Kaolin descended from the clouds, his robes billowing subtly to the cursed winds of Nivarra, and touched down upon the cracked stone of the keep with barely a sound. Across him, on the outer tower, the chained spirit of the Dragon Clan stood in wait, its black eyes following him with vigilance. Though it had once soared the heavens as the guardian of Nivarra, its spirit now glowed with demonic energy from where it was bound.
He knew the second they locked eyes that it recognised him, and so Kaolin bowed low, one hand pressed to his heart to pay his respect to the majestic creature. To his surprise, the dragon spirit lowered its great head in turn, as though acknowledging Kaolin's role in its fate, but not as foes, but as two beings equally bound by destiny.
From the shadows of the keep's broken archways stepped forth another figure in the stillness as silent as a shadow right then. The mask hid his hardened features shaped by the passage of time and countless burdens, yet did not go unnoticed by Kaolin.
"You," Rongjie said, the tone of his voice tinged with disbelief and awe as his brows arched low, "have… survived."
"Why wouldn't I?" Kaolin lifted his head and reluctantly tore his gaze from the dragon spirit. "Did I not warn you, Rongjie? That I would one day claim your life."
"And that fateful day, has it arrived?"
Kaolin's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. "Why not?" he said. "Is there any day more fitting for fate to claim its due?"
"Give me more time."
Kaolin tilted his head as he noticed the slight tremor in Rongjie's shoulders, the way his fingers clenched at his sides, the quick, uneven rise of his chest. Each movement betrayed him, yet he dared not even for a second meet Kaolin's gaze, as if he feared his old friend and sworn brother might read his mind.
"Time?" Kaolin repeated. "Time for what?"
Still refusing to meet his gaze, Rongjie, "For Xiyan. I can't leave this world until I know she's safe… that she can survive without me."
Kaolin stepped closer with his hands folded behind his back as Rongjie finished his sentence, taking a moment before speaking up and revealing what lingered at the tip of his tongue.
"Those spirits won't help Xiyan break through; they'll only rot her from within." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Worst case? She'll go mad and die." His voice then dropped to a chilling whisper. "Do you want her to die, Rongjie?"
Rongjie's eyes shot up and met his at last. "That's not what I want, only I…"—his voice trailed off and his eyes averted his once more—"…don't know what else to do." Then, as another thought crossed his mind, he looked up again. "You know, don't you?" he said. "The reason she keeps failing."
"And it seems that so do you," Kaolin said, trying to gauge his reaction beneath the mask. "So, tell me, what exactly are you planning by delaying this any further than you already have?"
"I'm not. For once in my life, I'm not."
"Then what's this about? You know time is running out, that once the Demon God gathers enough power and rids this world of the Immortals, she'll be next in line."
"I know," he said with a strained voice. "But ever since she returned to Nivarra, that beast has been her only companion and friend. If I take that away from her too without trying to find another way—"
"There's no other way but this," Kaolin cut in. "Only with the aid of her ancestors can she challenge the Demon God."
"And if she refuses?" he asked, his gaze desperate for answers. "What then?"
"Then make sure she doesn't," Kaolin said, his feet now hovering above the cracked stone as his eyes once again wandered to the dragon spirit, settling on the golden chains around its scaly neck. "When the beast is set free… keep the chains. You will need them when the time comes."
Rongjie frowned hearing this, but before he could inquire further, Kaolin rose into the crimson skies and left him behind with several questions yet to be answered, and above all, confusion and a growing sense of dread.
Kaolin had not come to claim his life after all, but to make sure he would not delay that inevitable fate they were all bound by – before it was too late to rue the day. But why?
The Kaolin he knew was not one to do things out of the goodness of his heart. Yet he could not wrap his head around why Kaolin would help them out, especially since Shenzhou was doomed either way – whether the current Demon God ruled over these vast lands or Xiyan replaced him.