The Vanishing Stone
As soon as the Heavenly God dispelled the barrier, Wen Shia's mother rushed into the room and embraced her son tightly.
"Why are you so worried, Mother?" Wen Shia asked, his voice calm and carefree. "I'm perfectly fine. I just wanted to spend some time alone, which is why I didn't break the barrier. If I wanted to, I could have shattered it with ease." He laughed lightly, his carefree demeanor surprising everyone.
Seeing him laugh, his mother's eyes filled with joy. "It's been so long since I've seen you this happy," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "But why are you smiling? You should be upset. You've been separated from Xiang, yet here you are, looking content."
Wen Shia's smile grew deeper, a knowing look in his eyes. "Separated? That's impossible. No one can keep her away from me now," he said softly, his words leaving the room in stunned silence.
The Heavenly God, perplexed, stepped forward. "Where is Xiang?" he demanded.
Wen Shia raised an eyebrow and replied, "How would I know? You took her away, and now you're asking me where she is? I have no idea what you've done to her. Is she safe? How could you even think I would know?" His tone grew sharp, his expression a mix of frustration and concern.
The Heavenly God observed Wen Shia carefully. Convinced that he genuinely didn't know, he sighed and explained, "We were trying to extract the stone from her. But suddenly, she vanished. She disappeared right before our eyes. We've searched everywhere, but there's no trace of her."
Wen Shia's mother grew visibly distressed. "How can that happen? How could she just disappear? What if something terrible has happened to her?"
The Heavenly God shook his head. "Nothing terrible has happened. She left on her own, and she's fine—better than ever, in fact. All her powers have returned, the barriers within her have been broken, and the stone inside her has fully awakened. It wasn't a demonic force, as we feared. It was the Element Stone. Perhaps that's why she's far more powerful now—strong enough to teleport and possibly even become invisible. Who knows what other abilities she may possess? She may now have the power to control fire, water, and much more."
At that moment, an elderly priest hurried into the room. "There's something you must know," he said, his voice urgent. "The stone inside her—it's incomplete. It's only a fragment of the Element Stone. There's a flaw in it. If the flaw isn't fixed, the stone will never reach its full potential."
The room fell silent, the revelation shocking everyone.
The Heavenly God's expression darkened. "Another fragment? Are you saying there's another part of the Element Stone somewhere?"
The old priest nodded gravely. "Yes. No one knows where the other half is. Legends say it was hidden by the ancient gods—buried deep within the earth. But somehow, part of it ended up inside her. How that happened is a mystery."
The Heavenly God's anger flared. "How could they do this? How could they hide such a powerful stone in the body of a mortal? And now, the world will remain in turmoil until the stone is complete. We must find the missing piece if we're to restore balance and gain control over nature."
With that, the Heavenly God stormed out, the Goddess of Heaven following close behind, leaving the room heavy with tension.
Wen Shia returned to his chambers, his mind racing. He sat quietly, but his thoughts were anything but calm. "Where are you, Xiang?" he murmured, his voice filled with longing.
He began searching his room for any sign of her, opening cupboards and drawers. Frustrated, he called out her name. "Xiang!"
Suddenly, something fell behind him. Startled, he turned around. The sound seemed to come from an empty corner of the room. Slowly, he moved toward it, his heart pounding.
"Xiang?" he whispered, reaching out toward the space.
But nothing was visible. A chill ran down his spine as he realized something—or someone—was there, hidden from sight.
To be continued…