"Finally, you came back!"
The words ring out in the bright, piping voice of a nine-year-old boy: sharp, excited, impossible.
Yu Xiao's eyes snap toward the silver-blue light. She freezes, mouth forming a perfect 'o' of shock.
A talking spark?
She tilts her head slowly, blinking several times as if the motion might make the glowing thing vanish.
"It was strange… how can a tiny spark talk like this?" she mutters, scratching her temple.
The spark bobs up and down, clearly amused. "What is it? Are you afraid of me?" it teases, voice tilting cheekily in mid-air.
Her face scrunches in disbelief, nose wrinkling, eyes narrowing to suspicious slits.
"I'm the one who brought you here," the spark declares proudly, somehow puffing out a chest that doesn't exist.
"You?" She jabs a finger at it, then at herself, then back again, eyes spinning. "You brought me here?"
The little light zips closer, hovering right in front of her nose. Its glow paints silver-blue reflections across her cheeks.
"You shouldn't be confused, little sky," it sings, suddenly tender and fond. "Most importantly… you came back." It spins in delight, scattering harmless stardust. "Welcome home to your world, Feng Xiaotian."
The name hits her like cold water. Yu Xiao's breath hitches; her pupils tremble, lower lip quivering.
"…Who?" she whispers, voice small and fragile. "My name is Yu Xiao."
The spark settles gently on her nose, then floats up to hover before her forehead, warm and weightless.
"For now," it giggles, light winking in a cheeky promise. "You'll remember soon, little sky. Promise."
Then it perches on her shoulder like a tame firefly. Yu Xiao stands perfectly still, robe hanging loose, heart pounding, eyes wide and lost as a puppy's. She has no idea what's happening—but the spark hums happily, as if the whole mountain is celebrating.
"Although you're talking to me, I still don't know you. Can you tell me why you brought me here?" she asks, one brow arched in challenge.
The tiny spark floats before her. Xiao sits on the obsidian plate, hugging her knees.
"You really don't remember anything?" the spark asks, voice soft with worry.
Xiao shakes her head, lips twisting in a sulky kitten pout.
"Your name is Feng Xiaotian. I brought you here to save you," the spark says earnestly.
"You saved me?" She pokes her chest, eyes wide. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about," she adds, forcing an awkward, please-help-me smile.
"Did Zhou Yan really destroy you that much? You can't remember anything. His spell is really effective; he didn't just threaten you, he erased your memory. No wonder you're confused," the spark sighs.
Xiao frowns so hard her forehead could fold in half, letting out a tiny, nervous giggle.
"I already told you, my name is Yu Xiao, not Feng Xiaotian. I'm twenty-two, almost twenty-three," she insists, hugging herself defensively. "I don't know those people. Please, stop insisting."
"Hmn, fine!" the spark huffs, somehow crossing invisible arms.
"Now tell me, what is this place?" Xiao asks, sweeping her gaze around with exaggerated suspicion.
"This is Hǔhuī Shān—Tiger Ash Mountain. It's stood for thirty thousand years."
Xiao twitches her lips, eyes darting left and right. "Is that so?" she replies, unconvinced.
"You don't have any idea? This mountain is your death-escape. You were confined here for more than three hundred years."
Xiao's mouth drops open, head tilting so far she nearly topples over.
"Death-escape?" she repeats, disbelief dripping from every syllable. "Three hundred years?" Her eyes balloon.
"What is it? You don't believe it? Millennia have passed, and every Phoenix Sovereign born after the Primordial Era that passed must bring their soul here. No one can take their core—this mountain's seal is unbreakable except by pure Phoenix Sovereign blood—the chosen one of the heavens," the spark lectures, proud as a professor.
"So… I'm locked here forever?" she asks, voice shrinking.
"Silly!" the spark yells.
Yu Xiao jolts.
"Among the Phoenix Sovereigns, you are the vessel of the Spirit Fire Phoenix. The pure blood of the flames sect—carrier of the Samadhi Core of Eternal Flames."
"Me?" She points at herself, finger frozen midair, brain buffering.
Phoenix Sovereigns? Vessel? Samadhi Core?
Something clicks.
"Wait!" Her hands fly to her cheeks. "Am I in a cultivation realm?!" Her mind officially explodes.
The spark waits patiently while she stares into space. "What are you thinking?" it asks.
Xiao raises her head and forces the fakest, most painful smile in existence.
"Ah… little spark—that's your name now, I guess, since you haven't told me. But I don't know what you're talking about." She laughs nervously. "I'm no immortal. I have no powers."
"You don't need to be difficult with yourself. Maybe now you can't remember, but the time will come," the spark says gently.
Yu Xiao lowers her head, rubbing her palms together.
"Since you came back, you can give me a name," the spark adds cheerfully.
"Why should I?" she deadpans, blinking.
"You created me, so you name me!"
Xiao's eyes widen again. "Me again?" She points at herself, then glances around dramatically.
"In my world, I lived alone, barely talked to anyone. Now I'm talking to a spark. I must be losing it," she mutters.
"Come on, Xiaotian!" the spark insists, looping in the air.
Xiao stands, arms crossed like a grumpy big sister. "Fine. But only if I can get out of this mountain."
"You have spiritual power. Use it," the spark says confidently.
"Little spark, I already told you—I have no power. I'm just a regular human," she insists.
"Fine, we'll wait for the Void Shard Moon. When it appears, the barrier will weaken, and we'll find the portal."
Xiao's eyes light up. "Really?" Hope blooms. "How do we find the portal?"
"Void Shard Moon appears once in a millennium. This mountain is hidden, protected by a spiritual barrier only a Phoenix Sovereign can break. You don't have power now, so we wait."
"How long?" she asks, leaning forward.
"I'm not sure, but it won't be too long."
Xiao pouts, looking tragically adorable, then nods. "So… is this a sacred place?"
"We can say that," the spark replies.
"You said only high standards are allowed here. That makes it sacred. And—thank you for saving me, even if I don't get it," she says, sheepish.
"I told you, soon you'll find out."
"Why are there barriers outside?"
"This is because of An Chi."
"Who's An Chi?"
"A Demon King. Fate manipulator, born from primordial chaos."
"Demon King?" Xiao wrinkles her nose. "So why bother with this?"
"It's not him who made the barriers—it's because of him they exist."
"Ah, I get it," she replies, obviously not getting it.
"An Chi colluded with Zhou Yan. The realm is protected, but he made a plan to keep his scheme alive. He wiped out most of the Long Clan—only Duan and Ling bloodlines remain. The rest are at Azure Sky Sect, which outsiders can't enter."
"How cruel…" Xiao sighs, shoulders slumping.
"Exactly! The Young Master of Blue Flames Pavilion made the barrier to protect us. No one dares hurt us."
"Young Master of Blue Flames Pavilion?" Another wave of confusion. "What is that?"
"He was a powerful cultivator, now at a higher realm. No one insults him. He's dangerous."
Xiao blinks, mouth shut tight like she's swallowing a 500-page manual. She straightens, fixes her gaze on the spark. "If we get out, where do we go?"
"Outside is only shady woods. It's two days to Fénglín Town."
"Seriously?!" she exclaims, eyes wide. "Two days? Like this?" She gestures at her robe and bare feet. "No slippers, no food, no water?"
"You were secluded here three hundred years without eating. Why worry now?"
"Tsk. I just want to survive," she grumbles.
"Rest, Your Majesty. Save your strength."
Xiao's eyes go comically wide. "Your Majesty?!" she squeaks.
"Ha! I don't have time to talk to you. Even if I did, you wouldn't believe me," the spark teases, spinning away.
Xiao jumps up. "Hey! What do you mean—" But the spark vanishes.
She sighs, pouting like a sulking goldfish.
"He just leaves like that," she mutters. She sits, looks up at the darkness, and a soft smile breaks through.
"He's just a spark, but he's smart," she whispers, eyebrows still curled in confusion. "Besides… I don't feel alone."
And for the first time since waking in the dark, Yu Xiao laughs—a small, quiet, wondering sound that echoes through the mountain like the very first note of a song thirty thousand years in the making.