The sound of a broken tea cup hitting the surface and then came along the ‘thump!’ of a water bottle. Nho could only stare at her unexpected guests with a face frozen in surprise and disbelief. “ NO FUCKING WAY- “, Phong yelled as he quickly stood up and leaned forward to get a closer glimpse of her face. 

 

It was indeed his friend, Tuyết Nho in flesh and blood. Before anyone in the room could ask what was going on, he quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the house. 

 

Leaving behind a small nine-tailed fox, Ly took a quick glance at the prince and ‘Linh Đa', her eyes gazed over the creature with a knowing glint, it’s fur puffed up and the fox quickly headed outside to follow it’s master. 

 

Outside, the pair of best friends hugged each other tightly with joy. Ly peeked out behind the house, eavesdropping. What it didn’t expect was the sight of two saints clinging onto each other, the long line of tears showering down their faces, and aggressive nose sniffles. 

 

“ Thank god, you’re here! At least I’m not alone in this world. “, Nho quavers as Phong nodded. 

 

“ I MISS YOU SO MUCH!! “, Phong cried as he shook her aggressively and his face scrunched up dramatically. “ I couldn’t find a single gay, attractive man! “. Nho nodded as she stroked his hair. 

 

The fox watched the scene with disappointment, it’s mouth curved inward. These two are complete idiots! I can’t believe one of them is supposed to be my master. It sighed, already so tired of their shit and decided to float towards them, plopping itself down Nho’s shoulder. 

 

Phong pointed at the fox, the thing still looked at him with raised eyebrows and crossed arms. It’s nine tails wavered with the wind, the fur tickling Nho’s neck, she quickly placed a hand on her neck to block it out. 

 

“ Is that a fox? “. 

 

“ I’m a nine tailed fox, not just a fox. “, Ly retorted. 

 

“ Nine tails or one tail, you’re still a fox “, Phong teased. “ What’s this fox doing? “, he looked at Nho. 

 

Nho shrugged, “ Claimed to be my little guide and that I’m it’s master “. 

 

“ Cool, you got yourself a little friend. How come I don’t have one? “. 

 

“ Cause you suck ass! “, the fox shaped its paw into an L shape, placing the paw above it’s head. 

 

Phong’s forehead grew veins, he leant forward to grab Ly. “ YOU- “, the fox hid behind Nho’s neck for protection. The earth elementalist pointed at the fox as a warning before he let out a huff. Nho patted his back. 

 

“  How did you get here, anyways? “, she asked. 

 

Phong replied, “ Well, when I woke up, I found myself in a forest surrounded with grasses and trees- “.  

 

“ Yes, we know a forest is surrounded with grasses and trees “, Ly poked its head out. 

 

He glared at it with murderous intents as Nho nodded at his response. “ I was found sleeping under a running stream “. 

 

“ Like underwater? “.

 

“ Yeah, underwater “. 

 

“ How the hell… “, he furrowed his eyebrows. 

 

“ Well I don’t know either but Mr. Đào took me in “.  

 

Phong bit his lips out of habit as he stayed quiet, buried in his thoughts. “ Do you have any powers, by the way? “. 

 

“ Well, Ly told me that I have fire powers.. “. 

 

“ That fox's name is Ly? “, Phong squinted as the fox stuck out its tongue. “ Well anyways, I have earth powers. Cool right?? “. 

 

 Nho widened her eyes, nodding, clearly impressed. “ Have you tried to activate your powers? “. 

 

“ Yeah, have you? “. 

 

Nho shook her head with a smile, “ I’m yet to use it. If anything, I just discovered my powers today “, she turned to look at the fox. 

 

Phong clapped his hand in a gesture, “ Well then, let’s see it! “.

 

“ How do I- “. 

 

“ You just do it, saintess. “, Ly interrupted her with a lazy manner. Nho internally rolled her eyes, thanks little guide! That helped a whole lot. As a joke, she extended her arms forward. “ Right, just do it like thi- “. 

 

Before she could complete her sentence, a blaze of flame shot out her hand, setting a bush on fire. “ I SMELL SMOKE! “, a villager shouted. ‘Linh Đa’ and Kim hurried out to see what’s going on, and along came Mr. Đào and Misses. Đào. “ Nho, what’s going on? Nho? “. 

 

Neither of the saints answered them, Nho stood frozen in shock, her eyes averting and mouth agape. Phong puckered his lips in amazement. The fire elementalist stared at her open palms, still in great shock. Ly peered over her shoulders with a smug grin, “ Told ya “. 

A pin-dropping silence and the crystalized sound of teacups gently placed on the wooden table. The Đào family decided to give them space as they went outside to collect supplies and retrieve the water Nho spilled. ‘Linh Đa' sips her drink with great elegance, her eyes closed, highlighting the long eyelashes and calm expression. Phong cleared his throat. 

 

Ly, the nine tailed fox for once in its life, sat quietly on his master’s shoulder. Ignoring the occasional glances from the second prince and ‘Linh’. 

  

“ My lady, I believe we can explain- “. 

 

Nho nodded, “ My lady, I didn’t mean to burn that bush. If anything I don’t condone forest burning or air pollution! “. 

‘Linh’ let out a small chuckle, her warm smile melting the winter seasons away. “ My, my, you’re not in trouble for simply burning a tree bush! There’s no need for courtesy, call me Linh “. 

 

The second prince who was crossing arms the whole time, quietly listening to the conversation, gently lifted his head to gaze at ‘Linh’. 

 

“ Lady Linh, courtesy is a must especially for an honorable noble lady like yours. It is certainly not necessary to be so humble, especially to the one of a thief. “, Kim advised,  his beautiful eyes sending sharp daggers to Phong sitting across from him. 

 

Nho had to step on Phong’s shoe to stop him from doing something stupid. 

 

‘Linh Đa’ moved her hand to the left and right, “ A noble lady is allowed to make friends too! You have companions too, your heavenly majesty “. 

 

“ I have companions but they addressed me properly with my honorific, Lady Linh “. 

 

“ Your heavenly majesty, it is a noble lady’s preference, won’t you respect that? “. 

 

“ ….If you say so. “, Kim nodded and went back to drinking his tea. Phong stared at his handsome face. What a pity! You’re spoiling all of that handsomeness to that shitty attitude! What he didn’t expect to happen next was the second prince locking eyes with his, the earth elementalist quickly averts it to somewhere else. He felt like he'd been hit with a bolt of lightning! 

 

“ Actually Ms. Tuyết, we’re only here for food supplies but we can’t help but witness a peculiar sight! “, ‘Linh’s cheerful expression never fails to dull in colors but if anything, it edges the two saints even more. 

 

The peculiar sight was Nho blasting fire from her own hand. 

 

Nho looked over and asked, “ Is magic not common in this world? “. 

 

“ Well, no but there are magic wielders, most of them work for my father, the king though “, Kim explained. “ However, it takes training and patiences, not everyone can summon their powers “. 

 

Phong finally decided to butt in. 

 

“ Then, could you tell me some of the magic abilities these people wield? “. 

 

“ They go by different names: Lasscrofts, Alchemists, Roosevelts, and Aethermalt. Lasscrofts are excellent fighters with their powered strength. A Lasser is born to either fight best with swords, spears, or a bow. These people are mainly in the royal military. Alchemists excel in medicines and elixirs, all of them are gathered in the Alchemy center in Vinh Quang town. Roosevelts fix and heal wounds, these wielders can be found in many healthcare centers. Aethermalts are.. “, ‘Linh’ went quiet. 

 

“ No one in this world is an Aethermalt, at least no one like us, only the god of judgement wields this power “, Kim helped her.  

 

“ Aethermalt? What does an Aethermalt do then? “. 

 

“ Aether, luminiferous ether, is an energy that flows through the universe and all living beings. An Aethermalt can control the cosmos, solar, light, and they can create any lifeforms to their liking. They say, the god of judgement was the one who placed the stars on the night sky “, ‘Linh Đa' explained. 

 

Nho was interested in the topic now, she scooted her chair closer, “ Who is this god of judgement? Do you know his name? “. 

 

Both Kim and ‘Linh’ shook their heads, “ No one knows his name but he was described as an ethereal being with long silver hair “. 

 

“ Then...what abilities does she have, you saw the flame coming out of her hand “, Phong pointed at his friend. 

 

“ Ms. Tuyết is a Flamer, she belongs in the five elements. Flamer, Earther, Liquider, Winder, and Aethermalt “. 

 

“ I know he’s an earth elementalist and I’m a...F-Flamer? We don’t have a Liquider or Winder then “, Nho raised an eyebrow still deep in her thoughts. 

 

“ His heavenly majesty, the prince, is a Winder “, she pointed her hand in his direction. 

 

“ Well I didn’t expected that “, Phong mumbled and Kim caught it. 

 

“ What did you expect, Mr. Thief? “. 

 

“ Oh, I don’t know, maybe just an ordinary prince who was born with a golden spoon! “, Phong retorted. 

 

They both aggressively stood up and glared at each other, shooting lasers from their eyes. “ I can suck up the oxygen from your body, what can you do? “. 

 

“ I can simply make this house collapse on your ass! “. 

 

“ Please don’t break my house! “, Nho shouted. 

 

The two women decided to let them bicker for a short moment before they cleared their own throat, and sat down. Nho smiled, “ So we’re missing a Liquider then “. 

 

Phong’s eyes brighten, “ Hey, if we’re both here then would there be a chance that Thư is too? “. 

 

‘Linh’ set her teacup down with a puzzled expression. 

 

“ You have another friend here too? “. 

 

“ Well, maybe, the possibility is quite decent “. 

 

“ There’s a chance I might have met the person before, tell me what they look like “. 

 

Nho rushed in to answer, “ She has medium length brown hair, by brown I mean kinda golden brown, her hair is also wavy''. 

 

‘Linh’ immediately had someone on her mind, “ I believe I met a lady that matches your hair descriptions. Does she have a mole on her left palm? “. 

 

They both nodded, “Yeah yeah, she does! So she is here after all “. Phong excitedly did a mini dance on his seats. 

 

“ Wait, how are we going to find her though? “, Nho interrupted him. Ly nodded on her shoulder. 

 

Kim nodded along too, still sipping on his tea, “ This isn’t a small country too “. 

“ You don’t have to worry about that. “, ‘Linh’ intertwined her hands together. “ I gave her a ring the other day, we can track her down with it “. 

“ You gave her what? “.