Tingyun found herself in a precarious situation.
She had only intended to lead a small squad of Cloud Knights to investigate a disturbance—yet what awaited her was far worse than anticipated. A colleague, now Mara-Struck, had turned into a frenzied beast before her eyes. And if that weren't enough, the stationed soldiers had used a massive container to block the road, turning the street into a dead-end trap.
Surrounded. No way out.
Those afflicted by Mara were consumed by uncontrollable madness, lashing out at everyone around them with a ferocity far beyond their former selves. The Cloud Knights Tingyun had brought were quickly overwhelmed by the rampaging soldiers, no match for their strength.
It was a desperate, hopeless situation.
Yet Tingyun, ever the composed diplomat, did not succumb to panic. She stood her ground, her mind racing calmly through countermeasures.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flicker of movement. A group of four was approaching from the port, their silhouettes cutting through the chaos. They weren't alone—several Cloud Knights trailed behind them.
Tingyun's brow furrowed. Strangers? In the middle of this mess?
Still, there was no time for questions. Her voice rang out, clear and melodic despite the tension in the air.
"Strangers! Assist us, please!"
She had no choice but to trust them for now.
"…?"
Felicity blinked in confusion, tilting her head slightly. Her gaze lingered on Tingyun, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"She reminds me of that villainess from the old tales," she murmured, her tone oddly serious. "A beauty above the waist, a man-eater below."
March 7th snapped her head toward Felicity, exasperated. "Hey, now's not the time for jokes!"
Without waiting for a reply, March raised her hand. An icy glow bloomed in her palm as she summoned her bow, the glimmering arc of frost stretching taut. With a sharp release, she loosed a barrage of multicolored ice arrows that shot across the battlefield in streaks of frozen light.
Stelle stepped forward, her baseball bat materializing in her hands with a confident swing. She marched straight into the fray, knocking a Mara-Struck Cloud Knight off his feet with a single, resounding crack.
Welt adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp and watchful. He didn't act immediately—his presence was a steadying force, a figure who would move only when necessary.
Felicity, meanwhile, remained still, her demeanor composed. Her identity as an ordinary Pathstrider of Abundance meant she couldn't act too boldly. If she openly called upon the power of life and nature, she'd reveal far too much. So, she stayed back.
Still, a playful spark danced in her eyes. Tugging lightly on March's sleeve, she whispered, "Hey, Little March, can you catch me a monster?"
March paused mid-motion, her expression caught between shock and disbelief. "Huh? Catch a monster? Now?!"
But even as the words left her lips, her body reacted on instinct—arrows of ice shot forward, striking the limbs of a Mara-Struck soldier and freezing him in place. Stelle, quick on the uptake, swung her bat in a wide arc, sending the frozen soldier skidding across the ground toward Felicity.
Welt, calm as ever, raised his hand to stop the tumbling soldier, steadying him before turning to Felicity with a puzzled frown.
"What do you intend to do with it?"
"That's not a monster!" a Cloud Knight suddenly shouted, voice sharp with frustration. "That's the Mara! Don't you know anything?!"
Tingyun stepped in smoothly, her tone diplomatic yet firm, as if hosting a tea party rather than standing in a warzone.
"That's correct," she added, her emerald eyes glinting with curiosity. "This is the Mara."
Though chaos still raged around them, the situation had clearly shifted. With unexpected reinforcements at her side, Tingyun felt the tide beginning to turn. Her lips curled into a faint smile as she regarded these unusual strangers.
Felicity, on the other hand, was utterly fascinated. She could sense it—the rich, pulsating breath of Abundance clinging to the Mara-Struck like an invisible aura. These weren't mindless monsters to her. Even in their twisted state, the blessing of Abundance bloomed within them, radiant and strong.
Her gaze lingered on one of the afflicted soldiers. His chest, caved in from Stelle's strike, was knitting itself back together, the sound of tendons and bone mending audible in the stillness between clashes.
All beings are nurtured and transformed, and their lives are endless...
"For the people of the Xianzhou Luofu, the Mara is a disease," Tingyun was explaining gently, her voice smooth as silk. "It's considered irreversible…"
Her words trailed off, a flicker of something catching her attention. She narrowed her eyes.
The soldiers who should have been beyond saving—whose bodies were marked by apricot-yellow leaves, the telltale sign of the Mara's grip—began to change. The leaves withered, their forms gradually returning to something resembling normal.
Tingyun's breath caught.
Impossible! Only the enigmatic "Healer Lady" was said to possess the power to reverse the Mara's effects—and even then, only for those in the earliest stages of affliction. Yet here, before her eyes, these soldiers were recovering.
"…?"
Felicity blinked, startled by Tingyun's abrupt pause. She withdrew her hand instinctively, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face.
The Mara-Struck state wasn't a mystery to her. It was merely the result of an individual's body or mind failing to support the overwhelming blessing of Abundance, causing it to spiral out of control. Retracting a small portion of that blessing could halt the spiral—but at the cost of weakening the Abundance itself, turning "Immortality" into "Longevity." Felicity wasn't sure exactly how much weaker they'd become.
"Even you… can't cure the Mara-Struck?" Welt asked, his voice low and thoughtful, as if probing for information.
Felicity nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at rice. "No… it's not a disease. It's more like a curse."
Her heart raced. She realized then that pretending to be an ordinary Pathstrider wasn't as simple as she had thought. Weakening blessings, healing corrupted forms—these were things she could do effortlessly, yet they were supposed to be impossible for someone of her supposed level.
Perhaps she needed a better disguise…
Tingyun, watching Felicity intently, let out a soft, knowing sigh. Her emerald eyes lingered, as if trying to peel back the layers of this enigmatic woman.
"…Ah," she said at last, her voice brightening into a charming, melodic lilt. She unfolded a fan with a flick of her wrist, concealing the lower half of her face. Only her eyes, shimmering with a sly, unreadable glint, remained visible.
"I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I am Tingyun, the Amicassador of the Luofu Sky-Faring Commission's Whistling Flames Merchant Guild. And you are…?"
"Welt Yang."
Welt's reply was steady, almost reflexive.
"Hold on—hello?!" March 7th's voice rang out from the front lines, half a groan and half a desperate plea. "Can someone help us out here? The battle's not over yet, you know! We're still fighting!"
March and Stelle had been fighting for what felt like an eternity. Despite the fact that these 'monsters' weren't all that strong, the battle dragged on—especially since Uncle Welt and Sister Felicity seemed perfectly content to stand back and chat like they were enjoying a leisurely tea break.
Tingyun chuckled softly, her fan fluttering as she let out a delighted laugh.
"My, you've certainly brought me more surprises than I expected today. I almost forgot we still have a situation to resolve."
She tilted her head playfully, her emerald eyes gleaming, then waved her hand as if inviting the others to join in the fun.
"Let's finish up here first, shall we?"
"Indeed," Welt agreed, nodding once. With a flick of his cane, he tapped it lightly against the ground. A wave of force rippled outward, striking the Mara-Struck soldiers squarely in the chest. Their forms crumpled as they dropped to the ground, unmoving.
Tingyun's voice, smooth and teasing, drifted through the aftermath. "Won't you lend us a hand too, benefactor?"
Felicity let out a soft, almost wistful sigh. Her lips curled into a playful smile, but her tone carried a tinge of longing. "Ah… I'm just a doctor, you see. I don't have nearly as much strength as they do."
Her gaze followed the others—their figures framed by the soft light, still in the midst of battle. A quiet envy stirred in her chest.
"What a coincidence," Tingyun replied, her smile deepening behind the veil of her fan. "I'm merely a ferryman myself. I lack their strength as well. Shall we find a quiet spot and chat?"
Felicity's eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly. "Gladly."