The temple smoldered behind them. A trail of blackened earth marked where Moria's cursed vines had slithered across the stone, dragging corpses into the abyss. The battle was over—at least for now.
Yanluo was gone. Not dead, but wounded—his body had burst into fire as he escaped, leaving behind scorched armor and a deep, echoing curse: "I'll return with the Abyssal Emperor…"
Li Yuan sat on a broken column, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the horizon. He was too quiet.
Jiang Yan, the Flame Lotus now sealed inside a crystal orb hanging at his side, walked over to him carefully. "You okay?"
Li Yuan didn't answer for a while. Then, without looking up: "He lied, right? My brother..."
Moria leaned against the temple wall, arms folded, her silver hair glowing faintly in the moonlight. "No. He didn't lie. Your brother was killed. I sensed it the moment Yanluo spoke his name."
Li Yuan chuckled bitterly. "Of course. Just when I thought I could bury the past."
"You shouldn't," she said quietly. "Not if it still bleeds."
Silence.
Then suddenly—Jiang Yan cleared his throat loudly. "Is now a bad time to say I'm starving?"
Moria smirked.
Li Yuan barked a short laugh. "You little brat. Could've said that during the fight and distracted them all."
That night, they set up camp on a cliff overlooking the valley below. Moria conjured a small fire—not of magic, but real flame, crackling and orange. For once, everything felt… almost human.
And then came the flirtation.
First, a group of wandering mercenaries spotted them from the trees and approached. Among them was a demon girl with snake eyes and a silk fan. She stopped the moment she saw Moria.
"By the flames of Arios… you," the girl breathed. "You're… enchanting. What's your name, fairy?"
Moria raised a brow. "My name is leave."
The mercenaries laughed. The girl pouted.
"But truly," another man stepped forward—half-dragon, tall and golden-skinned—"I've seen many demonesses and beast women, but never one like you. Even your silence burns."
Moria gave him a smile. A dangerous one.
"Come closer," she said. "I'll burn more than your heart."
The man paused. Li Yuan casually rested a blade on his shoulder. "She's already taken. By murder, mostly."
They left before sunset.
Later that night, Jiang Yan dreamed.
He was standing in the dark again—just like when he was six, hunted through the beast-lands, hiding from bloodthirsty eyes. But this time, he wasn't alone.
A figure stood beside him—a woman in silver robes, face hidden behind a black veil. She didn't speak.
But in the silence, he heard a voice.
"You were born of both flame and shadow. But your soul… that belongs to me."
He woke up sweating.
Far away, Moria sat by the edge of the cliff, humming a soft lullaby. It was something from another life—something Earth-like. Her system blinked.
[Hidden Memory Fragment II unlocked.]
She remembered hands. Warm hands. A fox mask. Laughter.
A kiss in the middle of war.
A promise: "We'll find each other. No matter what."
She gritted her teeth. "I didn't ask for this."
But her heart beat a little faster.
Behind her, Li Yuan approached, hands in his sleeves.
"You're humming again."
"So?"
"You only do that when you're about to cry."
She didn't look at him. "I don't cry."
"I know," he said. Then added, "I do."
Moria turned, surprised.
He met her gaze, golden eyes serious. "Don't get hurt again, Moria. I… might not be able to handle it next time."
Before she could answer, the sky cracked.
A bolt of red lightning split the clouds. A storm brewed on the edge of the mountains.
And deep in the Forbidden Sect of the East, a cloaked figure stood before a dark altar.
"The Lotus has been touched," he said. "The goddess walks among us."
Behind him, seven shadowy figures bowed.
"The hunt begins."
---