Blossoming Path

I woke up with a start, gasping as my eyes flew open, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would break through my chest.

My bed. I was in my bed. The familiar scent of herbs and woodsmoke clung to the air, and I could see that the sky was pitch black outside.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The last thing I remembered... Tianyi. The forest. That strange form with her wings.

"Was it just a nightmare?" I muttered under my breath, running a hand through my hair. Maybe I had been overworked. Too much training, not enough sleep. It wouldn’t have been the first time my mind played tricks on me.

Just as I started to convince myself that I’d imagined it all, something darted toward me with such speed that I barely had time to react. I jerked back, scrambling against the headboard as a scream tore from my throat.

It wasn’t a dream. She stood by my bedside, her wings fluttering rapidly, her too-large eyes wide with concern. That same unsettling, too-perfect smile stretched across her face, frozen there as if she wasn’t entirely sure how to change it.

"I’m... sorry!" she said, her voice quiet but carrying that odd echo, almost too clear for this small room.

I stared at her, heart still racing. She looked at me with those mesmerizing eyes, alien and human at the same time. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was I supposed to say? What could I say?

Windy, curled up near the foot of my bed, flicked his tongue out lazily. He gazed at Tianyi for a long moment before turning away with an air of indifference. Typical. He didn’t seem to find her new form worth any more of his attention.

Tianyi, meanwhile, hovered there, her wings twitching awkwardly, her expression still that eerie, unwavering smile. My brain finally started to catch up with everything, and I forced myself to take a deep breath.

"It’s... it’s okay," I mumbled, my voice shaky. "I just... wasn’t expecting... you." I stared down at the blanket, still processing.

She tilted her head, watching me intently. The smile faltered for a second, as if she were trying to adjust her expression, but it didn’t quite land. It was clear she was struggling with this new form.

As I stared at her, something else dawned on me. She was still completely—

"Oh!" I jumped out of bed, avoiding her eyes and feeling heat rush to my face. I had to cover her up. "Hold on, just... wait here."

I scrambled over to the corner of my room, rifling through my storage.

"Where was that robe? The one that one of the merchants had gifted me... Here it is!"

I yanked it out from beneath a pile of folded linens. The deep blue silk practically shimmered in the light as I hurried back toward Tianyi, keeping my gaze firmly averted.

"Uh, here," I said, offering her the robe as I gestured toward her form. She tilted her head again, but after a moment, she seemed to understand. With a soft flutter of her wings, she folded them back, shrinking them enough to let me drape the robe over her shoulders.

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The wings shifted, folding so smoothly it was like they’d always been a part of her, perfectly aligned. The robe fit her well, though her inhuman form made it look more regal than I’d anticipated. She looked like Lady Xiao Yun; a daughter of a wealthy merchant, so long as I ignored the raised lines along her skin.

"Thank you," she said, her voice still holding that strange echo. Her smile was still too wide, too perfect, but there was an earnestness in her eyes.

I nodded, still not entirely sure what to say. Everything felt too surreal. Just a day ago, she was the small butterfly I’d known for so long, flitting around the garden, bringing a sense of calm to my world. Now she was... this. And I still didn’t know how to process it.

My gaze flickered toward her wings again. They shimmered even under the dull morning light, catching every beam like they were made from the sky itself. Her form, while humanoid, was clearly not human. The lines running across her skin, the smoothness where I expected human details—it was all so... alien. Yet, somehow, undeniably Tianyi.

"How did this happen?"

"You... said I could transform," she began softly. "You told me about spirit beasts that could take on human forms. I wanted to be like them. To stand beside you, not just fly above or behind you."

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Her voice still carried that strange, clear echo, but what stunned me most wasn’t her voice, it was how deeply my words had affected her. She had taken something I’d said so casually and made it her goal. The weight of that realization sank into me like a stone.

"You... did all this because of me?" I said, almost dumbfounded. "Tianyi, I never meant—" I trailed off, unsure how to even finish the thought. I wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to change, that she was enough as she was. But now, looking at her, I realized that this transformation wasn’t just about me. It was about her, too. Her own journey, her own growth.

She tilted her head again, watching me intently, her too-wide smile still plastered on her face, though it faltered slightly as if she wasn’t sure if it was the right expression.

"I... I thought it would make you happy," she said, her voice softening. "I wanted to be able to protect you better."

I stared at her, the weight of her words hitting me like a blow. How long had she been silently working toward this, keeping to herself despite her newfound ability to speak? And here I was, dumbly staring at her like I didn’t understand.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I’m sorry, Tianyi. I didn’t realize... I didn’t know how much this meant to you."

I took a closer look at her, this time with more focus. Her irises shimmered in segments, catching the light in a way that made them seem like the facets of an insect’s compound eyes. The raised lines along her arms and fingers weren’t just surface markings, they were like separate segments, dividing her skin into intricate, interconnected sections. Even her hair... two strands falling down her face twitched slightly, in a way that normal hair never would.

Despite the warmth of the room, her hand was cool to the touch when I finally held it. Her skin, pale and smooth, was hard, almost rigid—like polished stone rather than flesh. It was as if she had grasped the essence of what it meant to be human but missed the finer details.

"Tianyi, you didn’t do anything wrong," I said, my voice softening. She looked at me with that same wide, unsettling smile, though I could see the hesitation behind it. "I was just... worried. I didn’t know where you were."

Her smile faltered, and for a moment, it seemed like she was struggling to control her new form, her wings fluttering slightly as she leaned in closer.

"I didn’t mean to scare you," she whispered, her voice carrying an apologetic tone.

I shook my head quickly. "No, it’s not your fault. I just... wasn’t ready for this."

At my words, her expression brightened, though the too-perfect smile remained. Before I could react, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around me in a surprisingly gentle hug. "You’re very warm," she said, sounding almost pleased.

I hesitated for a second, my mind still reeling from everything that had happened. But then, slowly, I returned the hug, my arms wrapping around her unfamiliar frame. Despite everything, there was a strange sense of comfort in the embrace.

"Thank you, Kai," she said softly, her voice muffled against my shoulder.

I smiled weakly, exhaustion creeping over me as the events of the day finally caught up. "You’re... welcome, Tianyi," I murmured, my voice barely a whisper as the last of my strength faded away. "I think I need to lie down."

Without another word, I collapsed back onto the bed, with her still holding me. My mind swam in a haze of fatigue, the day’s events blending into a blur of confusion and awe. Within moments, sleep claimed me.

I woke up to the sensation of something watching me.

Slowly, I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the dim morning light filtering through the window. I turned my head to the side and nearly jumped when I saw Tianyi sitting there, her large, shimmering eyes locked on me, her expression unchanged.

"Good morning!" she chirped the moment she saw I was awake.

"Did you even sleep?"

She nodded cheerfully, her wings fluttering slightly beneath the robe. "I don’t sleep like you do. I just... rest."

I narrowed my eyes, feeling a shiver crawl up my spine as I realized something. "You haven’t blinked once."

She tilted her head, seemingly unbothered. "I don’t need to."

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, deciding not to question it further. At that moment, Windy slithered up onto the bed, his tongue flickering out as he studied Tianyi with new interest. For the first time since her transformation, he moved closer, curling around her neck as she greeted him with a soft smile. The sight was strange but... oddly fitting.

While they interacted, my mind raced. Zhi Ruo’s letter flashed in my thoughts: Don’t stand out.

How was I supposed to keep Tianyi’s new form hidden? If anyone saw her like this...

I sighed, my pulse quickening again. I had to figure out what to do.

"Tianyi," I began, "do you think you can change back into your butterfly form? You know... to keep things less... complicated?"

She looked thoughtful, her wings twitching slightly. "I’m... not sure. I haven’t tried."

Before I could ask further, a sudden knock on the door made my heart leap into my throat.

"Kai! You’re late!" Lan-Yin’s voice rang out. "Elder Ming’s going to punish you if you don’t hurry!"

My eyes widened in panic. "Hide!" I hissed, already scrambling out of bed.

She looked confused for a split second but then darted beneath the bed with surprising speed, her wings folding up tightly against her back. Just in time, too, as Lan-Yin and Wang Jun burst through the door a moment later, oblivious to the chaos they had narrowly missed.

The door creaked open, and Lan-Yin and Wang Jun stepped into the room, both grinning like foxes sniffing out trouble. I stood frozen for a moment, still catching my breath from the earlier panic, my clothes damp with sweat. My hair clung to my forehead, and I must have looked a mess. I opened my mouth to explain, but Lan-Yin’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she leaned casually against the doorframe.

“Well, well,” she began, her tone lilting with amusement. “What’s this?”

Wang Jun’s grin widened as he crossed his arms. “Seems like someone’s been... dedicating themselves to their own, uh, private pursuits.”

I felt my face burn instantly, the embarrassment hitting like a slap. "No, no, it's not—" I stammered, but the words fumbled out of my mouth uselessly.

Lan-Yin raised a brow, clearly enjoying the moment. "No need to be so shy, Young Master Kai. Everyone’s got to practice... refinement one way or another, right?" She chuckled lightly, nudging her betrothed in the ribs.

The two exchanged a knowing look, and I groaned inwardly.

“No!” I finally managed, my voice a bit too loud. “I wasn’t—I mean—!”

The words stuck in my throat, and I felt the sweat beading on my forehead again. My heart raced, not from the accusation, but because Tianyi was still hiding just a few feet away, underneath the bed. If they caught on to her presence...

I forced a grin, waving my hands in front of me in a desperate attempt to clear the misunderstanding. "I was just... doing some physical training last night! Conditioning, you know, working on endurance. Nothing improper."

Lan-Yin tapped her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "Oh, conditioning, was it? That must be why you’re soaked through like a steamed dumpling, hmm?"

Wang Jun snickered behind her. "Pretty intense training to leave you looking like that."

I felt the blood rushing to my face. This was not how I’d imagined starting my morning. I tried to shift the conversation, anything to divert their attention.

“Look, I’m running late, right?” I said, trying to sound calm as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “What’s the punishment this time? Can’t have Elder Ming thinking I’ve been slacking off.”

“Oh, I’m sure Elder Ming will forgive you if you tell him you were working on some... more personal cultivation techniques.”

Lan-Yin gave me a mock serious look, crossing her arms. “Though you might want to clean up before heading out. No one wants to train next to someone who's still in the throes of their, um, solo cultivation.”

I sighed deeply, giving up on explaining and hoping they’d just drop it. “Right. I’ll... clean up. See you both out there.”

They finally took pity on me, turning to leave, though not without a few more snickers and winks thrown in my direction. As the door closed behind them, I let out a long, exasperated breath, slumping down onto the edge of the bed.

I had a long day ahead of me.