The Stones Awaken
The glyph-stones collected by the students lay in neat rows across the square. By now their carvings had begun to pulse faintly in rhythm with the city's heartbeat — silver walls, clear streams, living murals. But in Hei Long's hands, they were more than relics; they were a tool.
He stood at the center of the Temple of Sparks, cloak trailing, the Origin's glow steady beneath it. Qingxue, Yexin, and Yuran stood at his side, three flames reflecting the sparks of a hundred students gathered around them.
"You've carried fire," Hei Long said, his voice quiet. "Now you'll learn to shape it into something that protects."
The Lesson
He knelt among the glyph-stones, pressing his palm to one. The Origin's light spilled from his fingers, threading into the carvings. The stone pulsed, then rose, hovering between his hands like a faintly glowing shard of sky.
