Chapter 12: New Bonds, Old Wounds

Callie was stunned; the Thunder Beads already lit. She hurriedly threw them away, still got hurt, but survived. She looked around to see which immortal had saved her. In the distance, she saw a figure in broken silver armor, each step making the armor ring—the sweetest sound to her. As she gazed, the immortal approached, and in her last glance, she saw the intricate patterns on his lion-head silver boots. Her lips moved.

"Immortal."

This was naturally Ethan. After being blasted away, he lay in the crater for twenty years, only recently waking up. Ethan felt his true spirit dissipating. When the last wisp left his energy sea, he thought his life was over. But unexpectedly, deep in his empty energy sea, purple energy emerged—at first faint as a thread, then surging, instantly filling his energy sea, healing his wounds. His late-stage True Immortal cultivation broke through to Heavenly Immortal early stage. Perplexed, before he understood, his cultivation surged to mid and late Heavenly Immortal. He even felt the Golden Immortal opportunity. But it stopped at peak Heavenly Immortal.

With a wave, a wisp of purple energy entered Callie, her injuries visibly healed. After a while, she opened her eyes, looked up, and saw the face she longed for.

"Immortal!"

Callie excitedly got up, knelt at Ethan’s feet, unable to speak, just silently weeping.

For a moment, she was a scared kid again, hiding from storms in her grandma’s basement, praying for someone to save her. Now, here he was.

Ethan looked at Callie at his feet, and sighed softly. "Ah, the Path of karma is truly the most wondrous Path."

With a wave, Callie stood up. Ethan stood firm, looking at the distant sky. His Heavenly Command silver armor turned to silver light and disappeared; a token flew from his body, its color gray and lifeless. This was the Heavenly Soldier command token—bright means alive, gray means dead. But Ethan was alive, yet the token was gray, so at the Heavenly Soldier Office, his name must be gray too.

He might as well quit the Heavenly Command and live free.

Turning to Callie, he said softly:

"Our fate has lasted nearly ten thousand years. I thought we were just passing in each other’s lives, but unexpectedly we meet again here. If you have nowhere to go, would you like to cultivate with me? I’m not a big shot of the three realms, nor a disciple of a righteous sect—just a small Heavenly Soldier. Now I’ve even lost that; I’m a wandering soul. If you follow me, there may be more hardship, even death."

Callie immediately said loudly:

"Why does Immortal say this? Including this time, you have saved me three times. My life belongs to you; finding you in the Immortal Realm is my obsession."

Ethan said softly:

"To me, saving you was just a coincidence, no trouble. Since I’m your obsession, now that you’ve met me, you should let go of obsession and seek your own Path."

Callie refused, about to cry again. Ethan sighed softly, said no more, and walked off. Callie saw he didn’t refuse, happily followed.

In another place, this could’ve been a scene outside a Waffle House at 3 a.m.—two souls battered by the world, finding a little warmth in the glow of neon. Ethan wasn’t sure if he could ever give her the peace she needed, but for now, walking side by side, it felt almost like hope.