Chapter13- After the Becoming
Ling didn't realize she was shaking until Arin's hand tightened around hers.
Not strong.
Not steady.
But present.
Arin whispered, voice raw.
"Ling… look at me."
Ling turned.
Arin's eyes were still dim, her wings cracked, her soul flickering — but she was alive. That alone made Ling's chest ache with relief.
Arin studied her carefully, almost fearfully.
"Your wings… they're not fading."
Ling looked over her shoulder.
The wings were still there — white‑gold feathers edged with shadow, shifting like they were breathing with her. They didn't flicker. They didn't weaken.
They felt… permanent.
Ling swallowed.
"I don't think they're going away."
Arin's breath caught.
"Ling… that means the merging didn't stop."
Ling nodded slowly.
"I know."
Arin looked down, guilt tightening her expression.
"This is my fault."
Ling grabbed her chin gently, lifting her face.
"No.
This is my choice."
Arin's eyes softened — full of fear, love, and something deeper she wasn't ready to name.
Before either of them could speak again, the air shifted.
A cold wind swept across the ash‑white ground.
Ling's wings rose instinctively.
Arin stiffened.
"It's here."
Ling turned sharply.
The Shadow wasn't fully formed — just a silhouette at the edge of the cracked horizon, watching, waiting, recovering.
The First Guardian stepped between them and the distant darkness.
"It cannot attack again.
Not yet."
Ling narrowed her eyes.
"Why not?"
The First Guardian looked at her wings — not with awe, but with calculation.
"Because it is inside you now.
And it is afraid."
Arin's wings snapped open in shock.
"Afraid of what?"
The First Guardian's gaze locked onto Ling.
"Afraid of what she will become."
Ling felt her heartbeat stutter.
Arin grabbed her hand again, tighter this time.
"Ling… what are you becoming?"
Ling didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
But she felt it.
A pulse under her skin.
A whisper in her bones.
A power that wasn't human, wasn't guardian, wasn't Shadow.
Something new.
Something dangerous.
Something hers.
The First Guardian stepped closer.
"Ling… the merging has only begun.
And you must learn to control it before it controls you."
Arin's grip tightened.
"She's not doing this alone."
Ling looked at her — and for the first time since the merging, she smiled.
"Good.
Because I don't want to."
The Shadow shifted in the distance, its form rippling like a storm waiting to break.
The First Guardian's voice dropped.
"Then prepare yourselves.
Chapter Thirteen is not about survival.
It is about becoming."
Ling's wings flared.
Arin's wings steadied.
And the next stage of their fate began.
The ash‑white ground was silent.
Too silent.
Ling felt it before she heard anything — a faint vibration under her skin, like a second heartbeat that didn't belong to her. Her wings twitched instinctively, feathers of light and shadow rustling in the still air.
Arin noticed immediately.
"Ling… what is it?"
Ling didn't answer at first.
She closed her eyes.
Listened.
There it was again.
A pulse.
A whisper.
A presence.
Not outside her.
Inside.
Ling opened her eyes slowly.
"…It's him."
Arin stiffened, wings rising protectively.
*"The Shadow?
But he retreated."*
Ling shook her head.
"No.
Only his form retreated.
His voice didn't."
Arin moved closer, her hand brushing Ling's arm.
"What is he saying?"
Ling swallowed.
"He's not speaking words.
It's more like…
An echo."
Arin's expression tightened.
"An echo of what?"
Ling hesitated.
Then she said it.
"Of me."
Arin froze.
Her wings trembled.
"Ling… that means he's syncing with you."
Ling nodded slowly.
"I know."
Arin grabbed her shoulders, panic breaking through her voice.
*"Ling, that's not normal.
Even for a merging.
You're not supposed to hear him unless he forces it."*
Ling looked down at her hands — glowing faintly, veins threaded with white‑gold light.
"He's not forcing it.
It's happening on its own."
Arin's breath shook.
"That means the merging is accelerating."
Ling didn't deny it.
Because she felt it.
Every second.
Every breath.
Every heartbeat.
A slow pull.
A quiet whisper.
A presence curling deeper into her soul.
The First Guardian stepped forward, his expression unreadable.
"This is the Echo Phase."
Ling turned sharply.
"What is that?"
The First Guardian's voice was calm, but heavy.
"When the vessel begins to hear the Shadow's thoughts…
And the Shadow begins to hear hers."
Arin's wings snapped open.
*"No.
No, she's not a vessel—"*
The First Guardian cut her off gently.
"She is not a vessel.
But she carries the fragment.
And the fragment listens."
Ling felt her stomach twist.
"So he can hear me too?"
The First Guardian nodded.
"Not everything.
Only what you feel strongly."
Arin grabbed Ling's hand instantly.
*"Ling—don't let him feel fear.
Don't let him feel pain.
Don't let him feel anything he can use."*
Ling looked at her — really looked — and saw the fear behind her strength.
"I'm trying."
Arin stepped closer, forehead almost touching Ling's.
"Then let me anchor you."
Ling's breath caught.
"Arin…"
Arin's voice softened — fragile, intimate, trembling.
*"If he can hear you…
Then let him hear this."*
She wrapped her arms around Ling.
Held her.
Not as a guardian.
Not as a protector.
As someone who refused to lose her.
Ling's wings folded around Arin instinctively, pulling her closer.
And in that moment—
The echo inside Ling's chest shifted.
The Shadow's presence recoiled.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Ling whispered:
"…He felt that."
Arin pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.
"Good."
The First Guardian watched them quietly.
"Remember this moment.
Because soon…
The Echo will become a Voice."
Ling's wings trembled.
Arin's grip tightened.
And the next stage of the merging crept closer.
Ling felt the shift before she heard anything.
A cold ripple slid down her spine, threading through her ribs, curling around her heartbeat. Her wings twitched — feathers of light and shadow rustling like they sensed something she didn't.
Arin noticed instantly.
"Ling… what's happening?"
Ling didn't answer.
Because she couldn't.
Her breath caught.
Her vision blurred.
And then—
A voice whispered inside her mind.
Not an echo.
Not a feeling.
A voice.
"You cannot hide from me."
Ling staggered.
Arin grabbed her shoulders.
*"Ling—hey—look at me.
Stay with me."*
Ling tried.
But the voice pressed harder.
"You carry my essence.
You carry my hunger.
You carry me."
Ling's wings flared violently, light and shadow spiraling outward in a burst that shook the ground.
Arin shielded her face, wings rising instinctively.
*"Ling—stop!
You're losing control!"*
Ling gasped, clutching her head.
"Arin—he's speaking—he's speaking clearly—"
Arin pulled her close, holding her tight.
*"Focus on me.
Not him.
Me."*
Ling tried.
But the voice grew louder.
"You chose the merging.
You chose power.
You chose me."
Ling screamed.
Her wings exploded outward — a shockwave of raw energy blasting across the ash‑white plain.
Arin was thrown back.
She hit the ground hard, wings cracking again.
"Ling!"
Ling fell to her knees, shaking violently, her hands glowing with unstable light.
The First Guardian appeared instantly, slamming his staff into the ground.
"Ling!
Listen to me!"
Ling looked up — eyes glowing white‑gold, pupils gone.
"I can't—
I can't shut him out—"
The First Guardian's voice sharpened.
"You must.
This is the Voice Phase.
If you lose control now, he will take more than your power."
Arin forced herself up, stumbling toward Ling.
"What does that mean?"
The First Guardian didn't look away from Ling.
"He will take her memories."
Arin froze.
"No.
No, no, no—Ling—look at me—"
She grabbed Ling's face with both hands, forcing Ling to meet her eyes.
*"Ling, listen.
You know me.
You know my voice.
You know my soul.
Hold onto that."*
Ling's breath shook.
Her wings trembled.
The Shadow's voice hissed inside her mind.
"She cannot save you."
Arin leaned closer, forehead touching Ling's.
*"Yes, I can.
Because you're mine."*
Ling's eyes flickered.
White‑gold.
Shadow.
White‑gold again.
Arin whispered:
"Come back to me."
Ling inhaled sharply.
The voice inside her chest faltered.
Just for a moment.
But enough.
Ling collapsed forward, falling into Arin's arms, shaking violently.
Arin held her tight, wings wrapping around her protectively.
*"I've got you.
I've got you."*
The First Guardian exhaled slowly.
"She resisted him.
For now."
Arin glared at him.
"For now isn't enough."
The First Guardian's expression darkened.
"Then prepare yourselves.
Because the next phase…
Is the Pull."
Ling's wings twitched.
Arin's grip tightened.
And the Shadow whispered one last time inside Ling's mind—
"You cannot run from what you are becoming."
The ground trembled.
Not violently.
Not like an attack.
Like something beneath the surface was breathing.
Ling froze.
Arin felt it too — her wings snapped open, instinctively shielding Ling even though she was the one still healing.
"Ling… do you feel that?"
Ling didn't answer.
Because she felt it everywhere.
In her ribs.
In her spine.
In her wings.
A tug.
Soft at first.
Then sharper.
Then unmistakable.
Ling whispered:
"…He's pulling me."
Arin grabbed her hand instantly.
*"No.
No, Ling, stay here.
Stay with me."*
But the pull intensified.
A cold thread wrapped around Ling's chest, tugging her forward — not physically, but through her soul. Her wings jerked open, feathers trembling violently.
Ling gasped.
"Arin—he's trying to drag me to him—"
Arin stepped in front of her, wings flaring wide despite the cracks.
"Over my dead body."
The First Guardian appeared beside them, staff glowing.
"This is the Pull Phase.
It means the Shadow has recovered enough to try reclaiming the fragment."
Arin's voice broke.
"Then stop him!"
The First Guardian shook his head.
"I cannot.
Only she can."
Ling staggered as the pull grew stronger — like invisible hands gripping her soul and dragging her toward the distant darkness.
Her feet slid across the ash‑white ground.
Arin grabbed her waist, pulling her back with everything she had.
*"Ling—fight it!
Fight him!"*
Ling tried.
But the pull wasn't just physical.It was emotional.
A whisper curled inside her mind.
"Come to me."
Ling's breath hitched.
Arin saw her eyes flicker — white‑gold to shadow, shadow to white‑gold.
*"Ling—look at me!
Not him!"*
Ling forced her gaze to Arin.
Arin's face was inches from hers — terrified, determined, breaking.
"Stay with me."
Ling whispered:
"I'm trying…"
The pull snapped harder.
Ling's wings jerked open, dragging her forward with a violent force.
Arin was yanked with her, refusing to let go.
"I'm not losing you!"
Ling's voice cracked.
"Arin—let go—he'll pull you too—"
Arin's grip tightened.
"Then we go together."
Ling's heart stuttered.
The Shadow's voice hissed inside her mind.
"She cannot save you."
Arin snarled — actually snarled — her wings flaring with a burst of light.
"Watch me."
She slammed her forehead against Ling's, anchoring her soul with sheer will.
The pull faltered.
Just for a moment.
But enough.
Ling gasped, collapsing into Arin's arms.
Arin held her tight, wings wrapping around her protectively.
The First Guardian exhaled.
"She resisted the Pull.
But it will return.
Stronger."
Arin glared at him.
"Then teach her how to stop it."
The First Guardian nodded slowly.
"Then her training begins now."
Ling looked up, breath shaking.
"Training… for what?"
The First Guardian's eyes darkened.
"To survive what you are becoming."
Ling's wings trembled.
Arin's grip tightened.
And the Pull Phase had only just begun.
The First Guardian led them across the ash‑white plain until the ground shifted beneath their feet.
The surface darkened — from pale grey to deep obsidian — like they were stepping onto a scar burned into the realm.
Ling felt it immediately.
A pressure.
A weight.
A presence.
Arin grabbed her arm.
"Ling… this place feels wrong."
The First Guardian didn't turn.
"It should.
This is where the first vessel broke."
Ling froze.
Arin's wings snapped open.
"You brought her HERE?"
The First Guardian finally faced them.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
"If she is to survive what she is becoming, she must learn to stand where others fell."
Ling swallowed hard.
"What happened to the first vessel?"
The First Guardian's gaze darkened.
"He listened to the Shadow's voice.
And obeyed."
Arin stepped in front of Ling, wings flaring protectively.
"Ling is NOT a vessel."
The First Guardian nodded.
"She isn't.
But the Shadow will still try to make her one."
Ling felt the pull again — faint, but present — like a thread tugging at her ribs.
She whispered:
"…He's listening."
Arin grabbed her hand instantly.
"Then don't let him hear fear."
Ling nodded, steadying her breath.
The First Guardian planted his staff into the ground.
A circle of white‑gold light erupted around them, sealing them inside.
Arin stiffened.
"What is this?"
"A containment field."
Ling's wings twitched.
"Containment… for what?"
The First Guardian looked directly at her.
"For you."
Ling's breath caught.
Arin stepped forward, furious.
"She's not dangerous!"
The First Guardian didn't blink.
"She is.
Not by choice.
By nature."
Ling felt something shift inside her chest — a pulse of heat, a flicker of shadow.
Arin saw it.
*"Ling… breathe.
Stay with me."*
Ling tried.
But the pull intensified.
The Shadow's voice whispered inside her mind.
"Let go."
Ling's wings snapped open — violently — sending a shockwave through the containment field.
Arin stumbled back.
"Ling—!"
Ling clutched her head, falling to her knees.
"I can't—
He's pushing—
He's trying to take control—"
Arin rushed to her, grabbing her shoulders.
*"Ling, look at me.
Not him.
ME."*
Ling forced her eyes open.
Arin's face was inches from hers — terrified, determined, breaking.
The First Guardian raised his staff.
"Lesson one:
Anchor."
Arin's wings flared.
"I'm her anchor."
The First Guardian shook his head.
"Not enough.
She must anchor herself."
Ling gasped as the pull intensified — dragging her forward, dragging her inward, dragging her toward the Shadow's voice.
Arin held her tighter.
"Ling—fight it!"
Ling screamed — a raw, soul‑deep sound — as her wings exploded with light and shadow.
The containment field shook.
Cracks spread across the ground.
The First Guardian's voice boomed:
"Ling!
Say your name!"
Ling's breath broke.
"I—
I can't—
He's—"
Arin cupped her face, tears in her eyes.
*"Ling.
Say it.
Say who you are."*
Ling's wings trembled violently.
The Shadow's voice hissed:
"You are mine."
Ling's eyes snapped open — white‑gold fire burning inside them.
And she whispered:
"I am Ling."
The pull shattered.
The Shadow recoiled.
The containment field steadied.
Arin collapsed forward, wrapping her arms around Ling, shaking.
"Don't you ever forget that."
Ling held her back, breath trembling.
"I won't."
The First Guardian lowered his staff.
"Good.
Because the next lesson…
Will hurt."
Ling's wings twitched.
Arin's grip tightened.
And the training had only just begun.
Ling sat on the obsidian ground, breathing hard, wings trembling behind her.
The containment field had faded, but the echo of the Shadow's voice still lingered in her veins.
Arin knelt in front of her, hands on Ling's shoulders, refusing to let go.
"Ling… talk to me."
Ling swallowed.
"I'm fine."
Arin's eyes narrowed.
"Don't lie to me."
Ling looked away.
Her wings flickered — a ripple of shadow running through the feathers.
Arin saw it.
Her breath caught.
"It's getting worse, isn't it?"
Ling didn't answer.
Because silence was the answer.
Arin's voice softened, breaking.
"Ling… you don't have to pretend with me."
Ling finally looked at her.
Arin's face was pale, wings cracked, soul still unstable — but her eyes were fierce, determined, full of something Ling didn't deserve.
Ling whispered:
"I'm scared."
Arin froze.
Not because Ling said it.
But because Ling had never said it before.
Arin moved closer, cupping Ling's face gently.
"You're allowed to be."
Ling leaned into her touch — just slightly — like she was afraid she might break Arin if she leaned too much.
Arin's voice trembled.
"Ling… I need to tell you something."
Ling blinked.
"What?"
Arin hesitated.
Her wings folded tight around her body, like she was bracing herself.
*"When the Shadow attacked me…
When my soul started collapsing…"*
Ling's heart clenched.
"Arin—"
Arin shook her head.
"Let me finish."
Ling nodded.
Arin took a shaky breath.
"I wasn't scared of dying."
Ling's wings twitched violently.
Arin continued, voice barely a whisper.
"I was scared of leaving you alone."
Ling's breath broke.
Arin's eyes softened — full of pain and something deeper.
"I didn't want you to face this without me."
Ling grabbed her hands, holding them tight.
"Arin… you're not leaving me."
Arin smiled — sad, soft, real.
*"I know.
Because you didn't let me."*
Ling's wings folded around Arin instinctively, pulling her closer.
Arin leaned into her, forehead resting against Ling's.
"But Ling… if this merging takes you away from yourself…"
Her voice cracked.
"…then I lose you anyway."
Ling closed her eyes.
Arin's hands trembled against her cheeks.
"Promise me something."
Ling opened her eyes slowly.
"What?"
Arin whispered:
"Promise me you won't disappear."
Ling didn't answer immediately.
Because she didn't know if she could promise that.
The Shadow's voice curled inside her mind.
"She cannot save you."
Ling flinched.
Arin felt it.
"Ling—hey—look at me."
Ling forced her gaze up.
Arin's eyes were shining — not with fear, but with absolute, stubborn devotion.
*"I'm not letting you go.
Not to him.
Not to the merging.
Not to anything."*
Ling's wings tightened around her.
And for the first time since the merging began—
The Shadow went silent.
Just for a moment.
But enough.
Arin exhaled shakily.
*"See?
You're still here."*
Ling whispered:
"For now."
Arin shook her head.
"For always."
Before Ling could respond, the First Guardian's voice echoed behind them.
"Enough.
The next trial begins."
Ling's wings rose.
Arin stood, stepping in front of her instinctively.
"What trial?"The First Guardian's expression darkened.
"The Shadow will now try to take her memories."
Ling froze.
Arin's wings snapped open.
"Over my dead body."
The First Guardian nodded.
"Then prepare.
Because the Memory Trial begins now."
Ling's breath caught.
Arin grabbed her hand.
And the ground beneath them cracked open.
The ground split open beneath them.
Not like an earthquake.
Like a wound reopening.
White‑gold light spilled upward, swirling into a vortex that wrapped around Ling's ankles, pulling her downward.
Arin grabbed her instantly.
"Ling—NO!"
Ling tried to pull back, but the light wasn't just light.
It was memory.
Her memory.
The First Guardian raised his staff, voice echoing through the realm.
"The Shadow is beginning the Memory Trial.
He will try to erase what anchors her."
Arin's wings snapped open.
"He'll go for me first."
Ling's breath caught.
"Arin—don't—"
But Arin stepped closer, pressing her forehead to Ling's.
"Let him try."
The vortex surged.
Ling's vision blurred.
Suddenly—
She wasn't in the Lower Layer anymore.
She was standing in a memory.
Her memory.
A small courtyard.
A cracked stone bench.
A girl with dark hair sitting alone, hugging her knees.
Ling.
Younger.
Smaller.
Lonely.
Ling whispered:
"…this is me."
Arin appeared beside her — flickering, unstable, like she wasn't supposed to be here.
"Ling… he's pulling you into your own mind."
A shadow fell across the courtyard.
Not the Ancient Shadow.
A memory-shadow.
A silhouette shaped like fear.
It whispered:
"You were always alone."
Ling flinched.
Arin grabbed her hand.
"Don't listen."
The shadow shifted.
The courtyard dissolved.
A new memory formed.
Ling standing in the rain, soaked, shaking, staring at a door that never opened.
The shadow whispered:
"No one chose you."
Ling's wings flickered.
Arin stepped in front of her.
"She chose herself."
The shadow hissed.
The memory shattered.
Another formed.
Arin gasped.
"He's using my collapse against you."
The shadow whispered:
"She will break again.
And you will lose her."
Ling's breath broke.
Her wings trembled violently.
Arin grabbed her face with both hands.
*"Ling—look at me.
Not the memory.
ME."*
Ling tried.
But the shadow surged forward, wrapping around her chest.
"Forget her."
Arin screamed.
"NO!"
She threw herself between Ling and the shadow — even though she was only a flicker inside Ling's mind.
The shadow struck her.
Arin's form shattered like glass.
Ling screamed — a sound that tore the memory apart.
"ARIN!"
The shadow whispered:
"She is fading."
Ling fell to her knees, shaking violently.
"No…
No, no, no—"
The First Guardian's voice echoed faintly, distant.
"Ling!
Anchor yourself!"
Ling clutched her head.
"I can't—
He's taking her—
He's taking my memories of her—"
A faint voice whispered behind her.
"Ling…"
Ling froze.
Turned.
Arin stood there — flickering, broken, but still there.
"I'm not gone."
Ling crawled to her, grabbing her hands.
"Arin—he tried to erase you—"
Arin smiled weakly.
"Then remember me harder."
Ling's wings burst open — white‑gold fire exploding outward.
The shadow recoiled.
Ling pulled Arin into her arms, holding her tight.
"I remember you."
The shadow hissed.
Ling's voice rose.
"I remember your wings."
The shadow shrank.
"I remember your voice."
The shadow cracked.
"I remember your soul."
The shadow shattered.
And the memory realm collapsed.
Ling gasped as she snapped back into the real world, falling forward into Arin's arms.
Arin held her, shaking.
"Ling… you did it."
Ling buried her face in Arin's shoulder.
"I almost lost you."
Arin whispered:
"You didn't."
The First Guardian stepped forward, expression unreadable.
"The Memory Trial is complete.
But the next phase…
Will be worse."
Ling lifted her head slowly.
"What's next?"
The First Guardian's voice dropped.
"The Shadow will now try to merge with your emotions."
Arin's wings trembled.
Ling's heart pounded.