lesser immortals and demons will withdraw immediately!"
Kael's face turned pale.
Beside him, Lyra looked even worse.
The clouds split apart.
Hundreds of heavenly soldiers emerged.
Golden armor.
Divine weapons.
Killing intent sharp enough to suffocate the air itself.
At their head stood a beautiful young general with skin pale as carved jade and features almost too perfect to belong to a mortal man.
His voice exploded across the marsh.
"The Heavenly Net Formation is about to descend! Leave now if you value your lives!"
The others hesitated.
Then the young general's expression darkened.
"Any who remain shall be executed."
He spoke an incantation.
Lightning erupted.
In the next instant his body transformed.
Three heads.
Eight arms.
Blue skin.
Scarlet hair.
Divine weapons appeared in every hand — twin swords, blazing lances, the Cosmic Ring, crimson bindings, golden bricks, a burning cage of dragonfire.
Flaming Sky-Wheels spun beneath his feet.
The heavens themselves seemed to tremble around him.
Fear spread instantly across the gathered cultivators.
Someone stammered in horror:
"The Sky-Wheels... the Flame-Tip Lance... the three-headed war form... Prince Thalven..."
No one dared remain any longer.
The cultivators scattered immediately in every direction.
Within moments the sky was empty except for the heavenly army.
Kael's entire body felt cold.
"Why is a monster like that here?" he whispered hoarsely. "What treasure are they trying to recover?"
But deep down, he already knew.
Lyra lowered her gaze toward his stomach sadly.
Kael's voice shook.
"The Primordial Sigil... it's really some treasure from the Upper Realm?"
"I don't know," Lyra answered weakly. "The Empyrean Throne claims it belongs to them. The western sanctums claim it's a relic of their saints. Even the demon realms insist it was once theirs."
As she spoke, hidden Aether quietly circulated inside her body.
Relief flickered briefly across her eyes.
She had finally recovered enough strength to summon the Kunlun Servitor once.
Kael swallowed hard.
"Maybe... maybe they won't notice us."
Lyra turned sharply toward him.
"No. Listen carefully."
Her voice became utterly calm.
"I'll hold them back. You summon the skeletal dragon and leave immediately."
Kael stared at her.
His chest felt hollow.
"No."
"Kael—"
"I said no!"
Emotion cracked violently from his throat.
Lyra had already slain one divine general of the Thunder Courts not long ago. If these heavenly soldiers captured her now—
He could not bear imagining the outcome.
Lyra reached up gently and cupped his face.
"They want you," she whispered with a faint smile. "Not me."
Her eyes shimmered softly.
"If I'm not beside you anymore... be careful. Understand?"
Kael looked at her numbly.
Then tears spilled from his eyes before he could stop them.