Durandal came running, half-panicked, feet pounding the courtyard stone. He skidded to a stop just in time to witness the sight before him — and froze.
There, standing proud amid the debris, was his young master — Kazel, halberd in hand, posture open, not defensive but welcoming. A predator inviting the bite.
(Who…?) Durandal's gaze darted, then locked onto her.
A woman cloaked in intertwined auras of amethyst and gold, her sleeves tight around toned arms, her presence undeniable. The gauntlets on her fists pulsed with power.
Kazel smirked, a wolfish glint in his eyes.
"I love your ferocity," he said, voice rich with exhilaration. Then, he curled two fingers at her."Come."
Liora's smile thinned."You think I wouldn't be able to kill you?"
"You might defeat me," Kazel replied, tilting his head slightly. "But kill me? You'd need ten thousand men more."
A soft chuckle slipped from her lips."Cocky."
Then she vanished, streaking forward again, amethyst and gold burning through the air — her gauntlet crashing into his halberd.
The halberd shattered like brittle glass.
(You're mine,) thought Liora, her eyes flashing in triumph ——only to see him smiling back.The exact same grin.
(You're mine.)
Kazel was already moving.
As if he'd anticipated the weapon's ruin, his hand had already latched onto Liora's head, yanking her forward — and slamming his knee into her face with bone-jarring precision.
Her head snapped back.
But he didn't let go.
Kazel seized both her arms, locked her momentum, then drove a brutal kick into her abdomen, enhanced by the cold, merciless flash of Frostfang's aura in his eyes. Flesh met force — and the air rippled.
From a distance, Durandal and Arhatam watched, wide-eyed and stunned silent.Their young master's movements were savage — calculated violence in motion.
But Kazel wasn't done.
As his right foot touched the ground, he twisted — powering a follow-up left-legged kick toward her midsection.
This time, Liora slapped his foot away mid-air — redirecting his force and sending him into a sudden spin.
And at the end of that arc, like a hunter timing the perfect strike —her fist rose.
A thunderous uppercut crashed into Kazel's chin —launching him skyward, the impact a quake in the windless afternoon.
(He's flying?!) thought Arhatam, blinking.
Liora stood below, lips faintly curved, golden gauntlet still humming.But her amethyst eyes remained sharp — not mocking, not angry, but measuring.
High above the earth, Kazel smiled.
His eyes closed, face turned toward the sky — as if savoring the moment.
Then, mid-fall, he somersaulted once and landed cleanly on both feet, the stone cracking beneath him.
And without pause — he rebounded.
Liora's smirk deepened. With a flick of her wrist, the golden gauntlets vanished into wisps of light, and she caught Kazel's fist mid-strike.
Her other hand shot forward, pulling his arm to unbalance him — and she drove her knee up toward his abdomen.
But it stopped.
Kazel had bent his knee, meeting hers mid-way — two hardened strikes colliding in a blunt, controlled impact that forced both of them back.
They parted — a heartbeat of space between them, both tensed, ready to clash again…
When a voice rang out:
"Liora? Is that you?"
Both Kazel and Liora paused. Brows furrowed. Heads turned.
Standing a short distance away, Elder Juni held a stack of parchments, her face a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.
"Juni?" Liora blinked, her stance relaxing.
"You're from the Heavenless Bow Sect, right?" Kazel asked, his tone casual, brushing some dust off his shoulder.
Liora crossed her arms. "What are you doing here, Juni?"
"That's my line," Juni shot back flatly. "You disappear for months, and I find you here throwing fists at some poor sect's new signboard."
"That's my line," Kazel chimed in, smirking. "What are you doing here?"
Juni turned, reading the plank nailed onto the gate. "Well, since you're now officially the—" she squinted, "—'Sect Master of the Immortal Sect,' I figured I'd deliver this personally."
"That's not entirely accurate," Kazel corrected. "I'm the young master and head disciple."
"Then pass it to your grandmaster," she said, handing over a rolled parchment sealed in red wax.
Kazel broke the seal and unfurled it. His brows lifted slightly. "An archery competition?"
"You can win prizes," Juni offered helpfully.
"It's a competition, Juni," Liora said, rolling her eyes. "Of course there are prizes."
"What's the top prize?" Kazel asked, flicking to the back.
"Bountiful spirit stones, a custom bow, rare alchemy materials…" she glanced at Liora. "And a scroll."
"A scroll?" Durandal echoed, blinking.
"Materials for alchemy, you say?" Arhatam's eyes sparkled. "Young master, you must join!"
Kazel gave him a sideways glance. "You've never even seen me hold a bow. Where's this confidence coming from?"
Arhatam scratched his cheek. "To be honest, I don't know. But you've, uh, wrecked—oh, sorry—slain three sects already. So… surely you're probably good at archery too?"
Liora stifled a laugh, covering it with a sip from her gourd.
Kazel gave her a look. "You're not going to enter it?"
"I shoot with my fists," she said with a smirk.
"Well, give it a thought," Juni said, offering a final glance over her shoulder as she descended the steps. The sunlight caught the edges of the parchment still in Kazel's hand. "Be seeing you."
Kazel sighed and lowered himself cross-legged onto the stone floor. He turned the parchment over in his hands, his eyes half-lidded with reluctant curiosity. The script shimmered faintly under the light. "An archery competition…" he muttered.
Liora didn't move. Arms folded across her chest, her silhouette framed by the broken doorway and gold-stained walls. "Well?" she asked, tilting her head. Her tone was casual, but her eyes were sharp. "Are you going to enter?"
"That's not a decision I can make in a heartbeat," Kazel said, rubbing his thumb over a fold in the parchment.
Durandal stepped forward from the courtyard, still towel-draped from the bath, and called out, "Young master, the preliminaries are tomorrow."
"What?" Kazel blinked and looked back down at the page. "Oh… you're right." His lips parted in a faint, disbelieving exhale.
Liora let out a light, genuine laugh — a rare sound from someone usually wrapped in silence and sarcasm. "Smooth."
"Alright," Kazel said, standing and stretching his limbs like a lazy cat in the sun. "I'll join. But I don't have a bow."
"They'll provide one," Liora said with a shrug. "Standard practice. For fairness."
Kazel's brow furrowed with a sudden thought. He turned toward her fully. "Liora… can I ask you something?"
Her gaze lingered on him. "You already are."
"You have the kind of strength that could've wiped out Second Moon too. And there are four others like you."
She didn't blink. "We never feared the Second Moon."
Kazel's eyes narrowed. "So it's the Crimson Phoenix you're wary of."
Liora smiled, just a little. "Bingo." She tilted her head, curious now. "Have you met them already?"
"I sent their envoy home," Kazel said. His tone carried neither pride nor arrogance—just cold truth.
Liora whistled under her breath, shaking her head in mild disbelief. "Damn… She said you were fearless. Guess that's true."
"She?" Kazel's curiosity deepened. "You mean Yasha?"
"No," Liora said with a snort. "I only listen to half the things Yasha says anyway."
"Then who?"
"The First Lady," she said simply.
Kazel blinked. "What's her name?"
"You can find that out yourself." She smirked, mischievously elusive.
Kazel chuckled and turned his face toward the half-finished horizon beyond the compound walls. "Well, how about it then? You interested in teaching at my sect?"
Liora raised an eyebrow. "You think you can pay me?"
"Not now," Kazel said, glancing back at her with a grin. "But on credit."
Mid-laugh, Liora froze.
The humor drained from her eyes. In one sudden motion, she seized the collar of his robe and pulled him forward. Her strength was graceful but impossible to resist. She dragged him into the inner corridor, away from the others.
Durandal and Arhatam blinked in confusion, then shared a wide-eyed glance. Neither dared follow.
Liora released him inside a room bathed in muted gold and shadow. The silence hung heavy, her presence suddenly unreadable.
"Kazel…" she said quietly.
He looked up, his brow slightly raised. "Hm? Are we about to have sex?" His smirk returned, teasing, instinctive.
But Liora didn't even twitch.
"Are you… reincarnated?" she asked.
And for the first time in this new life, Kazel was silent.
His smirk vanished.
His body stilled.
Even his breathing slowed.