"Oh~"
As she walked, Pardo felt something was not quite right with her body.
She felt a warm current wandering at the base of her spine, and there was a slight itch by her ears.
Her footsteps paused, and she blinked suspiciously. She subconsciously glanced at the shadow beside her and was instantly stunned.
"Eh?!"
In her shadow, there were clearly an extra pair of cat ears and a fluffy tail that was gently swaying.
Swishing back and forth, it looked just like her black cat master.
"...?"
Pardo looked down at her hands, then slowly and dazedly raised them to tentatively touch the ears on top of her head.
A soft, warm sensation came from her fingertips. It was so furry and real that it made her heart tremble.
Looking back again, the brownish-yellow tail actually curled up nimbly following her movement, rubbing against her palm.
(Sure enough, a cat's tail and a cat are two different creatures.)
"Ah~"
Realizing what was happening, Pardo let out a cry of surprise. Her eyes instantly brightened, and she sprinted toward Elysia as if treading on the wind.
"Elysia-chan, look, look! I have an extra tail and a pair of ears!"
As she shouted, she even spun around in place. Her tail drew a graceful arc in mid-air, and her ears twitched excitedly.
She looked like she was showing off some incredible treasure.
"Mm-hmm~"
Elysia propped her chin on her hand, observing. Her eyes suddenly flashed, and a mischievous smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
Before Pardo could react, Elysia suddenly reached out and grabbed Pardo's fluffy tail.
"Meow~!"
Caught off guard, Pardo froze. Her tailbone felt as if it had been struck by an electric current, and the cat hair on her tail instantly puffed up into a dense layer of fluff.
Like a dandelion ball.
"Mm-hmm, it's real."
Elysia smiled, her fingertips gently twirling Pardo's soft cat hair, her smile deepening.
"The cry and the puffed-up reaction are just like a kitten's."
She chuckled and let go, not continuing to pet her. For one, there were outsiders present, and for another, she was afraid Pardo might scratch her.
She raised her hand and rubbed Pardo's pouting head, smoothing the hair that had puffed up from the fright.
"Elysia-chan! Don't suddenly touch my tail, it'll scare me to death!" Pardo stumbled back half a step, her cheeks completely flushed as she glared at Elysia in both shame and annoyance.
After the tail settled down, it continued to sway back and forth unconsciously, as if it had its own breath and emotions.
Elysia nodded: "Mm-hmm, you're looking more and more like Cipher."
"Who is Cipher?"
Pardo tilted her small face up, blinking her large eyes.
"Well..."
Elysia elongated her tone, deciding to keep the secret for now.
"Ryuga-chan should take you to meet her; you'll know then. But what about you? Do you have any special abilities?"
A flash of pity appeared in Elysia's eyes.
Yes, it was for Sakura.
The last time they went to Amphoreus, she knew that Sakura seemed to have a cat hair allergy?
She hadn't actually seen Sakura sneezing or itching all over.
But she had guessed it.
Every time Cipher appeared, Sakura would take a detour.
Now that Pardo had also become like this, Sakura would probably cry, right?
A cat on the left, a cat on the right—she wanted to run but couldn't.
Gaia!
Ryuga was also laughing. The roles of Pardo and Senior Cipher had been reversed.
"Abilities? There are plenty."
Pardo tilted her head and gave a cunning smile.
Soon, her figure suddenly blurred, like mist scattered by the wind, leaving not even a trace of an afterimage.
There was no spatial fluctuation, no energy ripple, not even the sound of her clothes brushing against the air.
She simply vanished from sight.
Everyone was stunned.
In the next instant, Pardo had reappeared in the same spot, grinning, with an exquisite jade waist pendant in her hand.
"..."
Kevin's pupils shrank, and he suddenly looked down. His waist was empty.
My waist pendant, when?
He just wanted to shout: Gaia!
His heart felt even more sour, as if blocked by a piece of ice—both sour and heavy.
It was one thing not to be chosen as an Ascended, but now he had become a "prop" for a newcomer to show off her abilities.
And in front of so many people?
Aaaaah!
Kevin clenched his fists and roared in his heart, deciding to add a set of extra training when he went back today.
No, ten sets!
"Mm-hmm, very good."
Elysia smiled, rubbing the top of Pardo's head again, and sent a comforting look toward Kevin.
Poor Kevin.
But Pardo is still just a child.
What caught her attention was that in the instant Pardo vanished, even she couldn't capture any trace.
It wasn't teleportation, nor was it stealth.
It was more like she had "withdrawn" from this world for a moment and then quietly returned to her place.
Kevin's waist pendant had simply vanished without a sound.
As expected of a Phantom Thief Cat.
She had truly maxed out her thievery skills.
Pardo tilted her small face, squinting her eyes, her ears twitching comfortably as she enjoyed Elysia's petting.
She didn't know why, but she felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps it was because she had turned into a cat?
...
On the other side.
Clouds and mist swirled, and jade buildings and towers floated above the nine heavens, hanging at the peak of the mortal world like a moon palace.
Silver light spilled down, and time seemed to freeze here, with only the light sound of wind chimes like celestial whispers.
The blue-haired Guqin Sona sat quietly before an ancient zither, smiling at her.
If she wanted to receive her inheritance, she had to move her with a song.
Eden gave a confident smile.
Wasn't this an easy task for her?
Music has no borders, and emotions are shared; even a celestial being cannot escape the mundane.
But...
She was wrong.
It didn't stir even a ripple.
One song, then another, until her throat began to burn with pain, as if she were swallowing the sun and fire.
The melodies that could easily evoke resonance in the past were useless before this Guqin Sona.
Yes, she was a Zither Immortal, after all.
How could a mundane song move her heart?
Eden began to consider her strategy, her gaze sweeping over the various classical musical instruments floating beside the celestial maidens in the hall.
They were all from Shenzhou; she had studied them but was not proficient.
But no matter, she was no longer obsessed with technique and form. She closed her eyes, her fingertips gently brushing over each instrument, listening to their sleeping breath.
Until she touched the chime bells, and the sound went straight to the depths of her soul.
At that moment—
She recalled that night of the stadium concert. The sky cracked open, tornadoes swirled, and the Herrscher of Wind attacked. Two hundred thousand fans were swept into the sky amidst screams.
Her singing was torn apart by the storm, and her fate was like a kite with a broken string.
Fear.
Helplessness.
Despair.
Until a light split the darkness—it was Ryuga.
So, she struck the chime bells again.
No longer piling up techniques, it was a pure outpouring of the soul.
The chime bells brought back scenes from her memory.
Growing from fear, struggling from helplessness, finding new life from despair, until she made her vow.
The chime bells gradually became a melody, playing the song of her life.
In the hall, tears fell from the eyes of the maidens.
Sona's fingertips were also trembling slightly, recalling a familiar aura.
Those were memories from before she ascended to immortality: a hundred tours, a thousand faces.
She only wanted to use music to convey beauty, but the Mageseekers' raid destroyed her stage, her audience, and made her home no longer feel like home.
She never wanted to hurt anyone, but that night, she plucked the strings in despair.
The sound waves were like blades, cutting the throats of the enemies.
Since then, she had sealed her zither for a hundred years until she attained enlightenment and became an immortal.
Eden's chime bells awakened that long-buried pain.
She saw herself, the girl who once held her zither and wept in the ruins.
Her heart warmed, and her eyes grew slightly moist.
At some point, the sound of the chime bells stopped.
"That is enough."
Sona whispered, raising her finger to touch the Etwahl.
Her fingertips plucked lightly, and the strings vibrated.
A rainbow-like musical note leaped from the heart of the zither, fluttering like a butterfly, circling Eden.
Then, a second note, a third... thousands of notes wove into a movement, gently enveloping her.
The inheritance of the Zither's Heart.
The musical notes seeped into Eden's forehead, and an "Aria" woven from ancient scores appeared around her, rotating like a star ring.
...
Outside. When the light dissipated, Eden was still suspended in mid-air, with musical notes circling and dancing around her like spirits.
And on the plaza, a miracle occurred.
The ten thousand elites couldn't help but start dancing.
They moved awkwardly like marionettes, yet they smiled brightly.
The pain from being shaken by the Sun Disc healed at a visible speed. Broken limbs and bones reconnected with the sound of light snaps as flesh and blood joined back together.
Ten thousand people were silent, then erupted into a earth-shaking cheer.
"A miracle!"
"..."
Eden opened her eyes, slowly floating down, and opened her arms to hold Ryuga tightly.
Then, she gave him a hot and deep kiss.
At that moment, ten thousand hearts broke.
"Thank you, Ryuga. You made me understand why I sing. I will use the power of the Zither Immortal to protect everyone who needs light."
Eden murmured, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Ryuga smiled and rubbed her hair: "Mm-hmm, but in the future, you can call me 'Ryuga-chan' like Elysia does. Calling me 'Ryuga' might lead to misunderstandings with others."
"Eh?"
Eden tilted her head, her gaze innocent, but she still nodded obediently.
Then she landed lightly and floated down from the high platform, taking the hand of Elysia, who had been waiting for a long time.
"My dear Eden."
"You've become even more beautiful."
Only Kevin stood silently to the side, his brow slightly furrowed, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.
Wait, could the 'Su' the Demon God mentioned be his classmate?
Su?
...
"A dragon's roar?"
After Aponia opened her eyes, she found herself in a quiet forest.
Ancient trees reached for the sky, and pink and blue flowers and leaves bloomed on the emerald grass.
It was beautiful, making one feel very peaceful.
The dragon's roar was low and distant, without a hint of pressure, yet it could cleanse the distractions in the heart like the sound of an ancient temple bell.
Aponia followed the sound, her mind becoming clearer and clearer.
In the heart of the quiet forest.
A pink-haired woman sat cross-legged in mid-air, her hands forming a Buddhist Zen mudra.
Her eyes were closed, as if she were meditating.
Beside her, two dragon shadows slowly swam.
One was like the morning glow, with pink light flowing.
One was like the deep sea, with a deep blue light.
Although they were not physical, the dragon shadows were lifelike. The dragon eyes were gentle without a hint of ferocity; instead, they circled quietly like guardian spirits.
Sometimes they lowered their heads to gaze at the woman, sometimes they swayed their dragon tails, stirring the air into ripples.
Behind the woman's head, there was also a halo formed by the pink and blue dragons circling together.
Aponia looked up, her fingers interlaced at her chest in a prayer posture.
"My name is Karma, an Enlightened One."
"I am now a 'Dragonmancer' blessed by the Tranquility Dragon."
Under the circling of the twin dragons, Karma, the Dragonmancer blessed by the Tranquility Dragon, slowly opened her eyes, revealing one blue and one pink pupil.
Her wise eyes, which saw through cause and effect and all cycles of reincarnation, gazed at her.
With just one look, she saw through the confusion and pursuit in the depths of Aponia's soul.
"Greetings, Dragonmancer."
"May I ask... is this the Abhaya Mudra?"
Aponia responded softly.
Abhaya Mudra: Also known as the gesture of fearlessness or protection, representing refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
Those who form this mudra include Vairocana, Avalokitesvara, and Green Tara.
"It seems you have some understanding."
Karma smiled slightly.
"The meaning of 'Karma' in Sanskrit is 'deed' or 'action,' which is what we call the cycle."
"You and I are very similar; we both come from sanatoriums."
"And I was trapped in the past, while you are trapped in the future."
Aponia's brow furrowed slightly: "Trapped in the past? I don't understand..."
"Strictly speaking, the current 'Karma' is not the name of a specific person, but an identity. Using the wisdom and power left from ancient times to lead future generations."
"You can understand it as the incarnation of an ancient Ionian soul in the present world."
Karma shook her head gently, her gaze as deep as the starry sky.
She paused, her voice lowering a bit.
"This body is named Darha."
"At the age of twelve, she began to see visions of memories that did not belong to her."
"Eventually, her mind was torn apart by the visions, and she was admitted to a sanatorium, becoming a madwoman in the eyes of the world."
"Later, a group of monks found her and brought her back to the Altar of Immortality."
"They taught her to listen to her inner voice, taught her how to communicate with the souls of her ancient selves."
As she spoke, Karma looked into the distance, her gaze seemingly crossing time and space.
"Until much later, my homeland was corrupted, and I sought the power to restore tranquility in the depths of my heart. After months of contemplation, the legendary Tranquility Dragon met me in a vision."
"And I woke up with the dragon's blessing."
"At that moment, I felt the dragon's power and wisdom, and I understood my mission."
After speaking, Karma slowly looked at Aponia, nodding gently.
"I hope you can also find and understand your own mission and responsibility."
After speaking, Karma joined her hands in a mudra, and the light between her palms suddenly intensified.
The pink and blue dragons rose from the depths of the quiet forest, their dragon bodies winding like a rainbow, and their dragon roars sounding like a hymn.
They circled upward, turning into two streams of light.
One merged into Aponia's forehead.
One sank into her chest.
The dragon's breath quietly faded away.
...
Outside, another golden pillar of light dissipated.
Aponia still held her prayer posture, standing in mid-air, her nun's habit fluttering in the invisible airflow.
Around her, the blue and pink twin dragons circled and danced.
The dragon shadows were gentle, like guardian spirit beasts.
And behind her head, a slightly smaller but equally sacred halo of the pink and blue dragons circling together flowed with a tranquil brilliance.
Aponia slowly opened her eyes.
At that moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Even Kevin, who was feeling sour and annoyed because he wasn't chosen as an Ascended, froze at this moment.
The unwillingness and bitterness surging in his heart instantly melted away, and he felt an unprecedented clarity and determination.
An inexpressible tranquility in the depths of his heart.
"Thank you, Mr. Ryuga."
Aponia said softly.
Then she slowly descended, landing like a petal.
She slowly walked toward Ryuga and placed a kiss on his cheek.
It was as light as a butterfly's wing, yet as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"Still calling me 'Mr.'?"
Ryuga pinched the nun's chin, smiling.
"Husband~"
"Alright, come to my side; we'll wait for Dystopia."
Aponia stood obediently to the side.
Elysia poked Eden's palm: "My dear Eden, look, you didn't seize the opportunity. You could have been the third, but now you can only be the fourth."
Eden pinched the bridge of her nose. Are you serious about the 'third' part?
...
The inheritances of Pardo and Aponia were very smooth and natural.
Although Eden went through some twists and turns, she ultimately broke through the illusions and returned to the truth, completing it perfectly.
On the other side, it was a completely different style.
Emmmm...
"Aaaaah—are you trying to kill me? I'm your trial-taker!"
Dystopia's orange hair flew wildly, her clothes already scorched black, as she clumsily dodged left and right amidst the continuous explosions.
"Trial-taker? So what?"
"If you want to receive the Sovereign's inheritance, come and take it yourself. If you don't even have this much courage, you are not worthy of facing me."
As the voice fell, dark spheres surged out one by one, tearing through the air and flying toward Dystopia.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions occurred one after another.
Dystopia grit her teeth, her toes tapping the ground repeatedly as she narrowly avoided the strikes one by one, yet she was still sent flying by the aftershocks.
A sweet taste rose in her throat, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
She rolled clumsily, dodging another dark sphere, and wiped the blood from her mouth, her eyes burning with a stubborn flame.
"Holy crap, you're a lunatic!"
To be continued…
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