By day, Mei Lian seemed unchanged.
Her steps were light, her eyes calm, her silence familiar.
Yet something beneath that calm had shifted — a quiet shimmer in her gaze, a softness that didn't belong to her.
Zhen Yu didn't notice at first. He was only relieved that she spoke to him again, even if only through signs and fleeting glances.
Liang Hu, however, watched her more closely. He saw how the air around her seemed to hum faintly — how the fire bent subtly toward her when she passed.
That night, they camped beside a ridge.
The sky was clear — cold stars burning through a thin veil of mist.
Zhen Yu sat cleaning his blade, the firelight glinting along its edge.
From the shadows, Mei Lian approached.
Her footsteps made no sound.
She knelt beside him, closer than usual. The fire caught her face — soft, almost tender. For the first time, her silence felt different: not distant, but drawing him in.
He looked up. "Can't sleep?" he asked quietly.
She didn't answer — only tilted her head slightly, her eyes meeting his.
Something in that gaze made him forget to breathe. It wasn't the witch's calm he knew — it was warmer, slower, filled with a strange, delicate pull.
Her hand brushed his sleeve — a light touch, almost trembling.
Zhen Yu froze.
"Mei Lian…"
She leaned closer, her face too near his. Her hand moved from his shoulder to his chest, fingers lingering against his heartbeat.
He stiffened, uncertain. "Mei Lian… stop. What are you—"
Then he saw it. A flash — gold, alive — flickering through her eyes.
And just as quickly, it vanished.
She blinked, breath catching. Her whole body tensed before she jerked back violently.
The shadows behind her rippled — faint, smoky tails coiling and dissolving into the air.
She stumbled away from the fire, collapsing to her knees.
"Mei Lian!" Zhen Yu called, reaching her.
Her hands moved frantically. It's inside me. The fox. It's still there.
Her body shook. It wants. It wants everything. Desire. Power. You.
The last sign faltered — her fingers trembling midair.
Zhen Yu gripped her shoulders. "Then fight it."
She looked up, her expression torn between fear and fury.
I'm trying, she signed. I will not let it win.
Her veins pulsed faintly gold beneath her skin — then dimmed, fading back to red.
The night grew still again. Only the fire crackled softly, throwing thin shadows across their faces.
Mei Lian sat in silence, staring into the flames. Her hands were steady again — but her eyes were distant, haunted by a whisper only she could hear.
When Zhen Yu finally turned to rest, she stayed awake until dawn, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
In her pupils, her reflection wavered — a faint golden flicker, like foxfire burning quietly within.