The evergreen's vibrant hue was now indiscernible from the barren forests that surrounded it.
The air was laden with a thick layer of ash; the stems of trees withered into white dust.
Thick roots burst through scorched earth, chasing after Vera.
His halberd ripped through the air; its blade eviscerated every attack.
As the roots touched the blade, they exploded into fragments of sap and flesh.
Night's radiance revealed Vera. His grim countenance was marred by earth and sap.
Deep wounds ran through his flesh; all were staunched by his own flame. Vera's eyes darted across the scorched forest as he looked for Mei.
He had stilled for only a moment, but that was enough; Mei was able to use her cocoon.
Under the cover of darkness, root after root hurtled towards Vera, yet its source was nowhere to be seen.
An explosive momentum rose through the air; roots intertwined to form colossal stumps.
Air snapped into dense rings as the stumps hurtled toward Vera. Thick vines broke through the ground, holding Vera in place.
Blood rushed through Vera's arms, qi flooding his body.
His arms outstretched, Vera took the attack head-on.
The stump's immense momentum was forced to an instant halt.
A dull explosion engulfed the forest, its sound reaching the sage's mountain.
Fault lines ran through the stump's edges, with sap and shrapnel bursting through each crack.
His grim countenance, poised for death, held a contorted smile.
"Incinerate!"
Blinding red.
The air thinned.
Only a shrill ring could be heard.
Earth-shaking flames that consumed the forest erupted from Vera's palms.
The ash-laden air turned into a clear void; the moon, hidden by a dense screen of smog, became visible.
As the flame died down, the dark cover thinned.
Vera's senses went into overdrive.
Tendrils of qi wrapped around every divot in the mud.
"Found you!" Vera's smile stretched to the corner of his eyes.
Qi seared through Vera's body as he dashed toward Mei.
"What are you smiling for, you damned bastard? I'm winning." Mei shouted at Vera as qi pooled into her back. Her brows furrowed and her nostrils flared.
The blade of Vera's halberd cut through the earth as he wound up the Rising Crescent.
As Vera closed in on Mei, a wall of roots climbed out of the ground.
"Not a chance!" A wave of qi pulsed out of Vera's palm, shattering the wooden wall.
The blade cut into a rising arc, but Vera's strike cut into an empty space. The moonlight was obscured; Vera's gaze turned to the sky.
Wings made of hollow wood; Mei was flying. Her palm outstretched to Vera, hundreds of root fragments imbued with qi shot at him.
Vera's gaze sharpened; he had learned from the last exchange.
Iron qi shaped into a cone blocked the oncoming pellets, with a thin layer of flames burning the deflected pellets before they could reach the ground.
Vera's legs pressed into the ground; sharp cracks formed beneath him.
The ground shook as Vera leapt towards Mei.
Mei's creased expression snapped into a grin. The qi in her body thinned rapidly; her skin grew pale.
Got you!
Mei's outstretched palm folded down, revealing a fragment with the size of a rock; a dense green hue ensconced the fragment, which was then sucked in.
"Grow!"
The fleshy piece of root burst through its seams, growing into a monolithic tree. The attack hurtled through the air, poised to crush Vera into the ground.
The hairs on Vera's nape straightened; a gleam formed over his eyes.
A shrill screech screamed across the forest as the tree stood a few paces away from Vera.
His hands slipped from the halberd's pivot to its base.
Descending Crescent.
The halberd's edge flew over the tree's base, hooking onto its trunk.
The force of the swing pulled him over the trunk itself. Vera let go of his grip on the halberd.
Qi flooded Vera's legs; splinters erupted on the tree's sides.
A loud boom overshadowed the shrill screech in the air.
Mei's tired eyes trembled; a manic smile marred by sap and blood appeared in front of her.
She found herself asking the same question twice in the same day.
How?
But it was too late.
Vera's palm crashed into Mei's torso; a viridescent blue glow irradiated the surroundings.
Golden blood spurted through her mouth; her body curled into her torso.
Mei crashed into the ground; her consciousness faded.
The qi that lingered around her body dispersed.
***
The morning sun shone brightly on the now scorched forest.
The smell of roasted meat wafted through the air. The campfire crackled softly as Vera chewed on his skewer.
Sword Dog sat beside Vera while finishing up a bowl of flavoured qi.
Across the campfire a woman slept under a blanket; her eyelids were fluttering.
Sword Dog turned to Vera.
"Woof?"
"She's not dead... probably."
"Woof?"
"She's not food for later. Plus, I think she is made of wood."
"Woof?"
"We aren't going to use her as firewood... probably." Vera spoke as he glanced at what used to be the evergreens; not even a twig was left unburnt.
While he chewed on his skewer, Vera stood up and walked towards the sleeping Mei.
He looked at her with a cold expression. "Start talking already; I know you're awake."
Mei continued to sleep.
"I'll make Sword Dog bite you, unless you wake up now."
Mei immediately woke up from her deep slumber.
"Yes?" she asked while staring at Vera with a blank expression.
"What do you mean, 'yes'? Did I pass the trial or not?"
After taking off her blanket and sitting up, Mei responded to Vera.
"Yes. Also, could you give me one of those skewers?"
"Yes, you can have one of the skewers. By the way, what happened to you when we started fighting? You became a completely different person."
Mei reached to the campfire and picked out a perfectly cooked skewer.
Ahh... I was planning on eating that one.
"When I fight, I become fighting Mei. Now I am just Mei." She responded with a mouthful of roasted meat; fat and spices were smeared across her cheeks.
Vera stared at Mei incredulously. He also stared at the skewer he'd kept for himself, now in Mei's mouth.
After reluctantly giving up on the skewer and getting a sensible answer from 'non-fighting Mei', Vera went back to his seat to finish the skewers before Mei got her hands on them.
Having finished her food, Mei stared at Vera.
"Where is my forest?"
"It's here."
"..."
"What happened to you when we were fighting?" Mei asked.
"When I fight, I become fighting Vera. Now I am just Vera," Vera responded, with a grin.
Mei nodded at Vera while eyeing his waterskin.
"Now what? Also, can you give me your water?"
"Yes. Now I will leave. Also, can you give me your mark?" His grin grew in size, the edges of his mouth climbing to his eyes.
"Yes..." Mei's response trailed off. For some reason, she found the way Vera spoke irritating.
Soon after Mei finished drinking water, she walked up to Vera's back to give him her mark.
The procession was unceremonious; it almost felt like Mei was hustling Vera.
Mei placed her palm on Vera's back and called out 'Mark'.
A trail of qi seeped onto his back, forming the sigil of the Qingqiao.
Just then a line of qi seeped into Vera's body and intertwined with the other three elements in his chest.
A piece of the husk that obscured the point in his chest withered away, leaving only the mark of the Jiao to unlock the third realm.
"Ohh... you have the Baize's mark as well," Mei exclaimed.
"Yes. Do you know the Divine Scholar?"
"Hm... he was the old goat that threatened to drop me off a mountain..."
Vera's mouth stood ajar for a moment.
He thought to himself.
Why are all my seniors like this...?