The sky beyond the gate was pale and washed with drifting mists, neither dawn nor dusk. Li Wei emerged into the mortal realm once more, the air cold on his cheeks, the scent of pine and charred earth mingling in the wind.
For a long moment he stood still, allowing the world to settle around him. Behind him, the faint shimmer of the gate flickered like a second heartbeat before dissolving into the air.
The mountain was silent. Not in parity, but in expectation.
Li Wei looked down the winding path beneath his feet. He had departed one world only to return to another already choking on turmoil. The horizon bore scars of smoke. Faint red glows pulsed irregularly, the all-too-familiar stain left behind by Blood Lotus marauders.
The young master exhaled slowly. "When a storm refuses to wait for you to prepare, you learn to sail in chaos."
