Silver wind swept through the ruins, swirling glowing petals around the two figures.
Qi Shan Wei stood frozen, Drakonix curled tightly in his arms — not out of fear, but because the tiny dragon could feel the moment's weight.
Yue Lian's words pressed against the world itself:
"The Empress of the Lunar Fate Court…is already in love with the man you will become."
Shan Wei's pulse slammed against his ears.
"What does that even mean?"
Yue Lian lowered her gaze, voice soft.
"It means… when she first met you, you were already a legend."
Shan Wei blinked.
"…Met me? But I've never—"
"You haven't," Yue Lian whispered."Not yet."
Drakonix let out a tiny confused chirp.
"Fwee?"
Shan Wei's chest tightened.
"Are you telling me she—"
"Yes."Yue Lian stepped closer, silver hair brushing the wind."She met you… in the future."
A chill crawled down his spine.
"And she loved you there."
The ruins darkened.
A Fate That Loops
Shan Wei steadied his breath.
"Explain. Fully."
Yue Lian's eyes softened, but her voice shook slightly — as if recalling something painful.
"The Empress of the Lunar Fate Court is the strongest time-law wielder across fifty realms. She walks between futures. She sees threads ordinary beings can't comprehend."
Her fingers traced a soft arc in the air.Fate-light rippled.
"In one of her visions… she saw a man standing alone at the end of a broken universe. Holding seven dying suns in his hands."
She paused.
"He looked at her… and smiled."
Shan Wei swallowed.
"And that was… me?"
Yue Lian nodded.
"She described him as a man whose will surpassed destruction. Whose eyes held the weight of infinite cycles. Whose presence made the heavens bow."
A beat of silence.
"She searched through time for the moment he was born."
Her eyes lifted — piercing.
"And that moment… was you."
Drakonix trembled — not from fear, but awe.
"Fwee…"
Shan Wei forced his voice steady.
"So she sent you?"
"Yes," Yue Lian whispered."To watch you. To ensure nothing erases your fate. And to guide you… if the path collapses."
Shan Wei frowned.
"Why would my path collapse?"
Yue Lian froze.
"…Because of the Calamity Heir."
The wind groaned like something ancient had awakened.
The Calamity Heir — A Truth Revealed
Yue Lian walked into the moonlit glow of a shattered pillar, and space rippled at her presence.
"The Calamity Heir is not just your rival."
Her voice deepened — solemn, fearful.
"He is your anti-fate."
Shan Wei's heartbeat stalled.
"My… what?"
Yue Lian's eyes locked onto his.
"Your existence bends fate forward."
She raised her hand.
"And his existence bends fate backward."
She clenched her fist.
"When you rise — he falls.When he rises — you fall."
Shan Wei's jaw tightened.
"That's the stupidest fate I've ever heard."
Yue Lian blinked… then stifled a small laugh behind her mask.
"…She said you would say something like that."
Shan Wei rolled his eyes.
"Good to know I'm predictable."
But she shook her head.
"You misunderstand.This is not about victory or defeat."
She stepped closer — inches from him.
"This is about existence."
Shan Wei's expression sharpened.
"Explain."
Yue Lian's tone darkened.
"The Calamity Heir was born with a law that denies your existence. If he ascends… your entire timeline, your future, your memories… will vanish."
Shan Wei felt a cold spark crawl across his skin.
"So either he ascends—or I do."
Yue Lian nodded slowly.
"That is how the heavens wrote it."
Shan Wei inhaled.
"Then I'll just rewrite it."
Yue Lian's breath caught.
She stared at him with something close to awe.
"…Just like she said."
The Scattering — Where Your Companions Are
Shan Wei shifted his grip on Drakonix.
"My team. The others.Where are they?"
Yue Lian's eyes flickered.
"They're alive."
Shan Wei breathed out — relief flooding his chest.
"But scattered across different zones of the Outer Conclave Territory."
She pointed toward the fractured horizon.
ZONE 1 — THE AZURE FEATHER FALL"Here, with you. The safest zone."
ZONE 2 — THE STORM LABYRINTHLan Qingyue.
"She will be hunted by storm-beasts and lightning spirits. But she is lightning. She will survive."
ZONE 3 — THE CRIMSON FIREFLORA GARDENSFeng Qingyue.
Yue Lian hesitated.
"…Unfortunately, this zone contains phoenix-blood flora. She might… cause an incident."
Shan Wei groaned.
"Oh, gods…"
Yue Lian nodded sadly.
"She will burn a forest. Maybe several."
ZONE 4 — THE FROZEN CHASM OF EONSLing Xueya.
Yue Lian's tone softened.
"She is fine. The Chasm fears her. She may trigger an awakening."
Shan Wei's pulse quickened.
ZONE 5 — THE UNSUNG RUINSQi Longye.
Her expression tightened.
"This one… worries me."
Shan Wei stepped forward.
"Why?"
Yue Lian lowered her head.
"That area contains remnants of the old Conclave war. Many puppets, many dead formations… and many grudges."
Shan Wei's jaw locked.
"And Jin Wei?"
Yue Lian looked up sharply.
"That puppet… is not ordinary."
A pause.
"He landed in the Iron-Bound Archive, a forbidden place."
Shan Wei's heart jumped.
"What is that?"
Yue Lian whispered:
"A graveyard of ancient puppets."
Drakonix went rigid.
Shan Wei's breath turned cold.
"Jin Wei… is alone?"
"No," Yue Lian said softly."He is awakening."
A pulse rippled across the land.
Shan Wei felt it through his bones.
A metallic roar shook the sky from miles away.
JIN WEI.PHASE TWO EMERGENCY PROTOCOL.ACTIVATED.
Shan Wei swore sharply.
"We're going to him."
Yue Lian stepped in front of him.
"No."
Shan Wei glared.
"Move."
Yue Lian's eyes held both fear and determination.
"You don't understand."Her voice was shaking."If you enter the Iron-Bound Archive right now—"
She held up a trembling hand.
"—you may not leave."
Shan Wei's aura flared.
"That changes nothing."
Yue Lian whispered:
"Of course it doesn't.You're exactly the person she—"
A sudden tremor ripped through the ruins.
Drakonix gasped, scales turning bright gold.
"Fwe—?!"
Shan Wei's head snapped upward.
"What now—"
The sky darkened.
The horizon cracked.
A sigil of moonlight bloomed in the air.
Yue Lian went pale.
"No…She wasn't supposed to appear yet…"
Shan Wei tensed.
"Who!?"
Moonlight coiled into a woman's silhouette.
Slender.Tall.Wreathed in shimmering silver mist.Wearing a long mask shaped like a crescent moon.
Her voice echoed like distant bells.
"Qi Shan Wei."
Shan Wei's body stiffened instinctively.
Drakonix curled close to his chest.
The figure floated downward — her presence bending gravity.
Yue Lian dropped to one knee immediately.
"Y-your Highness—!"
Shan Wei felt his heartbeat roar.
The masked woman stopped before him.
Her energy…It wasn't crushing.It wasn't violent.
It was gentle.
Too gentle.
As if terrified of hurting him.
Her masked face tilted slightly.
"At last… we meet."
Shan Wei swallowed hard.
"Who… are you?"
The woman reached up.
Her fingers brushed her mask.
And she whispered:
"…I am the one you once swore to destroy."
Lightning tore open the sky.
Drakonix shrieked.
Yue Lian gasped.
Shan Wei's eyes widened as the mask fell—
Revealing—
A woman with silver eyes full of heartbreak.
"I am the Empress who loved your future ghost."
The world broke into silence.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025All rights reserved.