Chapter 41: The Quiet Before the Storm
Hudaifah's body felt weak, drained by Essence Exhaustion. He barely remembered escaping the explosion. Yet strangely, he sensed energy returning to him at an abnormally rapid pace.
His fingers twitched.
Moments later, his azure eyes opened—and the first thing he saw was a red-haired girl standing above him. Scarlet sparks glowed softly from her tiny hands, flowing into his chest, warming his limbs, replenishing his strength.
The instant he woke, the girl collapsed beside him.
Instinctively, he raised his curved sword, bringing it down toward her—but he stopped an inch from her face as he calmed himself down.
His blade dissolved into water and vanished. Silence lingered around him.
He sat up and looked around. They were on the shore of a small, remote island. A shattered pod lay nearby, half buried in wet sand. Though his essence had begun to recover, it was far from stable. Sailing out now would be dangerous, and he doubted the black-cloaked intruder from before was truly dead. There could be hidden enemy fleets nearby as a result of explosion.
Cautiously, he began to explore the island, looking for anything useful. As he reached the other end of the remote island, he sensed that the red-haired girl woke up at some point and started following him at a distance, stepping quietly behind him like a shadow.
Hudaifah said nothing and remained composed.
He caught fish from a stream, lit a bonfire, and began cooking. The girl peeked at him from behind a rock. When he turned to look, she quickly ducked out of sight. Without a word, he left her a skewer of deboned fish and walked away.
Later, while sitting alone beneath a sky painted with clouds, the red-haired girl approached him. She reached out with both hands, offering a purple flower.
He took it silently. His facial expression remained unchanged as he looked at the flower.
The breeze began to pick up. He stood, and the girl followed without question.
Over the next few days, Hudaifah began building a small wooden shelter. The girl watched him curiously. At one point, she left and returned with handfuls of colourful flowers. She decorated the window frame and door with them. Some accidentally landed on Hudaifah's head—but he didn't react and mind it at all. She giggled quietly and then added sea shells to the doorway.
Later, it started to rain. The girl rushed inside the half-built shelter while Hudaifah kept working.
When the raindrops above him abruptly stopped, he turned and saw the red-haired girl holding a wide green leaf over his head, shielding him. He sighed silently, but no sound came out. He finished the task quickly and gestured for her to come inside.
As the rain grew into a storm, Hudaifah performed ablution and offered prayer in a particular direction. The girl watched him from a corner curiously but didn't disturb him.
That night, while Hudaifah sat meditating to restore his essence, she distracted him as she pointed toward the sky. He followed her gaze.
Above them, dozens of shooting stars cut across the nighttime.
For the first time, Hudaifah smiled faintly.
Days passed in quiet harmony.
One morning, the red-haired girl was collecting flowers and tucking them into a leather satchel. A light drizzle began, and she turned to head back to the shelter.
But she froze in mid-way.
Four boats with serpent-crest banners were pulled up on the beach—sleek and ominous. Black-cloaked soldiers in metallic-sheen masks stood silently, gripping wind-etched spears. They surrounded the small wooden home she'd grown to cherish.
A man in a vermilion cloak with a black metallic mask turned toward her.
From the house, another person emerged—a ghostly figure with shoulder-length black hair veiling his one eye and a crimson twin-sting scorpion engraved on the back of his black cloak. His lower body was a swirl of dark smoke. An evil smile spread across his face as he hovered forward.
The vermilion-cloaked soldier pointed his jagged drill-like spear directly at her.
In unison, the soldiers and the smoke-shrouded man lunged.
Panicked, the girl turned and ran. The ghostly figure surged everyone ahead, almost catching her—
But a sudden water beam sliced through the air, forcing the attacker to stop.
Hudaifah appeared, his azure cloak swirling with droplets. He passed the girl like a blur and clashed against the smoke-wreathed man, their blades colliding in a burst of water and flame.
One sword shimmered like flowing rivers. The other crackled with ember-red fire. The smoke-wreathed man licked his lips in delight.