Hua stood in silence, her gaze fixed on the distant sky where Skybracer had disappeared just moments ago.
She turned away.
She hadn't accepted the invitation.
Not because she was dismissive of the adepti request but because she couldn't bring herself to follow a name, "Morax," emperor or not, was still a stranger to her. Titles meant nothing. Power, principle, and presence those mattered.
If this so-called Emperor truly wanted her alliance, then he would need to come in person. If he expected her to kneel, he would need to prove he was strong enough to make her bow.
Hua's expression remained unreadable as her disciple, Lin Zhaoyu, stood beside her, eyes still searching the sky where Skybracer had gone.
"Master… is this really okay?" Zhaoyu asked, voice soft, uncertain. She was always so careful in how she questioned Hua.
"Yes," Hua answered without hesitation. "Before you follow someone… you must first determine if they're worthy of being followed."
She walked ahead, leaving her disciple in thoughtful silence.
--------------
The following days brought no peace.
Not because of external threats but because of the memories.
They weren't hers.
They belonged to the real Fu Hua. But they were surfacing now, like drifting echoes stirring to life in her dreams. Each night, fragments returned to her: images, voices, emotions… none heavy, not yet. But they came unbidden, tied to familiar scents, sounds, and sights.
And they were becoming more vivid.
A dojo.
The air thick with the scent of old wood and sweat.
A young girl stood at its center, punching the air with quick, deliberate movements.
"Hya!" she exhaled sharply, sweat glistening on her forehead. After finishing her sequence, she paused, wiped her brow with her sleeve, and smiled with satisfaction before moving right into the next set.
"Hua," a voice called gently.
She stopped mid-strike and turned. "What is it, Father?"
"Ohh… Guh! My daughter… since when do you call me 'Father' instead of 'Daddy'?!" her father cried dramatically.
Hua blinked, then frowned in confusion. "That's way too childish…"
"But you are a child!" he argued, pointing at her like she'd just committed heresy.
"It's just a metaphor!" she shot back, defensive but clearly teasing. "Fine… Dad."
"Better," he grumbled, then composed himself and continued. "Anyway, what I really came to say Hua, my daughter… you don't need to worry about this dojo. You should take the chance to study at Sapphire Academy."
Hua let out a groan and turned away. "Not this again…"
"I'm serious," he said gently. "You're smart, strong — this place can wait. You shouldn't be stuck here when there's a whole world out there."
She threw a few punches, avoiding eye contact. "I'm going to inherit this dojo anyway when you're too old to run it. What's the point of leaving?"
"Hua…" he said, soft but firm, "this dojo doesn't need to run forever. But your future does. I want you to have more than this. I want you to live your life."
There was a pause. Then she smiled faintly. "But if I leave, I won't get to spend time with you."
His chest tightened. "You brat…" he muttered affectionately, rubbing the back of his head.
"Okay, okay," he said after a moment. "How about this — if you go to that school and graduate, this place is yours. Full ownership."
She stopped, turning slowly. "You're serious?"
"As serious as your punches," he said with a proud grin.
Hua crossed her arms, pretending to consider it. "Hmm… I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask. But think quickly — school starts in two weeks."
Hua awoke slowly, her eyes fluttering open to the soft golden light of early dawn.
Another memory.
She sat up in silence, listening to the chirping of birds outside her room, letting the warmth of nostalgia wash over her....
----------------------
Near a quiet waterfall nestled in the shadow of Taixuan Mountain, Hua knelt at the edge of a smooth stone. Her reflection stared back from the still water serene, composed… but unfamiliar.
She sighed.
With slow, deliberate movement, she reached up and removed the tie binding her hair. Her bluish-purplish locks fell freely down her back, catching the early light as they swayed gently in the mountain breeze.
The hair tie wasn't ordinary. It was the Divine Key the Fenghuang Down. The Key of Sentience.
She held it in her hand, staring at its delicate form.
She had known for some time now. The memories… the dreams… they came from this.
From her.
Or rather, the original Fu Hua.
And yet, she had done nothing to stop the flow of those memories not out of fear, nor confusion.
But curiosity.
Hua had once admired Fu Hua. Before she had become her in this world she had been a fan, a follower, a distant observer of her strength and story.
Still, she was not that woman.
She had chosen to walk her own path.
Closing her eyes, Hua let the energy of Fenghuang Down stir. Ethereal feathers drifted around her like spirits drawn to a forgotten rhythm. One floated gently toward her and as it touched her shoulder, she breathed out softly.
A quiet seal.
She didn't need those memories. Not when they threatened to blur the boundaries between the person she had been… and the person she had never meant to become.
Opening her eyes, she looked again at the water. A strange sense of déjà vu struck her as though she had done this before, many times. Yet no clear memory surfaced.
It must have worked.
Hua smiled faintly, a weight lifting from her expression. She tied her hair back once more and stood.
Then she walked away from the waterfall.
-----------------
Back at her courtyard, the familiar clink of ceramic against wood echoed softly under the shade of a slanted roof. Hua sat calmly at the tea table, a steaming cup in her hand, the fragrance of mountain herbs drifting into the air.
Across from her sat Su Mei.
The girl's posture was proper her eyes focused on the cup in front of her, not yet daring to speak.
Only the distant hum of cicadas and birdsong filled the silence.
Hua broke it first.
"So," she said, voice even, "how was the training today?"
Su Mei sipped her tea before answering, "It was alright."
Then, after a pause, "Master…"
Her voice softened — hesitant, searching. "Is it… bad to be affected by that evil energy?"
Hua's expression shifted slightly, her gaze sharpening. She looked at the girl.
"Yes," she said simply.
"If… someone was affected," Su Mei continued, her eyes meeting Hua's directly now, "what would Master do?"
There was a silence.
"I would put them out of their misery," Hua replied without hesitation.
Su Mei's grip on her teacup tightened. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Is killing… the only way?"
Hua didn't flinch. Her voice was calm. "Yes."
"But why—"
"Because," Hua interrupted, her tone sharper than before, "I'm not good enough. I can't make a medicine to cure them. I've tried. And until I can… the only mercy I can give is to end their suffering."
Su Mei's lips parted slightly, as if to argue but no words came. Her expression trembled, just briefly, before she bowed her head.
"I understand," she said quietly, rising to her feet.
"Thank you for the tea, Master."
Without another word, she turned and walked away, her face hidden, her steps composed but her silence heavy.
Hua watched her go.
"Hmm."
She took another sip of tea, her eyes lingering on the girl's back as it disappeared around the corner.
-----------------
Few hour later.
In the middle of a forgotten forest where even the birds dared not sing, Hua stood alone beneath a pale sky.
She didn't know why she had come — only that she had heard something. A distant cry. Faint, frightened. Not with her ears, perhaps, but within her heart.
Someone had called for her not by name, not even aloud. Just… a desperate plea carried on the wind. A whisper of belief in someone they called Immortal Jingwei.
Hua was no god. She sighed quietly as she stepped forward through the overgrown underbrush.
Then she saw them.
Two girls no older than seven locked in each other's arms as they trembled, blood staining their knees and palms. Their small forms stood defiant, even as they backed into a tree, cornered.
In front of them…
A beast.
A dragon-like creature with a body made of jagged stone and geo-crystals, thick-limbed and without wings. A Vishap a corrupt one.
More than Geo… there was another energy stirring within it.
Honkai.
Hua's expression hardened.
Before she could think, she leapt.
Landing between the girls and the monster, her arm shot up, catching the vishap's descending claw with her bare hand. The impact cracked the ground beneath her feet, but Hua didn't budge.
The creature recoiled.
And then she released it.
The killing intent.
A silent, invisible pressure fell over the clearing like a storm cloud descending. The vishap froze for a brief second, instincts screaming.
Then it turned and fled, bounding into the forest.
Hua raised her hand.
A gleam of silver flashed through the air — and without a sound, a sword manifested and flew like a spear.
It struck the beast through the back, piercing its core.
The vishap collapsed in a lifeless heap, its corrupted crystal dimming into ash.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Hua turned toward the two girls, still clinging to each other. Their wide yellow eyes like brilliant munsell gold locked onto her. One wore her violet hair braided at the back, the other braided it over her shoulder.
Twins.
"You can open your eyes now," Hua said gently, her tone calm and firm.
They already did and what they saw was not a human, not to their young eyes.
But an immortal.
A celestial guardian wreathed in feathers and mist, standing where death had been only seconds before.
"…Pretty," both girls whispered at once.
Hua sighed, shaking her head slightly.
"What are two children doing this deep in the forest?" she asked.
The older one slowly stepped forward, still holding her sister's hand tightly. Her gaze never wavered from Hua.
"The village chief said it was necessary… to calm the dragon spirit," she said carefully.
"…You were offered as sacrifices?" Hua asked, pointing toward the now-dead vishap.
"Yes," the older girl answered.
A pause.
"I see. What are your names, children?"
"I'm Jiang Wanxi," said the older.
"I'm Jiang Wanru," added the younger.
Hua nodded.
"Tell me… where is your village?"
Wanxi blinked. "Why? What will you do, Immortal?"
Hua turned her gaze toward the trees, as if seeing beyond the forest.
"From what you said, this wasn't the first time. Your village has done this many times before."
She looked back down at the girls.
"I will put an end to these meaningless sacrifices."
The twins stared up at her, jaws slightly open.
"So cool…" they whispered in unison, eyes sparkling with awe.
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(A/n: finally it pass the review....)