AN HOUR EARLIER

Aer stepped through the void once more, fighting against its currents to appear amongst the highest clouds of Paradise. A beautiful sunset graced the sky to her west, and she bounced on a particularly fluffy cumulus, dangling her feet off the edge and looking down upon the two clans. She still had some time before her meeting with Hong Tang Seira, and there was something very important she needed to do.

Her mana sense stretched out over the entire landmass, feeling the air for any human-like movements. Many Huang Clan members were up and about dozens of miles away, but their direct contact with the old hag made them less than ideal.

Instead, she looked closer. A few miles away, a pair of figures were engrossed in conversation, and with a wave of her spirit, the wind carried their voices back to her.

“Tonight was incredible, Mai. You’re… you’re even more beautiful than last time. I love you.”

“I love you too, Rynn…”

A moment of silence.

“But now I really need to go. We’re almost at my house, and my father would be furious if he saw me with a Sun.”

Another silence, and the woman spoke again. “Ugh, none of the Warriors understand me as much as you, Rynn. But are you okay, having to hide our love from everyone?”

Aer sat up, eyebrows raised. A Sun and a Warrior, together? That was unique combination indeed. Especially the Warrior, given that she would have been raised to be repulsed at the mere sight of a Sun. This woman might be exactly what she needed...

“Of course, Mai. So long as I have you, I don’t need the rest of the clan.”

She let a current of wind guide her cloud towards them, but before she could get to them, another figure stormed onto the scene.

"Stupid Sun! That insolent brat’s sister has ruined me, and you still dare stand in my way?"

How very interesting. She leaned over the cloud, letting her Saintly eyes and mana sense take in every detail of the interaction.

An old Torch stumbled towards the couple, the stench of alcohol staining the air around her. “I’ll teach you a lesson! I’ll make you wish you never crossed my path!”

Aer snorted. The Warrior had yet to gain the red streaks in her hair, so this Torch probably thought she was preying on a pair of Suns. She’d quickly learn her mistake —

"Stand back, Mai! I'll protect you!" Sun stepped forwards, his handsome features twisted into a scowl.

A Sun protecting a Warrior? Well, that wasn’t something you saw every day.

Mai put a dainty hand on the man's shoulder, shaking her head. "No, Rynn, it's fine! I'll —"

The old Torch cackled, sloppily conjuring a whip of fire. "I will inflict upon you twice the dishonor that girl has given me! Twice the dishonor, and a hundred times the pain! And then that stupid boy and their horrid mother will be next!"

The Saint pursed her lips. Would the Warrior really let her friend get hurt? Yet...

"Face me then, woman." Absolute confidence radiated from the man, and even Aer couldn't tell if it was a ruse or not. Did he have some sort of hidden weapon?

The Torch charged him, and Rynn easily sidestepped. A second later, he was behind her, and the old woman was off-balance. The whip barely nicked his shoulder, and he shoved her to the ground.

She shot a weak fireball at him, and he once again dodged, pinning the woman down with a foot on her stomach.

"If I ever see you trying to hurt Mai again, I won't be so forgiving."

Aer clapped, though of course she was too far away for them to hear. Despite his lack of affinity for the mystic arts, the man certainly had an instinct for combat. The Flowing Wind would come easily to him, and talent had never particularly mattered for her…