The forest was quiet after Gera became the new boss. They did not want to incur his wrath. Just like this, a full ten years passed by quickly.

The search for gems on the other lord’s territories started when Gera calmed down from the destruction of one of his precious gems. The search first began on Shar’s territory and it would last for a whole ten years. It was based on the least land to the greatest and Franz’s land happened to be next based on the amount of land he had.

“Boss!” said Franz as he held his head down. Gera looked at him and smiled. (animals can smile right?)

“Your land looks like it would hold a lot of treasures Franz,” said Gera. “I was disappointed with Shar’s land. It didn’t have much gems as I thought it would. I even searched everywhere.”

Motherfucker, you sure did… Shar’s land is ruined… Don’t know whether I should be happy or sad about that…(Franz thoughts will be italicized)

“Yes boss! I take care of my land,” said Franz.

“Good! You should take me on a tour of your land. I expect a lot of things from you. Maybe I will give you a gift if I happen to find some good gems,” said Gera happily.

“Will do boss! Follow me.”

This guy… he won’t get too suspicious if we see that panda along the way right? I’m sure no one has told him. They have no reason to tell him, so it should be fine.

Franz lead Gera around his territory and Gera was happy with what he saw. Franz’s land was had a lot of rocky areas and gems could found in those pretty easily. They walked around for three days and three nights until they came upon the area where June was at. Franz was reluctant to take Gera there, but even if he didn’t, the old guy would have to go there later on his search of gems.

Franz stopped in his tracks and said, “Boss, the land ahead of me is not rocky at all. There should not be any gems!”

Gera laughed it off as he rebuked, “Nonsense! There will be gems where there will be land. Even if I have to dig deep and wide, I will find them.”

… I’m ruined. My land!!!!!!!! You motherfucker!!!!

Feeling dejected, Franz could not talk back at all as he lead Gera further on. As soon as they reached the point to where they could see July, Franz shivered in disgust. He looked towards Gera and shivered even more. The old guy’s fur was standing up and he was panting wildly.

“So this is what you were trying to hide Franz! Haha, I will forgive you this time. Such a great opportunity! A sylph! How wonderful!” Gera exclaimed.

This is wierd. Why is this bastard so excited about the sylph? Where is the panda anyways?

“What is so good about a sylph boss? They may be rare, but there is nothing useful about them,” said Franz.

“You don’t get it Franz! This is a golden opportunity! A long time ago, I found a book on sylphs. At first, I thought it wasn’t useful to me, but I decided to read it after letting it rot in my cave for many years. I was bored at that time. Who would have thought that the book would give me knowledge about the rarest of gems.”

Franz was puzzled, so he asked, “ The rarest of gems? What kind of gem is it?”

“Ah! It is a gem made out of elemental essence. A gem that can only be made from the will of an element! It lies in the heart of a sylph and forms their body. Since this sylph is a water sylph, the gem would be called Water’s Tears. If it was a fire sylph then it would be called Fire’s Tears and so on. I’ve truly hit jackpot this time! We must get that gem from the sylph before she hides!”

Franz’s face hardened as he said, “Will the sylph be able to survive?”

“Survive or not, why does it matter to you?! However, I will tell you that she won’t die since this is a happy occasion. The only thing that will happen to her is that her body will disappear. As long as I can get that gem, the loss from ten years ago would be worth it!” exclaimed Gera.

The panda brat seems quite close to this sylph. If he finds out and enacts revenge because of this…

“Let us go get the gem for you boss! I didn’t know such a great gem existed in the sylph. If I knew, then I would have told you!” said Franz. This was a chance to incite June to kill Gera. It was better for Franz if there were more people that wants to kill Gera.

Gera excited rushed forward at his maximum speed and the ground below him caved at the force. Franz tried his best to follow.

“Who-” Before July could say anything, Gera had already topped her and immediately slashed at her chest with his claws. Blood flew and splashed as his slash connected.

Gera greedily took one of his claws and pulled out a azure teardrop looking gem from July’s heart.

“So beautiful! Truly beautiful!!” he shouted.

“Ah-” groaned July. After the gem was taken, the blood from the ground started to disappear. Her body was also vanishing.

Gera put the gem into his mouth and said to Franz, “I will be going back now. This is such a fortuitous encounter. As for your reward… I will not search for anymore gems in your territory for the time being.” His figure slowly disappeared as he left Franz and July behind.

For the time being? Motherfucker! You’re saying that you’ll search later?! What kind of reward is this?!!

Franz looked at the vanishing July and felt a little bit sorry. Guilt clouded his mind as he asked, “What can I do for you?”

July clench her teeth as her body was disappearing. It was a startling and confusing situation for her. It all just happened so fast and this made it so that she could not put the parts together in time.

“Body… water…” voiced July as she pointed to the pond.

“Alright,” said Franz. He picked up July’s body with his mouth and hurriedly threw her into the pond. He felt a little bit better as he did the deed. After, he quickly ran off to a distance to watch what would happen next. He wanted to see what June’s reaction was when he came back.

Fuck! Don’t you be guilty now Franz! This is my chance! The old boss’s kid should have a strong bloodline… that's right… this a chance! No need to feel guilty!

The sun was beginning to set down and night was nigh, but June had not come back yet. July was still nowhere to be seen. After the sun set, a figure was seen coming out of the dense forest and into the clearing around the pond.

That figure was exactly June. His sleek black hair grew longer with his age and his chubbiness had long disappeared from the lack of eating. The youthful chubbiness that he had was replaced by a set of muscles that defined his body. It was like he had no body fat at all. Quite different from how a panda is supposed to be, but this was the result from starving several times. His handsome face was covered by dirt and that made him look like a beggar. However, the calm savagery in his eyes showed otherwise. His hair and body was also dirty, but he did not mind at all. The breeze between his legs that came because of the protection-less skirt was quite uncomfortable though. With time, he grew more handsome and tall. His height was now a toppling 1.9 meters. If his body was not starved of nutrition for years because of the lack of food, then he would definitely be considered burly. He was carrying about three big rabbits in his arms as he looked around.

June’s eyes sought around for July, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“July! I’m back!” shouted June. His rambunctious voice shook the trees and earth.

Franz looked from afar and his relieved face revealed a bit of his thoughts. Finally, He’s here! This panda has grown up. I wonder how the old boss would feel if he saw this little fellow now. Ugh… can’t think about the old boss anymore. It’s making me remember that bastard Gera. Alright… let’s see what happens next.

“July! Where are you? I’m back from hunting!” yelled June. The splashing of water from the pond was heard. When he heard this, June let out a wonderful smile as he ran towards the pond.

“I’m here!” July’s merry voice rang out as June was running towards her. Her body emerged from the pond naked and it was a sight to see, but June did not care about that at all as he asked, “Taking a bath?”

From afar, Franz was puzzled with the sight of July. He expected that she had already disappeared. This is wierd! Unless that Gera was wrong, then that sylph should be gone already. I was expecting a bit of grievance from the kid. Then I would swoop down and tell him about what happened.

“Yup!” July replied happily. It was as if the situation with Gera did not happen at all. “You’re not hurt today are you?” she asked.

Today was the day that June went out to hunt. He doesn’t go too far because of demonic beasts and he tries his best to be sneaky about it so he doesn’t attract their attention. The first time that he did this, he was almost killed by a Treehouse cat, but he was far enough from it so it was only able to get a single slash before July pummeled it with a water ball.

Still, that slash almost killed June. If not for July’s ability to heal with water, then June would have bleed to death. This often happens whenever he goes out to hunt, so he does not dare go too far away from the pond. He would not have to go out to hunt if there was enough food, but unfortunately, food was scarce.

“Not today,” replied June as he held up the rabbits in his hand. All of his hunts required patience, so June developed quite a bit of patience along the way. It was a hunter's skill that was very useful.

“That’s good,” said July. “June… do you still think about going outside and exploring?”

Her question was sudden, so she surprised June, but he smile and replied, “I always think about it, but the thought of leaving you here also tears my heart.”

“But why are you bringing this up now? The last time I brought it up, you cried and begged for me not to go while saying that i’m breaking my promise,” he asked with a wry smile.

“I wanted you to stay, but I’ve decided that it may be time for the bird to leave its nest. My heart pains when I see you stare off into the distance everyday. I tell you stories about the world outside of this area, but I don’t let you go experience it for yourself. I feel like I am holding you back and I don’t want that,” July said.

June felt warm throughout his entire body. He really did think about what was outside of the area around the pond a lot. His curiosity was excited by the stories July would tell him. Stories from the time when she was still a simple spirit with a soul that roamed around and followed water.

His days while living in the area around the pond was simply boring. If he did not have July and the goal of cultivating to one day meet his father again, then he would have long died by boredom.

His cultivation was going smoothly. In terms of human cultivation, it would be exceedingly fast. In a mere ten years, he was able to reach the peak of the early spirit condensation stage. After his soul reaches the size of a small ball that is smaller than a fist, then he would be considered as a middle spirit condensing stage cultivator.

June smiled at July as he said, “I really do think about exploring the world a lot, but I can’t just leave you.”

“Don’t worry about me… I will be fine,” July said as she forced a smile.

“Even so, how can I possibly leave this place? If I go too far then… I will definitely get killed by those demonic beasts.”

It was reality. Even if he wanted to leave, the chance of him being able to leave alive is slim.

“I can help with that.” The voice that popped out of nowhere startled June and July. As they looked towards the direction of the voice, their faces twisted in surprise.

“Is that you uncle Franz?!” shouted June.

“You’re… “ July’s voice was quiet and it was swept over by June’s voice, so they could not hear her.

June’s memory of Franz was hazy, but he remembered that Franz was one out of two lords that he played with the most. It was a bittersweet memory. In fact, all the memories that had to do with Boa was a bittersweet memory.

Franz looked at the two with a complicated expression on his fox face. He didn’t expect that July would still be able to have a body without the water’s tear gem. Even so, he still thought that she would tell June about her circumstances, but instead, she told him to go far away and explore. He clearly knew what she was doing and he did not want the outcome to be this way, so he wanted to step up himself, but he realized that what he was doing was foolish.

He actually knew from the start that what he hoped for was foolish, but his desperation took control of him.

I actually almost ruined the panda. He is still young, so if I tell him, he might rush into his death instead. Hah… what am I thinking… even if I want him to kill Gera, who knows how long he would take. I was foolish. Since i’ve already stepped up, I might as well help a bit.

“That’s right,” said Franz. “I am able to take you out of the forest.”

June was surprised and happy to see Franz, but with a downcast face, he said, “Why are you here uncle Franz? You don’t have any reason to help me anymore. Father isn’t with me anymore.”

“This is my territory, so why should I not be here? I should be the one to ask you that question. Plus, it doesn't matter if the boss isn’t here. I owed him many favors, so this is just me trying to redeem myself.” It was true that Franz owed Boa, but he didn’t actually carry out with it. This was just his way of doing something nice for June without making June think that he was trying to be nice.

“Thank you uncle Franz,” June said with a bow.

“You’ve really grown up haven’t you? This time I can only take you to the edge of the forest. I can’t leave the forest right now.”

“But… I don’t think I can just leave July.” He had a complex look on his face. He was excited about going to places where he has heard so much about, but to leave July was not an easy thing to do.

“Don’t worry about me. I want you to leave,” July said.

“Do you really want me to leave that much?” asked June.

“Yes, I do.” July held his hand firmly as if she was unwilling to let go, but she let it go after a while. “The world is vast. I don’t want you to share my curse and suffer my fate. I want you to explore and be free. One day, when you are strong enough to come back and visit. At that time, you can tell me your stories and experiences.”

June clench his hands and teeth. His entire body was trembling. “Ok, i’ll go and I will come back when i’ve experienced the world. Don’t you go missing me, ok?”

He stood up and walked over to Franz. “Uncle Franz, please take me outside,” he asked.

“Alright, let’s go right now,” said Franz.

“Wait! Let me tell July something.” June ran back to July and gave her a hug that she will never forget and whispered, “You know… i’ve always thought of you as my mother. You’ve taught me a lot in the time we’ve been together. You’ve consoled me whenever I became sad and we cried together if we had to. You’ve brought light to my world. You’ve healed me when I was hurt. It’s because of your laughter and silliness that I am who I am today. Years ago, you said that it was a persona that you created to take your mind away from your curse, but I don’t believe that it is a persona anymore. It is you and I love that part of you. One day, when I am done with my journey, I will come back and I will bring along a cure for your curse, so wait for me, ok?”

Droplets of tears fell down both of their faces. July felt the sincerity and love in his voice. She secretly told herself that she will never forget the words that he said today.

“I will wait for you,” she said softly. “I believe that you can do it.”

It was their moment, but it did not last long. They separated and June walked back to Franz.

“I’m ready now Uncle Franz,” he said.

“You sure took your time,” said Franz. Actually, Franz was also pulled into the mood and almost cried himself. I may be a crafty and sly fox, but I, your father, am an emotional guy. Ugh, I can’t bear to watch this anymore…

June laughed wryly as he climbed on Franz. Franz was at least five times bigger than a normal fox, so it didn’t look too ridiculous, but it was still a weird feeling.

“Fuck, you’re 16 now and you’re still mounting me! How embarrassing is this?!” complained Franz. “No goodbyes or farewells?” he asked as he prepared to take off.

June laughed wryly again. It was indeed pretty embarrassing for him to do what he used to do when he was younger. After he got his fair share of embarrassment, seriousness appeared on his face. “No, this is not goodbye or farewell. We will see each other again one day, so I will say something else.”

“Alright, after you say it, I will start moving.”

“Ok!” June turned towards July and smiled brightly as he shouted with his rambunctious voice, “July! See you later!” His voice carried off into the distance as the two disappeared from July’s sight.

“See you later,” she said softly. Tears couldn’t stop flowing down her face. “This is for the best…”

---------------------------------

Compared to Boa, Franz was slower by a large margin, but his speed was enough to get June to the border of the forest in about a day. He ran non-stop, so he was quite tired.

He huffed and puffed as he carried the teenager on his back.

“We’re here,” said Franz. This was a really exhausting journey for him.

“Thank you uncle Franz,” June said as he looked back at the forest. He was already feeling homesick, but he was still excited for the journey to come.

“No need to thank me. I am just returning a favor. Alright, good luck! I’m going to go now.”

This was my chance to tell him, but it’s better if he finds out about it himself when he is older and stronger. I can’t be impatient…

Franz quickly disappeared before June could say anything. June sighed at his current situation. He was basically naked if his skirt was not included. In addition, he was very dirty, so he wanted to clean himself. He was hoping that Franz would have some solutions, but that is not possible now.

He looked onwards the plains opposite to the forest. He wondered how long it would take before he reached human settlements.

-----------------------------------------

After Franz left June, he quickly ran back to where July was. He took another day to get back and by then, he was very exhausted. His legs could barely stand and his body was trembling. I should have took a breather…

“Water sylph! You’re here aren't you? I don’t know how you can manifest a physical body after losing your gem, but that doesn’t matter. What i want to know is why? Why would you not tell the panda about your situation?” Franz was indeed curious, so he came to July for answers.

The water in the pond rippled and July appeared before Franz. She looked at him with a complicated expression on her face as she said, “It’s because I love him. I don’t want him to get hurt because of me.”

“Love huh? Such a word is foreign to me…” said Franz. His gaze abruptly turned towards the pond and he suddenly noticed what was going on.

I see… she is using the pond’s water to manifest her body.

However, the pond was quickly getting drained of water. The waterfall was raging in hopes of recovering the lost water in the pond and this helped a bit, but there was still water loss.

“How long do you think you can last like that?” asked Franz as he looked at the pond. “If he comes back and finds that you’re not here… wouldn’t that hurt him more?”

July twitched as she said, “I will be fine as long as I don’t manifest a body. The waterfall will replenish the pond... “

“What if he dies out there? Are you not worried?”

“Fate is on his side. I am confident that he will survive, so I will wait for the time when he comes back to me…”

“Well… do whatever you have to do,” said Franz as he stared at her. His stare made July uncomfortable, but Franz left after he said what he had to say.

July sigh in relief as she looked towards the dense collation of trees off in the distance. She was thinking about June as her body turned back into water.