Chapter 13: The Shattered Sky ✦
The air split open as Hei Mo descended into the clearing, his dark cloak billowing like storm clouds. Around him, the snow melted instantly, replaced by scorched earth and rising embers.
Bai Jiu stepped forward, sword in hand, his long hair whipping in the wind.
— "You're still chasing shadows, Hei Mo. You lost her once. You'll lose again."
Hei Mo's voice was cold as obsidian.
— "She sealed me once, yes. But now, the seal weakens… because she remembers. And when she fully awakens, so will he."
Fu Sheng's brow furrowed.
— "Who…?"
Hei Mo's smile was twisted.
— "The true threat wasn't me. It was the ancient god you locked away. I was only his vessel. And your sacrifice only delayed the end."
Bai Jiu's grip tightened. He had known. But he had never told her.
Before words could be exchanged, Hei Mo attacked—energy exploding through the clearing like a collapsing star.
Fu Sheng raised a hand instinctively, and a pulse of silver light burst outward, shielding them both. Trees bent. The snow evaporated.
Bai Jiu looked at her, wide-eyed.
— "Your power… it's returning."
Fu Sheng stared at her glowing hand.
— "I didn't mean to—"
— "You don't have to mean it," he said, stepping beside her. "You were born divine. It's in you."
Then, together, they lunged into battle—light against shadow, memory against oblivion.