As Stella crossed the central courtyard and approached the doorway that led into the neighboring training courtyard, the spring in her step slowly died, and the bubbling feeling in her chest transitioned into dread.
Why did her happy reunion with Tree have to be tainted by the presence of a Ravenborne?
Stella let out a long breath to calm her nerves.
Diana Ravenborne was far stronger than her—that much was clear.
The gap in their upbringing was too vast to overcome with pure cultivation.
Why was life so unfair? Why did Diana get all the love and attention in the world while she was left alone in a desolate courtyard for so many years?
Stella clenched her fists as the distant memory of her father patiently teaching her the only techniques she knew to this day slowly replayed in her mind.
He would still be alive if not for the pressure upon her old man's shoulders to rush his cultivation due to families like the Ravenborne that set their eyes on his family's peak.
His kind smile and energetic blonde hair that had waved and glowed in the sunshine were all she remembered of him.
Stella closed her eyes for a brief moment to hold back the tears, she was a big girl now, and she had Tree to look out for her.
Now wasn't the time to show weakness.
Her father had always chuckled warmly and told her to be stronger than he ever was as he pattered her small head and told her stories of his younger days.
A breeze blew as Stella stood rooted before the ajar wooden door separating the courtyards.
How was she supposed to face the daughter of the man that orchestrated her father's death with anything but wrathful fury and a venomous sneer?
"You are better than that, Stella." She whispered to herself as she played with the earrings that Tree had gifted her as a child to calm herself. "Don't be like them, have an open but guarded heart."
Taking a final deep breath, Stella pushed past the door, crossed the corridor, and entered the training courtyard.
It was as she remembered it, apart from the destroyed far wall overgrown with red vines and the deep gashes left everywhere, likely from Diana's training.
In the center, standing before a badly beaten-up training dummy, was Diana.
Noticing Stella's presence, Diana looked over he shoulder, "Finished talking to the tree?"
Her voice was dull but not cold. Nevertheless, it lacked that sharpness Stella had expected. She knew how she interacted with Tree was abnormal, but she cared little for it.
"I have." Stella stayed where she was standing with her arms crossed. "I see you have made a wreck of my training courtyard?"
Diana turned to face her. A sword lazily hung in her hand with the tip just above the ground. "I admit the gashes in the floor were me, and I apologize for that... but the rest of the damage was from my father, not me."
Stella raised a brow, "Your father was here? Grand Elder Ravenborne? Was he looking for me?"
Shaking her head, Diana smiled, "Nah, the old bastard went supernova. The Winterwrath and Evergreen families have taken over my peak and slaughtered everyone."
Diana gestured to the hole in the wall, "Want to take a look?"
Stella found her words unbelievable. It was hard to imagine such a titanic family falling to lower-tier ones like the Winterwrath and Evergreen families.
Although she had heard the Ravenborne family had been in decline for a long time, it was still weird to hear that the family that had plagued her mind for so long was just... gone.
"Sure." Stella walked over, and Diana led the girl across the training courtyard, kicking up sand as they went.
Stella looked to the side and noticed Diana was a bit shorter than her and had a rather odd dressing style—the blood that stained the shirt wasn't helping the look—but it suited her. 'Maybe I should look into some new clothes.' Stella thought as she glanced down at the ordinary black cloak she had worn for years that was tattered and needed a good wash.
Diana flicked her finger as the two approached the hole overgrown with red vines, and a burst of blue flames shot out, incinerating the red vines in seconds.
Once the smoke cleared, Stella was confused.
Ravenborne peak was still there, but the pavilion had been replaced with a grand palace of white stone.
Even from so far away, Stella could feel hundreds of cultivators mingling around the palace. freewebn(o)vel.com
"That is the new palace built by the Winterwrath and Evergreen families." Diana frowned, "Right where my home used to be."
Stella's eyes wandered to the staircase connecting the palace to Darklight city below.
A constant stream of mortals and cultivators went up and down like worker ants.
Diana pointed to the mountain's base, and Stella followed her finger, "That's where my father went supernova. After that, the southside of Darklight city was destroyed and naturally rebuilt. Those humans are always eager to move to Qi-dense areas for improved lifespan and health."
Stella absentmindedly nodded as she took it all in.
Being told the family that had put her through so much was dead and actually seeing the evidence of their destruction with her own two eyes were two different things.
This provided some closure but also made Stella feel a little lost.
Not because she had a lifelong vendetta against house Ravenborne to fulfill, but rather what to do with the girl standing beside her.
Stella could understand the surface level of her situation. Her family's dead; therefore, her home and economic backing have vanished.
Diana is just like her—sort of. Of course, there were noticeable differences, but Stella could also see some possible bridges between them.
Her almost instant defeat to Diana played in her mind, taunting her.
She likely wouldn't have survived the wilderness without Maples's obvious help that she didn't wish to question.
She needed techniques like Diana.
Stella cast a side glance at her, and the girl was just staring at her old home with a distant expression.
"Do you miss them?" Stella thought she saw a longing in Diana's eyes...
Diana snorted, "Absolutely not. My life has been complete hell since you killed my brother. I was shoved into a position I didn't want and forced to compete with other scions despite my meager talent."
There was a moment of silence, and Stella hummed to herself, "Mhm... and you didn't know of the murder plot against me?"
Diana rolled her eyes, "I was like ten at the time. Even if I did somehow know about it, so what? What could I have done? My brother was the one with power at the time, not me." Diana paused before adding, "However, right before my father died, he sent me on a suicide mission to kill you."
Diana gritted her teeth in silent rage, "My father made an ultimatum. Either I kill you and suffer the consequences, or defy him and die by his hands. From that moment, I knew my life as a Ravenborne was over."
Looking up at the sky, Diana let out a small sigh of relief, "But with father dead, that burden has been lifted from my exhausted shoulders. I am now free of all that nonsense the family tried to shove onto me."
Stella now had a much better picture of Diana's life and circumstances. It would appear that her assumptions about Diana's lavish life were wrong, but there was no way she would admit fault. Deciding to change the subject, Stella asked, "So why are you here exactly?"
"Well, long story short, I came here before my father died on a mission to investigate what happened to Darron, my father's brother—and naturally found it empty since you were off in the wilderness." Diana gestured through the hole in the wall with a nod, "So when everything went kaboom, and I barely survived a kidnapping from some arsehole called Wayne Evergreen, I needed a place to lie low in case he came looking for me."
Stella frowned. "So you picked my home of all places?"
"Yes," Diana said flatly as she looked at a beast core in the palm of her hand. "With my money cut off, I had to live frugally. In just a year, I'm already down to my last beast core..."
Stella reached over and grabbed the beast core—crushing it to dust in her hand. "We do not need these vile things that affect our state of mind and only lead to madness. Without these tainted things, we would cooperate like those in the Celestial Empire."
"But..." Diana's eyes seemed to glaze over as she looked at her now empty hand. "I'm stuck at a bottleneck and on a time crunch for the Grand Elder exam. Without beast cores, I don't see how it can be possible."
Stella reached over and put a hand on Diana's shoulder, which made the girl almost yelp, "Diana, we are all on our own warpath through life with different hurdles to overcome. Don't compare yourselves to other scions and let negativity fester in your mind. You are the main character of your story, and so long as you wield the hammer of hope to demolish the obstacles standing in your way, there is no bottleneck you cannot overcome."
Tightening her grip and meeting Diana's eyes, Stella muttered, "If you don't believe in yourself, then who will?"
Diana nodded, her dull eyes lightening up a little. "Your right. I shouldn't need beast cores to progress. If those in the Celestial Empire can rise without them, so can I."
Stella smiled and nodded, "Exactly. I'm also aiming for the Grand Elder exam. So why don't we aim for it together?"
"Sure! But does that mean I can stay here?" Diana asked while scratching the back of her neck. "I got nowhere else to go."
"Of course, if you teach me a few techniques." Seeing the girl nod, Stella tightened her grip again, "But no going near or feeding Tree anything ever again. You hear me? Stay in this courtyard."
Seeing Diana roll her eyes—Stella chuckled and walked off toward the central courtyard, "Let's speak again later. I got an old friend to catch up with."
Diana smiled at Stella's departing back but couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Whatever you say, you crazy treehugger."
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