Jie told him about how she met Pan Tian. About life at the academy together and the way Pan Tian always brought a smile to her face. She told him about their trip to the city together.

  She tried to avoid the topic of the Crimson Valley and her death, but he seemed to want to know everything... so she told him about that too.

  It felt painful to speak about Pan Tian. But a good kind of pain. And he shared stories with her in turn. Things that many others in the Pan family would probably never know. Of his nicknames for her and the secret memory stones and letters they sent.

  All of which Jie promised never to speak of. Especially as he still kept in touch with Pan Zhanshi and his other children the same way. And, at some point, while they talked, Jie forgot to hate herself. At least for a while.

  Hours passed and the chill in the air grew. But Jie's cultivation kept it from becoming too unpleasant.

  Pan Silenos, as she'd learned was his name, wiped his eyes.

  "Thank you. You don't know the depth of the gift you've given me," he said.

  "She would've been there for my father," Jie said.

  He nodded. "She would've," he said, "she got that heart of hers from her mother. Heavens know it wasn't from me."

  Jie gave him a small smile. "You don't seem so bad to me," she said.

  She didn't know what else to say... he'd told her that Pan Tian's mother had been killed by the Chen family just like her daughter... it only made Jie hate that family all the more.

  "The funeral will continue for the rest of the week, but from what I know of you, I expect you'll return to the academy earlier?" Pan Silenos asked.

  "I don't mean any disrespect," Jie said.

  He waved a hand as though brushing the thought aside. "I know," he said, "my daughter admired your work ethic. And, that you took the whole day out... I know that she was a dear friend to you. You don't need to prove anything to me. In fact, from some of her memory stones... I'm surprised that you didn't cultivate during some parts of the ceremony."

  "I didn't want to upset anyone. Not today," Jie said.

  Pan Silenos nodded. "I understand," he said, "go with my blessing. And thank you... for trying to save my daughter... and for avenging her. Be careful though... the Chen family never forget a slight. They'll never stop hunting you. If you need guards or if there's anything the Pan family can do for you... don't hesitate to ask."

  "Thank you. I have my own plans to deal with that... but... could you protect Pan Zhanshi... and Ithilix?" Jie asked.

  "The hive girl? It will be difficult for me to justify... I wasn't able to invite her here... even with what she did," Pan Silenos said, "but... I'll see what I can do. I can't make any promises though."

  "Thank you... I know they should be safe in the Academy, but..." Jie began.

  "I know," Pan Silenos said with an edge to his voice, "the Headmaster and I have already exchanged more than words. I can't send anyone onto academy grounds... but I'll do everything I can."

  He offered her the resplendent black and white lotus in his hand. "I picked this for you," he said, "consider it a token of thanks... for what you've done for my family."

  Jie accepted it, treating the flower with care. It radiated a powerful, dense, high-quality aura.

  "It's a grave lotus. They sometimes grow on the tombs of my family," he said, "It's a... strange cultivation resource. This one is at the third star of the Elementalist rank. It feeds on Essence and grief. It has fed on the grief of all those at the funeral and the two of us while we talked.

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  "So, you see... my reasons for talking with you were not entirely selfish. Already, it should've helped ease some of the burden on you. Not all of it... but enough to take some of the sharpness away... after feeding so much today... it's as strong as it will ever be.

  "I suggest you cultivate it during your ride back to the academy. Just... be careful when cultivating it. I'm not sure what treasures your family has gifted you... but this... at least in this region it's considered one of the most potent. You cannot buy these because nobody would ever sell them."

  "I... thank you... but if this is so incredible, shouldn't you use it?" Jie asked.

  "I've used some before, and this one has helped draw out some of my grief. They're rare... but... I've been tending to this one for years. It was meant for my daughter. Once she broke through to where you are now.

  "I think it makes a fitting gift. And... perhaps I have schemed for too long... so much so that I cannot help but think that it benefits me for you to break through as soon as possible. Perhaps, with how fast you're growing... you may even be able to help me end the Chen family," Pan Silenos said.

  "Thank you," Jie said, "I don't know what else to say."

  "We've both said more than enough, I think," Pan Silenos said, "go now. Best not to give the winged jackals a chance to pounce."

  Jie turned to leave and paused. "I probably shouldn't tell you this... but you might hear some horrible things about me. Don't believe them, but please play along," she said.

  "You're entering the game then?" he asked.

  "Entering? You know I've always been in the game. And now, I know it too. I tried not to be... but I realize now that was never possible. I'm a piece on the board, just like you said. I have been since I first stepped foot on this land. I tried not to play... but they forced me... I'll make them regret it," Jie said.

  "Then, I'll play along... I'm sure at the very least, it'll be interesting," he said.

  Jie went back down the mountain and found her carriage waiting for her. The door was already open and the guards were arrayed around it ready to depart right away. As though Pan Silenos had known exactly when she would leave before she even arrived.

  Jie thanked the guards and the driver and stepped inside. Then, the carriage began the ride to the Crimson Academy as Jie held the grave lotus tenderly in her hands.

  She still hadn't had a chance to speak with Pan Zhanshi... but she supposed that if he'd wanted to, he wouldn't have fled from her at the funeral... so perhaps it was for the best.

  She closed her eyes and focused on cultivating the grave lotus as the carriage rolled along. It melted in her hands and streamed into her in thick, overpowering Essence that made her skin tingle. She drew it into her dantian and refined it as Ming had taught her, what felt like so long ago.

  It was already heavily refined and quickly spun into an explosion of dragon lightning qi over and over again as she struggled to keep pace with the unbelievably dense energy it contained.

  Her dantian ached from the relentless series of explosions as the dense, high-quality energies burned through her meridians like fire.

  Jie gritted her teeth as sweat beaded her brow and her cultivation surged. She broke through into the third star of the Elementalist rank when she was only halfway done with refining the lotus. Dragon lightning qi arced over her body as her strength and power grew.

  She continued refining the priceless treasure... until at last she'd consumed the last of the vibrant energies.

  Jie sat back in her seat with a heavy sigh, her skin still tingled and dragon lightning qi crackled over her body.

  Pan Silenos hadn't been kidding... the grave lotus had been beyond anything she'd consumed before. She felt grateful for the gift and a little guilty as she didn't think she deserved it after her failure...

  Still, she felt nowhere near the peak of the third star of the Elementalist rank. Now more than ever she saw the difference between each star was enormous, requiring exponentially more to break through.

  She smiled softly despite herself. Whether it was from the grave lotus consuming her grief, her discussion with Pan Silenos, or refining the priceless treasure and breaking through... Jie felt better.

  Pan Tian's death still hurt but the sharpness of the pain had been dulled to a more gentle ache. Her body felt more relaxed, her heart lighter, and her mind clearer.

  Jie touched one of the memory stones filled with moonlight qi on her cultivation bracelet and activated it with a little of her qi. Her mind filled with images and sounds as she saw some of the highlights of her time together with Pan Tian in the city from Pan Tian's point of view.

  She blushed and giggled as she saw herself stuffing her face full of food at the Golden Carp.

  Oh no! That's what I looked like? Jie thought.

  Tears welled up in Jie's eyes as she watched the memories play in her mind, but she couldn't keep from smiling and laughing. And each time she did, a bittersweet, warm feeling spread through her chest. It blanketed the sting of loss with a soothing gratitude for the short time they'd shared together and the memories she still had.

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