Night draped the mountains in velvet shadow as Green Lantern Village slept in uneasy peace. The great serpent, now coiled beside the spirit spring, glowed faintly beneath the moonlight. Lu Xuan stood alone beneath the torii gate at the edge of the village, his eyes fixed on the stars above—one silver, one crimson.
Behind him, the soft crunch of grass gave away Su Xue's approach.
"You're still awake," she said quietly.
"Didn't feel like sleeping." His voice was low, distant.
Su Xue joined him at the gate, arms crossed, the moonlight tracing the icy blue threads embroidered on her robes. "You devoured a corrupted root of ancient chaos and fought off the echo of a forgotten beast god. Sleep would be the least of my concerns."
Lu Xuan cracked a small smile. "Was that concern, Su Xue? I'm touched."
She narrowed her eyes, but her lips curved. "I'm more concerned about what you'll eat next. A mountain? The sky? Me?"
He glanced at her sideways. "You'd taste like winter herbs."
Su Xue elbowed him lightly. "Don't get cocky."
There was silence between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. The kind that fills the space between two people who don't know whether they're allies, friends, or something else neither is ready to name.
"What do you see when you look at the moon?" Su Xue asked, breaking the quiet.
Lu Xuan tilted his head. "Crimson. Like blood smeared across a mirror."
"I see home," she whispered. "A place long gone."
He turned toward her. "Su Xue… what really brought you back in time?"
She hesitated. The river of time wasn't something to trifle with. Telling him too much could change everything.
"You," she finally said. "But not just you. The world. If you fall—this world falls with you."
Lu Xuan's smile faded. "What if I already have?"
Before she could answer, a faint tremor passed through the earth. The serpent hissed from its resting place.
"Something's coming," it whispered, coiling tighter. "Something old."
From the darkness beyond the shrine gate, a blood-colored sigil pulsed to life. A projection shimmered—a tall woman cloaked in crimson silk, her eyes the same burning hue as Lu Xuan's demon eye.
"Heir of ruin," she intoned, her voice both seductive and chilling. "My lord awakens."
Su Xue stepped forward, Frostbane half-drawn. "Who are you?"
The projection tilted its head. "A servant. A shadow. A memory. Crimson Demoness, once sworn to the Demon God himself. I have waited... through lifetimes."
Lu Xuan's chest tightened. Something in the way she spoke, in the way she looked at him, made him feel… *seen*.
"You were there... when I was him," he murmured.
The projection smiled. "And I will be there when you return to him. The seal weakens. The beast has bowed. The world begins to tremble anew. Come home, Devourer."
Then, like mist in morning sun, the vision vanished.
Su Xue stood still, eyes wide. "She recognized you. Not as Lu Xuan. But as—"
"The first Demon God," he finished. "I've lived before. Again and again. Died. Returned. Always ending in ruin."
She turned to him, gripping his sleeve. "Then this time has to be different. You *can* break the cycle. That's why I'm here."
His eyes met hers, and for a moment, time felt suspended. The night held its breath.
Then, with a soft smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Lu Xuan said, "But what if I don't want to be saved?"
Su Xue stepped back, wounded. "Then I'll save the world from you. Even if I have to fight you to the end."
He chuckled softly. "Terrifying. You and your righteousness."
She rolled her eyes, but her voice was soft. "You haven't seen terrifying yet. Just wait until I start nagging."
In the shadows, the serpent rumbled with ancient amusement.
Meanwhile, far from Green Lantern, deep within a cavern of blood-marble and bone, the real Crimson Demoness stepped from her meditation circle. Her disciples knelt as she approached a pool of obsidian.
"He has begun to remember," she murmured. "And she… she draws closer to his heart."
She smiled with something between admiration and jealousy.
"Let her have his soul for now. His body, his power… will always belong to me."
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**End of Chapter 17**