White... cold... lost...
This sight — this feeling — could only be truly understood by standing amidst the heart of a snowstorm.
And yet, despite such merciless conditions — ones that could easily kill a mortal — a woman slowly made her way through snow that reached her knees.
She wore a long black tunic, embroidered with soft blue flowers along its lower hem, swaying gently with every careful step.
The snow slammed against her beautiful face — skin a warm, soft brown, like the deep color of her eyes. Her gaze remained open and fixed forward.
She walked, calm and unshaken, while her long blond hair fluttered in the freezing wind.
Her stride seemed effortless, untouched by the chaos of the storm.
Then, suddenly, she stopped.
Her head turned to the left.
Her face expressed nothing but serenity, distant — detached from reality, as if part of her wasn't truly present in this world.
Her eyes seemed empty — and yet, paradoxically, full. So full.
She stared into the storm, and while any ordinary person would have seen nothing through the blizzard, she saw everything — absolutely everything.
What caught her attention was a figure lying in the snow — a small girl, no older than twelve.
Her entire body trembled violently from the cold. Her breathing was shallow, fragile.
And still, even as she witnessed the scene from afar, the woman's expression remained unchanged — still calm, still distant from the reality unfolding before her.
No flicker of emotion passed over her face except for that same quiet peace.
She did not move. She simply stood, staring in the direction of the child.
A child who was slowly dying.
Not from a quick, painless end — but from something worse. A slow, aching death.
Second by second, the woman watched.
To any other human, such a sight would be unbearable — a dying child, and a woman standing idly by, unmoved, like a passive observer to a tragedy.
One might think she enjoyed it — that she savored the sight of slow death.
But just as that thought would take shape in the mind of the observer… a change.
A small, almost imperceptible smile graced the woman's lips.
And in the blink of an eye —
She vanished.
She reappeared — now standing beside the child.
The girl had short, shoulder-length hair — blonde, but not entirely. At the roots, it turned black, as if the color had begun to fade or shift.
Her face was pale. Her body curled up, shaking.
She wore only a thin, long, light-blue tunic — far too fragile for this world of snow.
Her body was covered in bruises and dark marks, her feet red and nearly bleeding from the cold.
And yet, somehow… she was still conscious. Barely. Suffering through every moment of her pain.
The woman gazed at her and slowly knelt.
Her expression unchanged. Still calm. Still watching.
Then — she exhaled softly.
And with that breath, the world around them changed.
The storm quieted. The air softened. The cold grew less brutal, more bearable.
It didn't vanish completely — this was still the frozen part of the planet — but the harsh edge of the storm had dulled.
And then, the woman reached forward and touched the girl's hair.
From her hand, a radiant light began to shine — gentle and pure.
It flowed through the girl's broken body like a wave of warmth.
And in mere seconds… she was whole.
The bruises faded.
The trembling stopped.
Her skin regained its color.
Her feet, once on the verge of bleeding, were healed.
Her breathing deepened, steadying — returning to life.
Feeling that warmth, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
And what she saw —
What she saw could not be described in mortal words.
She looked up and saw a woman of unearthly beauty.
For a moment, the girl forgot her pain, forgot the cold. She forgot everything.
She could only stare, unable to speak.
The woman, seeing the look in the girl's eyes, gave a faint, knowing smile.
She was stunning — not only in her face, but in her presence.
Above her head hovered a simple silver tiara, adorned with small, engraved lotus flowers.
On her right wrist — a silver bracelet.
On her left hand — tiny golden rings rested on her index finger and thumb.
Every detail added to her elegance, her silent majesty.
She reached out and gently placed her hand on the girl's cheek.
And then she spoke — her voice like wild berries and angels…
"So… what is your name?"
...........
Sitting beneath a tree, Evan slowly opened his eyes, gazing off into the distance…
taking in the breathtaking beauty of the landscape — a view he would see forever, a place etched into his soul.
As he admired the horizon, his thoughts wandered quietly.
Then, he tilted his head back and called out in a slightly tired but undeniably happy voice:
"Vivian, get down from there! What's taking you so long?"
He looked up toward the canopy of the tree, eyes landing on a young girl with blonde hair swaying gently in the breeze.
Hearing his voice, she glanced down with a soft smile and called back,
"It's beautiful up here… really."
Her voice echoed from high in the branches as she turned her gaze outward again — watching the distant village and the nearby forest from the top of the majestic tree.
But after a brief moment of stillness, she swiftly stood on the branch and began climbing down with practiced ease.
Within seconds, she was at Evan's side, crouching next to him as he remained seated, still watching the horizon.
"What did you want?" she asked, resting one elbow on her knee and propping her cheek against her palm.
Her curious eyes studied his face intently.
Evan didn't answer right away.
He seemed deep in thought.
She waited a moment… but still, silence.
A subtle pout formed on her lips.
"Evan…" she said more firmly, her voice edged with impatience.
"Just spit it out already — I want to get back to enjoying the view."
She shot a glance over her shoulder, still crouched beside him.
"You know…" he finally began, his voice low.
At the sound, she turned her head back toward him.
"What?" she asked again.
But instead of finishing the sentence —
Evan stood up in one quick motion, tapped her lightly on the shoulder and grinned:
"Last one there is a loser!"
And with that, he dashed off toward their training field.
Her eyes went wide — caught off guard — then her instincts kicked in.
In a blink, she shot to her feet and chased after him, catching up easily.
Turning her head toward him mid-run, she called out with a playful smirk:
"We both know who the real loser's gonna be!"
She sped up, but then —
Thud!
She ran head-first into the trunk of a tree and fell straight onto her backside, blinking in confusion, unsure what had just happened.
"Hahahaaaaa!"
Evan burst out laughing, not stopping for a second as he ran past her.
With a mischievous grin, he added over his shoulder:
"I think we do know!"
And he picked up the pace — just enough to keep his lead without making it obvious.
Vivian, still sitting there in shock, stared blankly ahead…
completely baffled by what just happened.
And far in the distance, Evan disappeared over the horizon —
still running, straight toward their training field.
...........
Ten minutes later
Standing in the training field, Evan and Vivian faced David.
Evan was still chuckling at what had happened earlier, while Vivian stood with her arms crossed — clearly annoyed and embarrassed.
Still, deep down, she knew that if she tried to defend herself… it would probably only make things worse.
David looked at the two of them, puzzled. He had no idea what had just happened…
But after a few moments of silence, watching the awkward tension between them, curiosity got the better of him.
"Alright... what happened?" he asked with mild amusement.
Evan immediately jumped in, unable to contain himself.
"She ran head-first into a tree trunk—pffft—right after she was so sure she'd win—haaahaahaa!"
He doubled over with laughter again, eyes tearing up as the memory replayed in his head.
Vivian remained quiet — clearly frustrated and still humiliated.
But she didn't fight it. She knew it was pointless.
With a tired sigh, she let it go… for now.
David raised an eyebrow at Evan's answer and smirked.
"Yeah... that would've been hilarious to see."
But seeing the expression on Vivian's face, he quickly changed his tone.
He stepped over to her, placed a hand on her shoulder and said:
"Don't worry… you'll get your revenge during training today."
At those words, Vivian's eyes began to glow.
A wicked grin crept across her face.
Evan's laughter vanished in an instant.
"W-wait… we're still training, right?" he stammered, watching her slowly turn toward him with a dark smile, cracking her knuckles.
"Oh yes," she replied menacingly. "Let's train, Evan…"
Seeing this unfold, David chuckled and stepped back.
"Alright then! You may begin!"
Then quickly added with a grin:
"Vivian, just don't kill him!"
Vivian didn't wait for another word.
She charged at Evan, who, thanks to having his cultivation sealed, couldn't react fast enough — and got a boot square to the face.
........
60 minutes later
Evan lay sprawled out on the ground — bruised, battered, his face swollen and scratched.
His clothes were covered in dust, his breathing ragged.
But he wasn't the only one exhausted.
Vivian knelt a short distance away, bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
At first, all she did was pound on Evan, venting her pent-up frustration.
But after a few minutes of emotional release, she calmed down.
The fight shifted to something more balanced.
Eventually, David had instructed Vivian to suppress her cultivation as much as she could, to even the playing field.
The strain wore on her — both mentally and physically.
Catching her breath, Vivian glanced at Evan from the corner of her eye.
Part of her thought she might've gone too far.
But the larger part of her… felt satisfied.
He did mock her, after all.
With effort, she straightened up and slowly walked over to him.
She extended a hand.
"That was a good fight… and you totally deserved that beating," she said with a calm tone, helping him up.
All Evan could do was offer a weak, crooked smile.
"Yeah… yeah."
She returned the smile, just slightly.
"Y'know… we could just sit here a while."
There was a cheerful tone in her voice.
But the moment she let go of him, Evan — too weak to stay upright — collapsed backward onto his rear.
"Ouch…" he muttered.
Too tired to even complain.
Seeing it happen, Vivian winced and opened her mouth to apologize —
But before she could speak, David stepped up beside them.
"It's been over a month since you started training," he said with pride.
"And I can see it hasn't been for nothing."
His eyes moved to Evan.
Once too weak to even hold a proper stance, now he could last through a full sparring session — bruised but holding on.
And then to Vivian — the pupil he was proudest of.
He had taught her the basics of cultivation, and after just a little over a month, she had reached Energy Gathering [3]
Not only did she commit to her combat training, but also dedicated herself to cultivating with unwavering spirit — even though he still didn't understand where her drive came from.
Evan gave a small, tired smile.
Vivian beamed from ear to ear — overwhelmed with gratitude and pride.
But then…
"Don't forget…" David said, voice firm.
"This is just the beginning. Rest for twenty minutes… and then start again."
With that, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, entering meditation.
Vivian and Evan's faces went pale.
And a moment later, both of them flopped backward onto the ground in unison — completely drained, not a single ounce of strength left to complain.
.......
Two hours later
Evan and Vivian were dragging themselves — quite literally — along the path back toward the village.
"Ughhh… I'm done…" Vivian groaned loudly, stumbling forward.
Hearing her, Evan muttered back:
"Easy for you to say — at least you can cultivate. I've got this fragile body and no qi. I'm supposed to fight a beast like you? You wouldn't even spare a baby if it got in your way!"
Vivian blinked.
His words struck her unexpectedly.
She slowed her pace, then whispered,
"...I'm sorry."
Her eyes dropped slightly, guilt flickering across her face.
Evan turned to look at her — a little surprised that she had actually apologized.
"It's fine," he said quietly.
And with that, the two of them kept dragging themselves forward, side by side, toward the village.