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The silver doors of the spaceship slid open smoothly.
The group stepped inside from the freezing cold.
The ship was incredibly warm and bright.
Sue and Lily ran ahead instantly. They looked around the metal walls with wide, curious eyes.
"This is our home for now,"
Sam told them.
"It will take us anywhere we want to go."
In the middle of the main lounge area, two small figures were waiting for them.
One was made of smooth white wood. She had big, round glowing eyes and a friendly aura.
The other was a tiny man with bright green skin. He wore ripped purple shorts. He had huge muscles, but he was only the size of a doll.
"Welcome back, Master Sam,"
The puppet girl said politely. She bowed perfectly.
"Sam is back! Hulk smash!"
"Who are they?"
Sue asked, floating down to look at them closely.
"These are my friends,"
Sam explained with a smile.
"That one is Little D. She is a very smart, very polite puppet. The green one is Little H. He is… Hulk. He likes to break things."
Little D looked at the two girls.
"It's very nice to meet you both. I am Little D."
Little H flexed his tiny green arms.
"I am the strongest!"
Sue's red eyes lit up with excitement.
"I am Sue! I am a True God of Fire!"
Little H looked at her small wings.
"Fire is okay. But smashing is better."
"I can smash things with my fire,"
Sue offered quickly.
"We can be friends,"
Little H agreed, giving a tiny thumbs-up.
Lily stepped forward. She looked closely at Little D.
"You are made of wood?"
Lily said softly in her flat voice.
"Do you get cold out here in space?"
"I don't feel temperature the way living things do,"
Little D answered.
"But I have internal heating systems to keep my gears moving."
"I am Lily. I am made of ice,"
She told him.
"Ice is highly efficient. It preserves energy,"
Little D nodded wisely.
"Do you want to build a puzzle with me? I have many building blocks."
"Yes, please,"
Lily said calmly.
In just a few minutes, the four kids were completely busy.
Sue and Little H were in the corner of the lounge.
They were throwing toy blocks at the metal wall and yelling happily every time one bounced off.
Lily and Little D sat quietly on the floor.
They were stacking blocks into a perfect, neat tower together.
Jean watched them and smiled warmly.
"They found their perfect playmates,"
Jean said.
Sam nodded.
"The ship is going to be very noisy, but it's a good kind of noise."
Further down the ship's hallway, there was a large training room.
The floor was covered in soft white mats.
Mu Bingyun walked past the open door and stopped. She came with them.
She looked inside.
Xia Qingyue, Chu Yuechan, and Chu Yueli sat in a circle on the mats.
They had their eyes closed.
A beautiful, freezing mist surrounded them.
Mu Bingyun stepped inside slowly.
She was a master of ice. She had practiced ice arts her entire life in the Snow Song Realm.
But the cold energy in this room felt completely different.
It didn't feel wild. It didn't feel angry. It felt perfectly still.
"What is this art?"
Mu Bingyun asked quietly. She didn't want to break their focus.
Chu Yuechan opened her eyes. Her beautiful face was completely calm.
"It is the Northern Palace Ice Art,"
Chu Yuechan answered.
"Our master, Sam, taught it to us,"
Chu Yueli added, opening her eyes as well.
"Sam created this?"
Mu Bingyun looked deeply shocked.
She walked closer to the center of the room. She held out her hand to feel the mist floating in the air.
"The Snow Song Realm has the highest ice arts in the universe,"
Mu Bingyun explained.
"Our ice is meant to freeze the enemy's blood. It destroys the body. But this... this is different."
"The Northern Palace Ice Art isn't about destroying,"
Xia Qingyue said. She stood up and joined them.
"It preserves."
Chu Yuechan nodded in agreement.
"Sam told us that true ice isn't about causing pain or damage. True ice is absolute zero. It meant to stop things."
"Even time,"
Chu Yueli said softly.
Mu Bingyun's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Stopping time?"
Mu Bingyun whispered.
"That is a domain of the highest gods. Only a few ancient beings could touch the laws of time."
"Sam is a genius,"
Chu Yuechan said. Her voice was full of immense pride.
"He looked at our old Frozen Cloud arts. He told us they were not compatible with us. Then gave this technique to us for free."
Mu Bingyun watched the white mist float around Chu Yuechan's hands.
The mist didn't fall to the floor. It just hung in the air, perfectly frozen in place.
It was beautiful. It was terrifying.
"I have trained for a thousand years,"
Mu Bingyun said, shaking her head.
"But I feel like a complete beginner when I look at this."
"You can practice with us,"
Xia Qingyue offered with a warm smile.
"We can teach you the basics,"
Chu Yuechan said.
"Sam wouldn't mind sharing it with you."
"Thank you,"
Mu Bingyun said deeply. She sat down on the mat with them.
She realized that following Sam was the greatest choice she had ever made.
At the front of the ship, Sam sat in the captain's chair.
The large glass window showed the endless sea of stars.
The ship was moving incredibly fast. They were heading straight toward the Dragon God Realm.
Sam looked at the glowing control panels.
He heard quiet footsteps behind him.
He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"You are very quiet today, Jasmine,"
Sam said without looking back.
Jasmine stepped out of the shadows.
She wore her usual red dress. Her hair was tied up neatly.
But her young face looked very tired and serious.
She walked over and stood next to his chair. She looked out at the passing stars.
"The Dragon God Realm is very far away,"
Jasmine said softly.
"The ship is fast. We will be there soon,"
Sam replied.
Jasmine stayed silent for a long moment.
She gripped the edge of the console tightly.
"Sam,"
Jasmine started. Her voice was shaking just a little bit.
"Yes?"
Sam asked. He finally turned his head to look at her.
"After we go to the Dragon God Realm,"
Jasmine said slowly.
"After we find the Azure Dragon's daughter and save her."
She stopped talking. She looked down at her shoes.
"What comes after that?"
She asked in a tiny whisper.
Sam looked at her carefully.
He knew exactly what she was really asking.
She was afraid. She had followed him for a very long time. She had watched him grow from a mortal into a god.
She was worried that he was too strong now. She was worried he would forget his old promises to her.
She had her own powerful enemies. She had a ruined body and a dark, painful past.
She wanted to know if he still cared about her quest.
Sam smiled gently.
He reached out his hand and placed it on top of her head.
He rubbed her soft hair.
Jasmine's red eyes widened in shock. She froze completely.
No one in her entire life had ever dared to touch her head like that.
But she didn't pull away.
"You don't need to ask questions like that,"
Sam said warmly.
"I don't?"
Jasmine asked, looking up at him.
"No,"
Sam shook his head.
"I remember every single promise I make. I know why you are here. I know exactly what you lost."
He kept his hand on her head. His touch was comforting and safe.
"After we finish our business with the dragons, we are going to fix your problems,"
Sam said firmly.
Jasmine stared into his deep eyes.
She looked for any sign of a lie, but she only saw absolute truth.
He was a True God in power, but he was still the exact same Sam.
A single tear fell down Jasmine's cheek.
She quickly wiped it away with her red sleeve.
She took a deep breath. Her red eyes looked clear and determined.
"Sam,"
She said. Her voice was no longer shaking at all.
"Yes, Jasmine?"
"That isn't my name,"
She said quietly.
"It isn't?"
"No. Jasmine is a fake name. I used it to hide from the people trying to kill me,"
She explained.
She looked straight into his eyes.
"My real name is Xing Tong,"
She said proudly.
Sam smiled. He liked the sound of it.
"It is very nice to finally meet you, Xing Tong,"
Sam said gently.
"Thank you for everything, Sam,"
Xing Tong replied.
She finally smiled back at him. The heavy, dark weight in her heart was completely gone.