Christmas Eve arrived, a holiday Ye Xia had never celebrated in either of her lives. The city was festooned with lights and glitter, a stark contrast to the silent war she was waging. She spent the day in her training room, practicing a new skill unlocked by the system: [Kai Blade Projection]. By spending 10 units of Kai, she could manifest a short, shimmering blade of pure energy from her hand. It was unstable and drained her quickly, but it was a lethal surprise weapon.
Her solitude was broken by an unexpected visitor: Liam Kane. He stood at her doorstep, holding a small, tastefully wrapped box and a bottle of wine, dusted with snowflakes.
"I know you probably have plans," he said, his breath misting in the cold air. "But I was in the neighborhood, and it seemed a shame to spend Christmas Eve alone. Also, I deciphered that formula you asked about." He waved a folded piece of paper.
Ye Xia was taken aback. His gesture was kind, uncalculated. She let him in.
They sat by the fireplace, and Liam explained his breakthrough on a theoretical elixir that could accelerate meridian cleansing. His enthusiasm was contagious. For a few hours, Ye Xia forgot about assassins and rival clans. She was just a young woman, talking science and magic with a charming, intelligent man.
"It's remarkable," Liam said, sipping his wine. "The synergy between your empirical approach and my alchemical background. We could do great things together, Ye Xia."
The word "together" hung in the air, laden with more than just professional meaning.
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed. A message from Mo. It was a single image: a view of the city skyline from his penthouse, the Christmas lights twinkling below. No text. Just the image. A silent, shared moment across the distance.
The contrast was painful. Liam was here, warm and present. Mo was a distant, complicated phantom.
"Something wrong?" Liam asked, noticing her shift in mood.
"No," Ye Xia said, forcing a smile. "Just… a reminder of another commitment."
Liam nodded understandingly, but a shadow of disappointment crossed his face. He left soon after, leaving behind the gift—a beautiful, hand-blown glass vial for storing rare elixirs—and a lingering sense of what a normal life might feel like.
Ye Xia looked from the vial to the picture on her phone. Two different paths were offering themselves to her. One of light and collaboration, the other of shadow and fierce, independent passion. She wasn't sure she could walk either.