A flower attempts to maximize its potential every time it grows. It wants to bloom and tilt its head to the sky with pride. Those with an eye for miracles would know the effort involved. It has a short life and can do little but gives its all for that one moment to shine. Can you say you’ve lived your life the same?

~Blodeuwedd, Goddess of Flowers and Wisdom

An hour later, they arrived at a small rundown cabin. Crow wasn’t sure how Acco found this place because it was pretty well hidden. Then again, he hadn’t even had much time to talk to him after they finished the Clockwork trials. Crow pushed open the door and stepped inside.

A petite blur flew at him as he cleared the entry and slender arms encircled his waist. Song Lin had long sensed him and rushed to hug him. He held onto her tightly, taking in how she felt and smelled. Holding her felt like embracing the morning sun.

“You’ve lost too much weight.”

“Mmm.”

“I’ve missed you,” Crow whispered fiercely into her ear and felt her hot tears burning against his cheek. He held for a few moments more, but they weren’t safe. Danger approached, and he had to work quickly. “What happened to her?”

“I’m not sure. It’s like that time in the caverns.”

“Karma…”

Crow knelt down by Song Xue and gently stroked her forehead and down her cheek. She’d lost her baby fat, which gave the bone structure of her cheeks more definition. She still took his breath away like she did all those years ago. His Faelan.

Unbidden, his eyes flickered and turned silver. What he saw outraged him, and everyone felt the temperature of the room drop as Crow clenched his fists. The karmic bond between him and Song Xue, the one damaged in the Subterranean Caverns, was hijacked.

“Who fucking dares!” Crow’s voice boomed like thunder and the shattering of ice at the same time. Aine and Ahote backed away, but Song Lin stood by Crow’s shoulder, her hand resting on him.

With his Silver-Eyes, he could clearly see the sinister bonding forcing itself on her and him. He’d sent her away for two years, so the bond had time to heal, and someone dared harm her again. Never had he lost control to this extent. His rage was enough to obliterate nations.

By some instinct, he activated his Ghostly Aura and ghost form. Seeing that vile, black vine-like substance connected to their karmic bond, he reached out and grasped it. He had no idea what he was doing or if it would work, but the moment his ghostly hands touched it, Ghost Mana invaded it. It was a Spirit-based attack and appeared to be highly effective against this kind of perverse spell. Once he had control, the person on the other end felt it immediately and gained a shared awareness.

“You want to claim what’s mine…” Crow growled through grit teeth. “I’ll fucking destroy everything you’ve ever known.”

“Wait—”

“No.”

Crow’s hand clenched down, and the abominable thing writhed as if in pain. The Ghost Mana froze the connection solid before it shattered like glass. The panicked presence tried to talk him down, but he would not be swayed. A shriek echoed in his mind, and Crow smirked at the pain-filled sound before it faded. The entire spell started collapsing, and that dark energy dissipated.

Still not happy, he carefully caressed his bond with Song Xue. Like a surgeon, his finger touched the lingering dark mana and cleansed it. Satisfied that she was safe, he looked toward Song Lin and saw another connection, but it was a simple binding without the sinister intent. She was marked so they could follow her.

Reaching out, he snapped that link effortlessly. It wasn’t the type of thing that would harm either party. Still, he feared whoever they had crossed. He only had a small rest, but the situation had turned dire. Those people weren’t far from here. He could feel it from the bond when he shattered it.

“Carry her,” Crow told Acco, who grumbled but did as told. While he wasn’t responsible for what happened, he sensed the anguish in Crow’s voice and decided to be sensible for once.

They all left the cabin, and when Song Lin saw Aine with a stranger, she gave her a small smile.

“Little Aine!”

“Lin’er!” Aine ran over and gave the woman a hug.

“My mana isn’t full, so as soon as I transform, hop on and hold on tight,” Crow looked over at Acco. “Those assholes harmed Faelan, and they are almost here.”

“C’mon, man, stop blaming me. Didn’t I come over here to help them?”

“Not blaming you,” Crow claimed while stripping down.

“Wh-what are you going to do to me?” Acco paled, and Aine burst out laughing.

“Idiot,” Crow chuckled. “Thanks for saving them.”

“That… I don’t need that kind of reward,” Acco said slowly, backing away, while Aine was practically on the ground crying. Even the taciturn Ahote was laughing. “I’m not into men—”

Before Acco could finish his thought, he saw the flesh on Crow’s body rippling as feathers sprouted from them. The Silver-Eyed Crow appeared once more, and Crow expanded his size to accommodate everyone. Ahote was the first to climb up, and he helped the others. Acco just teleported himself on top.

Caw!

Crow rushed forward and started flapping his wings and infused his body with more mana to gain height quicker. First, he flew southwest because he wanted to get south of that main road. But his plans were somewhat foiled when he passed over the wagon he was trying to escape from. Exposed, he just hoped they’d think he was a tamed beast.

Regardless, the wagon stopped, and the guards surrounding it all looked up and followed Crow as he flew south. Crow saw all this with the enhanced vision provided by his transformation. Based on his karma, he knew it was the person in the wagon that had tried to harm his Faelan. There was now a connection between him and that person. One day, he’d come for them, but for now, he only felt a sense of immense danger from that person.

Because he enlarged his size, and his mana was currently deplorable, he went below the tree line some, so they lost line of sight. Then he turned east before bringing them down on a mountain’s leeward side. There was a rocky outcrop halfway down the rocky slope that was easy to land on.

Only through Acco’s guidance was he able to locate this place, but Crow was unsure how the Astrologer found it. Once he landed, Crow shifted back and fell unconscious before even getting dressed. Ahote caught him and brought him into the cave while Acco carried in Song Xue and the two women followed behind them.

Song Lin didn’t hesitate to grab some clothes she’d bought and dressed Crow. It was a martial robe similar to what her people wore that she’d bought for him as a gift. She didn’t know that it was long becoming a running gag. All his wives had spare clothes for Crow that they carried with them.

Everyone settled down in the cave to wait. Ahote built a fire, and they cooked while Song Xue and Crow slept. Acco and Song Lin explained their situation, and then Aine and Ahote shared their story.

***

Everyone around the wagon was fearful of it. Madame Rouge’s scream was terrifying, and the white curtains that hid the interior were stained with blood. No one was sure whether they should approach, so they kept their distance. Only the man driving the wagon dared to calmly knock on the door, and even then, he didn’t enter the wagon’s interior.

“Set up camp,” the man commanded, and the guards hurriedly obeyed.

Madame Rouge hadn’t spoken for hours because Crow’s attack was vicious and left her severely wounded. In hindsight, she didn’t know what possessed her to force a karmic bond. Never had she done that before, and she knew the spell was highly risky. However, she never imagined she’d anger someone she probably shouldn’t have.

The problem was the man, and she could tell it was one by how he spoke, wasn’t a real threat to her. But she felt his potential in that fleeting moment, and his words hammered her like an oath. Even if it wasn’t an oath, his words had the conviction of truth, which worried her. Even now, she couldn’t tell what was so powerful about his words, but it was like they carried the will of the Heavens.

It was also the insurmountable anger that hammered at her soul.

In every way conceivable, she found the man on the other side to be extraordinary. It made all the other fish she caught feel inadequate. If she could net him, her quota would be satisfied for decades. It was now a question of how to appease him.

Rouge sensed how much that man valued the Song girl so that fury and rage were somewhat intimidating. Even while struggling to cure her damaged soul, she reviewed everything that happened. The more she understood, the more the corners of her mouth curled upward.

Suddenly, she started to giggle uncontrollably, and the people around the wagon shivered in fear. The mister that dared harm her had a unique body type called the Dark Star Physiology. Inside him blazed a fire that was not easily tamed, and it was why his sex drive was so high. A woman’s body provided a type of cooling energy that would help quench those fires during sexual release.

Crow didn’t know any of this, but Song Lin did. If he had not been cursed with Soul Burn, his rare body type would have remained dormant. He’d have had a higher sex drive, but it would have been under his control. She carefully chose the martial cultivation technique that would help him tame that fire. He stored the virginal energy from the women he claimed, which greatly benefited his body type. As long as his power growth didn’t experience explosive growth, it was more than enough to help him remain in control. However, Song Lin was well aware that one woman would never be enough to satisfy him.

Rouge called it a Dark Star Physiology, but Easterners called it the Dragon Yang Body. Either way, it was recognized by Madame Rouge.

“You want to threaten me,” she muttered. “I’m very interested in you, stranger. And the things I am interested in will not escape me.”

Madame Rouge adjusted her white dress and looked down at her frail, emaciated body. It was true that she was only twenty, but the Ruby Shield nestled between her ample cleavage bathed the wagon in red light.

Her power came at a cost. She was forced to activate her Shield at the age of seven due to incurable illness. The wagon was layered in formations to prevent her from breathing in contaminants in the air outside. She couldn’t leave the wagon without embracing death because her immune system couldn’t fight off the weakest of illnesses. At best, the Shield would prevent her from dying for a time.

If it wasn’t for her condition, not even mentioning the Song sisters, that man wouldn’t have escaped her clutches either.

“Keeper Quentin?”

“Yes, Madame?” The coach driver asked.

“Once they finish eating, we march for Rosdoe. Full march, we slow down for nothing.” Madame Rouge commanded from behind the current blocking the window.

“And the prey…?”

“He won’t get away, but don’t bother finding them. I’m sure we’ll meet them in Rosdoe.”

“As you command,” Keeper Quentin bowed and backed away to carry out his orders.