Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Departure Preparations
Selene knelt on the training hall floor for a long moment, her hand still in his.
The humbled awe on her face slowly melted into something else—a fierce, burning determination. She stood, brushing ice crystals from her robes.
"I will master it." she said, her voice low.
Damon nodded. He didn’t doubt it.
****
Time passed just like that, now it’s a day before Damon need to left to The Capital.
A communication talisman, glowing with Sect Leader Hector’s spiritual signature, materialized in the air before Damon.
Hector’s voice, brisk and businesslike, filled the room.
"The Sky Cutter is ready at the main dock. It departs for the Solaris Capital City at dawn tomorrow. Be there with your disciple. Do not be late."
The talisman dissolved into motes of light.
"So soon." Selene murmured. She looked away, toward the frost-rimmed window.
Before Damon could reply, the air in the hall shifted.
It grew warmer, thicker, carrying a scent of night-blooming flowers and subtle perfume.
Mei appeared, leaning against the doorway as if she’d been there for hours.
She wore a crimson dress today, the silk straining over her curves, and a playful smile touched her painted lips.
"My, my," she purred, her deep purple eyes sweeping over them.
"The energy in here is quite... change. I could feel it from my peak." She pushed off the doorframe and glided into the room, her movements a hypnotic sway.
She stopped an arm’s length from Selene, her gaze sharp and assessing.
"Saint Spirit Realm senses are such a nuisance, aren’t they?" Mei said, her smile widening.
"I can smell the breakthrough on you, little ice queen. Second Level of King Spirit Realm." Her eyes flicked to Damon.
"And I can smell him on you. All over you, really."
Selene didn’t flinch. She didn’t summon her icy aura or snap back with a cold retort.
She just stood there, her posture straight, and met Mei’s gaze. Then, slowly, she turned her head to look at Damon.
It was a simple look, devoid of her usual frosty pride.
It held a quiet acknowledgment, a deep-seated trust. The kind of look a woman gives the man who owns her, heart and soul.
Mei’s teasing smile froze for a split second. Her predatory gleam softened into genuine surprise, then dawning amusement.
"Oh..." Mei breathed, the single word rich with understanding.
"Ho~ ho~ ho~, I see...." She let out a laugh.
"And here I thought the ’Ice Goddess’ title was unshakable. It seems you’ve traded it in for a new one."
"What title is that?" Selene asked, her voice calm.
Mei leaned in, close enough that her breath ghosted over Selene’s cheek. "Damon’s woman." she whispered, the words a velvet taunt.
Selene’s cheeks flushed a faint, delicate pink. But she didn’t deny it. She didn’t even look angry. She just gave a small nod.
Mei leaned back, clapping her hands together once with delight.
"Marvelous! I knew you had potential, Damon. Taming a sword freak elder is no small feat." She winked at him.
"My daughters have good taste. Now, don’t keep the Sect Leader waiting."
She vanished as silently as she’d arrived, leaving the scent of flowers behind.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparation.
Packing was trivial with storage rings.
"The mansion is yours." he told Selene as they stood in the courtyard at dusk.
"Master you sword aura. If Kai or anyone from the Frostborn family comes sniffing around..."
"They will regret it." Selene finished, her eyes glinting with a promise.
****
Dawn came too quickly.
The main dock of the Azure Dragon Sect was a vast platform of white jade, built into the side of the highest mountain peak.
A gentle, perpetual wind swept across it.
There was the Sky Cutter—a sleek vessel of polished dark wood and silver metal, longer than three houses, with glowing runes etched along its hull. Its sails, currently furled, shimmered with captured sunlight.
A small crowd had gathered. Sect Leader Hector stood near the gangplank, speaking with a senior captain.
Mei was there, watching with a smile.
Selene had walked with him to the gates of the dock platform, but went no further.
As an elder, her seeing off a disciple personally would draw too much attention.
The early morning sun cast long shadows. The wind tugged at Selene’s platinum hair, streaming it like a banner of ice.
She looked at Damon. Her usual mask of cold dignity was gone. In its place was a raw, vulnerable struggle.
She turned and walked away, her back straight, not looking back.
Mei, who had observed the entire scene, appeared at Damon’s elbow. Her playful smirk was absent.
She looked almost... approving.
Mei’s gaze shifted over Damon’s shoulder, her expression turning mildly amused.
"Ah. The prodigy arrives."
Damon turned.
A young man was walking toward their him and Mei from the direction of the Sect Leader.
He moved with a light, almost floating grace, his steps silent on the jade stone.
Lark was, as Mio had once said, breathtakingly beautiful in a soft, ethereal way for a man.
He had a delicate frame, slender and willowy beneath his azure disciple robes. His features were finely carved, with full lips and skin like polished porcelain.
But it was his eyes that caught Damon’s attention was his medium golden hair that tied in ponytail. They held a gentle, curious light.
He stopped before Hector and bowed deeply, his movements fluid.
"Master."
"Lark." Hector said, his tone unusually warm.
"This is Damon Arcknight and you already know her, Lady Mei. You will be traveling together."
Lark turned, and a polite smile touched his lips. His voice, when he spoke, was as soft as silk.
"It is an honor. I have heard... many things."
His spiritual pressure, carefully restrained, still whispered of the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm, a step from breaking into the Heavenly Spirit Realm.
Damon’s Incubus Celestial Eyes flickered to life without thought.
He see something that will surprise anyone if they knew.
’Interesting.’ Damon thought.
