Kindred Spirits

As the storm spirit's gentle embrace enveloped him, Lee Yenshu felt a profound sense of calm wash over his weary soul. Her stormy grey tresses, like wisps of mist, caressed his cheek, and the familiar tingle of her power sent a soothing current through his body.

In this fleeting moment, the turmoil of the past - the revelation of his ties to the Sage, the haunting presence of Maoyei, the perilous journey across the realms - all seemed to fade into the background. Here, in the storm spirit's tender hold, Lee Yenshu found an unexpected sanctuary, a respite from the crushing weight of his destiny.

Hesitantly, he returned the embrace, marveling at the thundering warmth that radiated from her very being. It was as if the spirit's essence resonated with the depths of his own, calling to him in a language beyond words.

For once, Lee Yenshu felt truly seen, his battered soul understood by this ethereal being who had plucked him from the jaws of oblivion. The gratitude he felt was nearly overwhelming, threatening to spill forth in the form of grateful tears.

-You...saved me.

He whispered hoarsely, his voice tinged with awe.

- And I don't even know your name.

The spirit pulled back slightly, her luminous eyes - like shimmering pools of charged energy - capturing Lee Yenshu's gaze. A faint smile played on her lips as she replied.

- Fulmina. That is the name I was given.

She paused, her expression turning contemplative.

- And you, Lee Yenshu, are the one who saved me, not the other way around. I am merely returning the favor.

Lee Yenshu blinked in surprise, his mind racing to recall the memory she referenced. A flicker of recognition stirred within him, a hazy recollection of facing down a raging storm spirit, of using his newfound martial arts to subdue its fury without causing harm.

- That time, so, the spirit core that I was safekeeping, it was you?

Fulmina nodded, her fingers gently tracing the contours of his face, as if committing every detail to memory.

- You showed me compassion when I was lost to my own destructive impulses. You saw the trapped, tormented soul beneath the raging storm, and you sought to save me, not destroy me.

Her voice lowered to a reverent whisper.

-And for that Lee Yenshu, I am eternally grateful.

Lee Yenshu felt a warmth bloom within his chest, a sensation he had not experienced in far too long. To be seen, to be valued, for who he truly was, it was a gift he had nearly forgotten the value of, lost in the endless cycle of struggle and survival.

- And, if I'm being honest, the sight of you dancing through each of my strikes, without fear, without hate, that face you had, that showed me only concern, that made me fall in love with you Lee Yenshu, from the core of my being.

Lee Yenshu flushed instantly, turning so red, that it felt all the blood of his body had moved to his face. He was caught completely off guard. The one embracing him was so beautiful, that even the courtesans from emperors of old, and muses from the greatest artists, would pale in comparison, and to be told she loved him, so abruptly, without any warning. 

- You are going to make the boy faint again, mortals don't treat love the same way we as spirits do. 

The voice of Jade Willow resonated in the air. And only after that, Lee Yenshu realized she was in the room. This actually made the impossible happen, he grew even more red.

- Miss Jade Willow, you were here?

His voice sounded flustered, and that just made Jade Willow laugh a bit.

- Don't you worry Lee Yenshu, but I got to say, it's the first time that someone completely ignored my presence in a room. You must really be smitten by her beauty.

At that comment, Fulmina lighted up, looking straight at Lee Yenshu's eyes, her face seemed to glow with excitement, making her even more gorgeous. This almost made Lee Yenshu lose focus again.

- You find me beautiful Lee? Is it true?

Since most of the blood on his body was on his cheeks, there wasn't enough blood to his brain, to filter his inner thoughts from what he actually was about to say, and the result was:

- Not just beautiful, you are heaven's most perfect creation, who wouldn't be smitten by a simple glance at you?

This time, both Jade Willow and Fulmina flushed, Jade Willow flushed and felt embarrassed at such a bold statement, laughing a bit, and Fulmina rushed to let go of Lee Yenshu, she couldn't hide her embarrassment, even though she had just told him she loved him, to hear such a compliment, at point blank, she was not ready for it.

It was at this point that Lee Yenshu realized what he had just said, and was more embarrassed than both of them combined. But still, too little blood had returned from his cheeks to his brain.

- I'm sorry, I just blurted that out, I can't think straight, you are just too beautiful, and perfect, and even the air around you makes me feel at ease and troubled at the same time, so I just blurted that out. And when you said you loved me, I just, don't know how to reply to that, I know you say that in a fraternal, non romantic way, but, the simple tough of it being romantic love, made me feel like I've used all the luck on this life and future ones.

Jade Willow bursted to laughs, Fulmina grew as red as Lee, and once again, he realized he said too much, without filtering it down.

He was so distressed, that no longer words came out of his mouth, just unfinished sounds, his hands were moving in synch with those incomplete sounds, as if trying to make sense of the chaos.

Fulmina grabbed his hands, this time she was unable to look him in the eye.

- But I did meant it as romantic love...

The room was silenced, Fulmina still holded Lee Yenshu's hand, and time, seemed to stop, neither him nor Fulmina could look at each other's eyes, both just glimpsed at each other, and looked down every time their eyes meet.

-Okay, this is too much, if I stay in this room for much longer, I'm sure I'll have diabetes, Fulmina, how about you let the young boy rest a bit? You can both sing your undying love for one another at some point, but he does need to rest. And as to you Lee Yenshu, I'll try and teach you what "love" is to a spirit. It is different than what humans think, but similar. We call it soul binding, I'll explain it all after you rest a bit, if you managed to do so.