Night had fallen, and shadows roamed the site where Elijah and Levi had clashed. A figure in a long black coat, with a sword at his waist, stood surveying the area. His dark blue hair and black eyes scanned the destruction. "It seems like the battle here was between two masters of the King-Tier," he observed.
A man nearby nodded. "Yes, Vice Captain. It looks like one wielded fire, and the other iron."
The Vice Captain sighed, rubbing his head. "No wonder none of the King-Tier sent here were killed. Whoever's protecting the princess is incredibly strong. I don't want to face that person, even if they're injured right now."
"So, what should we do?" the kneeling man asked.
"Let's inform the leader. This might be the best time to strike. We should also consider attacking that village and getting our hands on the treasure they're after." The Vice Captain yawned, glancing at the forest's destruction. Who was he fighting to cause this much devastation? he wondered.
"Let's go," he ordered, and the figures vanished into the night.
In Elijah's Spiritual Dimension
Elijah, in his spiritual form, held a black orb, his eyes closed. The orb was connected to several others, each glowing faintly—these represented his Yin Core elements. Instead of cultivating them separately, he could cultivate his Yin Chi Core as a whole.
However, his Yang Chi Core required each element to be cultivated individually. His Fire and Lightning elements had reached Tier 1, enabling him to create two leaves on his lotus. Thanks to the Founder of the Dominic family, his body hadn't suffered any damage.
His Yin Core, however, was still at Tier 0, along with all the elements tied to it. This meant he could only create a single leaf on the Yin Lotus. After a while, Elijah stopped cultivating the Yin Lotus, and it floated to the large spiritual body behind him, settling into his right hand.
Though Elijah wanted to push his Fire and Lightning cores to the peak of Tier 1 to create another leaf, he decided instead to cultivate a new element: Water. An orb appeared in his hand, glowing faintly blue.
The reason he cultivated each element separately instead of using Yang Chi was that Yang Chi was too powerful for his current or even future body to handle. That's why, when working with his Yin Core, he avoided using Yin Chi, relying instead on elements like Space or Darkness, which were connected to it.
Those two elements were so powerful they could kill him. By mastering the lesser elements, it became easier to use the major ones. In time—maybe years from now—he'd be able to use Yin and Yang without risking his life.
Eventually, the faint blue core grew more brilliant, its aura resembling water in motion. His Water Core had reached Tier 0, allowing him to create a single leaf on its lotus.
"I should train with it to develop techniques unique to this element, rather than using the same techniques for all my elements," Elijah said before disappearing from the dimension.
Outside
Elijah woke up in bed, the moonlight streaming through the window. As he stretched, he noticed Julia standing by the window, her purple hair dancing in the breeze as she stared into the distance, deep in thought.
Sensing his movement, she turned to him. "What's up?" she asked.
"Hey," Elijah replied, standing up. Julia added, "You really pushed yourself too hard. If we'd been any later, you could have died."
Elijah laughed. "It's okay."
"What do you mean, 'it's okay'?" Julia asked, confused.
"Because I'm not dead. 'If' is just a possibility—one that didn't happen." Elijah explained as he walked over to her, looking out at the sky. "It's a beautiful night."
"Yeah, it seems so beautiful because I'm here," Julia teased.
Elijah smiled. "What's on your mind?"
"You should get a shower first. You smell," Julia said, holding her nose.
"Oh, right." Elijah scratched his head before heading to the bathroom. After his bath, he returned, wearing only his pants, and walked into Julia's room. "Do you know where Kai is?"
Julia, still sitting by the window, pointed outside. Elijah looked out to see Kai training near the house. "I thought he'd go into the forest to train."
"Nope. I think he's too afraid of getting lost again," Julia said.
"But he has Tank," Elijah pointed out, nodding at the giant bear sleeping not far from Kai.
"So you named the monster?" Julia chuckled.
"Yeah, for now, I don't really want to eat the guy," Elijah said, making Julia laugh.
"Simple-minded," she muttered before continuing, "Earlier, you asked what was on my mind... To be honest, when I saw Stella refusing to heal you, acting like you didn't exist, I got a little angry."
Elijah listened quietly, smiling. Julia went on, "I started complaining to Kai, and I was even angry at him for giving them a pill, but he said something that made me think."
"What did he say?" Elijah asked.
"He asked if I'd let my mother die to save you if I didn't known you back then," Julia said, looking at Elijah's carefree expression as he nodded.
"So I started to understand how Adan and Stella felt at the time. But then another question came to mind: now that I know you, would I make the same choice?"
Elijah's expression remained unchanged as Julia continued, "I can't really decide. I don't want to lose my parents, but I don't want to lose you either," she admitted, blushing slightly.
Smiling, Elijah said, "Don't think too much about it. If such a time comes, whatever decision you make will be the right one."
"But what if I regret it?" Julia asked.
"Why regret a decision you thought was right at the time? If it felt right then, don't regret it—just accept it." Elijah's words hung in the air as they both silently enjoyed the night sky.