As soon as she saw the prince disappear, Ethwa, who has been snooping around, turned tail and ran off breathlessly. High on adrenaline and filled with complacency, she came to a nearby almost-hidden tree trunk at the edge of the Seven Stones.
Zarna, or rather Zoe as she was called now, stared at the energetic thing almost flying as she approached her.
"Ka, I've done good. The up-to-no-good prince seems to have disappeared after tracing an unknown pattern right in the center of the Seven Stones."
"That's your good?" questioned Zoe, eyebrows raised.
Ethwa guiltily lowered her eyes to ground and muttered,
"Alas, don't blame me, sis. The prince was more than a level higher than me. That's all I could manage."
She wanted to smack herself, for if she hadn't boasted at the beginning she wouldn't now be facing a disappointed Zoe.
And why was she disappointed? Because unlike Zarna, who had been cultivated carefully by her royal family, this idiotic girl had innate talent for formation as well as cultivation. In all honesty, Zoe believed that neither the dubious prince nor Zoe herself could surpass Ethwa if and when she honed her talent.
"Sigh, I can only blame myself for being soft on her. Time to step up the next phase," reflected Zoe.
She took out her strange bubble wand and blew a shimmering bubble using the ridiculous soap water. As the wobbling surface stabilized, Zoe came face-to-face with G3, an old legendary wizard with an ever-youthful appearance. The old one was looking no different from an idler wasting away his life in some hot spring.
Most of the view was covered by mist, and it only heightened the ambiguity of the goofy wizard's stunning androgynous face.
Wizards had nearly become mere tales of bedtime when this G3 had appeared out of nowhere. No one knew of his origin, age, or even gender. They only knew he was unbelievably powerful enough to single-handedly smash the armies who tried to wipe off the new unknown threat that was G3, after which an unlikely truce was called for.
Bored as those in power, it was only normal for even the lonesome G3 to be lonely. The wizard had thus made use of loopholes in the truce to raise several remarkable talents while also washing his hands of the responsibility for the lives shed by those 'talents'.
One such talent was Shan Ru, Zarna's father and the most brilliant of those raised under the guidance of G3. Even so, G3 only watched from afar as her prize horse burned into ashes. For it was all the fates' will.
Even as he raised talents as pets, he was heartless enough to watch the dynasties flow and crumble without stepping in. For the cost was too high to pay.
That was the pitfall of those who harnessed mana in incredible excess like G3 did. The cost they paid for their power and the responsibility which accompanied it was more than enough to drive powerhouses crazy.
The good thing was that even though he couldn't raise his hand against the fates' will, he could still make it up to his favorite Shan Ru by grooming his beloved daughter.
Although the wizard seemed helpful, kind, and even friendly, that goofer's steel heart - or rather heartlessness - was more than enough to send shivers down Zarna's spine.
It had to be said though, without the timely cover provided by her benefactor G3, Zarna would have long been six feet under. The strange cultivation method the wizard had taught her was powerful enough to deal with opponents who were two levels higher than her. This further strengthened her desire to never offend this timebomb.
Taking a deep breath, Zoe pushed down her mixed feelings about facing this person. She respectfully addressed the elderly G3, "Master, to report, Prince Min has entered the Seven Stones by tracing an unknown path. It seems his ambition is to subdue the beast slumbering beneath these stones. I request permission to make use of and dispose of him."
G3 dumbly stared at this fourteen-year-old kid speaking politely of stealing and murdering. It was a mockery of the fates to allow the sweet, innocent kid he had watched grow up to become more of a weapon than a human. Or as much of a human as he had witnessed.
On second thoughts, the wizard nodded to himself, a weapon was better. Its sharp, straightforward eye had no grudge or blame. More remarkable than ugly, treacherous, hypocritical "humanity".
When the wizard gave Zarna a go-ahead,
she strengthened her will and continued,
"Master, I have a companion named Ethwa. She is very much gifted in both formation and cultivation. Please take a look."
"Oh," said the wizard as he stared at the little girl who had been hiding behind Zoe. Pretty, somewhat of a coward, too dependent, yet seemed to have a glowing light in her eyes.
G3 frowned as she noted these. Not knowing the unfathomable thoughts of this old master, Zoe as well as Ethwa was silently breaking out into a cold sweat.
After a long, long minute, G3 nodded and waved a hand. The bubble rose in size as it began to swallow the aghast Ethwa.
Ethwa could only gulp back her fear as she tried to plea with all her might to her one and only companion, her big sister, her guardian.
All that was returned was a cold, disdainful glare.
Shrinking away from the awful, awful Zoe, the little girl resigned herself to her fate, becoming a plaything at the mercy of legendary wizard G3.
In a blink, the bubble shimmered with rainbow colors and then disappeared along with Ethwa.