Xiao Yan stood in the center of the ruined restaurant, exhaling a long breath as the red lightning faded back into his skin. He looked at his hands, feeling the residual power of the Michael Merge.
"Whoosh! What a thing," he muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "I actually beat all those men."
"You seem to have gotten much stronger, haven't you, Xiao Yan?" Jinyao asked, walking toward him. Her curiosity was plain in her eyes; she had never seen thunder turn that shade of crimson before.
Not far away, Yan Bingxue watched him from the shadows of her veil. Her cold heart fluttered with a rare warmth. He truly is the one I chose, she thought. Sensing the eyes of the room turning toward her, she stood up silently and began to walk away.
Xiao Yan's gaze followed the veiled figure as she exited the building. A strange sensation washed over him. (That woman... why does she feel so familiar?) "Hey guys," Shi Lieya interrupted, leaning against a table with a satisfied smirk. "Why don't we go somewhere else? This place is nothing but trouble now."
Miles away, hidden by the ancient trees, Xiao Yan's siblings were wandering through the stone-paved streets of the hidden city.
"The beasts really do live in harmony," Yanfeng remarked, looking at a group of earth-bears trading fruit with wind-leopards.
"Yes, big brother, you're totally right," Lingyan added, her eyes wide with wonder. "I thought beasts always fought, but it's nothing like what the stories say."
"Well, let's keep moving, guys," Yanfeng said, looking at the setting sun. "Let's find somewhere to rest before night falls."
The peace of the evening was shattered by a piercing horn. On the horizon, the sky didn't turn orange with the sunset; it turned a sickly, bruised purple.
A guard on the high walls of the Nansha Empire peered through his telescope, his face turning pale with terror. Thousands of shadows were emerging from the forest, their eyes glowing with demonic hunger.
"DEMON ATTACK!" the guard screamed. "DEMONS AT THE SOUTHERN GATE!"
Xiao Yan, Jinyao, and Lieya remained at their table, the tense atmosphere of the previous fight slowly fading. They were completely unaware of the chaos happening at the city gates until a golden blur manifested on Xiao Yan's shoulder.
[Master,] Michael's voice echoed in his mind. The system had taken its small, golden beast form to remain inconspicuous. [I sense an overwhelming presence of malice nearby. Danger is approaching.]
"Stop talking nonsense," Xiao Yan muttered under his breath. "You think you've gotten smarter with the upgrade, but I think you're still too young to understand how humans work. We just finished a fight; I'm trying to eat."
"Wow! Your companion is so cute!" Jinyao chirped, leaning in to get a better look at the small, glowing creature.
"Oh, he's annoying as hell," Xiao Yan replied, flicking Michael's ear and earning a frustrated growl from the system.
"What is your name, little thing?" Jinyao reached out, but Michael, wary of revealing his sentience or the system's nature, quickly darted to the other side of Xiao Yan's neck.
"Oh! Are you scared of me?" she giggled.
While the common folk began to panic, Haoran sat in his private quarters, swirling a cup of jade tea. The door burst open, and a frantic subordinate bowed low.
"Young Lord! Demons are attacking the Southern Gate! Your orders, please?"
Haoran didn't even look up. A cruel, indifferent smile played on his lips. "Let them have some fun. I don't care anyway. If the city falls, I'll simply move to the next. It's not my business to play hero for the weak."
The peace inside the restaurant was finally shattered by a blood-curdling scream from the street. Xiao Yan's expression sharpened instantly.
"Guys... those aren't thugs. Those are demons! Let's go!"
The trio sprinted out of the building. The sight that met them was one of absolute carnage. Dark, winged creatures were diving from the sky, and armored demons were clashing with the city guards in the narrow alleys.
"What is happening?!" Jinyao cried out, her hands igniting with fire.
Before Xiao Yan could answer, a sudden, blinding flash of white light illuminated the street. A massive pillar of jagged ice erupted from the ground, soaring twenty feet into the air and instantly encasing a dozen charging demons in eternal frost. The temperature in the street plummeted, turning the humid air into falling snow.
Xiao Yan looked toward the source of the frost. He caught a glimpse of a white-silked figure standing atop a nearby roof, her veil fluttering in the frigid wind she had created.
"Well," Xiao Yan said, his Red Thunder beginning to crackle around his boots. "If she's fighting, we aren't staying behind. Let's join the fray!"
He turned to the fleeing citizens and the disorganized guards. "Defend the city! All of you, hold the line!"
TO BE CONTINUED!!!!