A Tense Reunion and Weak Excuses
Carol had a dream—a truly terrifying dream.
In it, she was engulfed in flames, watching helplessly as her fair, tender legs burned to ash, utterly powerless to stop it. All she could do was open her mouth and let out cries of despair.
The dream was so realistic that she screamed for help when she regained consciousness.
"Stop yelling, no one is trying to kill you."
A familiar voice reached her ears. Carol opened her eyes, and upon seeing the black battlesuit beside her, she instinctively raised her right hand. A purple spear shot out and embedded itself in the armor's chest.
Luke grabbed the spear, tossed it aside, and removed his faceplate, revealing a face etched with resignation.
"A few months apart, and you're still so quick to anger."
"Luke Shaw!"
The girl gritted her teeth. Remembering everything from their breakup, anger surged uncontrollably, and purple light pulsed around her, causing more purple-tinged spears to materialize.
Luke sighed. "Can we sit down and talk? We can consider fighting if we can't come to an understanding."
Carol turned her head away. "I have nothing to talk about with you."
"Don't be so absolute. After all, we have years of history. Even if you want to kill me, at least give me a chance to explain."
"Explain?"
Carol let out a sarcastic laugh, doubling over. "What do you want to explain? What is there to explain? Are you going to tell me that none of those women slept with you?"
"There's a reason for that. After three years, don't you know me? I would never voluntarily get involved with those women! The situation at the time was... unusual. It was... it was..." Luke's mind raced, struggling to find a believable word, so he forced an explanation.
"It was an accident. Yes, an uncontrolled accident."
Carol laughed hysterically.
"Luke Shaw, I knew you were a rogue, but I never imagined you were this shameless! You slept with dozens of women of different colors over three months, and you call it an accident!?"
"You're so smart, why couldn't you come up with a better reason? Or did you simply not care enough to bother?"
Luke remained silent.
"Regardless, it's the truth. I don't know the specific reason myself, but I can only tell you that my mind was compromised at the time."
Carol scoffed, unwilling to deal with the shameless scoundrel any further.
Luke knew his excuse was flimsy, but he had no choice. He certainly couldn't tell her he'd consumed a former governor's soul, which led to months of absurd actions—that would only cause more trouble.
"Let's put that aside for a moment and talk about last night. Also, could you please change out of that sexy battle suit? I'm afraid I might lose control and might get... ideas."
"Bastard!"
Carol glared at him furiously, then turned and walked up to the second floor. Luke had bought this villa for her; they had spent very good years here, and she knew the layout better than anyone.
Two hours later, after showering and applying makeup, Carol Ferris—now looking fashionable and sexy in a purple, form-fitting dress suit—descended the stairs. She was idly tossing the blue-violet crystal orb in her hand, her expression vacant as she looked at the "scoundrel" dozing on the sofa.
"What did you want to discuss?"
"I want to sleep."
"Then go right now. Sleep well. Sleep until the end of time."
"Great. Let's sleep together."
"Get out!"
Luke threw up his hands, his expression quickly growing serious.
"There is something seriously wrong with you."
"I'm fine. I eat well and sleep well every day. You don't need to worry about me."
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about your mind." He glanced at the blue-violet crystal in her hand and said gravely, "Are you being controlled?"
Carol paused, then sneered.
"If I want to kill you, I don't need anyone else to control me."
Luke shook his head. He snapped his fingers, and a video appeared on the wall, showing her face during their fight. It clearly demonstrated that her eyes and expression had been utterly devoid of emotion the entire time, like a killing machine.
The facts were undeniable.
"This is serious—more serious than you think. I don't want the Carol I know to become someone else's puppet. Tell me, who is controlling you? Who wants me dead?"
The girl looked down, remaining silent.
Luke's gaze shifted. "Can I take a look at that crystal stone in your hand?"
"No!"
Carol refused instantly, then added, "It has nothing to do with the stone."
"That means it definitely is the stone."
Luke stood up and walked toward the girl, looking down at her. She suddenly grew flustered.
"What are you doing? I'm warning you, don't try anything, or I won't be polite."
"'Not polite' is not a phrase that should apply to you and me. After all, we're very familiar with each other."
Luke grabbed her wrist, forcefully tearing the crystal stone from her grasp.
The Green-Flamed Transformation
The moment he touched it, the stone began to tremble violently, struggling to break free. The power was immense; even with two hands, Luke couldn't control it.
"Trying to run? Not that easy."
"Carol, close your eyes and turn your head away."
Seeing Luke's serious expression, the girl didn't hesitate and quickly turned her back, closing her eyes tightly.
Green Flame seeped from his palm, enveloping the blue-violet crystal stone. Instantly, the stone ceased its resistance and lay still in his hand.
"Only a soul can control a soul. The fact that the Star Sapphire can manipulate Carol's mind means it's more than just a Lantern Ring; there must be another will inside."
Luke sneered internally. He didn't retract the Green Flame; instead, he increased the output. Sure enough, after a few seconds, the stone trembled again, wrapped in violet light as it attempted to resist the Green Flame's erosion.
Unfortunately, against the overbearing and relentless Green Flame, its resistance was like tissue paper.
The Green Flame permeated inward, and the violet light slowly faded. Finally, with a sharp shriek echoing in his mind, the stone stopped struggling, and its surface began to melt, reforming into an exquisitely designed ring. The band of the ring was purple, but the main crystal was green.
Green? Why green? Shouldn't it be purple?
Luke's expression was odd. He decided to table the question for now.
Carol asked, confused, "I think I just heard someone crying for help."
"You misheard. Nothing happened."
Luke retracted the Green Flame, walked over to her, and smiled.
"Look what this is."
Carol opened her eyes. When she saw the finely crafted crystal ring, her eyes immediately lit up.
"What a beautiful crystal ring."
Luke invited her, "Try it on."
"Me?"
"Who else but you?"
The girl hesitated for a few seconds, unable to resist her affection for the ring. She took it and slipped it onto her middle finger. The ring began to glow, and the light spread from her finger throughout her entire body.
Her two-thousand-dollar designer dress suit was shredded into countless scraps of fabric, replaced by a sexy, form-fitting catsuit.
The only remaining question: What color would it be?
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