The sky had barely recovered from the duel when it darkened again.
Not with storm clouds.Not with tribulation thunder.
With something… wrong.
Qi Shan Wei felt it first as a pressure behind his eyes, like someone had turned the world a fraction of a degree sideways.
Drakonix's feathers and scales stood on end.
"FWRRR…?"
Lan Qingyue's lightning flickered in agitation.
Xueya's frost aura thickened without her willing it.
Qingyue's flames guttered low, reacting to a cold that didn't touch skin—only fate.
Jin Wei turned slowly toward the eastern ridge, eyes glowing with deep gold.
"ALERT.CALAMITY-TYPE SIGNATURE DETECTED.CLASS: ENVOY."
The Pavilion Master, already exhausted, went pale.
"Again…? So soon?"
Qi Longye, still resting on the courtyard's edge, gripped his cane until his knuckles whitened.
"No… this isn't the Heir himself," he rasped. "This is… a greeting card."
"To hell with his greetings," Qingyue muttered.
The Envoy Descends
A thin line appeared in the sky.
Just a line.
Black. Hair-thin. Perfectly straight.
It didn't flash or roar or blaze.
It simply… lengthened.
All the way from the heavens down to the mountain edge like a stroke of ink on reality.
The air folded.
At the line's lower tip, a small ripple formed.
A figure stepped out.
Shan Wei's breath caught.
It was a man… and not.
A tall humanoid form wrapped in flowing black, but where skin should be, there were fractures of empty void. His eyes were blank white, and a faint crimson sigil hovered above his brow — the same sigil Ka'Rath had launched into the heavens.
His presence wasn't oppressive like Ka'Rath's or awe-inspiring like the Fourth Wind's.
It was… hollow.
As if something had carved out the person he once was and left a vessel behind.
Drakonix hissed, claws digging into stone.
"FweeEEEH!"
Jin Wei stepped in front of Shan Wei.
"POSITION: PROTECT.HOSTILITY: MAXIMUM PREPAREDNESS."
The envoy did not approach.
He stopped at the broken outer gate of Cloudpierce Pavilion, hands folded calmly.
When he spoke, his voice sounded almost normal.
Almost human.
"Qi Shan Wei," he said. "I bring a message from my master."
Qingyue spat to the side.
"We already got his message."
The envoy's head turned slightly.
"That was a thought-greeting. This…"His voice roughened a fraction."…is a vow."
Lan Qingyue stepped up beside Shan Wei, spear humming softly.
"If this vow includes attacking him, I'll remove your head."
The envoy tilted his head, considering her.
"Interesting lightning pattern… You are not of this realm."
"Neither are you," she shot back.
Shan Wei lifted a hand.
"Enough," he said. "Speak."
The envoy's empty eyes focused on him.
For one heartbeat, Shan Wei saw something—a flicker of pain.A memory.A human.
Then it was gone.
"The Calamity Heir sends three statements," the envoy said.
He raised three fingers.
First Statement
"He acknowledges you as his only rival."
Murmurs exploded among the elders and disciples.
Pavilion Master's eyes widened.
Qi Longye's jaw tightened.
"Arrogant child," Elder Lu muttered. "As if the realms hold only two—"
"No," Longye said quietly. "It means he will not waste his eyes on anyone else."
The envoy lowered one finger.
Second Statement
"He will not strike at Cloudpierce Pavilion directly for nine days," the envoy continued. "This is his 'restraint' in honor of your first meeting."
Qingyue's flames flared.
"His what!?"
Xueya's voice went cold.
"Nine days to flee?"
The envoy shook his head.
"Nine days to decide who you intend to be when he sees you again."
Shan Wei's hands tightened at his sides.
Nine days.
Nine days until this calm shattered.
Nine days to stop being just a local anomaly… and start walking the path toward that throne he'd seen.
The envoy lowered a second finger.
Third Statement
"And lastly," the envoy said, voice dropping, "he promises this:
He will not kill you until you reach the place where the stars judge."
The Pavilion Master inhaled sharply.
"The… place where the stars judge…"
Elder Lu whispered:
"The Heavenly Convergence Battleground…"
Lan Qingyue frowned.
"That's far from here. Another realm entirely."
The envoy's mouth twitched—not quite a smile, not quite pain.
"My master… wants you to grow. To struggle. To climb.He wants the day he tries to end you to be… glorious."
Qingyue shook with barely restrained fury.
"Tell your 'master' he won't be the one choosing how Shan Wei's story ends."
Drakonix screeched in agreement.
"FWRRRAAA!!"
The envoy simply inclined his head.
"I will deliver all words spoken today."
He turned to go—
And then hesitated.
"Qi Shan Wei," he said quietly, without looking back. "A fragment of my will still remembers… choice."
Shan Wei's chest tightened.
"You were… taken?"
"Yes," the envoy said. "Once, I was… like you. Chosen by a fate I never asked for."
He glanced over his shoulder, empty eyes glimmering faintly.
"If you ever reach the place where the stars judge…
…and you still remember yourself…"
He paused.
"Kill him before he unravels what's left of you."
The words hit harder than any threat.
Then the envoy stepped back into the thin black line, and both he and the rift vanished.
Jin Wei — Upgrade Phase Two
Silence fell again.
Then Jin Wei's core pulsed.
Hard.
Gold light surged from his chest, pouring into the cracks of his armor.
"UPGRADE PHASE TWO:RUNIC GUARDIAN PROTOCOL…INITIALIZING."
Shan Wei turned.
"Jin Wei—"
Golden arrays unfolded around the puppet like blooming lotus patterns, circling from his feet to his head.
Elder Lu stepped back.
"What is he—?"
Qi Longye's eyes widened.
"He's forcibly advancing his own construct phase—without a master artificer guiding him!"
Runes crawled up Jin Wei's limbs, glowing brighter with each completed line.
"PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:MASTER SURVIVAL.SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:ADAPT TO CALAMITY PATTERNS."
His right arm shifted, plates separating and re-fusing into a heavier, more refined guard bracer.
His left began etching itself with rotating runic rings.
His back opened briefly as a faint core-plate settled deeper.
His voice deepened.
"STATUS… UPGRADING.ESTIMATED CAPABILITY INCREASE: 300%ESTIMATED REPAIR… 42%."
Shan Wei stepped closer.
"Does it hurt?"
Jin Wei paused.
"…I DO NOT KNOW."
The puppet tilted his head.
"PAIN IS IRRELEVANT.MASTER IS PRIORITY."
Shan Wei's throat tightened.
"Jin Wei… thank you."
The runes flared brighter at that.
As if his gratitude itself went into the upgrade.
Drakonix's Bloodline Realm Opens
As Jin Wei's upgrade continued, Drakonix suddenly froze.
His pupils shrank to thin slits.
His scales lit up one by one.
"Fwee…?"
Then his body shook.
Hard.
"F… FWRRRAAA…!"
He slammed his wings into the ground.
Prismatic flames burst outward, but they didn't burn anyone.
The fire curved back, spiraling into a circle around him and Shan Wei.
Lan Qingyue stumbled back, eyes wide.
"What is this?"
Xueya's breath frosted the air.
"This feeling…!"
Qingyue frowned.
"I've never felt this kind of flame before…"
Qi Longye's expression changed from shock to realization.
"…Drakonix's bloodline realm is opening."
The flames rose higher, forming a spherical shell.
Inside it, the world blurred.
Shan Wei felt the ground vanish beneath his feet.
For a heartbeat—he felt like he was falling through Drakonix's veins.
Then—
He landed.
On a sea of light.
Inside the Drakonix Trial Realm
The sky overhead was not sky.
It was a swirling aurora of prismatic colours—every shade he'd ever seen, and several he hadn't.
The ground beneath his feet was a solid surface made of condensed flame and starlight, each step leaving ripples.
Drakonix stood in front of him, larger, more radiant—his form halfway between physical and soul projection.
"Fwee…"
But his voice echoed in Shan Wei's mind now, layered and clear.
"Shan Wei."
Shan Wei blinked.
"Did you just speak?"
The dragon tilted his head proudly.
"Instinct… evolution. This is my bloodline trial realm."
Shan Wei looked around, heart pounding.
"So this is… inside your bloodline."
"Yes."
Drakonix flapped his wings.
Mountains rose in the distance—made of condensed flames.Rivers flowed—of molten qi.Constellations hung low enough to touch.
"You are connected to my flame," Drakonix said. "And my fate is wound around yours. When the Calamity Heir's mark appeared… my instincts reacted."
He looked more serious than Shan Wei had ever seen him.
"I must grow too."
Shan Wei's fists tightened.
"We'll grow together."
"Then train with me." Drakonix's eyes flashed."Fight with me. Learn how my flames respond to your prismatic force. When our powers resonate properly…"
He smiled, sharp and fierce.
"…even fate will burn."
Shan Wei exhaled.
"Alright. Then let's begin."
For a moment, he glanced up at the unreal sky.
"…But don't take too long. I have nine days."
"Good," Drakonix replied. "Then we'll make every breath count."
The realm pulsed.
Training began.
Back Outside — Lan, Xueya, Qingyue
Outside the flame sphere, time trickled normally.
Lan Qingyue stared at the swirling prismatic orb with a mix of awe and agitation.
"So he just… vanishes into a dragon pocket-realm to train whenever he wants?"
Xueya's eyes narrowed with something almost like jealousy.
"It suits him."
Qingyue folded her arms.
"It suits him to constantly worry me, that's what it suits."
Lan glanced sideways.
"You two… care for him deeply."
Qingyue stared.
"Obviously."
Xueya did not deny it.
Lan Qingyue smiled faintly.
"Then I'll fit right in."
Qingyue choked.
"EXCUSE me!?"
Xueya sighed.
"…This will be loud."
The Pavilion Master's Secret
While the prismatic sphere pulsed, the Pavilion Master joined Qi Longye at the edge of the terrace, gaze distant.
"You knew more about the Beastbone War than you said," the Master murmured.
Longye's fingers stilled.
"Yes."
The old man's voice softened.
"Tell me now. Before that boy leaves my mountain."
Longye watched the prismatic sphere flicker.
"The Beastbone Legion was not just a rebel army," he said quietly. "They were… tools."
"Tools?"
"For higher powers," Longye said. "Puppeted by great clans, sects, even Heaven-court envoys who wanted a disposable army to test something."
The Pavilion Master's breath hitched.
"Test what?"
Longye swallowed.
"How easy it would be… to turn someone like Shan Wei into a weapon."
The old man went still.
"Ka'Rath failed," Longye continued. "He tried to devour destiny, not serve it. So they sealed him. The Legion was punished. But the concept… remained."
The Pavilion Master whispered:
"So the Calamity Heir…"
"Is the refined version," Longye said. "Not a beast who tried to steal fate… but a human built to wield it."
The old man closed his eyes.
"And now our boy stands between both."
"Yes," Longye murmured. "And that is why… we must let him go."
Heavenly Auction Conclave — The Invitation Changes
A disciple hurried up the steps, nearly tripping.
"Pavilion Master! There's been—another message!"
The old man took it, brow furrowing.
"This qi… This is—"
Longye's eyes narrowed.
"Heavenly Auction Conclave again?"
The scroll bore a new seal—more intricate, layered with realm-crossing laws.
The Pavilion Master opened it.
His hands trembled.
"…They changed their terms."
Xueya and Qingyue looked over.
"What do they want now?" Qingyue asked.
The old man read out loud:
"To Qi Shan Wei, Heaven-Breaker:News of your clash with Ka'Rath and contact with the Calamity Heir has reached our Halls.As such, your presence at our Grand Convergence is no longer requested—it is required."
Qingyue's jaw dropped.
"Required!?"
"Should you attend, we guarantee neutral ground, access to rare fated artifacts, and an audience with those who deal in secrets of destiny.Should you refuse…"
The scroll darkened.
"…others less polite than us will come to collect you."
The message burned away in sparks.
Lan Qingyue exhaled.
"The Conclave is moving. This is bigger than a simple auction."
Xueya's gaze turned cold.
"They want to profit off fate itself."
"Of course they do," Qi Longye muttered.
In the Shadows — Thousand Masks Watches
Far from the Pavilion, atop a pine tree overlooking the mountain path, a figure crouched in perfect stillness.
Wearing a plain clay mask.
Black clothes.
Breathing so shallow even beasts would miss it.
One of the Thousand Masks Pavilion observers.
A small mark on their wrist glowed faintly as a voice whispered into their mind.
"Report."
The masked figure watched the prismatic sphere and the golden puppet, the silver-haired youth and his orbiting women, the damaged elder and the restless storm of qi around them all.
"Target confirmed," the spy answered silently. "Qi Shan Wei. Heaven-Breaker. Calamity rival. Drakonix-bound. Puppet-guarded. Realm interest: maximum."
"Assessment?"
The spy smiled behind the mask.
"Potential: beyond calculation."
"Orders remain.Observe.Do not interfere.Wait for the day Yin Yuerin moves."
The spy tilted their head.
"And the boy?"
A pause.
"If the Calamity Heir doesn't kill him…""…we might hire him."
The spy chuckled.
"As you wish."
Then they vanished into shadow.
Cloudpierce Pavilion stood beneath a heavy sky—a small mountain at the center of gathering storms.
But within it, a prismatic sphere burned.
Within that sphere, a boy and a dragon trained against destiny.
And the realms… watched.
Waiting.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025All rights reserved.