Night fell like a blade.Cold. Silent. Waiting.
The Green Spring Pavilion, usually peaceful under moonlight, seemed wrapped in a strange stillness—as if even the crickets sensed an approaching storm far more dangerous than thunder. Mist curled between the pagodas in long, silent ribbons, too thick and too precise to be natural.
Qi Shan Wei lay in his small room, asleep but restless. The prismatic mark on his wrist pulsed faintly beneath the blankets—like a beacon calling for trouble. His breath hitched. His dreams twisted.
He saw the cavern again.Seven suns circling.Fire, thunder, shadow—calling his name.
Shan Wei… wake before they take you…
His eyes snapped open.He wasn't alone.
Shadows on the Roof
On the Pavilion's uppermost tiles, three masked figures crouched like carved statues brought to life. Their porcelain masks reflected moonlight—emotionless faces with gentle smiles that made the night feel colder.
The leader, wearing a mask painted with faint violet lines, touched two fingers to the ground. The fog below shifted—spreading silently into every corner of the sect like ink in water.
"The Child of the Comet sleeps," she whispered."Collect him."
The other two nodded.
Below them, the mist began to thicken—forming tendrils that slid beneath doors, seeped through floor cracks, and coiled around the courtyards with predatory patience.
Inside Shan Wei's Room
A soft creak.A shadow parted from the wall—not cast upon it, but emerging out of it. The air dimmed as though light itself recoiled.
The intruder stepped forward, movements elegant and wrong. The mask's gentle smile watched the sleeping boy. Long, pale fingers reached toward Shan Wei's head—
But the prismatic mark flared.A pulse of gold.A flicker of crimson.
The shadowed figure hissed and recoiled—the mask cracking at the edge.
"So the flame defends him even in sleep…" the intruder murmured."Interesting."
He reached again, this time weaving his fingers into a sigil that rippled like dark water.
The shadows in the room deepened. The lantern's flame shrank into a pinprick. A swirling black sigil formed above the boy—descending like a net meant to smother the soul.
As it closed in—
A hand seized the intruder's wrist.
And the room exploded into violence.
Elder Lu's Intervention
Elder Lu appeared in a burst of emerald light, robes whipping in the sudden force. His jade staff slammed against the floor, shattering the shadow-sigil into fragments of black smoke.
"You dare enter my Pavilion," Lu growled, aura blazing around him like a storm of leaves and steel, "to steal a child?"
The masked intruder tilted his head. "We do not steal. We collect what the heavens mark too brightly. And this child burns far too loud to remain here."
"Then burn trying to take him," Lu snapped.
He struck first.A spiral of green force shot from his staff, slicing through the room like a cutting gale. The intruder blurred sideways, impossibly smooth, floating more than stepping.
Their movements were shadows and lightning. Staff and silent blade.Each strike cracked the air.Each dodge warped the room's dim light.
Shan Wei sat up, heart hammering, disoriented by the explosion of combat unfolding around him.
"Elder Lu?"
"Stay back!" Lu barked, blocking a thrust that would've pierced Shan Wei's chest.
The intruder finally spoke again."You protect him well, Elder. Unfortunately—"
He snapped his fingers.The mist outside surged like a living creature.
"—we did not come alone."
The Pavilion is Breached
Outside, screams erupted.Disciples stumbled from their quarters only to be engulfed by tendrils of mist that wrapped around ankles, wrists, throats—pulling them to the ground.
Figures in gray cloaks stepped out of the fog, their porcelain masks glowing faintly.
"Collect the awakened ones," one murmured."Kill those who resist."
Yan Ming appeared on a rooftop, blades of wind swirling around his palms. His eyes widened as he saw the invaders.
"Shadows—! We're under attack!"
He hurled a wind crescent, slicing through two masked figures before they could advance. But the fog swallowed the fallen bodies immediately.
The Pavilion Master emerged onto the highest terrace, aura exploding outward in a wave that cleared the mist for fifty paces.
"Hidden Sect," he said, voice cold as winter steel. "You dare invade my mountain?"
The masked leader stepped from the fog, bowing with false grace."We dare collect our rightful asset."
"The boy is no one's asset," the master replied.
"Not yet."
Back in Shan Wei's Room
Elder Lu parried a strike that carved a crater in the stone floor."Shan Wei! Run to the inner courtyard—NOW!"
The boy wavered."I'm not leaving you!"
"THIS IS NOT A CHOICE!" Lu roared."You surviving is the only way this night isn't a slaughter!"
Something inside Shan Wei snapped open—fear, anger, the echo of thunder that still lived in his bones. His prismatic mark flared violently, lighting the room in a cyclone of colors.
The intruder hissed in delight."Yes… yes… the flame wakes. Come to us, child."
Shan Wei's breath shook.He stepped backward—Then turned—And ran.
The intruder lunged, but Elder Lu slammed his staff down, unleashing a shockwave that sent the masked figure crashing through the wall.
"GO!" Lu shouted, voice cracking.
Shan Wei bolted into the corridor—rain and mist rushing in through shattered windows. Shadows moved in every direction. Screams echoed from the courtyards.
Lightning flashed overhead—Not from the sky,But from his own wrist.
He sprinted toward the inner courtyard, heart pounding like a war drum.
But the moment he reached the threshold—
A hand emerged from the fog and grabbed him by the throat.
He gasped, claws digging into his skin.The masked leader lifted him effortlessly.
"Found you," she whispered.
Her porcelain mask—painted with violet lines—came inches from his face.
"The heavens marked you," she murmured."And we answer the heavens."
Shan Wei struggled, flame sparking in desperation, but her grip tightened.
The fog coiled around him like icy chains.His vision dimmed.His breath faltered.
"Sleep now, little comet."
"No…" Shan Wei rasped.
The prismatic flame within him thrashed wildly—pain, fear, defiance all blending into one desperate spark—
Wake up.
His eyes snapped wide. Gold blazed from them like twin suns.His mark erupted in a beam of prismatic energy—
And the courtyard exploded in light.
To be continued..
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