As the day started to get dark—three days before the match—Hennah and Jug went out to get some groceries.

  “Hennah, don’t forget the Talma sauce and Valein salt, got it?” Jug said. “AND NO, NOT CHEESE. WE’RE NOT MAKING BURGERS TODAY,” he continued as Hennah was about to mention cheese.

  She pouted and followed him.

  In the Daen super grocery—packed with greens, meats, sodas, and salts—everything was sold from across Jarta. The customers crowded in, but the staff served everyone calmly and perfectly.

  As they arrived, Hennah widened her eyes. “This is fucking huge! Imma find Shein soda!” she said.

  “Bring me two, pink hair,” Jug replied, scanning for ingredients.

  Jug opened his shopping list: “Butter, Muskatnu?, eggs, Valein salt…” He analyzed the brands carefully before picking through the racks.

  Hennah, meanwhile, wandered to the cold section. “AH, FOUND YOU, SHINY SHEIN!” she declared—until she saw three different brands. She paused. “Fuck… I hate choosing.”

  Most customers grabbed the yellow bottle. “Too much sparkle,” she muttered. Others took the black. “Too salty and sour.”

  Then Hennah smirked. “If yellow’s too sparkling, and black’s too sour... maybe this!” She grabbed two gray-capped bottles. “This gonna be sweet!”

  Meanwhile, Jug finished the list—until he realized he forgot something. “Does Ming like hot spicy or mild spicy?”

  “Mild…” Hennah said, returning with two Shein sodas—and ten packs of cheese.

  “HENNAH, YOU IMBECILE! NO CHEESE!! WE’RE ROASTING CHICKEN, NOT MAKING BURGERS!!”

  “STILL COUNTS, JUGGY BOY!!”

  At the tavern, Ying and Ming sat together while Ming taught her the foundation of Dancing Cinders.

  “Halha… Salgha… Yalgha… Shgulha… Nyalha… What do they mean?” Ying asked.

  “Names of the Cinders,” Ming replied. “Halha—Strength. Salgha—Focus. Yalgha—Modesty. Shgulha—Beauty. Nyalha—Ignite. Dancing Cinders isn’t about practicality. It’s about how you initiate.”

  “Not practical? Then how can I do it if I don’t memorize them?”

  “Good question. You don’t need to.” Ming drew her dagger and began to chant. “Salgha… Yalgha… Halha… Nyalha…” As she swung, cinders flew like petals.

  Ying was stunned. “So… it’s power?”

  “Neither. I don’t believe in powers,” Ming smiled softly. “It’s about how you control gravity, the momentum of your hold.” She set the dagger down and used her fingers to draw in the air. A small fire ignited.

  “Index—Nyalha,” she said, and a flame lit her index finger.

  “Middle—Salgha…” she continued, both fingers glowing.

  Then she opened her palm—blue flame.

  “Yalgha…” she whispered.

  She closed it into a fist—red flame.

  “Halha…”

  Finally, she relaxed—pink flame.

  “Shgulha.”

  The pink flame flickered like cherry blossom petals.

  “But where’d you learn all this?” Ying asked.

  “Myself.”

  “Oh?”

  “Well… actually it was from my—”

  “WE’RE BACK!” Hennah shouted.

  “Keep your voice down, goddamnit!” Jug growled.

  “WHY NOT?! MYKE WOULDN’T HEAR US COMING!!”

  Ying giggled, but Ming… stared at her. Something familiar. She almost said something—then held back.

  “Hennah. Jug,” she stood. “Wake me when you’re done.” Ming walked away to her room.

  From another tavern, AyLex stood staring out the window as stars shimmered across the heavens. Grug stepped up beside him.

  “So? Is Ying coming?” he asked.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Kana whispered. “You know she left because of you.”

  “She’s still my friend, okay?”

  “You sure? You know I’m better than Ying. I use two blades, and she just swings a stick with a dagger strapped to it.”

  “You wanna see Ying?” AyLex interrupted, voice flat.

  Everyone fell silent.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “You will… once I get rid of my greedy brother,” he said, smirking.

  “You mean Myke?” Kana asked.

  “He doesn’t know Ying will suffer staying with him,” AyLex continued, eyes still fixed on the stars. “Just like how he let Mya die… his fiancée.”

  “We need to bring Ying back! She’ll die if he keeps her locked in!” Grug snapped.

  “Calm… my friend. In Geil, I’ll release her from her pain. I bet Ying would even be grateful if I let her go. Especially now that she’s being trained by Ming.”

  Grug trembled. “Fuck Ming. She shot me in the head.”

  “Hmm... Dhark?” AyLex called calmly.

  The hooded void-being appeared beside them.

  “You know your task.”

  Without a word, Dhark vanished into the dark.

  “Grug,” Kana purred, “let’s have a bit of fun, shall we?”

  “Make sure you bring her back, AyLex,” Grug said before wrapping an arm around Kana’s waist.

  “What’s your move this time, love?” she teased.

  “You’ll see,” he smirked.

  AyLex kept staring into the abyss.

  The next morning, Jashash arrived at the arena zone where dozens of teams were already training.

  “My friends? Find a space,” AyLex ordered.

  Kana, Dhark, and Sonnie moved ahead. Most other teams avoided them—especially Kana, whose revealing gear drew too many eyes. “Boys, I’m a bit busy. I’ll catch you later~” she winked, sauntering toward a nearby team. Her catwalk said everything… and they followed.

  “Here’s the spot, AyLex!” Sonnie shouted from an open space.

  AyLex and Grug stepped in. They began drills—military-style, focused and relentless—while Kana bathed herself in flame, heat licking her exposed skin like a smoldering flower.

  Meanwhile, in the woods nearby, Ming and Ying walked deeper for another lesson.

  “Hmm? What’s that noise?” Ying asked, hearing muffled moans.

  Ming raised a brow… then scoffed. “Some stupid people who don’t know how to keep it in the bedroom.”

  Ying’s face turned bright red. She looked away quickly.

  As they reached the clearing, Ying took her usual stance.

  “Too wide,” Ming said instantly.

  “What?”

  “Narrow it.”

  Ying adjusted her legs.

  “Narrower.”

  Again.

  Ming squinted. “You trying to seduce someone? Narrow it.”

  By the time Ying stood with her legs practically together, she frowned. “Uh… why like this?”

  “If it’s too wide, you won’t ignite the fire. The narrower, the better the chance.”

  “I… see.”

  Ming unsheathed her blade. Flames surged as it slid free. “NYALHA!” she chanted, swinging down.

  Ying rolled, caught her spear mid-motion, and spun like a ballerina. “HALHA!” she shouted. Their weapons clashed. Sparks flew. Flames burst from the strikes like torches in a whirlwind. Trees trembled. Embers danced through the canopy like fireflies.

  Ying leaped, spun, and brought her spear down in a pink arc of flame.

  Ming blocked, sidestepped, then countered from the side.

  Ying blocked.

  No fear. No struggle.

  Ming blinked. Her face was calm. Her eyelids... burning.

  “Mya…” she whispered to herself.

  “Shgulha!” Ying cried out.

  Suddenly, glitch-like clones exploded from her body, all wielding spears wrapped in pink flame.

  Ming widened her stance. “GHALHASHA!” she called. Blades erupted around her like spectral wings, parrying every clone. She hadn’t expected the spar to turn serious. She kicked Ying backward—but Ying stayed upright. Her stance reset. Calm. Precise. Familiar.

  “Blossoms…” Ming murmured.

  Ying lunged. Ming caught the strike—then, with a calm breath, whispered, “Yield.”

  The battle ended.

  Ying looked around—half the forest was scorched. “Oh… fuck,” she muttered. “MING, ARE YOU OKAY?!”

  “I’m fine,” Ming smiled softly. “Let’s call it a day.”

  Ying was still confused. “Uh… did I do this?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Will the authorities notice?”

  “Maybe.”

  “…And the trees?”

  “Only time can tell.”

  “…Uhh.”

  “JUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE ADD CHEESE ON IT!!” Hennah shouted as Jug roasted the chicken.

  “HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT!? YOU’LL RUIN THE TASTE OF THE CHICKEN I JUST MARINATED!!”

  “OH COME ON! IT’LL TASTE EVEN BETTER IF YOU ADD JUST ONE!!” Hennah lunged forward with a slice of cheese, trying to sneak it in.

  Jug caught her wrist midair. “OH NO YOU DON’T!!”

  “LET ME GO, CHEF SOFT HANDS!!”

  “NUH UH! I WON’T LET YOU DESTROY MY SIGNATURE ROAST!”

  “I’M JUST ADDING SOME SEASONING, JUGGY BOY!”

  On the other side of the kitchen, Myke facepalmed and sighed. “Can you two just cook properly?”

  “SHUT UP, LYO YARH!!” they both shouted in sync.

  “I’m not a lion, idiots.”

  “Like we care about your roar, Myke,” Hennah smirked.

  A moment later, Ming and Ying stepped in.

  “We’re back,” Ying said as they walked into the chaos.

  “Yo! Did you bring your new spear?!” Hennah asked excitedly.

  “What? No…” Ying looked down—her spear was different. Sharper. Hardened. Its tip was darkened with char and glowing veins along the edges. “Wow… I didn’t notice this,” she blinked.

  “What the hell have you done to it?” Hennah asked.

  “From training,” Ming answered simply.

  Myke’s gaze locked on the weapon.

  His eyes widened slightly. His vision blurred… and for a moment, he didn’t see Ying.

  He saw someone else.

  Ying noticed the stare, confused—but before she could speak, Ming stepped forward.

  “Myke…”

  He snapped out of it. “What?”

  “Words,” Ming said plainly, then turned and left.

  Myke glanced at the spear again, then silently followed.

  As Ming and Myke went to the alleyway, she leaned on the wall silently. Her eyes lowered down, and her hands in her pocket. Myke stands opposite to her. Then, Ming makes her cinder hands gesture and soon, she relaxed her hands and the pink cherry flames ignites. She stares at it longer. Remembering the flames that she used to taught to someone.

  Myke soon look at it. He didn't understand at first but when he sees closely, his memories rush in like tsunami. His stoic face softens, his body trembled. His tears soon starts to run on his face.

  Ming then look at Myke, she noticed his calm face with tears hides his pain and longing. She stretches her hand to Myke. He soon leaned his head to her flames, it's not burning, it's the warmth that he wanted to find. He holds her hand longer and lean his forehead to it more, nose rub it and he finally broke into sadness. His mourning that he have been holding for so long. He finally understand what Ming trying to say. Her flames didn't fade away.

  At night in the tavern, as Jug served the chicken roast...with cheese by Hennah, Valirion having a feast dinner. Jug emotionally eats his chicken that ruined the taste with cheese. "It's worst, pink hair." he said as he controlled his emotions.

  "Nahhh, it's delicious. RIGHT MING?!" Hennah said then saw Ming already finished her meal that left bones on it. "YOU SEE, JUGGY BOY?!"

  "God...please beg my heart~"

  "Don't be a sad chef, goddamnit!! EAT YOUR MEAL!!"

  "I won't eat my meal with your chaos!"

  "Hmph, suit yourself," then Hennah took his chicken and devour it.

  "HEY THAT'S MINE!!"

  "FUCK YOU, YOU SAID YOU DON'T TO EAT MY CHAOS!" She said while laughing with her mouth full.

  Ying chuckles and eats calmly. "It's still fine, Jug. I think you need an assistant," Ying said.

  Suddenly, Myke secretly give another half chicken to Ying by putting it on her plate. "Eh? Myke?" she said.

  "I'm full," Myke said as he drinks his beer.

  "Oh? Thanks." she said with a smile and eat it. As Myke look at her, he slowly smile.

  Ming looked at him, finally found his warmth, she smiles too, while drinking her Hysha tea.

  "Tomorrow, we're off to Tala,"

  "Wait, aren't we in Tala?!"

  "Not yet, Hennah," Ming interrupt.

  "WHAT?!"

  "It's fine, At least you know I'm still in Daen. So have you paid the debt, Ming?" Myke asked.

  Ming nods while sipping her tea.

  "WHHAAAATTT!!!!!!!????????" Hennah still shocked.

  "So, what's our ride?" Myke said.

  Everyone goes quiet.

  "Car? Any?" Myke said.

  "Hennah broke the car," Ming said.

  Then, Myke stare at Hennah and she just acted she didn't know. "It was a scratch...right?"

  "A huge scratch, with a hole on the front," Ming said.

  Then, Myke puts his head with disappointment and sigh.