Seraphine stood frozen for a long moment, her heart pounding in her chest.
Stop it, she told herself firmly. Stop it right now. You pushed those feelings away for good reasons. Just because he's young and handsome now doesn't mean—
But her heart wasn't listening to logic.
She shook her head sharply and continued toward the Lotus Palace. Master Luna would... well, probably have answers. But at least talking to her master would be a distraction from the chaos in Seraphine's head.
I am NOT developing feelings for him again, she thought stubbornly.
Even if he is incredibly handsome now.
Even if he smiled at me like that.
Even if—
Seraphine groaned internally and walked faster.
Luna was still seated in meditation when Seraphine entered her chambers, though her eyes opened immediately.
"Sera," Luna greeted, her tone warm but slightly distracted. "I thought you might come by today."
"Master," Seraphine bowed properly, then immediately dropped the formality. Their relationship had always been closer than typical master-disciple bonds. Luna had found her, raised her, taught her everything. They were as close to family as either of them had.
"I just ran into Nova outside," Seraphine said, watching her master's face carefully for any reaction.
Luna's expression remained neutral, but something flickered in her eyes. "Did you."
"Master. What happened to him?"
"That's between him and myself," Luna said calmly. "It doesn't concern you."
Seraphine moved closer, adopting what she privately thought of as her "winning pout" expression—a slight downturn of her lips, wide eyes, the look that had gotten her extra training resources and technique scrolls more than once over the years.
"Master, please? I'm curious. Oldy is my friend. I just want to know if he's okay."
Luna didn't even blink. "The pout won't work today, Sera. Some matters are private."
Seraphine held the expression for another few seconds, then dropped it with a sigh. "Fine. But you have to admit, it's suspicious. Ancient servant suddenly becomes young and handsome? That doesn't just happen."
"Heavenly opportunities are called such for a reason," Luna said, her tone making it clear the subject was closed.
Seraphine moved closer, trying to read her master's expression. Luna's face was composed, but there was something different. A tension in her shoulders. A very faint flush to her cheeks.
And Master Luna never blushed. Ever.
Interesting.
"Master," Seraphine said carefully, "Nova and I are friends. I've known him for years. I just want to make sure he's okay. That whatever happened to him wasn't... dangerous."
"He's fine," Luna said, still not meeting Seraphine's eyes. "More than fine, actually. His cultivation potential has increased dramatically."
"Did you give him resources?"
"Some."
Seraphine studied her master intently. The flush on Luna's cheeks was still there, faint but present. Her master, who'd once frozen a suitor solid just for sending her flowers. Her master, who'd sworn off men entirely after whatever trauma she'd experienced in her childhood.
Was blushing.
"Master," Seraphine said slowly, "are you... interested in Nova?"
Luna's eyes snapped to hers, wide with shock. "What? No! Of course not! Why would you—that's ridiculous!"
But the flush deepened. And Luna's hands fidgeted with her robes—a nervous habit Seraphine knew well.
"I just thought—"
"Well, you thought wrong," Luna said firmly, though her voice came out slightly too defensive. "Nova is... he has potential. I'm simply ensuring that potential isn't wasted. That's all."
"Right," Seraphine said, not believing a word of it. "Just professional interest."
"Exactly. Professional."
The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken things.
The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken things.
Seraphine decided to show mercy. She could see her master was uncomfortable, and pushing further would only make Luna shut down completely.
"Actually, yes," Seraphine said, shifting to a safer topic. "I wanted to discuss my Ice Law comprehension. I've transitioned to mid Law, but I'm struggling with the finer applications. Specifically, manipulating the strong nuclear force through ice principles."
Luna's shoulders relaxed visibly, grateful for the change in subject. "The strong nuclear force is the most difficult to access through Ice Law. You're attempting to freeze not just molecular motion, but the binding forces within atoms themselves."
She began to explain, her voice returning to its normal calm authority. The flush on her cheeks gradually faded as she fell into the familiar role of teacher.
"The key is understanding that stasis isn't just about temperature or kinetic energy. At mid Law level, you're touching the fundamental forces that hold reality together. Ice becomes a concept—the cessation of all change, all motion, all binding."
The explanation was complex, drawing on principles that most cultivators would never even approach. But Seraphine absorbed it all, her understanding deepening with each word.
Luna demonstrated with a small ice crystal, showing how to channel Ice Law to affect not just the water molecules but the very forces holding them together. The crystal didn't just freeze—it became impossibly stable, its atomic structure locked in perfect stasis.
"With peak Ice Law," Luna continued, "you could theoretically freeze an entire solar system. Lock every particle, every force, every interaction into absolute stillness. But that's far beyond mid Law comprehension."
An hour passed in focused discussion, both of them falling into the comfortable rhythm they'd developed over years of training together.
Finally, Seraphine stood to leave, bowing properly. "Thank you, Master. Your guidance was invaluable as always."
"Come back next week," Luna said. "We'll continue working on mid Law consolidation. At your current pace, you'll reach peak Law by Golden Formation Building Realm."
Seraphine moved toward the door, then paused.
"Master?" she said, not turning around.
"Yes?"
"Whatever is happening with Nova... I hope it makes you happy. You deserve that."
She left before Luna could respond, but not before catching a glimpse of her master's expression—surprise mixed with something that might have been vulnerability.
Outside the Lotus Palace, Seraphine walked slowly back toward the Saintess quarters, her mind whirling.
Master Luna was definitely interested in Nova. The blush, the defensiveness, the way she'd deflected every question—all of it pointed to feelings her master wasn't ready to acknowledge.
And Nova... the ancient servant who'd been kind to her for years, who'd looked at her like a person instead of a prodigy, who'd always had patient words even while dying...
Was now young, powerful, mysterious, and devastatingly handsome.
Seraphine touched her chest, feeling her heart still beating faster than normal.
I pushed those feelings away, she thought. Because he was dying. Because there was no future. Because it would have hurt too much.
But now...
Now he wasn't dying. Now he had potential that even Master Luna recognized. Now he had time, opportunity, a future worth pursuing.
And those old feelings weren't staying buried anymore.
"This is complicated," Seraphine muttered to herself.
She genuinely cared about her master. Luna had saved her, raised her, given her everything. Seraphine owed her more than she could ever repay.
But she also couldn't deny what she felt when she looked at Nova now. Couldn't pretend her heart hadn't started racing the moment she'd recognized him.
Master hasn't claimed him. She denied everything. Said it was just professional interest.
So technically...
Seraphine shook her head firmly. No. She wouldn't do that. Wouldn't pursue someone her master had feelings for, acknowledged or not.
But she also wasn't going to pretend those feelings didn't exist.
"I'll just... see what happens," Seraphine decided. "Maybe Master will actually admit how she feels. Maybe Nova will make his own choice clear. Maybe I'm overthinking all of this."
Though the way Master Luna had blushed suggested Seraphine wasn't overthinking anything.
She continued toward her quarters, already planning her next visit to the Lotus Palace.
Some things were worth being patient about.
And some things... well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.