Seeds Begin to Glow
Days passed within the first city. The pilgrims built with stone and water, their hands clumsy at first but growing surer under Qingxue's guidance. Yexin taught them to weave stories into their walls, to paint and carve, to give faces to the city. Yuran walked among them with herbs and light, keeping them steady as they worked.
Hei Long watched from the square, the Origin's glow steady beneath his cloak. He could feel something stirring in the people — not the hunger of Eternals, not the fear of kings, but a faint spark echoing his own.
One morning a child dropped a stone and it hovered for a heartbeat before landing. Another traced a pattern on the wall and the mural moved for a moment as though alive. Tiny things, but unmistakable.
"They're changing," Yuran whispered, her glow brightening."They're learning," Yexin said, her smirk softer."They're ours," Qingxue murmured, her hand resting on her sword.
Hei Long simply nodded. "Fire teaches."
Lessons in Power
