The storm is over, yet Qingyang Mountain is still wet from the memory of rainfall.
The dawn cast pale illumination across the moss-covered stones, bathing the courtyard in mists.
Shen returned before dawn, her robes frazzled, her skin mottled with ash and dried blood. The run through the forest, the trial at the ancient forge, throbbed inside her like an illness. The sign of her wrist, the crescent blade, shone softly beneath her robes, a constant reminder of her newfound strength.
She slipped down the back passage that led to the servant's quarters, trying to remain inconspicuous. The sect may have been rotting away, but sect regulations most certainly were not. She dared not be caught leaving camp after dark, lest her punishment be speedy and visible to all.
[Mission Update - Fragment Bond: Active.]
[Secondary Objective - Conceal Anomaly Signature.]
"Conceal it? From who?" she whispered.
[Response to Celestial Overseers presence in close proximity. Chances of surveillance, 72%.]
Liuxue froze, her eyes flicking to the eastern cliff face. She could see, through the mists, a flicker of starlight caught in the day's illumination, as if a star itself hung suspended in the sky.
Someone, or something, observed her.
She pulled her sleeve down to cover up the sign, completely hiding it, as she continued to walk.
In the servant hall, the morning bell had not rung yet. A few workers slept on straw beds, breathing shallowly, faces pinched from fatigue. Liuxue quietly took her place in her corner, pretending to rest.
Her mind, however, would not remain calm.
She could still hear the Masked Stranger's words echoing in her mind. "The heavens fear you."
And that forge—the whisper of ancient souls calling her the "Bearer of Reversal."
A strange pain pulsed behind her eyes. Images of faces she didn't know, of temples she'd never visited, flashed for an instant before vanishing from her mind.
A whisper broke into her trance, however.
"Liuxue"
Liuxue turned. It was Mei, another servant.a thin, shy, with work-hardened fingers and eyes that were far too old for her face.
"You're up early," Mei said quietly. "Were you outside again? Elder Mo said he'd start looking in all of the quarters before dawn."
Liuxue forced a weary smile. "I didn't sleep."
Mei scowled, examining her battered hands. "Don't provoke him. He's known to send troublemakers to work in the mines."
"Let him try," Liuxue muttered before she could stop herself.
Mei blinked in surprise. Liuxue quickly turned away, pretending to be tired.
The morning bell rang, harsh, metallic, accompanied by stirring servants, who only yawned, grumbled, rubbed eyes, until, in a few minutes, the room rang with harmonious, monotonous routine of water tubs, mops, wooden bowls.
Most people woke up in this manner to another forgettable day, but for this girl, this passage brought her across her empire laid in ruins.
As she walked, balancing her pail of water, she chanced upon three of his followers huddled together at a corner of the courtyard, near the central pavilion. They wore light-blue robes, and their swords sparkled in the misty atmosphere. One of them, a young man sporting a white jade badge at his waist, was monologuing in hushed, imperative tones.
"There's another servant down yesterday," he continued. "The psychic current beneath the southern walls is volatile. Tell the Elders about it. We cannot allow corruption to spread."
Xiuxue began to slow down speed. A spirit vein…. Underneath the Southern Wall?
That's close to where the servants lived.
[Hidden Mission Unlocked: Investigate Vein Corruption - 0% Complete.]
Of course, she thought grimly. Heaven never gave her peace for long.
The sun by afternoon dispelled this, leaving the mountain trail to steam as if wading into summer itself. For water detail near the southern wall, which everyone avoided because of porous rock, Liuxue volunteered, her buckets filled to overflowing after she placed her palm upon the ground when no one was looking.
A faint humming noise replied. Power. Old, controlled power.
When she focused, she felt it, like an echo beneath the stone, pulsing like a trapped heart.
[Source Analysis - Residual Divine Energy Identified.]
[Potential Link - Celestial System Core Fragment.]
Her eyes widened in shock. Another fragment, hidden in Qingyang Sect?
She started to sweep away loose soil, her hands shaking violently. The air grew dense around her, as if she breathed in ozone. She dug deeper until her fingers touched something metallic and smooth.
A sliver of light came from this crack.
Then, an earthquake struck, causing the
Light to navigate forward .
[Warning – Containment Breach Detected.]
The light then burst upwards, creating a sphere above ground level in which shimmered an image of a golden lotus, an icon which had also seared itself into her chest when she first awoke.
From within the illumination, a voice rang out, icy and robotic.
["Designation : Fallen Subject. Unauthorized activation detected. Reset protocol initiated."]
Liuxue staggered
The ball grew, consuming radiance engulfing the courtyard. Slave girls shrieked. Walls buckled. And from this radiance, figures began to materialize—humanoid creatures, flesh constructed from pure light, faces smooth as boulders.
Enforcers of the heavens
The same kind which guarded her throne in the past.
[Surveillance confirmed. Heaven has detected the Anomaly.]
Liuxue clenched her fists. A rush of energy coursed through her veins, golden fibers weaving in her skin. "Not again."
A hand shot up from the nearest construct, and chains of light laced towards her. She reacted by instinct. She turned, her crescent blazing to life. The chains broke upon an intangible barrier.
For a moment, time itself appeared to slow down. Every heartbeat rang out like thunder in her ears. Liuxue took a step forward, drew upon her access to the damaged seal at her feet, and struck out. A blaze of golden fire burst forth, shredding apart the constructs.
As the light dissipated, the courtyard fell silent once more with a half destroyed space, shrouded in a haze of smoke and dust. The servants, unconscious but breathing, lay on the ground. The creatures disappeared, leaving behind only pieces of glass that littered the courtyard floor.
Liuxue staggered, holding her wrist in agony. The tattoo ached.
[Containment Disrupted. System Recall Delayed 12 hours.]
"Then I'll use that time," she panted. "If they want me erased, they'll have to catch me first."
As the sun fell below the horizon, she began to pack what little she owned yet again. Mei stirred weakly, calling her name, but Liuxue didn't answer her. She couldn't; otherwise, everyone around her would be targeted as well. She stood at the threshold of the servant hall for the final time, looking at those crumbling walls. The wind brought her the fragrance of rain, of metal and of endings. "Goodbye, Lian," she whispered. "You served your purpose." Next, she turned to the mountains and began to descend. High above, out of sight behind the gathering clouds, an unseen spectator lingered. A faint shimmer of silver indicated his presence. The Masked Stranger's gaze fell to the glowing forge sign upon his palm. "She's awakened sooner than I'd expected," he whispered. "The heavens won't remain silent for long." Lightning flashed across the horizon, lighting his face for an instant and in his eyes, behind his mask, a flicker of sorrow appeared.