The first light of dawn crept across the forest canopy, painting the leaves in a muted gold. Birds called tentatively, their song threading into the silence of the night that had finally retreated.
Luo Tian stirred beneath the makeshift cloak Mei Yue had draped over him. The air was cool, carrying with it the earthy scent of dew and smoldering embers from the small fire she had kept alive through the night.
When he opened his eyes, his body screamed in protest. Every muscle felt as though it had been pulled taut, then flayed. His chest throbbed where the hunters' blades had cut deepest, and though Mei Yue's salves dulled the sharpness of the pain, the wounds were far from healed.
Still, Luo Tian smiled faintly. He was alive.
The golden brand at the center of his chest pulsed once, a weak but steady heartbeat of light. It spread warmth through his veins, knitting tiny fragments of flesh together, soothing the ache of his weary soul.
"You're awake." Mei Yue's voice was soft but carried the weight of sleepless worry. She sat nearby, knees drawn to her chest, dark hair tangled from the night. Her robe was dirt-stained, her hands raw from grinding herbs, but her eyes lit up with relief when they met his.
"I didn't think you'd open your eyes so soon," she whispered. "Not after what you put yourself through."
Luo Tian exhaled slowly, forcing his body upright despite the dizziness that clawed at him. "It'll take more than a few blades to end me."
"You're insufferable." Mei Yue moved quickly to his side, pressing him back down. "Don't move too much. Your wounds—"
He caught her wrist gently, meeting her gaze. "If I lie here, waiting, the next group that finds us won't give me the luxury of healing." His eyes sharpened, their usual calm replaced with iron. "The sect won't stop, Mei Yue. We can't stay in one place."
Her lips parted, then pressed together in reluctant silence. She knew he was right. The sect's shadow stretched far and wide. To linger was to invite death.
Ling Xi materialized behind them, her form faint in the rising light. Arms crossed, her expression was sharp, almost disdainful.
"He speaks truth," she said, her tone cool. "The hunters you killed were nothing but outer disciples—fodder meant to weed out the weak. Word has already reached the sect. Stronger hounds will follow. Inner disciples, perhaps even their favored sons. If you remain as you are, Luo Tian, you will not survive."
Mei Yue's head whipped toward the spirit, her eyes widening. Though she had seen Ling Xi's shadow before, she had not dared to speak of it. Now, with the ethereal figure so close, she clutched her robe tighter, unsettled.
"What does she mean?" Mei Yue asked.
Luo Tian's lips tightened. "It means I have little time. I need to grow stronger. Fast."
Ling Xi tilted her chin, studying him with those ageless, silver eyes. "Strength is not won by desperation alone. The Threads will awaken when your soul earns the right to bear them. You must temper your will. Learn to endure, before you grasp power."
"Then show me how," Luo Tian said.
But Ling Xi only shook her head. "Not yet. A child does not wield a blade before he learns to walk. If I hand you weapons now, they will only cut your hands."
Frustration burned in his chest, but he did not argue. Deep down, he knew she was right. He had only touched upon the beginning of his path. Forcing progress would only tear him apart again.
By noon, they were moving.
The forest was alive with sound—branches cracking underfoot, the chatter of insects, the distant call of a beast—but Luo Tian heard none of it. His senses strained for signs of pursuit. Every snapped twig made his fingers twitch toward the dagger he had taken from a fallen hunter.
Mei Yue walked beside him, her steps light despite her weariness. She carried a small satchel, filled with herbs and strips of cloth she had salvaged. Her eyes flicked toward him often, checking for signs of strain.
"You shouldn't push yourself so soon," she murmured after a while.
"If I fall behind, I die," Luo Tian replied.
"That isn't living." Her tone carried quiet anger. "Surviving isn't enough if you destroy yourself in the process."
He glanced at her, surprised by the sharpness in her words. Mei Yue had always been gentle, but in her eyes now he saw something fiercer—a determination born from fear. Fear of losing him.
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, Luo Tian allowed himself a small smile. "Then I'll promise you this. I'll survive without breaking myself. For your sake, if not mine."
Mei Yue blinked, heat rushing to her cheeks. She turned away quickly, but her lips trembled with the faintest smile.
Far away, within the sect's inner hall, the atmosphere was tense.
The elder council had gathered, their robes heavy with the weight of authority. The survivor hunter knelt before them, recounting the scene again and again—the slaughter, the golden glow, the impossible resilience of the boy they had cast aside.
"The Loom's power," one elder hissed. "It cannot fall into a stray's hands."
"He must be brought back," another argued. "Imagine the sect's glory if we harness his brand. A weapon unlike any other."
But the oldest among them raised his hand, silencing the debate. His eyes were sharp as blades, his voice cold as winter steel.
"Whether brought back or destroyed, Luo Tian cannot be allowed to roam free. The legacy of the Loom belongs to the sect. To us."
It was then that a voice rang out from the side. Smooth, confident, laced with arrogance.
"Then allow me to bring him in."
Wei Chen stepped forward, his white robes pristine, his sword gleaming at his side. He was young, handsome, and deadly, his cultivation already leagues above most inner disciples. But it was his eyes—those cold, condescending eyes—that commanded attention.
"I've heard of this Luo Tian," Wei Chen said with a faint smirk. "An abandoned stray, too stubborn to die. If he truly wields the Loom's blessing, then let me be the one to break him. I will drag him back by the neck and present him before this council."
The elders murmured, some approving, others cautious.
Finally, the head elder nodded. "Very well. Wei Chen, you shall lead the next hunt. Do not fail."
Wei Chen bowed, though the smirk never left his face. In his mind, the outcome was already decided. Luo Tian would kneel, broken, his legacy stripped, and Wei Chen would rise even higher in the sect's esteem.
Back in the forest, Luo Tian felt a faint pull deep within his chest. The brand throbbed, threads brushing against his soul. It was not painful, but it was insistent, like a whisper he could not yet decipher.
Ling Xi appeared at his side, her expression thoughtful. "The Loom stirs. Another thread waits for you. But it is not time. Do not seek it—let it find you when you are ready."
Luo Tian frowned but did not press. If there was another thread, then he had to be ready when it came.
Mei Yue noticed the glow faintly beneath his skin. "Your chest… it's shining again."
He tugged his robe closed. "It's nothing. Just the Loom reminding me I can't rest."
She bit her lip, clearly unsatisfied, but let it drop.
By evening, they emerged from the forest onto a hillside. Below stretched what had once been a small village. Now it was nothing but ruins.
Ash stained the earth, smoke still curling from collapsed rooftops. Charred corpses lay scattered across the ground, their faces frozen in silent screams. The stench of death was thick, suffocating.
Mei Yue covered her mouth, eyes wide with horror. "What… what happened here?"
Luo Tian's gaze was sharp as a blade. He stepped forward, kneeling beside a shattered wall. Upon its blackened surface was carved a mark he knew all too well—the sigil of the sect.
Rage burned in his chest, hotter than any wound. His fists clenched until his knuckles bled.
"They're not just hunting me," he said, his voice low and trembling with fury. "They're burning everything in their path. Anyone who shelters me… anyone who dares exist outside their chains."
Mei Yue's shoulders shook. She had feared the sect before, but this… this cruelty was beyond comprehension.
Luo Tian rose, his eyes blazing with a vow that chilled the night.
"They think I am prey," he whispered. "But one day, Mei Yue… I will turn, and they will know what it means to be hunted."
As the last light of day sank behind the hills, the shadows deepened. And in those shadows, the sect's blades drew nearer.