Just like we saw in the last chapter—Xiao Yi had entered the slave auction grounds, but something had gone terribly wrong. And now…
The alley stank of mildew, old iron, and something far fouler—like rot steeped in memory. Xiao Yi trudged forward, each step echoing faintly off crumbling brick. The sky above was a sheet of dull grey, offering no light, no warmth.
"Ugh," she muttered, brushing her arm across her ruined robe. "All my clothes are filthy now. I don't even know what to do about this stench."
Her boots squelched through mud as she reached a rusted door leaning crooked in its frame. She hesitated just a moment—then pushed forward. The second she crossed the threshold, something shifted.
Click.
From above, a chorus of grinding metal answered the sound—and then it all came crashing down.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of slave cages tumbled toward her from the shadows overhead.
But Xiao Yi didn't flinch.
Her body flickered with violet-blue light as her Neon activated. A pulse surged outward—Sora's energy responding like instinct—and the falling cages veered violently away, deflected midair.
As silence returned, Xiao Yi's eyes began to glow, dark purple and sharp like obsidian fire. She tilted her head, smirked slightly, and said,
"So that was a trap, huh? But even you should think—if all the slaves from here are gone… then where did they go?" She narrowed her eyes. "Now I get it. It was Lida, after all. Trying so hard..."
Without waiting, she raised her hand. Her ring shimmered.
With a metallic flick, she summoned a long chain of gleaming black alloy—alive with faint runes—and hurled it straight toward the oncoming cages.
But before it landed, a voice boomed from the far end of the corridor.
"Yes, I have clad this sacred earth in its armor… Stone Wall!"
A thunderclap echoed. A searing light burst from ahead. Crystal-like barriers erupted from the ground in glowing patterns—each one radiating a pale golden energy that shimmered as if alive. The entire mass of slave cages halted midair, trapped in suspended force.
Then… silence.
Smoke and dust swirled—then parted.
From that silver-blue haze, a pair of glowing black eyes emerged. Not human. Not beast. Something else entirely.
And the moment Xiao Yi locked eyes with them—
Time stopped.
Everything froze: the dust, the chains, her breath.
Out of that impossible stillness stepped a figure—small, barefoot, and familiar.
A girl.
The same girl from before.
She walked without fear, her violet hair rippling like shadow-flame, and stopped just in front of Xiao Yi. Her gaze scanned the frozen world around them. Then, calmly, she said,
"Wow… you really are lucky. I can see its soul." She tilted her head. "This thing… it's connected to something far deeper than comfort. Trying to compare its limits would be a joke in itself."
Xiao Yi's throat tightened.
"Wait… Ring, are you saying this is the Son of Chaos?"
The girl smirked, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder.
"Yes. This is the Son of Chaos."
Xiao Yi blinked, confused.
"But what does that even mean? And why do you always speak so mysteriously? You're my ring—how can you tease me like this?"
At that, the girl pouted dramatically. Without warning, she threw herself to the ground and began pounding it with her fists like a tantruming child. Her voice went high and whiny.
"You really are just a little girl, aren't you?" Xiao Yi muttered, half exasperated, half amused.
The girl turned her face up.
"Hmph! Forget it. Anyway, you can't guess my name even if you try."
Xiao Yi folded her arms.
"But… I don't even know your name."
The girl's eyes widened like she'd been struck.
"What? You seriously don't know my name?"
Xiao Yi shook her head, shyly.
For a moment, the girl just stared. Then she grinned, hands on hips, and lifted her chin.
"Well, then, that's my fault! Fine, listen closely." She crossed her arms with pride. "You may have become my mistress now, but I'm still older than you. So from now on, you must call me… Miss Vexa!"
Xiao Yi blinked. Stared.
"Hey!" the girl snapped. "Are you mocking me?"
"No, not at all," Xiao Yi said quickly.
Still, Vexa puffed up again, flailing her arms.
"Then why were you laughing?!"
Xiao Yi stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her head.
"Okay, sorry, Vexa. Now come on—we have a lot of work to do."
With that simple touch—
Time resumed.
Wind returned. Dust scattered. The cages shuddered and fell harmlessly to the side as the energy walls dissolved.
The glow from those distant black eyes faded… but Xiao Yi's own gaze only sharpened.
She stepped forward.
"Let's see what else is waiting for us."
Even shadows bleed when watched too long.