Everything happened so fast below. 

 

Jin slashed the two legs of the cat, delivering the starting blow. Liu moved in a flash. I could only see a blurry image as she leaped toward the beast. 

 

“XIN! DO IT!” Jin cries out from below, throwing his sword at me. 

 

‘Xin! Do it now!’ Chang’e exclaims from within me. ‘Remember your training!’ 

 

It’s time. I close my eyes, catching the sword in midair. ‘Remember your training… Xin,’ I repeat Chang’e words, remembering that training she had given me months before. 

 

///

It was a month before my 12th birthday. 

 

Chao Mei took me out to a forest on the outskirts of our city. It was a picnic, but the main point of going there was to train for my new ultimate move. Chang’e had promised to visit me this night just for that purpose. 

 

We seated ourselves in a nice spot inside the forest near a small water stream. Moonlight was pouring into the stream from a small gap created by a few branches. 

 

“Xin, go call your Mom,” Chao Mei told me. 

 

I walked to the spot lit up by the moonlight and looked into the Moon. 

 

“Oh, this is the forest you guys wanted to visit?” Chang’e spoke, appearing behind me out of nowhere. 

 

She surprised me like this many more times before. Now I hardly get surprised. Wherever the Moonlight touches, she could travel there using her Moon Essence. She said it was too soon for me to learn that spell when I begged her to teach me that. 

 

“Yes, Chang’e,” Chao Mei replied, setting up the picnic in a clearing without many trees. 

 

My mothers interacted well now as if they were the closest of friends. Of course, I was their best friend. But – they seem to be best friends too now. 

 

We ate a few sandwiches Chao Mei had prepared for us. It was delicious as usual. After that, it was time to train. 

 

Chang’e and I stepped into the chilling water on the stream where the moonlight could touch us. My moon essence performed way better when the moonlight graced my body. 

 

“Now, Xin… this is one of my favorite moves because it’s effective and such an artistic move at the same time. It’s the art of the sword,” she said, raising her hand and touching the Moonlight. 

 

Slowly, a sword took form within her grasp. It was enveloped in the blue aura, the Moon essence. 

 

“Wow… can I do that too?” I asked her, my eyes sparkling in awe. 

 

She smirked at me, twirling the hilt of the sword around her fingers to show off to me. 

 

“Oh, you can… if you reach the 3rd gate, though.” 

 

My excitement instantly died down. “I haven’t even reached the 1st gate…” I sighed. 

 

She giggled in response. “You will, you will. You’re still an 11-year-old kid, silly. Now, come here… You’ll train with this for now,” she said.

 

Then, she suddenly handed me the sword forged by Moonlight. 

 

My mouth fell open. She laughed upon seeing my expression. 

 

“You – you’re giving me this??” I asked her, looking up at her. 

 

“Of course… you’re my kid. Hmph. But it’ll disperse after a few swings. It’s hard to materialize a soul sword when you’re a clone,” she said, patting my head. 

 

Excitedly, I grasped the sword by the hilt. 

 

Then, she touched the beam of moonlight falling into the stream once more, creating another soul sword. ‘She’s a truly powerful being,’ I said to myself. 

 

“Now, watch me… this slash is just a work of art. It connects you to the world. And – it’s hard to miss your opponent with this one,” she added, raising the sword and pointing it forward. 

 

I observed her patiently, waiting for whatever art she was going to perform. 

 

“Calmly, cultivate your Moon Essence. And, breathe in and connect with the world… in other words, chill,” she closed her eyes, but her smirk didn’t disappear. 

 

“Then, in your head – you call out the name of the spell,” she said. 

 

The azure aura suddenly began to ooze out of her soul sword, and it began to crawl up her arm. Though, before it reached her elbow, she swung the sword. 

 

“CRESCENT MOON SLASH!” She cried out and performed the slash.

 

SWOOSH! 

 

All I could perceive was a curve formed by blue light, and the moment she stopped her movement, the stream of water itself separated into two. 

 

Her soul sword dispersed into glittering dust. 

 

My mouth fell open. 

 

“How – how did that happen…” I struggled to grasp the right words. The water joined back together, and the stream was colored by the blood of a frog that had been neatly cut into two pieces. 

 

“Surprised?” she asked, grinning. “Hehe, your Mommy’s powerful, isn’t she?” 

 

“She definitely is!” Chao Mei replied to it. Chang’e smiled at Mei, and Mei smiled back.

 

“Hehe… you are powerful, Madame Moon,” I added, grinning at Chang’e. Chang’e patted me and kissed me on the forehead. I blushed slightly. 

 

“Now, now. Little man. It’s your turn.” 

 

Indeed. It was my turn to perform the slash.  

 

I took the sword excitedly and pointed it forth, following Chang’e like her split image. The Moon Essence enveloped my sword, and my skin began to glow. I knew it. 

 

‘Yes, now I can perform my ultimate move!’ I performed the slash. 

 

My entire body became numb, I lost my footing and my spirit sword swung into the air. I fell back on the water, unable to move a single muscle in my body. The sword spun around in the air and fell right towards my face. 

 

‘No –’ 

 

Chang’e caught it when it was only inches away from my nose. 

///

 

The Azure cat roars out like a monster, jumping to its left and right. 

 

The secret to performing the ‘Crescent Moon’ slash is calming yourself down even in the most critical moment. Only such a person can perform the Crescent Moon slash. I needed to become this person right here. 

 

I clear everything from my mind until it’s just an empty dark space. 

 

Then, I breathe. 

 

The chilling feeling envelops me, the Moon essence crawls up my body, and I see it. A pattern. A curve. My entire body feels as if it’s showering in cold water, and that water washes all of my worries away. 

 

I am merely a human, born to draw this stroke from my blade. I leap into the air, raising the sword oozing with Moon essence. 

 

‘Rest in peace.’

 

I bring my sword down towards the cat’s neck.

 

My feet touches the grass. 

 

The mighty beast falls down. Its head rolls on the floor, and I grip my sword.

 

It’s finished now. Finally, the commotion is over. We are free. 

 

“Ha… it’s truly an art, isn’t it?” I ask myself, gazing at the sword wrapped in the oozing blue aura.

 

“Xin… you did it!” Liu jumps two feet into the air from the joy. Jin smiles and sits down against the stem of a tree.

 

I smile and look at the Azure spirit cat on the floor. Its tongue rolls out from its jaws, and the spark in its eyes fades away. 

 

“Ha… I thought we were going to die,” I laugh, falling to my knees. 

 

Liu comes and quickly grabs me by the arm and helps me stand. My Qi had drained to the point where there’s literally nothing left. The only thing that keeps me standing is… Liu. 

 

“Good job, Xin… you are more powerful than I thought,” Liu adds, grinning at me. 

 

Finally, I feel satisfied. I proved my point. 

 

‘I’m no longer a loser, am I?’

 

“Goodness, Xin,” Chang’e exclaims in my mind. “If you took one wrong step… you would be dead – not like I’m gonna let that happen, though.” She huffs. 

 

‘I know, Mom… are you proud of me?’ I reply to her.

 

“Hell yes I am!” 

 

I smirk.

 

Liu helps me sit next to Jin, and she too sits down beside me. All three of us exhale. All our Qi has drained at this point. We were close to our limits. 

 

“I’m not coming to kill spirit cats again,” I declare, and all three of us laugh. 

 

“Sleeping is better.” 

 

“Yeah, next time let’s go for something smaller… like a spirit bird,” Liu adds.

 

I laugh out loud. I gaze at the two kids and smile. They feel closer suddenly. We only had to spend this one evening getting to know each other. 

 

“You guys –” before I finish my sentence, I feel another wave of aura coming from the distance. This time… it’s much stronger than the Qi of the spirit cat. 

 

“What in the –” I turn around, and the things with the incredible amount of mana approach us even faster.

 

Then, the thought hits me. Of course! 

 

Azure spirit cats live in groups. And – it meant this lived in groups too! 

 

“Holy shit!” I jump to my feet. “There are more cats incoming!” 

 

 

//Author’s Note//

 

Yo, peeps! You enjoying it? Then go ahead and leave a comment and a review! Also, more power stones and support means more daily chapters! Have a great day!