Cardis didn’t know what to say to the stupid idiot who was crying in his embrace while trying to washing her eyes with water that came from who knows where.

“Cardis, I realized something very scary.” Tempest wailed her heart out.

Cardis smiled gently even as he tried to calm Tempest. “What is so scary about a True Blessing?”

“The implication!” Tempest answered on another wail.

Cardis was confused but he held still, allowing Tempest to calm down at her own pace.

“Are you two done playing family?” Valstein Yoresteven asked when it doesn’t seem like Tempest was going to stop anytime soon. “The person who cast the True Blessing might be long gone by now.”

“Why do you have to find someone to cast the True Blessing for you? Can’t you cast it on yourself?” Tempest got out of Cardis’ embraced and asked the question that was on her mind since they mentioned the True Blessing.

Tempest was slowly getting used to Valstein Yoresteven’s magnetic voice, at least enough to get her wits about her. There was still an unconscious impulse to jump the man but it wasn’t as strong as before. As long as she was prepared, she was sure she wouldn’t make a fool of herself.

“My spirits refuse to cast the True Blessing,” Cardis said with tired resignation. Tempest got the feeling Cardis went row after row with his spirits for the True Blessing yet the other side dug their heels in and refused him over and over. Tempest sympathized with the man.

It isn’t easy to ask a favor from the spirits whom he doesn’t trust.

Tempest wonder how much his pride was trampled in the process.

“I can cast the True Blessing for the natural fire earth lightning element but my True Blessing won’t invoke divine retribution that Cardis wants. Due to my fire and metal affinities, when a cultivator tries to use the natural fire earth lightning element for nefarious purposes it would invoke the Burning Metal divine retribution. The Burning Metal divine retribution isn’t as impressive as lightning retribution nor it is as hard to overcome.”

“So…”

“So we are looking for a mage with lightning affinities able and willing to cast a True Blessing for a natural fire earth lightning element without ulterior motives,” Cardis explained.

“That’s a tall order.” Tempest already sense the immense temptation the natural fire earth lightning element present. Asking for a True Blessing for it was like giving the key to the kingdom’s treasure vault and demanding the person not to even look at the treasure in there. Few can resist the temptation.

“Yes,” Cardis admitted simply. “That’s why we are here. We figured the person a hybrid spirit would entrust her child to would be a good candidate to cast a True Blessing for a natural element.”

“How did you know the half-human half-spirit gave birth to a child?”

“The hybrid spirit? Most Child of the Elements can sense her no matter how hard she hides herself.” Cardis wrinkled his forehead in confusion. “Couldn’t you sense her?”

“No.”

“I figured.”

Tempest gave Cardis a disgruntled look for that comment but didn’t comment on it. Instead, she asked, “So you are looking for someone with high affinities who was in the area slightly before you met me who unwittingly cast a True Blessing on a spirit hybrid child without asking for anything.”

“Yes.”

Tempest waited for Cardis to realize her insinuation. When the lightbulb wasn’t lit in his head, Tempest said, “A person whose spirits loved her so much they cast the True Blessing just because she wanted to save a helpless mother and her child.”

“Yes.”

“You are looking for someone so loved by the spirits they won’t need to use the hybrid spirits for her cultivation so she can be trusted to cast a True Blessing.”

“Yes,” Cardis said simply.

Tempest looked at Cardis.

Cardis looked at Tempest.

One minute later…

Five minutes later....

“And you call me a muscle bound idiot. Your Successor is saying the person who cast the True Blessing was her.” Valstein Yoresteven said in exasperation. His good friend was generally smart but he can be complete dense when certain topics were brought up.

“You?!” Cardis said in disbelief. You can’t blame Cardis for his surprised. Cardis had known Tempest to be a powerful and much loved mage, but generous and selfless are not adjectives used to describe her. Greedy, silly and selfish were better adjectives. He can’t see Tempest doing anything without expecting anything in return.

“Just how do you see me?” Tempest growled.

“A greedy money grubber who would do anything to achieve her goals.” Cardis spit out without thinking.

“Well then, this greedy money grubber who would do anything to achieve her goals will remember the words of her teacher and she would make sure anyone seeking her services would pay an outrageous amount before she would consider helping!”

“Ah my friend, you stuff your foot in your mouth this time.” Valstein Yoresteven said in amusement. He was enjoying the discomfort his usually smooth and suave friend was experiencing.

It was he who generally put his foot in his mouth. Time after time, Cardis had to save him from his foibles and now it was his friend turns to verbally stumble. Valstein Yoresteven was going to enjoy it for all its worth.

“How can it be you?!” Cardis exploded because he can’t believe the person he placed his hope on was his Successor.

“How can it not?” Tempest retorted. “The place and timing was right. Why couldn’t it be me?”

“Ummm.”

“Hmph.” Tempest turned away in contempt. Tempest admits she came across as a money grubber, but whose fault was that? If Cardis agreed to help her with her sisters in the first place, Tempest wouldn’t have been desperate to earn money to redeem them. Cardis was a major contributor to her negative image. He only had himself to blame.

Finally realizing the huge mistake he made, Cardis implement damage control. “Sweet Tempest, please forgive this teacher for his stupid mistake. My desperation blinded me to your true generous nature. The problem has been plaguing me for millenniums that I lost sight of the solution when it was closest to me.”

“So I’m a matter of convenience!”

“No, no, no. You’re not a convenience. You are the savior the heavens gifted to me for my hard work. You are the answer to all my prayers, the brightest jewel in a dragon’s hoard, a gift of hope shining brightly in the darkest pit of despair.”

Cardis’ words only further infuriate Tempest. It served as a reminder that Cardis is the greatest flirt in the world.

Her mother always said a man’s word should never be taken seriously. Tempest had never taken it to heart since she always said it after a breakup and Tempest had a few good brothers.

Cardis’ words were like a slick con man trying to coax a child of her piggy bank. It was not going to happen.

Valstein Yoresteven, watching at the side, took pity on Cardis. He knew how much time and effort Cardis put in trying to protect the natural element.

“Tempest was it?” Valstein Yoresteven interrupted the strange groveling. Cardis didn’t know how to grovel anyways. He knows how to coax a woman out of her fit or a child out of her tantrum but Tempest didn’t fall into either of those categories.

“Yes.”

“Let’s ignore the fool over there for a minute and focus on the fool he is trying to save.” Valstein Yoresteven pushed the natural fire earth lightning element into the limelight.

Through the conversation that determines his fate, the natural fire earth lightning element maintained a silly expression. He stared at Tempest as Tempest stared at the food Graden cooked, a looked filled with anticipation and longing. Yummy.

“You do understand how tempting he is to mages, right?” Tempest nodded while staring at the foolish boy before her, not realizing she had been mesmerized by Valstein Yoresteven’s voice.

“Then you also know how much effort it takes to nurture him until he can stand on his own.” Again, Tempest nodded without realizing what she was agreeing to.

“Then could you put aside your disagreement with Cardis for a moment and cast a True Blessing on the boy?” Tempest was about to nod in agreement but she stopped herself in time. She slapped herself awake before giving Valstein Yoresteven a complicated look. Tempest knew he wasn’t trying to mesmerize her. His voice alone was enough to enchant Ventus, the scheming old monster on the spiritual plane, much less an inexperienced Tempest.

Tempest only snapped out of her strange state because she couldn’t accomplish Valstein Yoresteven’s request.

Although she previously cast the True Blessing, she didn’t know how she accomplished it. She wanted to name a boy and the name popped into her mind.

“I didn’t know how I cast the True Blessing the last time,” Tempest admitted. Tempest may not like the effect his voice had on her but she couldn’t blame the man for a trait he was born with and was not consciously using. “I wasn’t even sure it was me who cast the True Blessing. I do know the True Blessing happened because the spirits wanted to lure either Cardis or you here.” Tempest admitted then immediately want to slap herself awake. It seems she wasn’t much better than Ventus.

“Try.” Valstein Yoresteven said firmly before shoving the preteen towards her.