Orien’s jaw dropped.

  "THAT is your plan?? You must have lost it, old man! You're gonna get me beat up, strung up and killed!" Orien hissed under his breath, whispering with intensity.

  Wisp floated there in the dimness of the room, his cyan light pulsing with what appeared to be exasperation.

  "Relax lad, it isn't nearly as frightening as you think. We were so focused on your problems that I almost forgot to tell you, I've regained essentially all of my memories. This old tiger won't lead you astray, and you'd best not forget the good deeds I'll have done for you by the end of it all,” Wisp said proudly.

  Wisp paused for a moment, seeming to think about how he would say his next piece, "I've decided. You will help me find a compatible body to host my soul, otherwise... I will eventually disappear into the wind. Without a body, I was never meant to appear again under this sun anyway. I'm throwing in my lot with you, kid."

  Orien stared at the Wisp, his expression falling between surprise and anxiety.

  Wisp floated there like he’d said something completely normal.

  ‘A body?’ Orien thought while he ran a hand through his hair before letting out a quiet chuckle.

  “I could see us getting along in the long run but remind me not to let you be the bearer of any important news. Holy shit man, that’s a lot to unpack,” Orien said then thought for a moment. As if he remembered something, he continued, "I actually am quite fond of your tune. If you play it for me more often then we can be considered partners in crime."

  Wisp’s flame twirled with pride, “A wise choice!”

  "But we can't enact the plan tonight," Orien continued quickly, “My father will be home any minute and he hasn’t learned about my results yet."

  There was a hint of anxiety in his tone that Wisp did not miss.

  "That is fine," Wisp said. "I'll let you have your family time."

  The room grew quiet after that, and the faint glow of Wisp dimmed as receded back into Orien's body.

  Outside, the sky had turned orange with hints of purple, fading slowly into dusk. Orien sat upright on his bed, hands clasped tightly, trying to steady the unease in his stomach.

  Eventually, heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the front door. Orien went into the living room and steeled his resolve.

  One of the things Wisp told him was to face matters head on. Although this would be frightening at times, this would have a positive effect on his willpower.

  'I mustn't shy away!' Orien shouted in his mind.

  The door opened as his father, wearing overalls that were quite muddy, took a step inside.

  "Eve, Orien, you've been waiting-" "DAD!" Orien got to his knees and kowtowed to his father "I'VE LET YOU DOWN! I'LL DO BETTER!"

  Stolen story; please report.

  Trying to keep his composure, he finally lowered his shaking voice, "I'll make you both proud. I promise."

  Orien's father walked over without saying a word and pulled him into a hug. Orien was a little shocked as his father didn't usually show affection like his mother did.

  "You don't need to worry about what happened today. Whatever happens, you are my son. I'm sure your mother feels the same way,” Orien’s father said.

  Eve, Orien’s mother, joins the hug, and they all share a rare moment of warmth and love.

  "Besides, the men at the farm were already telling me about what happened today. Not many people were selected and there's still time to redeem yourself. It's not the end of the world," He said before he tousled Orien's hair and continued, "You must promise me, however, to be more careful than your brother. I don't know what trouble he's gotten himself into, but it's nothing a regular old man like me can help with. I grieve every day for my boy. You are now the light of my life, and I don't know what I'd do if you disappeared too."

  Orien squeezed both of his parents some more before he said, "Things have been hard lately... Mom, Dad. I've even held it against you a few times, I've been suffering too, after all. I'll focus, so please let things be normal, please let everyday be like this."

  His eyes felt watery again, but he held it back just barely.

  Eve wiped her cheek and cleared her throat softly before saying, "I've made a special dinner for us. We're not celebrating acceptance into the sect, but we will celebrate life and each other. Come, let’s eat.” Eve moved towards the kitchen and Nordt, Orien's father, patted his shoulder and moved towards the dinner table.

  Orien proceeded to have one of the best dinners he's ever had, and felt that in this moment, this memory would surely be burnt into his mind. How one of the worst days of his life quickly turned around was a mystery to him, but he felt grateful.

  For once, he saw both of his parents smiling at the same time. It was a rare sight, something he hadn’t realized he’d missed until it was right in front of him again.

  "I love you Mom, I love you Dad," Orien said earnestly when dinner wrapped up, "Thank you for the support."

  He bowed slightly to them before heading to his room and the door closed behind him with a soft thud.

  "Hey Wisp," Orien said as he plopped onto his bed, "Did you also have a family when you were alive? Have those memories returned?"

  "..." Wisp hovered silently.

  "Don't ignore me," Orien said, "We're partners in crime now, aren't we? Friends."

  A long sigh escaped from Wisp, "That’s quite the topic you're pulling out of my head, but I can understand why. You've got a beautiful family, boy. If I had a family like yours, maybe I would never have bothered cultivating in the first place. We all have our reasons… but yes, once upon a time, I had a family too."

  Orien listened and waited for Wisp to continue.

  "My family wasn't as large as yours," Wisp said quietly, "I had a wife... It would have been nice to be buried with her."

  "Oh… I’m sorry to bring that up, Wisp. Let’s change the topic,” Orien quickly backtracked.

  "It's fine. That was ages ago anyway,” Wisp replied casually.

  There was a short lull in the conversation before Wisp continued, "Now, about that plan... tomorrow night, we will execute it. To go over it again... you will be stealing a cultivation resource in the dead of the night, with my help, of course. Now, now, save your morals for someone else. That little rat, Gemo was it? Based on your memories that I've taken the liberty of searching through alongside mine, he's just stronger than you because of his family's wealth and dares to behave so arrogantly! Let’s rob them! Speak! It was he who left that animal corpse on your seat, was it not?"

  Orien rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, “Yes, Wisp. You’ve hit the nail on the head, I'm pretty sure he’s responsible for that. I didn’t actually see him do it with my eyes though, otherwise I'd have retaliated right there. That’s the sort of guy he is, wanting to win over the kindhearted Mila and not let her know of his true nature.”

  A deep frown settled on Orien's face.

  Their discussion continued late into the night, ideas bouncing back and forth.

  Wisp lectured, teased, encouraged, and insulted him in equal measure.

  At some point, the exhaustion of the day finally caught up to him, and Orien's eyelids grew heavy, but he still tried to listen.

  ‘This is the first time I've experienced such a thing... A close friend with whom I could discuss things with well into the night...’