The forest warned them first.
Moonblossoms closed their petals at sunrise. Wind shifted unnaturally through the high canopy. Even the fireflies dimmed, retreating from the air itself.
Yu Zhen froze mid-step.
"They've found the oath," he murmured.
[SKY COURT TRACKING SIGNAL: DETECTED]
[WILD OATH: EXPOSED]
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 8: 74%] The Flight
A shattering cry ripped across the skies, hawk-horns of the Sky Court.
Wind exploded downward.
Winged knights descended through the cloud layer, blades glowing with imperial sigils.
Lian Xuan was already moving, gripping Yu Zhen's wrist.
"Run."
They sprinted through Dreamwood as spellfire burst against ancient trunks behind them.
Yu Zhen wove protective wards, mid-motion, with roots surging upward to block paths while silver mist obscured their positions.
This time, his power did not burn him.
It flowed clean, pulled directly from the soul-thread resonance between them.
[SOUL THREAD CHANNELING ACTIVE] [NO LIFE-DRAIN COST] First Flight Since the Fall
A blade caught Lian Xuan's shoulder, barely glancing past the wing edges.
Pain snapped through him.
He stumbled.
Yu Zhen turned instantly.
"Xuan!"
Lian Xuan faltered for only a second.
Then his wings surged.
Not cautiously.
Not carefully.
They flared wide, radiant and whole feathers igniting with moonlight as full strength returned for the first time in this realm.
Memory surged.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 8: WINGED GOD ECHO ACTIVATION]
Without thought, Lian Xuan seized Yu Zhen and leaped skyward.
Wind roared beneath them as his wings locked into full flight.
Yu Zhen clutched his shoulders, laughing breathlessly.
"You can fly again!"
Lian Xuan stared downward, awe cracking through exhilaration.
"I… forgot how it feels."
They soared between spires of living trees, chasing cloud-veils toward the Moon Ridge.
The Aerial Chase
Sky Court hunters gave pursuit.
Spells streaked.
Feathers scattered.
Lian Xuan manoeuvred sharply, weaving through storm currents and dipping into volcanic thermals rising off the stone cliffs.
Yu Zhen raised one hand, calling forest magic upward into the air, coaxing vines and wind currents to tangle with the knights' wings.
Three pursuers spun downward into the treeline.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 8: COMPRESSION TO 83%] The Cliff of Vows
They landed on a sky cliff overlooking the Silver Sea; no more cover now, but endless open air.
The remaining knights touched down across the cliff face.
The imperial captain stepped forward, blade glowing.
"Xuan of the Azure Host," he called."Return to the Sky Court and abandon the mortal oath."
Lian Xuan set Yu Zhen gently behind him.
"If I comply."
"Your witch dies," the captain answered immediately.
Yu Zhen tensed.
Lian Xuan didn't hesitate.
"Then exile me."
The knights stiffened.
Lian Xuan turned back to Yu Zhen.
"Run if I say."
Yu Zhen gripped his hand.
"We don't run anymore."
Their joined palms pulsed with light.
The Oath Unleashed
Yu Zhen stepped forward beside Lian Xuan; both were standing openly now.
"The Wild Oath is older than the Sky Court," Yu Zhen declared calmly.
"And it binds not wings…"
Lian Xuan lifted his blade
"…but souls."
Their joined power erupted skyward.
Roots of living magic surged upward through open air, lacing the battlefield with luminous tethering vines.
Knights were frozen mid-motion, suspended harmlessly by binding light.
The imperial captain fell to one knee.
"You wield god-level magic," he whispered.
Yu Zhen's silver gaze sharpened.
"We wield love untouched by heaven."
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 8: COMPLETION IMMINENT] [WILD OATH: ABSOLUTE] After the Storm
The knights retreated.
None dared continue the chase.
The Sky Court had recognised the impossible:
The wild oath had outranked imperial law.
Yu Zhen leaned shakily after the blast.
Lian Xuan caught him immediately.
"Are you okay?"
Yu Zhen nodded.
"I didn't burn."
Lian Xuan smiled softly, brushing Yu Zhen's cheek.
"Because I'm here."
They held each other at the cliff edge while the wind tugged at wings and hair alike.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 8: 83% AWAKENED]
[AFFINITY LEVEL: 97%]
[SKY COURT: TEMPORARILY RETREATED]