Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Chapter 104

A majestic wing scattered the clouds with each gentle flap, sending ripples through the sky.

Shimmering as if misted with tiny crystals, the white feathers caught the sunlight, casting fleeting glimmers across the vast blue expanse.

"Woosh~Whooosh~"

The steady rhythm of powerful wings filled the silence, a quiet but undeniable force against the wind.

Mountains and rivers laid out beneath his hooves as his tail and mane beautifully dancing with the wind.

"It isn’t as fluffy as they look" A clear, crisp voice broke through the ’silence’.

A scarred soft hand reaching through the clouds.

"It isn’t that tangible to be soft" Another, a female replied amused making the first one huff.

"Well, it should" Mo Tianze said as he withdrew his hands from the clouds and place it back around Feng Jiao Xue’s waist.

Feng Jiao Xue and Mo Tianze sat atop Yin Xiao’s back, the soft, velvety fur beneath her a stark contrast to the crisp air rushing past.

The world stretched infinitely before them, rolling mountains, winding rivers, and tiny specks of civilization far below. From this height, the empire looked peaceful, untouched by turmoil.

She had packed up and left after a brief goodbye to the people she got to know and fleeing out of there before her fourth uncle and grandfather argues over the silliest thing again like who packed her a comfier bed and something along the line.

Her cloak billowed behind her, but she barely felt the cold.

The thin, crisp air of the high skies invigorated her senses, filling her lungs with a lightness she rarely felt on the ground.

Yin Xiao moved effortlessly through the sky, gliding with a grace unbefitting his large frame. The reindeer’s antlers gleamed faintly, catching the glow of the sun, and his silver-blue mane rippled like silk.

Each beat of his wings sent a fresh gust of wind downward, scattering the clouds below like drifting mist.

Feng Jiao Xue closed her eyes briefly, letting the sensation of flight settle deep into her bones.

This freedom, this unshackled existence, was fleeting, but for now, she would allow herself to enjoy it.

Her fingers traced absentmindedly over Yin Xiao’s fur, and he gave a soft huff in response, as if sensing her thoughts.

"Not bad," she murmured, the wind carrying her words away.

Yin Xiao chuffed, as if to say "Flying is the best, isn’t it?". He proudly neighed as he flew even faster. Circling through clouds, over and under.

Feng Jiao Xue allowed a small, almost imperceptible smile to touch her lips.

Yin Xiao’s wings cut through the sky with steady grace, their powerful strokes creating pockets of wind that rippled through the clouds below. The air was crisp at this height, carrying the faint scent of rain from distant horizons.

It was cool, as if being kissed by the soft gentle breeze in a snow capped mountain, niether biting, yet cold enough to make one shiver.

Feng Jiao Xue sat at the front, her posture as straight and composed as ever, her gaze fixed ahead. Behind her, Mo Tianze sat quietly, his silver fox ears twitching slightly against the wind.

For a long while, there was only the steady rhythm of flight.

Then, Mo Tianze’s voice, soft and gentle, yet laced with quiet curiosity, broke the silence. "I wonder what the academy will be like."

Feng Jiao Xue hummed lightly in thought. "I don’t know. Though my cousins and Liang Feng study there, I never got the chance to visit" she muses.

She thought about it for a while, thinking of the information she read and the information she gathered through the words of other people. "Though, I’ve heard it’s enormous, far larger than any sect or clan within the empire. A place where cultivation and magic exist side by side, where talent determines status rather than birthright."

"That sounds nice" Mo Tianze smiled having grown into a world where he was discriminated against and insulted just for having a mix bloodline.

"It does sounds nice." Feng Jiao Xue agreed lightly. "Wether it’s actually practiced is another matter entirely"

Sensing Mo Tianze’s mood dropping even if she never needed to look back to see his ears drooping, she tried to salvage his words. "Though, it wouldn’t have the reputation it has now if it’s baseless. I did learn something though. The Academy is said to be above the clouds and under the seas"

Mo Tianze tilted his head slightly, his silver ears twitching again. "That sounds... confusing." He laughed lightly.

"It is," she agreed. "And, it is said that it has no emperor to command, no clans to obey. Just skill and effort. Though, knowing human nature, I doubt it’s truly free from corruption." A small chuckle left his lips, a sound as light as the wind. "It would be too much to hope otherwise." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

Mo Tianze had always been soft-spoken, his words thoughtful and measured. Even now, as he leaned slightly towards Feng Jiao Xue’s back, his silver tail curled loosely around him, he seemed lost in quiet contemplation. "That still sounds nice" he muses.

"I suppose" Was Feng Jiao Xue’s only reply.

After a moment, she asked, "What do you plan to do once we arrive?"

Mo Tianze blinked, his golden eyes shifting to her. "Stay by your side." He replied as if it was a matter of fact. Without hesitation, without second thought. "I know you said to train with Huang Jin De and I will. So that you can rely on me too" He added, nuzzling his nose into the top of her head. "but I still want to be by your side as much as I can"

She sighed, though there was no real exasperation in it. "That is hardly a plan, Tianze."

He frowned slightly, his ears lowering just a little, a subtle sign of protest. "It is for me."

Feng Jiao Xue turned her gaze back to the horizon, watching as the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in shades of orange and violet. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice quieter this time. "You can’t just do that."

"I can," he countered, and she could hear the stubbornness in his tone.

Feng Jiao Xue shook her head lightly. "Mo Tianze," she said, his name deliberate, weighted. "You’re not a slave anymore. You don’t need to follow me like a shadow or based your actions towards me.."

His fingers curled slightly where they rested on Yin Xiao’s fur. "I know."

"Do you?" she asked, turning to look at him fully. "Because I’ll keep reminding you until you do."

Mo Tianze met her gaze, his golden eyes searching hers. The wind tousled his silvery-white hair, making him look almost ethereal in the fading light. "I don’t..." He hesitated, then exhaled softly. "I don’t know what else I should be."

Feng Jiao Xue studied him for a long moment before speaking. "Be Mo Tianze."

He blinked. "...I am." He hesitantly replied, confused by her statement.

"Then live as Mo Tianze," she said, her tone patient but firm. "Not as someone tied to another’s existence. Learn what you like, what you want. Explore, be curious. Try things. You don’t have to decide everything now, but don’t let your world shrink to just me."

Mo Tianze was quiet for a long time. Then, very softly, he said, "You are a part of my world."

Feng Jiao Xue felt something warm flicker in her chest. It was subtle, almost fleeting, but she chose not to dwell on it.

Instead, she exhaled through her nose and looked away, focusing on the sky ahead. "I won’t stop being in your life," she said at last. "But I want to see the person you become when you’re free to make your own choices."

Mo Tianze tilted his head slightly, as if mulling over her words.

Then, after a moment, he gave a small smile, faint but real. "...Then I’ll think about it. And, you don’t need to keep reminding me about having free will now. I know and I chose to be by your side, to be helpful to you. Not because I just need to, but because I want to"

He assured her making Feng Jiao Xue pause before nodding, understanding his point.

Feng Jiao Xue allowed herself the briefest of smiles before turning back to the horizon. "Good." And with that, they continued their journey, soaring towards the unknown, the wind carrying their quiet conversation away.

Yin Xiao silently flies trying to ignore the... floating possible hearts around the two people in his back while Huang Jin De remained inside the space ring, cultivating.

"Are we going to fly straight to the Academy, Xiao Xue?" Yin Xiao asked after a while.

"No, will take a break after a while. There should be a city coming up" Feng Jiao Xue replied making Mo Tianze furrow his brows in thought.

"We can stop over to the town after it, sister" He told her, worry clear in his eyes.

"Why? It’s not like where in a hurry" Feng Jiao Xue muses.

"No but..." Mo Tianze bit his lips. "The next city based on what we’ve passed through is the Verdinant City... the city of sins"

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