Rita lifted her gaze to et Kayden's. Her eyes still glistened with tears, but the pain and sorrow that had lingered there earlier had mostly lted away. Oddly enough, she now seed more at ease.
Kayden spoke earnestly:
"Ravenclaw, your emotions are like the waters of an Eternal Spring—never drying, infinitely precious. Your soulfire shifts and transforms from ti to ti, yet it has always remained beautiful, just like Apache's… or even Mistblade Moon Sovereign's."
Rita glanced at Kayden's divine talent: [Soul Watercolor] (Grade A).
One of its skills, [Soul Observation] (Passive):
"A soul is the best paint—its colors never fade. You can see the soulfire of every target. By expending 10% of your mana, you can manifest their soulfire."
Rita asked curiously, "What does my soulfire look like?"
Kayden slowly lifted her small, pale hand and, with Rita's permission, lightly touched her brow. When Kayden's hand pulled back, a streak of cot-like fla appeared between them, trailing a long, fiery tail like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.
The primary fire of the cot was a pure white fla, which occupied almost 90% of the soulfire. Pointing to the white fla, Kayden explained:
"This is the immovable resolve and pursuit that resides in your heart."
Trailing behind the white core were fiery tails—tiny streaks of flas, each varying in length and color. Kayden gestured to each one, explaining:
"These are the emotions you can't let go of—the ones that linger within you. Love, hate, joy, regret, sorrow, compassion, pity, hope, greed…"
She pointed at a tangled knot of interwoven flas, their hues blending so intricately that they seed impossible to separate. Kayden continued:
"And these… these are your most complex feelings, ones that cannot be defined simply. This is greed intertwined with restraint… this is resentnt, grievance, and acceptance… this is longing entangled with vigilance and rejection… and here, respect, gratitude, caution, and guilt all swirl together."
Kayden suddenly exclaid in delight, "Ah! Look here! These two streaks of hatred actually hide threads of pity! I almost missed it!"
Nivalis, perched nearby, chid in with excitent:
"Whoa, you're right! But why are these two tiny strands of fla flickering back and forth?"
Kayden explained, "Because their owner is trying to deny them. She wants to let go of them—she believes they're wrong. But emotions and convictions… they don't care about right or wrong. Isn't it fascinating? Ravenclaw, you seem to have never regretted anything. There's no hint of remorse in your fire… and no anger either."
Nivalis tilted her head, following Kayden's gestures intently. Then, pulling out her phone, she snapped a few pictures of Rita's soulfire.
Before Rita could respond, Nivalis spoke on her behalf:
"She never acts impulsively. She always overthinks everything a dozen tis before acting. I bet she's going to live her whole life without ever regretting anything. As for anger? Nah. If soone wrongs her, she doesn't get mad—she just pays them back in secret. What's there to be angry about?"
Kayden tilted her head. "Is that true?"
Rita didn't deny Nivalis' analysis but instead frowned slightly. She asked Kayden, "Is there sothing wrong with my soulfire being free of anger and regret?"
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Kayden shook her head. "Nothing's wrong at all." Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Rita.
"Your soulfire is like a gemstone… like a star… like a painting. I could look at it all day and never grow tired of it."
Nivalis, however, couldn't help worrying. "But isn't it bad for her soulfire to be so complicated?"
Kayden didn't nod, nor did she shake her head. Instead, she provided a deeper explanation:
"Emotion is more important than luck. Every being possesses a soulfire—even though most can't see it, your senses will guide you toward those whose soulfires warm you.
"A brilliant and beautiful soulfire attracts rare beasts and extraordinary treasures. But if a being's emotions run dry, becoming dull and lifeless, their soulfire can extinguish itself.
"For example, when a beast evolves into a magical creature, the critical mont is when it experiences intense emotion to ignite its soulfire. However, if it doesn't develop more complex emotions to sustain and enrich it, its soulfire will eventually wither. It will regress and lose its divine talents.
"However, without sufficient resolve, emotions can beco a heavy burden."
Nivalis nodded enthusiastically. "No wonder I like Rita so much! She's like a living treasure!"
She then turned to Kayden, her curiosity piqued. "What about ? Can you take a look at my soulfire?"
Kayden hesitated before shaking her head. "Apache told not to observe the soulfires of dragons. It could cause serious harm."
Nivalis pouted in disappointnt and plopped down on the table. She muttered to herself as she set a picture of Rita's soulfire as her phone wallpaper, soon returning to her cheerful self.
Rita stared at her own soulfire in silence for a long ti. When she finally ca back to her senses, she turned to Kayden and said softly, "Thank you."
Kayden didn't quite understand why Rita was thanking her. Instead, she asked, "Can I change the conditions of our deal?"
"What conditions?"
"If, one day, you beco as strong as Mistblade Moon Sovereign, the Withering Monarch, or the lody Sovereign—if all of Lania Kaia knows your na—can you tell every Saint Tribe that Dark City's Kayden is your most important and noble friend?"
Rita raised an eyebrow. "Even if I earn a bad reputation? Aren't you afraid my enemies will co for you?"
Kayden nodded firmly. "That's fine! I'm not afraid! Apache will protect ."
Rita sighed inwardly, offering a mont of silent condolence for Apache. She then extended her pinky toward Kayden. "Alright, we'll do it your way."
Kayden stared at Rita's outstretched pinky in confusion. Rita reached out, hooking Kayden's small pinky finger with her own, shaking them gently together.
"This is a tradition from my world," Rita explained. "When you 'pinky promise,' it ans you absolutely have to keep your word. Do you believe ?"
"I believe you!"
Kayden happily mimicked the gesture. Then, as if rembering sothing, she asked, "Should I give it to you now?"
Rita stretched out her hand. "Sure. Let's do this quickly."
Kayden swiftly retrieved the Death Suit piece from her inventory and handed it over to Rita. She also pulled out a bottle of mory-wiping potion, holding it tightly as she asked, "You won't forget about this, right?"
Rita, who had been examining her newly acquired 7-Character, pressed her hand gently over the bottle. "You don't need to drink that. I won't forget."
Kayden's decision to et her had undoubtedly been sanctioned by Apache. Plus, so many people had seen them together—it was clear Kayden had been smart enough to leave herself an insurance policy. Even if the deal hadn't worked out, she wouldn't have lost her life.
Rita knew that erasing Kayden's mory served no purpose now. The 7-Character had been hidden well before the trade, and with Apache's protection, there was no need for unnecessary risks.
Finally, when the trade was complete, Nivalis jumped up onto Rita's head, peering eagerly over her shoulder. "What is it? What is it?"
Rita replied, "The 7-Character."
While it couldn't combine with her 3-Character and 5-Character for a new skill, it did grant her the ability to bring another item into the battlefield. More importantly, her honor points had risen by 10,000, reaching a staggering 61,050.
Kayden reminded her, "This item won't stay in one place for too long. If you don't use it within 150 days, it'll leave on its own. I once had a piece, but one day, it just disappeared."
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