Wei Tian's POV
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I sat perfectly still, back pressed against the cold stone. Outside, the forest whispered, but I wasn't listening. My thoughts were simple. She would come back.
I heard her before I saw her — the soft crunch of leaves under light steps, then a sudden scream.
Ah, there it is. Music to my ears.
I leaned forward slightly, voice calm, teasing.
"So… you're back."
She stumbled to the cave entrance, eyes wide, chest heaving.
"A beast… it's chasing me! You… you have to help me!"
I let out a soft laugh. "Didn't I already tell you what you should do?"
Her fists clenched at her sides. "I… I need your help! Please!"
I raised an eyebrow, letting the words hang between us. "Words are cheap. Actions… now those mean something."
Her gaze sharpened. "Then swear to me! Swear you'll help me if I release you!"
I smirked, tilting my head. "Swear, huh? Fine. I swear."
She frowned, suspicious. "Say it. Out loud."
I let my voice carry, slow and deliberate:
"I swear to help you. If you release me."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she trusted me enough. Or perhaps desperation clouded her judgment. Either way… it was all I needed.
She reached for the talisman, fingers trembling. I let out a low, amused hum, watching her hesitate.
"Pull it… but first," I said lightly, "call me out."
She blinked, uncertainty in her eyes. "Call you… out? Who… what's your name?"
I paused, letting the silence stretch, savoring her hesitation. Finally, I said, slow and deliberate,
"Wei Tian."
Her lips parted in surprise, a breathless whisper escaping. "Wei Tian…?"
"Yes," I said, voice calm and teasing. "Call me. Say it. I'll come out."
Her hand shook as she whispered my name, then louder, firmer: "Wei Tian… come out!"
The moment the words left her lips, I felt it — the shift in the air, subtle at first, then exploding into a rush. A tidal wave of energy I had spent a thousand years forging in silence, in emptiness, in chains, surged through me.
Finally. Freedom.
I let the power wash over me, a slow, delicious grin spreading across my face. Then, I moved. Slowly at first, savoring it. Then — faster.
The world didn't see me arrive. One moment she was pulling the talisman. The next, I was there, tapping her shoulder.
She jumped violently, eyes wide with fear.
"Relax," I said, chuckling. "It's only me. For now."
Her breath came in short gasps. "Y-you… you just disappeared! How… how did you get here so fast?"
I waved a hand lazily. From nothing, a chair materialized behind me. I tested it, tapped it, then leaned back, closing my eyes.
"Why… why are you sitting? Why aren't you… going after it?" she demanded, voice trembling.
I opened one eye lazily. "Sleeping? No. I needed rest. That thing out there…" I gestured vaguely. "It won't dare enter. It knows what was trapped in here."
She frowned. "What… what was trapped?"
I ignored the question. Closed my eyes again. Silence, save for the soft hum of the void energy around me.
Her frustration was palpable. "Come out! Go! Kill it! Why are you just… sitting there?"
I let out a soft, amused sigh. "Little one… patience. Everything has its time. The beast knows the rules of this place. It respects boundaries… for now. And so do I."
Her fists clenched at her sides. I could feel her heartbeat from here, racing, desperate. Perfect.
I opened one eye again, letting my gaze drift lazily over her. "Relax. I'm not going anywhere. Not unless I choose to. And right now…" I stretched, letting the void energy pulse through me, "I need my rest."
The power hummed in my chest, infinite and endless, a silent promise of what was to come. And she… she would learn soon enough that I kept my own rules.
For now, though, I allowed the fear to build. It was delicious.
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Li Min's POV
The first light of dawn crept through the cave's mouth, brushing against the stone walls. I stood next to him, hesitant, my hand hovering above his shoulder. He had slept—or pretended to sleep—all night, silent, exuding an aura I couldn't yet understand.
I tapped him lightly. "Wei Tian… wake up. It's time to leave."
One eye cracked open. He groaned, stretching lazily, his grin half-hidden under his hair. "Time to leave… already? Fine, fine. Lead the way, little mortal."
I glanced over my shoulder at the forest. The shadows had grown longer, twisted by the rising sun. And then I saw it—a flash of movement in the underbrush, a shape darting closer.
The creature.
I froze, panic clawing at my chest. "Help! It's coming! Wei Tian, you have to—"
He laughed, slow and low, the sound reverberating off the stone. "Help? Me? Little one, patience. You'll see."
Before I could protest, he stretched, his body lifting effortlessly, floating up into the air as if the laws of gravity were mere suggestions. The beast lunged at me, claws tearing the earth, and I stumbled backward.
"Wei Tian! Now!" I yelled, desperation twisting my voice.
He let out a short, sharp laugh, drifting above, perfectly calm. Then, finally, he descended, stopping just before me. His presence radiated such sheer dominance I felt compelled to hide behind him instinctively.
"Stay close," he said casually. "And do not move unless I tell you to."
The beast slowed for a heartbeat, snarling, sensing the change in the air. I clutched the pendant, trembling.
He raised one hand, index and middle fingers extended. Dark energy coiled around them like liquid shadow. His lips barely moved as he murmured, almost theatrically,
"Void Law… Eternal Silence."
I blinked, heart hammering, as the black energy condensed, swirling unnaturally around his fingers. He brought it slowly to his lips.
"Shh…"
Then — everything erupted.
A massive explosion of energy, silent yet deafening, white-hot and consuming, tore through the forest. My vision was obliterated by a brilliant flash. The sound of the world itself seemed to vanish. I clutched Wei Tian, shielding my face, as the air trembled.
When I opened my eyes, the forest was gone. Trees, underbrush, even the beast—all erased as if they had never existed. The earth was scorched, flattened, impossibly clean. The scale of his power hit me like a physical blow. My knees trembled.
He turned, brushing the residual energy from his fingers, a grin spreading across his face. "Well… that was fun. But I have to go. Some gods need killing."
Before I could react, he leapt, soaring into the sky with a speed that made my head spin. I ran after him, shouting, "You promised! You swore you'd help me find my brother!"
His voice echoed back, calm and cruel. "I couldn't care less about your brother, little one. I just needed you to… pull me out."
Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled, realization crushing me. There was no way I could get him back—no way I could rely on him to help me.
And then, far in the distance, I saw a figure plummeting through the sky. Wei Tian, falling from the heights he had flown to, his black hair trailing behind him. Even at that distance, even in his arrogance, he looked unstoppable.
I sank to my knees, clutching my pendant, a single thought burning through my despair: I've just glimpsed the scope of his power… and there is no one in this world who can stop him.
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