Chapter 14. The Radiant Girl

“Spill it. What’s going on? Why’d you two look at me like I rose from the dead?” Ami stood, arms crossed, brows furrowed, eyes piercing Wei.

He flinched, forcing a sheepish grin, scratching his neck.

Pretty close to that, he thought, but aloud, he stammered, “Haha, n-nothing, really…”

His voice faltered, eyes darting, searching for an escape from her sharp gaze.

She stared harder, eyes narrowing, as if peeling back his secrets.

“No more dodging!” Ami stomped, the thud breaking the silence.

“I knew something was off yesterday. You show up out of nowhere with that lame excuse about needing money. Think I’m a kid?” She enunciated each word, voice rising, full of suspicion.

“A Dominus like you gets enough sol to live the rest of your life. Don’t lie to me!”

She crossed her arms tighter, lips pursed, eyes glinting with mischief but unrelenting.

Wei whistled, looking away, feigning innocence, but sweat on his brow betrayed him.

“And another thing!” Ami pointed, like she’d caught a thief.

“You were here this morning, weren’t you? I vaguely remember seeing you!”

She stomped again, eyes flashing, as if piecing together a broken memory.

“Huh? You remember seeing me this morning?”

Wei froze, surprise flickering, scanning her from head to toe.

Her stance—arms crossed, brows furrowed, eyes sharp—didn’t look like someone who’d just survived a crisis. He tilted his head, eyes darkening, as if weighing something hard to say.

“So… do you remember anything from just now? Before you woke?” he asked, voice suddenly serious, eyes locked on her, searching for a trace in her memory.

Ami blinked, brows knitting, hand touching her temple, digging for a faint recollection.

“Just now?” she mumbled, eyes wavering, then shook her head, a bright smile blooming.

“Nope, nothing! Just woke up to everyone sprawled out and you two grappling like you were about to brawl!” She pointed at Mira, Eagle, Hyena, and the maids, eyes sparkling with curiosity, waiting for answers.

“How’s your body feel now?” Wei pressed, voice still probing.

“Normal, nothing weird,” Ami shrugged, eyes fixed on him, ready to catch him out.

“You…” Wei hesitated, fingers tightening on his cloak, “don’t remember anything?”

Ami paused, head tilting, eyes briefly puzzled.

“Nope. Remember what?” She answered lightly, lips pursed, looking at him like he’d asked something odd.

Wei fell silent, his gaze intense and shadowed, as if probing deep into her mind.

She hid nothing—her eyes clear, pure, unguarded in the slightest.

Yet, a restless unease stirred in his chest. It was exactly how she’d been before—carefree, untouched, as if no darkness could reach her, yet somehow creating a strange distance, impossible to grasp.

He always wondered if he was imagining it. Imagining a truer self, hidden beneath that radiant innocence.

***

Caelora—the radiant jewel suspended in this world’s sky, often hailed as humanity’s paradise.

They say it’s flawless: no disease, no aging, no limits to indulgence. A mere whisper of a divine gift grants every need—food, knowledge, pleasure, love. A carefree, endless life, as if nothing more could be desired.

But what paradise comes without a cost? Caelora is a gilded society: dazzling on the surface, rotting quietly within. Its people, once mere mortals, nurtured by divine gifts for millennia, gave themselves a grand title—“celestials.”

Over time, they forgot their true origins, seeing themselves as a new species, towering miles above the rest of the world.

They believe they’re creation’s pinnacle, chosen to rule all. Pride, delusion, and arrogance piled up through generations, forming a wall thicker than the grandest fortress.

Outside, humanity struggles in blood and dirt, in hunger and sickness. Inside, a snap of the fingers dissolves any trouble.

The gap widened until, finally, no one in Caelora realized they were still… just human.

…..

If they knew I had these thoughts, they’d lock me up, “enlighten” me with their brainwashing.

Laughable: a celestial scorning their own kind. More laughable—I’m one of them, living long, untouched by disease, gifted with divine power from birth. We have everything, while the world scrambles for scraps of hope. The gods favored us with cruel generosity.

It’s what I’ve always wondered. Why are we so privileged? Are divine gifts truly just for the “chosen”? Or is there another reason?

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I started searching for answers, at first as a pastime to break the monotony of this polished, boring society.

But anything tied to the divine gifts’ origins is taboo. Don’t ask, don’t think, don’t hint. Worst of all, those with divine gifts can read minds—it’s happened before.

Curiosity is like walking into a trap.

Yet I’ve kept at it, for over twenty years. Still no clues.

“Ugh, so boring,” Wei muttered, rolling onto the grass, legs swinging up toward the sky.

What’s the reason, really… I’ve torn through the library and found nothing. Even a Dominus like me can’t touch it—no wonder no one’s dared ask for millennia.

A bright laugh rang out, cutting through his thoughts.

“I heard this Assembly’s got all twelve Dominus and the Emperor!” Likely a young aide, voice brimming with excitement.

“Oh, really?” Another voice replied, flat, almost indifferent.

“Look at you, no enthusiasm. It’s been three centuries since they all gathered—must be something big.”

Wei’s lips twitched. Yeah, yeah, real big… he thought, legs still swaying, as if unbothered.

“Gods, meeting all the Dominus! So thrilling!” The girl squealed, voice bursting with glee.

“What’s so fun about that?” the other asked, puzzled.

“They’re Caelora’s top celestials! Seeing them outside the Assembly is rare. Plus…” she giggled, voice trailing with delight, “more fun makes living here bearable, right?”

Wei frowned slightly. That sounded… off.

“I see…” The second voice dropped, unsure if agreeing or pondering.

“Whoa!”

A bright voice broke the quiet.

A short-haired girl, hair a light shade past her shoulders, eyes gleaming like sunlight, yelped as Wei popped up before them. The girl beside her, tall and lanky with long dark hair, didn’t react, just stood, her cold gaze sliding over Wei, as if his appearance wasn’t worth a blink.

“Hey! I’m Wei, nice to meet you!” Wei flashed a warm smile, extending a hand, voice friendly.

The girls exchanged a glance, eyes flickering with confusion, pausing as if sizing up the stranger.

Then the bright-haired girl beamed, her face lighting up like the sun.

“Hi, I’m Ami! So happy to meet you, hehe!” She grabbed Wei’s hand, squeezing it with enthusiasm, like greeting an old friend.

“I’m Ren,” the other said, voice low and even, eyes meeting Wei’s, cool but not hostile.

Ami turned, throwing an arm around Ren, grinning wide, eyes twinkling like stars.

“Hahaha, she’s just quiet, not that she dislikes you! Don’t get the wrong idea!” She tilted her head, hair swaying, voice bursting with energy, as if pulling the world into her joy.

That was Wei’s first meeting with Ami, a girl whose smile shone like it could light up the world, un dimmed by anything. Or maybe standing next to Ren made her glow brighter, like light against the dark.

“Haha, no worries. Nice to meet you both,” Wei replied, scratching his neck, keeping it casual.

“So, got something to ask?” Ami tilted her head, eyes curious, lips curving like she expected a juicy secret.

Wei raised a brow, grin widening.

“You two are excited about meeting Dominus, huh?”

“Yes, yes, super excited!” Ami nodded frantically, eyes sparkling, voice loud enough to drown out Ren’s quiet, “No…” But Ren’s single word was buried under Ami’s radiant smile.

“Hehe, well, congrats, I’m—” Wei started, but Ren cut in, voice flat.

“A Dominus?”

The air froze. Ami spun to Ren, jaw dropping, eyes wide. “Huh? You knew he’s a Dominus?”

Wei blinked, gaze darting from Ren to Ami, stunned that the quiet girl knew his status.

“I’m an aide to Dominus Alves, so I’ve seen him before,” Ren said calmly, eyes still cold, like it was no big deal.

“Wow! You’re Alves’s aide? That’s amazing!” Ami turned to Ren, clapping her hands, eyes gleaming with admiration.

Wei gaped again, pointing between them. “You’re friends, and you didn’t know who she works for?” he asked, baffled.

“Hehe,” Ami giggled, cheeks flushing, scratching her head.

Ren jerked a thumb at her, voice even. “We just met.”

For the first time in his life, Wei was speechless.

He stood, mouth slightly open, eyes bouncing between Ami’s radiance and Ren’s coolness, as if the world had played a joke he couldn’t grasp.

Seeing Wei stare, Ren spoke, voice steady.

“Ami saw me carrying heavy stuff and helped.” She paused, glancing at Ami, then continued. “We talked a bit, clicked, and here we are.”

Ami grinned, nodding, as if it was just a spontaneous afternoon.

Wei raised a brow, lips twitching, holding back the thought: How do these two even click?

But he just smiled, keeping the question to himself, knowing it’d be rude to ask.

***

“Wei? Wei, you okay?” Ami waved her hand in front of him, brows furrowed, eyes glinting with curiosity and confusion.

Wei stood frozen, memories of his first meeting with Ami and Ren flashing through his mind, pulling him into a whirl of thoughts, his shadowed gaze fixed on her.

After that encounter, Wei grew closer to Ami and Ren. Ami, with her smile as radiant as sunlight, lightened the air around her, as if every worry dissolved.

But sometimes, her eyes drifted, distant, hiding a secret beneath her carefree exterior. Ren, in contrast, was calm and reserved, her cold gaze not distant but watchful, observing the world from a safe distance.

Once, during a small picnic, Wei teased, half-joking, “Were you two messing with me that day?”

Ami sat on a chair, legs swinging, giggling like wind chimes. “Hmm… not really, since that was Ren’s first time meeting me. I just knew of her before,” she said, eyes sparkling, like sharing a juicy secret.

“We only got to talk that day. Lucky Ren’s the ‘cold outside, warm inside’ type I thought she’d be, hehe.” She tilted her head, hair falling softly, smiling lightly.

“But I already knew you were a Dominus! Just…” She paused, eyes flickering with memory. “I didn’t want anyone digging into my status, so I kept quiet.”

Ren, standing nearby, nodded faintly, as if unsurprised.

“Can’t blame you,” Wei said, his smile bright, though a fleeting dip lingered in his eyes.

The closer they got, the more Wei marveled at the depth of this petite girl. He didn’t know how many secrets she held—hidden so well that only when she opened up did he notice.

But the more he knew her, the more he believed Ami wouldn’t break easily. He didn’t know why; he just did.

—

“Huh?” Wei suddenly reached out, ruffling Ami’s hair, messing it up.

“Hey, don’t just pat my head!” Ami pouted, swatting his hand, lips pursed, glaring.

Wei chuckled, scratching his neck. “Haha, just remembered meeting you and Ren.”

“Ren?” Ami froze, head tilting, brows knitting, eyes clouding with confusion. “Who’s that?”

Wei’s smile faltered briefly, then returned as if unchanged. He answered slowly, “My friend. You’d like her.” But his eyes stayed on Ami’s face, searching for a crack in her hazy expression.

She hesitated, lips parting as if to ask, but Wei turned, steps soft on the floor.

“Gotta go. Catch you later…” He paused, glancing back, smile brightening, pointing at the small flute on her chest. “If you need me, blow that. I’ll come running.”

Ami stood still, fingers brushing the flute, lips murmuring, “Don’t need to call… you show up anyway.”

A faint smile curved her lips, thin as the last rays of sunlight.

She turned, footsteps tapping lightly on the stone floor. Her small figure faded into the shadows. Before vanishing, her smile paused, eyes flickering with a quiet ripple—then it passed.

——

That’s right… just one hurdle down… Ami thought, shoulders slumping under the weight of their stares.

Eagle, Hyena, Mira… and Bear. All watched, waiting.

“Guys… can you not stare like that? It’s suffocating,” she said, waving her hands, forcing a smile.

“You haven’t explained anything. You woke up and ran after him. Who was he?” Hyena leaned forward, voice urgent.

“Hyainos,” Eagle said softly, eyes still fixed on Ami.

“First, tell us… what happened to you?”

Ami paused, then shrugged casually. “I don’t know.”

The air stilled. Hyena blinked, mouth agape. Eagle frowned. Mira leaned back slightly.

“Wait… you don’t know what happened to you?” Hyena repeated, voice rising.

Ami nodded, unfazed. “I just remember passing out. Woke up with everyone around.”

The group fell silent, a heavy, leaden quiet.

“Who was the cloaked guy?” Bear asked, voice low and measured.

“My cousin. He found a remedy in the northern borderland,” Ami answered briskly.

Bear studied her face.

After a moment, he pressed, “What was he going to give you? Do you know?”

Ami met his gaze. “Yes.”

The room tensed like a taut string. She paused, letting Bear’s probing eyes search her, then spoke.

“Might as well say it. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I can guess the reason…” She stopped, her gaze sharpening, like a blade slicing through. “…it’s tied to my divine gift. The thing you all want to know about, right?”

The air froze. The three flinched, wariness flashing in their eyes.