Bai-Xue sprinted across the forest floor, her feet barely touching the earth as she ducked behind a massive tree trunk.
Jrrr... Takk... Takkk... Tak!
The enchanted needles slammed into the bark, shredding it into splinters.
She repeated the move again and again—running, dodging, hiding—until the number of magical needles finally began to thin.
But just as she broke into another sprint—
Swoosh!
Her foot slipped, and she fell straight into a massive floating water sphere.
The rabbit glided toward the shimmering bubble, its violet eyes glowing with cold amusement.
Little Rabbit: "You will die."
The sphere began to shrink slowly, pressing against Bai-Xue's body.
The rabbit flicked its paw, and the remaining needles drifted into the water bubble. As the water compressed, the needles struck her from every direction—several piercing her flesh.
Little Rabbit: "Hahaha... Slowly, you will die like an insect."
With a proud toss of her ears, she turned and hopped away.
Only then—
BOOOOM!
The water bubble exploded in a burst of black light.
The rabbit froze, eyes widening.
She spun around in disbelief.
Little Rabbit: "What...?! How—?!"
Bai-Xue stood there, completely unharmed, brushing droplets off her clothes.
Bai-Xue (smirking): "I think you're not as powerful as you pretend to be, little rabbit."
Little Rabbit: "Impossible! How did you escape?!"
Bai-Xue: "Oh, you mean that tiny illusion technique of yours? It was... cute.
When you transformed in that flashy little burst of light, I actually thought—'Wow, such a powerful beast!' But then..."
She snapped her fingers.
"Boom... boom... fssss... nothing."
She tilted her head, eyes full of mock disappointment.
Bai-Xue: "What a weak technique. What a weak attack. Verrry disappointed."
She giggled softly.
The rabbit's fur bristled.
Little Rabbit (gritting teeth): "W–Weak? Did you just call me weak?! How dare you insult me! You truly have a death wish, human!"
Bai-Xue: "Pfft... then let's start. I want to see your true power anyway."
The rabbit's voice deepened, vibrating with ancient authority.
She lifted her head slowly, droplets sliding down her glowing face.The air froze. Even the water bubble stopped rippling."Do not mistake me for a mere beast," she whispered, her aura darkening the sky."I am the Princess of the Eclipse Moon, the one whose name even the spirits fear."
A thick red mist erupted around her.
Her eyes turned blood-red.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop—time froze, breath vanished from the air, and the moon above bled crimson.
The forest fell silent.
Little Rabbit: "Ha... ha... ha... You will not survive this."
In an instant, Bai-Xue was lying on her back—but the forest was gone.
She was surrounded by a vast wasteland of blood.
Waves of crimson liquid surged toward her, one curling around her leg. She tried to pull away, but the blood caught her wrists, dragging her down, stealing her strength.
There was no wind... no moon... only endless blood and certain death.
Bai-Xue (breathing heavily): "Hah... a bloody moon, blood everywhere...
You cast an eclipse in the middle of the night. Impressive.
You truly are the Princess of the Eclipse Moon."
Her eyes narrowed.
"But sorry to disappoint you. My blood... isn't ordinary."
She sliced her palm and let a few drops fall into the crimson ground.
The moment her blood touched it—
CRACK—!
The illusion shattered.
The blood disappeared.
The moon returned to silver.
The wind began to blow again.
The rabbit stumbled back, stunned.
Little Rabbit: "W-Who exactly are you? How could you break my magic? How?!"
Bai-Xue:
"Maybe your magic is just too weak for me.
Or maybe... I'm simply far too powerful."
Little Rabbit:
"Ridiculous! No one—NO ONE—has ever escaped my illusions!
You broke my first illusion, destroyed my spirit weapon, and now you shattered the world's strongest spell?!
You think a thirteen-year-old girl can do all of this?!"
Bai-Xue:
"Ahm... you know, I have Divine Vision. That means no illusion can trap me. Think of it like... a shield."
Little Rabbit:
"No shield is strong enough to break my web—!"
The little rabbit's fur shimmered faintly under the moonlight as it narrowed its crimson eyes.
Little Rabbit: "No shield exists that can withstand the strength of my web. And just a few drops of your blood... were enough to shatter my Eclipse Moon Night. One of your spirit souls remains bound even now."
Bai-xue stiffened.
Her breath trembled.
Bai-xue: "How... how do you know about my spirit soul?"
The rabbit let out a soft, disdainful snort.
Little Rabbit: "Do not underestimate me. I am not an ordinary spirit beast. I am a Soul Spirit Beast. I can see through flesh, bone, and illusion — straight into your very soul."
A faint glow ignited around the creature, like two spirits overlapping inside its small body.
Soul Spirit Beasts... two souls in one body.
When they die, one soul departs with them, and the other lingers — to complete their master's unfinished destiny.
Bai-xue's eyes widened.
Bai-xue: "But... Soul Spirit Beasts disappeared thousands of years ago. They're myths!"
The rabbit's voice softened, tinged with ancient loneliness.
Little Rabbit: "That is what humans choose to believe. We merely stopped serving them. So we hid ourselves... far away."
It lifted its paw toward the moon hanging high above.
"We live in the realm beyond that light. The Eclipse Moon."
Bai-xue: "Then why are you here... in this lake?"
Little Rabbit: "This lake belongs to my mother. I protect it in her place."
Its gaze suddenly sharpened.
"But tell me... how did you break the four layers of your soul?"
Bai-xue hesitated, then slowly pulled a jade pendant from inside her robe.
Bai-xue: "This jade... helped me."
The rabbit recoiled as if struck.
Little Rabbit: "Where—where did you get this? How can this weapon be in your hands?!"
Bai-xue: "So you do know what it is?"
Little Rabbit: "Not everything... but enough."
Its voice dropped to a whisper of awe and fear.
"That jade is an ancient divine weapon. With it, even a God Beast can be imprisoned. Long ago, a God Beast King—corrupted by evil—was sealed using this very jade."
The water around them rippled with the weight of history.
Little Rabbit: "After that battle, the weapon was believed to be destroyed. Millions of cultivators and gods poured their spirit energy into forging it... during the darkest era. And now... it's here, in your hand. How?"
Bai-xue: "I... don't know. Honestly."
She sighed softly.
"But how do I use it?"
Little Rabbit: "No one knows now. Only those ancient people understood its true power."
Bai-xue lowered her gaze.
Bai-xue: "I see... sigh..."
The rabbit hopped closer, ears twitching.
Little Rabbit: "I can help you break your fifth soul layer."
Bai-xue looked at it sharply.
Bai-xue: "Why? Why help me?"
The rabbit's voice softened — sincere, steady.
Little Rabbit: "Because I want to become your spirit beast. I want to form a Life and Death Contract with you."
Bai-xue stared in disbelief.
Bai-xue: "But... Soul Spirit Beasts don't serve humans anymore."
Little Rabbit: "True. But this time... it is my choice."
A long silence hung between them, broken only by the lake's faint whisper.
Bai-xue: "Alright. Then tell me — how do I break the fifth layer?"
Little Rabbit: "You must consume the fruit from the tree on the lake."
Bai-xue: "You mean that red fruit? I already ate it. And nothing—literally nothing—happened."
Little Rabbit: "WHAT? You ate it? And nothing happened?!"
The rabbit's fur puffed up in outrage.
Bai-xue: "Nope."
The rabbit stared at her suspiciously.
Little Rabbit: "...You have your Spirit Mark, right?"
Bai-xue: "Spirit Mark? What's that?"
She blinked with innocent confusion.
The rabbit froze.
Then... dramatically fainted onto the grass.
Little Rabbit: "I... I lost to this girl? Spirits save me..."
It covered its face with its tiny paws.
"Sigh... A Spirit Mark is the bond a summoner places on their beast. It connects their souls."
It fixed her with a stern look.
"You need your own Spirit Mark. And you need to create it now."
Bai-xue: "How do I do that?"
Little Rabbit: "Draw out your soul energy. Shape it into a magic shield plate. Then link it to me. Once your mark takes form, your fifth soul layer will break... and I will acknowledge you as my master."