Long Tian stood atop a crystal-covered cliff, overlooking the quiet rhythm of his territory. Since claiming the Crest and defeating its ancient guardian, a gentle harmony had returned to the land. The Dragon Spirit Qi flowed evenly, the Earth Dew Pond shimmered with life, and the breeze carried peace.
But today, something foreign drifted in on that wind.
A sudden chill.
Frost formed along the leaves and stones below. Trees that never knew snow began to shimmer with glacial lace. Long Tian's golden eyes narrowed.
Then he saw it.
A streak of icy blue fire tearing silently across the sky, spiraling downward in elegant arcs before disappearing into the Spirit Meadow near the northern boundary.
He took flight instantly.
When he landed, he saw her.
A young Ice Phoenix, no larger than himself, stood at the meadow's center. Her feathers glowed with snowy blues and silvers, and every breath she exhaled left faint frost in the air. She looked ethereal—divine—yet very much like a child. Alone. Wandering.
Long Tian's heart thumped once, hard.
Their eyes met.
And in that instant, something within him stirred. His Azure Heart Core pulsed. The blood in his veins felt… awake. Seen.
The Ice Phoenix blinked, feathers fluttering, as if she too felt it.
There was no hostility. Only familiarity. Recognition not of face, but of origin.
She took a tentative step forward. "You feel like… someone I should know."
Long Tian nodded. "Same. It's like our bloodlines… remember each other."
The Phoenix looked down for a moment, wings curling in slightly. "I've always been alone. Never knew where I came from. But this… here, now—" she looked up at him again, eyes shining "—this feels like the first time something makes sense."
Long Tian's tail flicked, his throat tight. "I've never met anyone like me. Maybe… you're the first."
The moment lingered. Soft, fragile, warm.
Then her expression changed—playful, challenging. "Let's see how well we match."
She lifted into the air with a swirl of icy wind, feathers gleaming with cold flame.
Long Tian laughed and followed, azure wings bursting with energy.
Their spar began.
She struck with graceful dives and icy flame that blanketed the treetops in frost. Long Tian countered with thunder-charged bursts, the wind singing as he weaved through the air. They clashed midair again and again—talon against claw, storm against snow.
No anger. No malice.
Just joy.
It wasn't a battle. It was something deeper—two wild hearts echoing each other, testing, learning, connecting.
When they finally landed, breathless, the meadow around them shimmered with frost and broken wind.
"You're strong," she said, smiling with pink-tinted cheeks.
"You too," Long Tian replied. "You're… beautiful."
She blinked, surprised. Then she giggled softly, brushing a feather back with her wing.
And then—
Long Tian felt a chill crawl up the back of his neck.
He turned slowly.
Standing just behind him was Yunxiao, the silver-furred, nine-tailed fox, her gaze sharp and narrowed, one tail flicking with barely concealed irritation.
Beside her stood Baoyun, the majestic qilin—mane glittering with sapphire light, eyes cool and unreadable, her posture regal… but her aura unmistakably tense.
Both girls stared at Long Tian.
And the Phoenix.
Long Tian instinctively took a step back. "I-It's not what it looks like!"
The Phoenix tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"
Yunxiao arched a brow. "Oh? So sparring includes blushes now?"
Baoyun's tail swished once, and the air shimmered slightly. She said nothing, but the weight of her silent glare made Long Tian sweat.
"I-I was just—!"
DING.
A sudden chime rang in Long Tian's head.
A golden screen appeared faintly before his eyes—text glowing, shifting, unreadable. Something important. Something awakening.
He froze.
The Ice Phoenix blinked, but showed no reaction. She didn't see it. Didn't hear it.
Only he had.
Long Tian's heart beat faster.
Something was coming.
And whatever it was—it began now.