Another five days slipped by, quiet and uneventful. But to Yao Yao, they somehow felt both endless and fleeting.
She spent the time buried in books. Magic theory, old folktales, spirit lore, and anything else she could get her hands on. The pages were dusty, the meanings often tangled or half-forgotten. Still, she read on, chasing answers that stayed stubbornly out of reach.
But no matter how much she studied, one question never stopped gnawing at her:
Was she really spiritless?
On the sixth day, just as she was starting to nod off over another chapter on spirit folklore, a knock came at the door.
Not long after, two palace guards appeared. Wordless, they flanked her and led her down the corridor. Their boots echoed sharply in the silence. She expected to be taken back to the throne room, but she wasn't.
They took a different path through the side halls, across the quiet courtyard, and into a waiting carriage. She climbed in without asking where they were going.
The ride didn't take long, but it felt bumpy. When they finally stopped, she stepped down and immediately recognized the place.
The summoning ground.
It had been completely cleared and sealed off.
There was no audience this time.
Inside, only five people stood waiting beneath the open sky—the King, the High Court Mage, Shang Zhao, Shang Jun, and of course… Rong Xi.
At the center of the arena, the summoning crystal floated in the air. The smaller crystals had been replaced and arranged in a neat circle around it, each one faintly glowing. The entire setup felt extremely ceremonial and unnervingly formal.
The King spoke first.
"Yao Yao," he said. "You've been summoned because we've come to a conclusion."
She swallowed, staying quiet.
"The portal you collapsed cannot be reignited. The summoning crystal has gone inert. And this"—he gestured toward it—"is the last of its kind in our Kingdom. If it fails again, we may lose the ability to summon entirely."
He let the words settle for a moment before continuing.
"We've accepted a proposal from the Crown Prince. You will attempt the summoning again. Under observation. Recreate everything exactly."
Rong Xi stepped forward, the usual glint in his eyes. "Every motion," he said smoothly. "Every word. I believe we should honor the ritual exactly as it happened."
Yao Yao narrowed her eyes. "So… you're asking me to summon again?"
He smiled. "Exactly."
The High Court Mage gave a weary sigh. "Your resonance was highly unusual. A full reenactment may reveal something we missed."
Yao Yao glanced at the crystal.
"Is this… safe?" she asked.
What if it explodes again?
What if it explodes and takes me with it this time?!
Her hands curled into fists.
"If you die," Rong Xi added cheerfully, "at least it'll be a rather entertaining performance."
Yao Yao's mouth flattened into a flat, unimpressed line. But her eyes glared at him, wide and unblinking, drilling straight through his soul.
You're lucky I'm five.
Then… her gaze drifted back to the crystal.
Should she really go through with this?
Yao Yao looked up, searching her father's face. Shang Zhao stood stiffly, arms crossed, his gaze fixed to the ground. He hadn't moved since she had arrived, and when she looked at Shang Jun, there was a quiet weight in his expression that told her enough.
She didn't know what happened behind closed doors—how both men had tried to resist and push back against this moment. She didn't understand the rules of politics, but she could understand what quiet defeat looked like.
Still, Shang Jun's voice was gentle. "Father and I agreed. No pressure, Yao Yao. Just do what you did last time."
No pressure.
Right.
If she failed, they lose more than a crystal.
I wanted to prove I belonged here… not become the reason we're exiled.
She exhaled slowly.
Fine.
Yao Yao stepped forward, lifting her chin. With as much dignity as she could muster, she raised one hand and summoned a small orb of white light into her palm.
She hesitated for just a moment, then tossed it toward the crystal. It made a soft crack as it hit, releasing a small puff of dust, and the crystal wobbled slightly.
A faint spark flickered and went out.
Yao Yao blinked.
"…Okay," she muttered. "That was just rude."
Rong Xi's voice cut in, light and smug. "You're missing the chant."
She turned slowly. "The what?"
"The chant," he repeated, pleasant as ever. "You shouted it out last time. Very dramatically, I might add."
Yao Yao raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't a chant. That was self-affirmation. Very personal. Totally unrelated to magic."
"I'm saying," Rong Xi replied, "that it may have reacted to your self-confidence. Recreate it properly."
The High Court Mage cleared his throat. "For replication accuracy, yes, we request the incantation… or emotional narrative… or… whatever that was."
Her eye twitched.
Is this summoning or a public shaming?
Before she could argue, the King's voice rang out. "Replicate it. Exactly. No deviations."
Yao Yao stared.
So this is how dignity dies.
Not in fire or battle, but by royal decree to scream about how cute you are in front of five high-ranking men.
Yao Yao stepped closer to the crystal.
Okay, whatever. If they wanted a performance, she would give them one. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with enough fury.
This time, she didn't just say it.
She launched it like a cannonball.
"I AM A VERY CUTE GIRL!"
The High Court Mage visibly flinched.
"I AM SO ADORABLE!! HOW COULD ANY OF YOU NOT WANT ME?!"
The orb in her hands grew brighter, glowing hot and white.
"PLEASE, SPIRITS!!"
She locked her eyes onto the crystal, lifted her arms, and screamed with everything she had.
"CONTRACT ME YOU COWAAAARDS!"
She hurled the energy.
The orb struck the crystal with a sharp pop. The light didn't fizzle, and the energy ball sank in like the crystal was absorbing it.
There was a breath of silence and no one moved.
Then—
The crystal roared.
Not with sound, but a deep vibration that rolled through the ground. Light flared inside it, veins of magic pulsing to life. The air bent inward, pulled toward the crystal as if by some invisible force.
Yao Yao gasped as her body lifted from the ground. Soft golden light unfurled around her, its glow wrapping gently over her limbs, hair, and lashes.
It didn't hurt, nor was it suffocating either. The tension in her brows eased, and her mouth parted, letting out a small, breathless exhale. Her magic aura flowed outwards from her, threading from her fingertips deep from her core, and flowing between her and the crystal in multiple strands of golden threads that connected the two.
Around the arena, dozens of smaller crystals arranged carefully in ceremonial formation, each meant to feed the core, were ignored. The core crystal didn't need them. It seemed to have already found what it needed. A prickling tingle swept across her skin, the hairs on her arms rising as her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
The air warped.
And the veil between worlds peeled open.
A spiral of black spread outward like ink in water, slow and smooth.
The portal returned.
Fully. Completely.
And strangely, in an effortless manner.
Across the room, Rong Xi's expression faltered. His smile faded and his stance stiffened.
He hadn't seen this coming.
Shang Zhao froze. A cold, instinctive fear slid down his spine, he could feel his calm slipping from his face as he took a step forward, eyes locked on Yao Yao. Even the King leaned in, gaze sharp with alarm.
He had seen summonings before.
Dozens. Hundreds.
But never like this.
And then—Yao Yao descended gently. Golden light trailing behind her like falling stars as her feet touched the ground without a sound.
From within the darkness of the portal, something could be seen. It was a darker shadow, tall, and unmistakably human.
The figure strode forth from the swirling abyss. Darkness parted around him like mist bending to its master, clinging to the edges of his silhouette before trailing away.
Yao Yao blinked and rubbed her eyes.
Was she dreaming?
Or was this real?
The figure was still cloaked in shadow, his appearance barely visible.
But one thing shone through.
A pair of silver eyes.
Luminous, just like moonlight cast across midnight water.
And they were looking straight at her.