From the Training Ground back to the Dormitory, the two walked side by side, neither speaking.
Xuan Xi’s hand still retained the warmth of SigrdrÃfa’s palm.
Logically, as a Water Attribute, her own body temperature should have been lower, but at that moment, she felt her palm burning.
SigrdrÃfa walked beside her, her pace as steady as usual, her silvery-white long hair swaying in the twilight breeze.
But Xuan Xi noticed—today she wasn’t walking ahead, but shoulder to shoulder with her.
The distance between them was close enough for Xuan Xi to smell the fragrance of her shower gel.
Close enough for Xuan Xi to feel the warmth radiating from her arm.
Back in the Dormitory, Xuan Xi took a shower first. As the hot water cascaded over her, she closed her eyes, replaying that sentence over and over.
“Become my wife.”
SigrdrÃfa was the type to skip the confession and go straight to getting married on the spot.
Thinking this, Xuan Xi turned the water temperature down a bit.
Cold water hit her face, carrying a hint of chill.
As a water-attributed being, she had a natural affinity for water, but what she needed now wasn’t affinity—it was calm.
When she came out of the bathroom, SigrdrÃfa was already sitting on the bed. Her silvery-white long hair was loose on her shoulders, glowing softly under the lamplight with a gentle sheen. She wore a light-colored robe, holding a book in her hands. This time she was actually reading, not just for decoration.
The rhythm of turning pages was steady, page by page.
Xuan Xi sat down on her own bed, the two of them separated by the translucent screen, each silent.
SigrdrÃfa spoke first.
“You did well today.”
Her voice came from the other side of the screen, as calm and flat as usual, as if stating an ordinary fact.
“You used your skills well. The last move, the timing was right. Your entry speed was faster than during training.”
This was the first time she had actively changed the subject. Before, she had never cared about the topic; silence was fine too. But today, she was deliberately, actively steering the conversation away from that line.
As if she didn’t want Xuan Xi to feel pressured, Xuan Xi didn’t call her out on it.
“Your lightning was also fast, faster than in training. I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”
“Because you were beside me.”
SigrdrÃfa’s voice was very soft.
“When you’re around, I don’t need to focus on defense.”
This sentence made Xuan Xi’s heart race faster than “Become my wife.”
‘When you’re around, I don’t need to focus on defense. Because I trust you to catch what I miss.’
This was the highest trust a warrior could give.
Xuan Xi opened her mouth to say something, but before the words left her lips, the Communication Stone vibrated. She pulled out the old-fashioned black-and-white stone from under her pillow, and messages popped up one after another, all from Elsa.
Elsa had forwarded posts from the forum one by one, like a diligent hamster moving an entire building in front of her.
The first post was from forty minutes ago, twenty minutes after the assessment ended. The title was bolded.
“Water Attribute Awakening! What’s the Deal with That ‘Bloodline-Less’ Girl?”
Xuan Xi scrolled down.
“Water attribute? Really? Hasn’t it been extinct for over a hundred years?”
“Could it be a misjudgment? Her Water Wall might be some variation of Wind or Ice Element?”
“Did you notice her dragon form? No wings. Are there any wingless dragons among Western Dragons?”
“Whatever element she is, she held off four attackers by herself. Didn’t you see that?”
“Wait, her Water Wall didn’t rise from the ground; it condensed from the air. That’s no ordinary water attribute—that’s Spirit Water.”
“What is Spirit Water?”
“I heard it’s an Eastern Dragon thing, the combination of Spiritual Qi and Water Element.”
The discussion about “Spirit Water” on the forum was only a few lines, quickly buried by other comments.
But Xuan Xi stared at those two words for a long time: Spirit Water, the combination of Spiritual Qi and Water Element.
She scrolled a few more pages, and a comment made her finger stop.
“Water attribute dragons… historically, few have had good endings. The last Water Element dragon, a hundred and fifty years ago, was taken away by three families working together, and no one ever saw her again. Hope this freshman stays safe.”
Xuan Xi felt a chill down her back. SigrdrÃfa’s words on the Training Ground were exactly the same—Water Attribute having been extinct for over a hundred years wasn’t because no one awakened, but because those who awakened didn’t survive.
She thought it was something SigrdrÃfa had seen in family records, but it turned out someone on the forum knew about it too.
The Communication Stone was taken from her hand.
Xuan Xi looked up and found SigrdrÃfa had somehow come around the screen, standing by her bed.
Silvery-white hair cascaded from her shoulders, flowing like a waterfall under the lamplight.
She looked down at the comment on the screen, her amethyst eyes calm as a frozen lake. But Xuan Xi noticed her hand holding the stone, knuckles white.
“Don’t look at this.”
Her voice was soft, but Xuan Xi caught the tone hiding beneath it—a desire to keep Xuan Xi from seeing those remarks about “Water Attribute dragons having no good endings.”
SigrdrÃfa placed the Communication Stone on the nightstand, screen down.
“You fought a good battle today. You don’t need to end it with this.”
Xuan Xi looked at her. The lamplight came from the side, casting half of her face in brightness and half in shadow. The silvery-white strands were almost translucent under the light.
“You’re worried about me.”
“I’m protecting you.”
SigrdrÃfa didn’t deny it. She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
“From now on, many people will be watching you. Just because you’re Water Attribute, your very existence will make some want to possess you, and some want to destroy you.”
Xuan Xi leaned back on the headboard, looking up at her.
“And you? Sige, which one are you?”
SigrdrÃfa lowered her head, amethyst eyes meeting amber-gold eyes. The lamplight flickered between them, making both pairs of eyes sparkle.
“I’m the third kind. I’m neither side. I’m yours.”
The room fell silent for a moment. The chirping of insects outside filtered through the closed window, dense and fine, like a lullaby without lyrics.
Xuan Xi reached out, took the Communication Stone from SigrdrÃfa’s hand, flipped it over, and placed it beside her pillow.
“Then I won’t look. If you say not to, I won’t.”
SigrdrÃfa stood there, looking down at her.
“Mm.”
Then she turned and walked back to her own bed, around the screen, and lay down.
Today she draped the blanket over her waist, one hand behind her head, facing the screen.
Xuan Xi also lay down, facing the screen.
“Sige.”
“Mm.”
“About what you said earlier.”
On the other side of the screen, there was a moment of silence—no tension, no expectation. Then SigrdrÃfa spoke.
“I’ll do it. No matter what your answer is, I’ll do it. I’ll convince the family, using every means I have.”
SigrdrÃfa’s voice came from the other side of the screen, lower than usual, as if saying something weighty.
“And besides, this is also for your safety.”
Xuan Xi pulled her blanket up.
She reached her hand under the screen, extending a few fingers. From the other side, a hand reached out and grasped hers.
The grip was tighter than usual, but not painfully so—it felt like lovers intertwining fingers.