Yao Yao sat up slowly, blinking through the sting in her eyes.
Tears were already gathering.
She was starting to suspect this body had a low pain threshold. Then again, she was five and her tear glands had always been a little dramatic, ready to flood at the slightest provocation.
And right now, her forehead really hurt.
She wasn't crying.
Absolutely not.
Just… leaking a little. Involuntarily.
Sniffling once, she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve and pushed herself upright.
That stupid spirit.
He thought he could just throw her away? Without even giving her a proper answer?
She was furious.
So furious, she didn't even notice the sparks forming at her fingertips, magic already twisting wild and erratic in her palm as she stormed across the marble floor. With every step, the orb grew more volatile, pulsing with uneven heat and fury.
By the time she reached the summoning crystal, the magic in her hand had shifted. It wasn't just light anymore. Threads of water had begun to weave through it, faint and flickering, winding like veins through the glow. It pulsed between liquid and energy, unstable and alive.
Yao Yao didn't notice as her fury overshadowed all her instincts. With the righteous anger of a five-year-old who had just been thrown from another dimension, she hurled the orb straight into the crystal.
A crack split the air like shattering glass.
The crystal flared instantly.
Golden threads burst outward, arcing between her and the core. Magic surged from her like a dam breaking, raw and unfiltered, far too much for a child.
Her palms were suddenly wet.
She glanced down. Faint streaks of water shimmered across her skin.
But she didn't pause to question it.
She was too angry to care.
The portal spun open again. Unstable. Flickering. Its edges shimmered as though reality itself didn't quite know how to process her presence.
For a moment, no one moved.
But Yao Yao did.
Before a single hand could reach her, before anyone could even shout her name, she was already in motion.
No hesitation. No second thoughts.
With her forehead still throbbing and her fists clenched tight, she threw herself into the dark.
—
The void swallowed her.
But unlike last time, she wasn't calm. She was aware now, and that made everything worse.
All around her, space twisted—dark, vast, full of stars that weren't stars. Magic surged like a tide, pressing in from all sides, and the silence roared louder than thunder.
Wait.
Gravity vanished. She floated helplessly, limbs flailing as she spun through the dark.
Why is it so floaty?
And the more she panicked, the faster she moved.
A sudden drop yanked her downward, as if a cord had snapped. She hurtled forward like a comet, eyes wide, mouth frozen in a silent scream.
A flicker of violet curved through the void. It pulsed faintly, like something ancient and alive had stirred and reached for her. Like a thread drawn tight, it tugged at her chest. Her body tilted, helplessly drawn towards it.
—
The Spirit King turned.
His silver eyes narrowed.
He had sealed the portal himself, not with ordinary spirit magic, but with unstable remnants of Elisie's power still lingering in his grasp.
It should have stayed shut.
And yet, he felt it again.
That impossible spark. That resonance.
He had only just begun to turn when—
WHUMP.
Something small and full of vengeance slammed into his chest like a missile.
His back hit the garden floor with a heavy thud. His cloak flared out beneath him as the breath left his lungs in a single exhale.
Limbs scrambled across him. A small arm locked around his neck. Legs clung like vines.
There was hair in his mouth.
And a dazed child plastered to his front like a concussed koala.
He blinked.
Stared blankly up at the glass ceiling.
Then blinked again.
Why.
Why was there a child on him?
She blinked back, face squished into his shoulder.
"…Hi again," she wheezed.
A long silence stretched between them.
He exhaled slowly. "You."
She coughed. "That was a hard landing."
His eyes narrowed. "You're not supposed to be here."
"Technically," she said, still clinging, "I never got an answer."
A pause.
Then, flatly: "Get off."
"No."
Without realizing it, Yao Yao pressed a foot into his stomach as she wriggled higher, her small hands braced awkwardly on his shoulder.
"You can't just insult someone's height and lungs and then vanish into a magic garden like nothing happened!" she huffed. Her heel shifted, digging into his ribs again.
He winced.
"That's not how spirit contracts work!" she added.
Another pause.
Then—
Wordlessly, he reached up and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her off like a muddy kitten someone had flung at him.
"Wha—hey!" she squeaked, feet kicking midair. "This is disrespectful!"
He stared at her.
"…You're heavy."
Her cheeks puffed. "That's rude! I'm structurally portable!"
His gaze sharpened into something cold and razor-edged.
"You have zero magical stability. Barely any power. And yet you dare demand a contract with me?"
She blinked, still dangling. "Well… no need to phrase it that harshly."
"Do you even know who I am?"
"…No," she admitted. "But I can negotiate!"
He didn't answer.
"I'm only five," she added quickly. "But I have huge potential. Like, massive. Just give me a little time—I'll totally grow into a magic genius. You're investing early. Think of it as a long-term strategy—"
Her voice faltered.
His expression didn't.
Then he exhaled. The longest, slowest breath she had ever heard.
Her heart jumped.
"…Wait," she said quickly. "Hold on, I'm still pitching—"
Too late.
He wound his arm back.
"NO—NO NO NO—AAAAAAHHHHHH—!"
Her scream spiraled through the garden.
And then she vanished.
The portal snapped shut behind her with a sharp crack.
The Spirit King swayed and dropped to one knee. From the edge of the garden, Rui caught him just in time. He looked down at his king's pale face, still straining from the backlash.
Rui's eyes shifted toward the portal, still faintly humming with the girl's magic.
That child.
What in the name of the heavens was she?