The Grand Hall remained frozen long after the bloodline mirror dissolved. A thin layer of frost clung to the walls like white scars, refusing to melt even under the blazing symbols of the Fire Clan. The heat of a thousand flames could not erase the chill left behind by Little Water's murderous intent.
On the ground lay two figures.
Little Fire, unconscious—
And beside him, Shuye, collapsed with blood staining her pale lips.
Spirit Fairy stared blankly, her breath caught in her throat as the hall shifted around her. The flames flickered wildly, unsure whether to roar or retreat.
The moment Shuye hit the icy floor, her qi went into violent turmoil. Dark wind surged around her, spinning chaotically like a storm with no center. Her thin frame shook, and then—
She vomited blood again.
The crimson splash echoed painfully across the hall.
"Shuye!!" Spirit Fairy's voice cracked, she rushed forward.
But Shuye couldn't hear her.
Her mind had cracked—
Her heart had ripped—
Because the man she loved, her Little Wind, was gone.
Or so she believed.
The truth was harsher—
Her lover had not died.
He had merged, silently, painfully, into Little Water—
Becoming one with him, losing his separate existence.
A truth no heart could swallow easily.
Her vision darkened.
Her breath faltered.
Her heart felt as though it was being crushed by invisible hands.
And then—
The world disappeared into a silent, suffocating void.
Shuye fell beside Little Fire, unconscious.
---
Spirit Fairy's Doubt
For a long moment after they fell, Spirit Fairy stood frozen. The cold around her bit into her skin, but the uncertainty burning in her chest was worse.
Why… why are they both collapsing at the same time?
Who is Shuye to Little Fire?
Who is Little Fire to her?
And who is this 'brother' he speaks of—thousands of miles away yet appearing in this lava mirror?
Questions spun in her mind like frenzied flames, scorching her heart.
She wanted to shake him awake.
She wanted answers.
She wanted to know who she was falling for.
But she did not rush.
She sat quietly between the two unconscious figures, her hands trembling in her lap.
Little Fire… who exactly are you?
And what kind of past binds you to this woman… and to someone so far away?
The cold hall seemed to whisper no answers.
---
Little Fire Wakes
It took twelve hours.
The frost around the hall melted slowly as if kneeling to the returning warmth of his body. A faint red glow pulsed beneath Little Fire's skin, then his fingers twitched.
He groaned softly.
His eyes opened.
And he saw—
Spirit Fairy leaning against the edge of the bed, her head resting on his hand.
She had fallen asleep while holding him tightly, refusing to let go even in her exhaustion.
Little Fire's lips softened.
He didn't wake her.
Gently, he lifted her in his arms. She murmured softly but did not resist. He laid her on his bed, pulling a fireweave blanket over her shoulders.
For a moment, he stood still, gazing at her quietly.
She stayed… all this time.
But there was no time to linger.
His expression hardened, and he stepped out of the courtyard.
---
The Truth About Shuye
He found Spirit Fairy's father—Fire Hornet—and bowed slightly.
"How is she?" he asked, voice steady but deep with worry.
Fire Hornet sighed heavily.
"Her qi is unstable. She fell into depression so deep her spirit nearly cracked."
Little Fire clenched his fists.
Fire Hornet continued, "I sensed something else, Little Fire… It wasn't normal wind qi. It was… ancient. Stronger than our Wind Clan's patriarch. What exactly is she?"
Little Fire didn't answer.
Because the truth wasn't his to reveal.
He simply bowed again and walked silently to Shuye's chamber.
---
Shuye's Song of Broken Wind
The room was dim, lit by a single flame lantern. The air carried the faint scent of medicinal herbs and wind-blessed incense.
Shuye sat near the window, her slender fingers brushing the strings of a traditional zither. The melody she played was wrong—broken, trembling, painfully soft.
It was a song of loss.
A song that felt like wind passing through empty halls.
Little Fire stepped inside quietly.
When Shuye saw him, she stopped playing. Her eyes were swollen, but her voice was calm.
"I'm sorry for troubling you, Little Fire."
He shook his head, but she continued.
"I know now. My husband… Little Wind… is gone. So there is no reason for me to stay."
She rose to her feet. Her steps were graceful—but her heart was bleeding.
She walked past him without meeting his eyes.
When the door closed behind her, Little Fire felt a strange pain twist inside him.
He didn't love Shuye—
but he felt her grief as if it touched something old within him.
Chasing the one I should protect?
Or letting go the one who should be protected by me?
He didn't know.
He sat slowly, his flame flickering weakly in his chest.
Then Spirit Fairy entered.
---
Spirit Fairy's Tears
The moment she saw him, she noticed it—
His flame was dimming.
The light in his eyes flickered like a dying ember.
She rushed forward and knelt in front of him, grabbing his hands tightly.
"Little Fire!"
He raised his head slowly, startled.
Spirit Fairy's eyes brimmed with tears.
"Tell me… Tell me what you want to tell me… so I can prepare myself."
Her voice shook.
"I know you have a connection to her… But it's not guilt I see in your eyes. It's confusion. So please… tell me the truth."
Little Fire closed his eyes slowly.
Then he opened them and whispered:
"I am not what I appear to be."
Spirit Fairy held his hand tighter.
Little Fire took a deep, trembling breath.
"We are not who we are.
We are one.
We are many."
"What do you mean?" she whispered.
"I… am a clone of someone else," Little Fire said quietly. "Her husband, Little Wind, is also a clone. That's why Shuye felt his aura in me."
Spirit Fairy froze.
He continued.
"When one of us dies, our memories and powers transfer to another. And someday… we will all merge into one again."
Spirit Fairy's lips trembled.
"So… you and her husband… were brothers in another form?"
"Yes," he whispered.
"And when we die, we return to the same soul."
She swallowed. Her heart hurt, but she did not let go of his hand.
"Then… do you carry her husband's memories?"
Little Fire shook his head.
"No. Little Water does. The one we accidentally saw."
Spirit Fairy closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
"Then what do you want to do now?" she asked.
There was jealousy in her voice, fear, sadness—but she did not reject him.
Little Fire looked at the door where Shuye had exited moments ago.
"Her husband… would want her to stay here. Not chase after Little Water, who is suffering in madness."
Spirit Fairy lowered her eyes and whispered softly:
"Then go… stop her. Tell her to stay."
Her voice was trembling slightly.
But she didn't hold him back.
Little Fire understood the sadness inside her—
But he couldn't comfort her now.
He stood and left without a word, so wounds would not deepen.
The moment he disappeared—
Spirit Fairy's tears fell silently.
---
The Chase
Little Fire dashed through the Fire Clan's outer courtyard.
The blazing wind whipped past him as he leapt toward the main gate.
"SHUYE!" he shouted.
Her silhouette was already approaching the boundary road that would lead toward the Wind Clan territory.
He sprinted faster.
"Shuye!! Sister Shuye! Please stop!"
His voice echoed across the path.
Shuye paused.
The wind around her stilled.
She slowly turned her head, eyes exhausted and cold.
"…Do you have something about my husband?"
Little Fire caught his breath.
"Yes. But please… let's go somewhere else. I will tell you everything I know."
She stared at him long, unsure—
But finally, in a fragile voice:
"…This is the last time I will believe you."
She followed him back.
---
The Truth in the Room of Flames
When they entered Spirit Fairy's room, three people were waiting:
Spirit Fairy.
Her father, the Sect Leader.
Her grandfather, the Grandmaster.
Their expressions were solemn.
Little Fire stood in the center, Shuye beside him.
Then—
He told them everything.
About the clones.
About the merging.
About Little Wind becoming a part of Little Water.
About how they live, die, and return to one.
The room fell silent.
No one spoke.
Shuye's lips trembled first.
"…So is he alive, or not?"
Little Fire exhaled softly.
"He is alive—but as Little Water. They have become one."
Her breath hitched.
She nearly collapsed again.
"And you… Little Fire. If you die… will you merge with another too?"
Little Fire nodded.
"Yes. My memories, my power… will be passed on. Until the last of us returns to one."
Shuye closed her eyes tightly.
Her shoulders shook.
Spirit Fairy felt her own heart clench.
In this room of flames—
Wind broke.
Fire trembled.
And hearts were tested by truths too heavy for one lifetime.
---Waiting---