Chapter 3
I'd seen plenty of good-looking people before.
Lucas was handsome. Everyone in the Stormblade Sect said he was the most striking and elegant among the younger generation of magicians.
Sophia was beautiful. She was aloof and serene, like a goddess from a painting.
But that was the kind of beauty I'd find in humans.
As for the one lying on the stone platform, his beauty wasn't human at all.
His eyes were closed, long lashes casting a faint shadow. A soft glow seemed to linger between his brows, hinting at tenderness. His nose was straight, his lips thin and barely tinted, and his skin was as smooth as porcelain.
His long hair fanned out across the blanket, blending so seamlessly it was hard to tell where the hair ended and the fabric began.
He wore the Shadow Sect Grandmaster's robe, black with intricate gold patterns, lavish and ornate. He resembled a divine artifact placed upon an altar.
His beauty was so surreal that I almost thought he was some supernatural being masquerading as a man.
I crouched down and reached out to touch his face. It was cool and smooth, like the finest porcelain.
He didn't wake. His breathing was so shallow, his chest barely moved. I checked his pulse. It matched someone in the Reversion Phase.
It was true. Today was his Reversion Phase.
He couldn't move. Anyone could do whatever they wanted to him.
My heart was pounding, not from fear, but from a quiet rush of excitement.
When I stared at his face, only one thought kept echoing in my mind. I wanted to keep him hidden, all to myself.
He lay there, utterly defenseless, like a precious treasure abandoned by its owner.
My mother always said, "If you want something, you have to take it for yourself. Only what you hold in your own hands is truly yours."
I wanted him.
*****
As night settled in, I made my way down a side path, carrying Orion on my back. He was dressed in another sect's uniform and covered with a cloak.
On the road, I occasionally ran into a couple of young magicians, some from the Stormblade Sect, others from different sects.
The Stormblade Sect disciples didn't bother talking to me. They just assumed I was helping an injured sect member and didn't ask any questions.
The disciples from other sects saw me in a Stormblade Sect uniform and let me pass without a second thought.
It wasn't until I reached the foot of the mountain that I encountered Sophia.
She wore a sky-blue dress, the Stormblade Sect's uniform, her presence striking among the others.
She was with a few disciples, checking supplies, and when she saw me, she paused in surprise. "Lydia?"
She walked over. "Who is that you're carrying?"
I shifted to block her view. "Someone injured. I'm taking him down the mountain."
"Is he badly hurt? Let me take a look," she said.
"That's not necessary." I stepped back. "I can handle it myself."
She gave me a look but didn't push. "Be careful. There's a treatment station at the foot of the mountain. Just drop him off and come right back. Don't go wandering around."
"Got it," I said.
She nodded, glanced once more at the person on my back, and then turned to leave.
I watched her figure fade into the distance.
She was always that way, gentle, thoughtful, and always seemed to understand everyone.
She treated everyone nicely, including me.
But I never liked her. Not even when we were kids.
When she first came to the Stormblade Sect, she was timid, hiding behind the adults. My father crouched down and told her, "Don't be scared. From now on, this is your home."
He never talked to me like that, never gave me that look.
After that, she became my dad's disciple, and he treated her better than his own daughter. I guess it made sense. She was the orphan left behind by the woman he once loved but never married.
As she grew up, she was good at everything, magic, making friends. Everyone adored her.
My father liked her, Lucas liked her, and even the old man who swept the entrance would say, "Sophia is such a good girl."
She was nice to me too, sometimes even standing up for me when I got scolded.
The nicer she was to me, the more it felt fake.
So what if she was nice to me? She took my dad, she took Lucas, she took everyone's affection, and then she tossed me a little kindness and expected me to be grateful?
"Lydia." Sophia suddenly walked back over.
I stiffened.
"The treatment station is still a bit of a walk," she said. "Let me arrange a carriage for you."
"No need," I said.
"Listen to me." Sophia frowned, her face seeming to glow in the moonlight. "There are still Shadow Sect members lurking on the mountain. It's not safe for you to walk at night carrying someone. Just wait here."
She walked off, and sure enough, after a bit, a carriage pulled up right in front of me.
She had someone bring the carriage over and even put some bedding inside. "Drop him off at the treatment station and come straight back. Don't waste time."
I looked at her, wanting to refuse, but swallowed my words.
The carriage was way faster than walking. I put Orion inside and got in myself.