After days of Azril flying through the skies searching for Remnant Village to no avail, his gaze caught upon a magnificent city. In the center of that city stood a towering, giant pavilion, as if looking down upon the other buildings beneath it.
Azril landed quietly. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, his attention was drawn to a sugar candy vendor. A worn-out memory in his head throbbed—he remembered that candy, something he had deeply desired when he was a child, before everything turned into darkness.
However, as he stepped toward the city gates, a spear blocked his path.
"Where is your entry permit?!" barked the city guard.
Azril remained silent. To him, the voice was merely meaningless noise. As he continued to walk, his survival instinct flared. In his eyes, the spear was a threat. Without a word, Azril threw a punch.
BOOOM!
The sturdy city wall shattered instantly. The guard's body shot out like a bullet, slamming into buildings inside the city until they crumbled into pieces. The citizens, who were busy moments ago, froze instantly. They stared with pure horror as the long-haired figure with a purple-blue left hand stepped inside through the swirling dust.
Azril approached the sugar candy vendor. The vendor fell back, his pants wet from peeing himself out of sheer terror. Azril took one candy calmly, but a booming voice thundered from atop the pavilion.
"Who dares to cause trouble in my domain?!"
An old man named Yumo descended arrogantly. "Brat, you have a lot of nerve destroying my city! I am Yumo, even a Step 1 Star Ascendant must bow to me!"
Seeing their leader arrive, the citizens grew bold. "Punish him, Lord Yumo!" they shouted while throwing food scraps at Azril. Yumo was just about to open his mouth to hurl more insults, but a fist was already one centimeter in front of his face.
KABOOM!
Blood splattered. Yumo's head was torn from his body before he could even blink. The cheers of the citizens died instantly, replaced by a haunting silence.
Azril began to stare coldly toward the pavilion. In his right hand, the sugar candy he had taken earlier crushed into fragments, mixing with the blood of his enemy.
Yumo's wife, witnessing her husband's instant death, immediately ran down and knelt at Azril's feet, weeping hysterically and begging for mercy.
"Sir, forgive us! Please do not kill us!"
Suddenly, a beautiful girl emerged from the crowd. It was the girl Azril had met in Nowhere Village. The girl approached Yumo's wife, who was kneeling in terror.
"Help me, Miss! Whatever my husband did, it has nothing to do with us!" wailed Yumo's wife.
"Hey, what's going on here, Long Hair?" the girl said while glancing at the headless corpse nearby. She sighed while rubbing her chin, understanding that someone must have just provoked this weirdo's anger.
Azril just stood silent, staring at Yumo's wife with an expressionless, empty gaze. Quickly, the girl pulled Azril's arm. "Sorry about this, this long-haired guy is indeed a bit strange!" she shouted to Yumo's wife before taking Azril and flying away toward a hidden hill.
Behind that hill lay a charming bamboo house by the riverside with a clear waterfall. After landing, the girl put her hands on her hips. "Hey, Long Hair! Why did you just go and destroy someone's city like that?"
Azril remained silent, intending to leave again. But the girl's hand held him firmly. "Your attitude is terrible!" Out of frustration, the girl suddenly placed her hands on Azril's cheeks and pulled the corners of his mouth upward, forcing a strange smile.
"There, isn't this sweet? Oh right, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lyra, a Step 2 Star Ascendant: early-stage. You're a Step 2 Star Ascendant too, aren't you?" said Lyra.
Lyra looked at Azril, who remained silent. "What is your name? Oh, I forgot you can't talk, right? Hahahaha... sorry, sorry!"
She observed Azril closely. "Messy hair, weird clothes, a purple-blue left hand... Do you have amnesia? That means you don't know what a Star Ascendant is?"
Azril only let out a low growl. "Arrrkk..."
"Geez, you really have amnesia!" Lyra sighed. "Listen, I'm from the Cloud Dust Palace, a teacher candidate! Star Ascendant is the title for those of us who walk the path of immortality. The stages are:
Step 1: Star Crust Veins
Step 2: Stardust Strata
Step 3: Void Stillness
Step 4: Celestial Gateway
...that's what I know, anyway. But according to the higher-ups at the palace, there were once rumors about a Step 5 or even higher, but those are considered just bedtime stories."
Lyra kept rambling about the leader of the Black Sky Palace reaching Step 4, but Azril just daydreamed. "Hey, do you even remember where you came from?" Lyra asked, annoyed at being ignored.
Suddenly, Azril went still. He stared blankly toward the river. Slowly, both his knees touched the ground. In his head, warm memories of Remnant Village and the soft voice of his mother calling his name flashed by.
"Hey, Long Hair, what's wrong?" Lyra approached, then she flinched.
She saw Azril's face. The man was crying, tears were flowing, yet his facial expression remained flat and empty. The contrast made Lyra's chest feel tight.
"I'm sorry, Long Hair... do you want to go home?" Lyra asked softly.
Azril looked at Lyra. His eyes were empty, but there was a small glimmer of hope there. Lyra was touched. "If you want to go home, you have to learn to talk so I can help you," Lyra said while patting Azril's back. In her heart, she wondered just how difficult a life this strange man had endured.
"Anyway, you must learn to speak, language, and facial expressions. For now, stay here with me. Just treat it like your own home. Understand, Long Hair?"
Azril stood up and walked slowly toward the riverbank.
"Hey, hey! Where are you going?" Lyra shouted while jogging to catch up with Azril.
Upon reaching the edge, Azril's gaze was fixed on a school of fish swimming freely. He raised his hand, pointing toward the water.
"You want to eat those fish? Good choice! The fish here are very fresh and delicious. Just look at who takes care of this place," Lyra said proudly while patting her own chest.
However, Azril completely ignored the chatter. Without warning, Azril began to strip off his upper clothing and jumped straight into the river.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Why are you taking off your clothes in front of me?!" Lyra shrieked. Her face instantly turned beet red. She quickly covered her eyes with both palms. "What a weirdo!"
Lyra stomped her feet in frustration, then turned back into the bamboo house to get a towel. A moment later, Lyra came back out carrying the towel.
"Long Hair, where are you?" Lyra called. She looked around. Azril's clothes were still lying on the grass, but his figure was nowhere to be seen on the water's surface. Lyra walked closer to the riverbank, but there was still no sign of Azril. "This guy... where did he go?"
As Lyra turned around in confusion, it turned out Azril was already standing right behind her, soaking wet.
"Aaaaa! Put your clothes on quickly!" Lyra screamed hysterically while throwing the towel right into Azril's face. She immediately spun around to face away from the man. "Put them on, fast!"
Lyra's face felt hot as if it were burning. "Goodness, it's like I'm babysitting a small child," she grumbled softly. After waiting a moment, Lyra glanced back slightly. She saw that Azril had put his clothes back on.
"Don't ever do that again! Understand?" Lyra said curtly. She grabbed Azril's hand, forcibly pulling him into the bamboo house.
Lyra pushed Azril's shoulders to make the man sit. "You stay here. Don't go anywhere! I'm going to get a language guidebook at the Mountain Pavilion first."
Azril just remained silent, sitting still as per Lyra's instructions. Seeing that, Lyra hurried away, leaving the bamboo house.
On the Other Side: The Mountain Pavilion
Lyra arrived in front of the magnificent Mountain Pavilion. As soon as she stepped inside, the attention of the people within the pavilion immediately shifted to her. In the midst of the crowd, a disciple from the Cloud Dust Palace named Valen appeared.
"Wow, what business brings the Fairy of the Cloud Dust Palace here?" Valen asked with an annoying, flirtatious tone.
"Move," Lyra answered coldly without stopping her pace.
"Your temperament is quite rough, Fairy," Valen replied, still trying to block the way. "Coincidentally, I wanted to inform you that you are being summoned by the palace higher-ups. Senior Serez and the other juniors have returned from their journey."
"I'll go there later," Lyra answered shortly.
However, Valen did not give up. He continued to try and flirt and get close to Lyra. Feeling annoyed and fed up with Valen's behavior, Lyra began to release her energy aura slightly to mentally pressure the man.
"Hey, fighting between palace members is not allowed."
The deep voice was heard from a distance, yet in an instant, it felt much closer and authoritative. It was Serez.
Serez stepped in calmly, followed by Yelan behind him. Seeing the senior's presence, Lyra and Valen immediately bowed respectfully to greet him.
"What is wrong with you two?" Serez asked sternly, breaking the tension.
"Forgive me, Senior," Lyra said quickly. She immediately pointed at Valen with an annoyed face. "He started the trouble first!"
Serez let out a short sigh. "Enough. My disciple, Yelan, wishes to visit your place. Besides, I also have something I want to say to you," Serez said.
Yelan then stepped forward and smiled thinly. "I'm sorry for suddenly wanting to visit your home, Senior Lyra. I really like the scenery around there."
Lyra was stunned for a moment. "You guys want to go now? Today, to my house?"
"Is it not allowed?" Serez asked back.
"It's not that, Senior, but..." Lyra hesitated. Her thoughts went straight to Azril, whom she had left alone. However, she had no choice. Refusing Serez's request was the same as disrespecting her senior. Finally, Lyra agreed.
"You're coming too, Valen," Serez added.
"Really, Senior?" Valen replied with a wide grin returning to his face. They all then began to leave the pavilion toward the hidden hill.
On the Other Side: Lyra's Bamboo House
The group finally arrived at Lyra's serene residence.
"You guys wait outside for a bit, okay? I want to prepare some tea first," Lyra said, trying to find an excuse to go in immediately and check the situation.
"I also want to look around the river, Master," Yelan asked Serez for permission.
Lyra rushed into the bamboo house, but her eyes widened. Azril was not there. The chair he had been sitting in was empty.
"This weirdo... why is he so hard to manage!" Lyra whispered, deathly annoyed.
However, before Lyra could go out to search, a loud scream suddenly echoed from the direction of the river. It was Yelan's voice!
Panicked, Lyra immediately ran out of the house. Her heart was pounding hard. Once she reached the bank, she saw Yelan standing frozen with a pale face. In front of her, Azril was already standing tall, staring at Yelan with his intimidating, empty gaze.