Chapter 28: Hot spring with Hyun

"I'm headed to the Rose Bloom Sect," Kai declared, his eyes burning with determination as he crossed his arms.

Hyun leaned back, his expression calm but resolute. "I'm joining the Minerva Cloud Sect," he said, his voice steady, as if he'd made the decision long ago.

Ben nodded, a spark of excitement in his gaze. "I'm going with the Dark Raven Sect."

"So am I," Mina chimed in, her tone light but firm as she flashed a grin at Ben.

All eyes turned to Reoul, who shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. "What about you, Reoul?" Mina asked, tilting her head with curiosity.

Reoul rubbed the back of his neck, his brow furrowed. "I'm still deciding. I'm not sure yet," he admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Mina's lips curved into a playful smile. "Hmm, alright. Come closer for a sec," she said, beckoning him with a wave of her hand.

Reoul hesitated but stepped toward her, his eyes wary. Without warning, Mina reached out and touched the heavy collar around his neck. With a swift, precise slash of her fingers, the metal shattered, falling to the ground in pieces. She then pressed her hand gently against the slave mark on his neck, her touch warm as the mark dissolved into nothingness. Moving to his wrist, she erased the second mark with the same effortless grace.

Reoul's eyes widened, his hand instinctively rising to his now-bare neck. "The slave collar…" he gasped, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yep, I removed it," Mina said, her smile bright and genuine. "You're free to do whatever you want now!" She didn't notice the faint shadow of disappointment that flickered across Reoul's face, quickly masked by a neutral expression.

Ben let out a low chuckle, his grin smug. "Heh."

Reoul shot him a glare. "What's that smug face for?" he snapped, his annoyance clear.

Kai smirked, leaning forward. "Well, there's no need for you to stick around anymore, is there?"

Reoul's jaw tightened, but his voice was firm. "I want to stay here," he stated, his gaze steady as he looked at the group.

Mina stood, brushing off her hands with a theatrical sigh. "Since you guys are just gonna keep bickering, I'm going for a walk," she announced, already turning to leave.

"Oh, come on, Mina," Hyun called after her, his tone half-teasing, half-exasperated.

"Humph," Mina huffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Ben piped up, his voice casual but with a hint of mischief. "I saw a hot spring nearby. You should check it out if you want."

Mina paused, her eyes lighting up. "Hmm, alright. But no peeking, got it?" she said, her tone teasing as she pointed a finger at Ben.

Ben's face flushed a deep red. "What? Who would dare?!" he sputtered, earning blank stares from Kai and Hyun.

"You, obviously, you pervert," Mina shot back, sticking out her tongue before sauntering off, her laughter echoing behind her.

Ben buried his face in his hands, muttering, "She shouldn't tease like that…"

---

The hot spring's warmth enveloped Mina as she sank into the water, a contented sigh escaping her lips. "Ahh, this feels so nice," she murmured, her body relaxing as the steam curled around her, soothing her tense muscles.

But her mind was far from calm. Her thoughts churned, fragmented memories swirling like leaves in a storm. "That dream I had… was it even real?" she wondered aloud, her voice soft against the gentle lapping of the water.

She leaned back, closing her eyes as she tried to piece it together. "Let me sort out what I remember," she said to herself, her brow furrowing in concentration.

"The Red Light District, where I was raised… it wasn't destroyed when I was fifteen, but when I was ten, by the Water Moon Sect. My mother wasn't my real mother, and neither was my sister, Rachel. They were my mother's sister and her child. I wasn't even raised there—not really. It was some… facility." Her voice faltered as a darker memory surfaced, cold and sharp. "And my father…"

A chilling voice echoed in her mind, accompanied by a shadowy figure with cold, piercing eyes. "My daughter, you'll do anything for your father, right?" The memory made her stomach twist.

"He was a psycho," Mina scoffed, shaking her head to banish the image. She focused on the warmth of the water, grounding herself. "My master found me in the ruins of the Red Light District and took me in."

"Master…" she whispered, her voice softening with a mix of gratitude and sorrow. "He trained me all those years. But that month before I lost my memories… I was fighting a group of cultivators. I died. So how am I here?" Her fingers tightened into fists beneath the water. "Was it those people from my dream? And I can confirm now—I was a succubus long before last month. That explains my connection with Ben."

Her gaze drifted to the bracelet on her wrist, glinting faintly in the steam. "This bracelet… it was from my master, yes. But something's off. It's been tampered with." She tapped her ring twice, then pressed her fingers to her temple, her mind reaching out to inspect the bracelet's enchantments.

Her face flushed crimson as the truth hit her. "What the hell is this?!" she gasped, her voice echoing off the rocks. "All these… sex toys? Piles of them, all kinds of them—what were they thinking?!" Her shock gave way to indignation as she recalled the succubi from her dream, their sly smiles as they handed her the bracelet. "All that for a bunch of sex toys? Bastards," she muttered, her lips twitching with a mix of amusement and frustration.

But then her expression softened, her fingers tracing the bracelet's surface. "Still… after they tampered with it, my desire for intimacy spiked. And my injuries…" She glanced down at her body, once marred with scars from countless battles, now flawless and smooth. "They're all healed."

Another memory surged forward, unbidden. Her father's voice, manic and gleeful, rang in her ears. "You possess three beings within you: the blood of your succubus mother, the heart of a devil, and the essence of a Winged race. You're my perfect creation!" His crazed smile loomed in her mind, his eyes glinting with obsession.

Mina's lips curled into a grim smile. "I'm glad that man is dead," she said, her voice cold but resolute. The memory of his demise brought her a flicker of satisfaction, a weight lifted from her soul.

She sank deeper into the hot spring, letting the warmth seep into her bones as she processed the flood of revelations. "Three beings…" she murmured, her fingers brushing the spot where her scars once were. "Succubus, devil, Winged race. No wonder I'm such a mess." A soft laugh escaped her, but it was tinged with melancholy.

"Mina," a familiar voice called gently over the sound of the water.

She turned her head. "Yes, Hyun?"

"Mind if I join you for a bath?" Hyun asked with a teasing smile.

Mina raised an eyebrow. "Where are your manners, Hyun?"