The silence in the clearing was the heavy kind—the kind that makes your ears ring because you're waiting for something to explode. Xiao Yan stood with his feet planted, feeling the raw, thrumming energy of the Azure Dragon buzzing in his marrow. It was a weird feeling, like he was a tea kettle about to whistle, but the steam was pure blue lightning.
Across from him, Haoran didn't look like the same arrogant prince who had pushed Xiao Yan around in the city. He looked... wrong. His skin was too pale, almost grey, and he was doing this weird thing where he kept tapping his fingers against the hilt of his purple-stained sword in a rhythmic, slow beat.
One. Two. Three.
"You're late, Xiao Yan," Haoran whispered. His voice was so soft it was almost a caress, but it sent shivers down everyone's spine. "I counted. You took four hundred and twelve steps to get from that cave to here. That's a lot of wasted time for someone who's supposed to be a 'genius.'"
"I had a chat with a lizard. He was talkative," Xiao Yan shot back, though his heart was thumping against his ribs. He adjusted his grip on the Sword of Heaven and Earth. (Michael, tell me this guy isn't as scary as he looks.)
[Master, he smells like a basement that hasn't been opened in a thousand years. That purple energy? It's not cultivation. It's a parasite. He's strong, but he's not exactly 'home' right now.]
"Xiao Yan, be careful," Jinyao called out. She wanted to run to him, but the aura coming off Haoran was like a physical wall of cold oil.
Lieya stood beside her, her fists clenched so hard they were white. Usually, she'd be shouting something like 'Kick his butt!' or 'Watch out for the sword!' but she was strangely quiet. Her eyes were fixed on the back of Xiao Yan's head. She could see the power rolling off him, and for the first time, it didn't make her feel excited. It made her feel... left behind. She hated it. She hated being the one who just watched.
"I don't need your warnings," Haoran said, his eyes flicking to Jinyao for a split second. Then he looked back at Xiao Yan. "I only need your head. It's the only thing on this mountain worth counting."
Haoran moved. He didn't run; he blurred.
CLANG!
The collision sent a shockwave through the dirt, knocking Shi Wuheng flat on his face. Wuheng scrambled backward, his spear forgotten in the mud. He watched the two of them—Haoran's purple mist clashing against Xiao Yan's blue and red sparks—and felt like his heart was shrinking. (This isn't fair,) Wuheng thought, his eyes wide with terror. (I'm supposed to be the one people fear. Why am I the only one shaking?)
"Not bad," Haoran whispered, his face inches from Xiao Yan's. He wasn't even breathing hard. He was just... tapping. One. Two. Three. "But you're still using human strength. Let me show you what the Abyss feels like."
Haoran's sword flared with a sickly violet light. The ground beneath them started to rot, the grass turning black and crumbling into ash.
Xiao Yan felt his arms shaking. The weight was incredible. It wasn't just physical weight; it was like Haoran was trying to push a mountain of sadness and hate onto his shoulders.
"Master, stop holding back!" the Dragon roared in his mind. "He's not a man anymore, he's a door! Close it!"
Xiao Yan let out a roar of his own. "Get... off... ME!"
Red lightning exploded from his feet, shattering the ground. He swung his sword in a wide arc, forcing Haoran back. But Haoran didn't stumble. He just glided backward, his feet barely touching the rotting grass.
"Seven seconds," Haoran said softly. "That's how long it took for your heart rate to double. You're scared, Xiao Yan. Good. Fear is the only thing that tastes better than blood."
Back in the Frost-Wolf City...
Shuanglang stood on a high wall, gazing out toward the mountain. The sky over the peaks was turning a bruised purple, clashing with flashes of red.
"The boy is in trouble," the beast muttered.
Yanfeng and Yanxue ran up behind him, panting from their latest round of training. "What's happening? Is it Xiao Yan?" Yanfeng asked, his hand gripping the hilt of his wooden sword so hard it creaked.
"He's fighting a shadow," Shuanglang said, his voice grave. "A shadow that doesn't want to die. If he doesn't find the 'Balance' soon, the mountain won't just be dangerous... it'll be a tomb."
Yanxue looked at her hands. They were covered in blisters from the water-bowl training. She didn't cry. She just closed her eyes and prayed to the stars that her brother's light was brighter than the dark.
On the Mountain...
The battle was turning into a nightmare. Every time Xiao Yan landed a hit, Haoran's body would just turn into purple smoke and reform a few feet away, always tapping, always counting.
"Lieya! Jinyao! Get out of here!" Xiao Yan yelled, ducking a sweep that took the top off a nearby boulder. "Bingxue, take them and go!"
Yan Bingxue didn't move. Her ice sword was glowing, her veil fluttering in the wind. "I don't take orders from you, Xiao Yan. And I don't leave people behind."
But Lieya stepped forward. Her face was set in a way Xiao Yan had never seen. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't complaining. "We're not going anywhere," she said, her voice surprisingly low. "If you're going to be the hero, fine. But don't you dare think I'm just a spectator. I'd rather die fighting than live because you hid me in a corner."
She punched her palms together, and instead of a big, messy fireball, a thin, needle-like spike of white-hot flame shot out. It pierced through Haoran's purple mist, making him hiss in pain for the first time.
Haoran stopped tapping. His eyes turned completely black. "That... was annoying. I'll count your bones next, girl."
"Try it, you creep!" Lieya yelled, but her voice had a tremor of fear she couldn't hide. She was terrified, but she was standing her ground.
Xiao Yan felt a surge of pride—and a massive amount of worry. He couldn't let them get hurt. Not now. Not ever.
He looked at his sword. He looked at the Dragon's blue energy swirling with his own red lightning.
"Okay, lizard," Xiao Yan whispered. "Let's do the thing. The big, messy, probably-going-to-break-my-ribs thing."
"Finally," the Dragon grunted. "Focus the lightning on the tip. Focus the soul on the edge. Don't think about the monster. Think about the mountain."
Xiao Yan closed his eyes for a second. The world went silent. He didn't hear Haoran's counting. He didn't hear the demons growling in the distance. He felt the Trinity Path inside him—Body, Soul, and Spirit—vibrating like three strings on a single guitar.
He opened his eyes. They weren't brown anymore. One was glowing blue, the other was sparking red.
"Haoran," Xiao Yan said, his voice sounding like two people speaking at once. "I'm done counting. It's time for zero."
Xiao Yan vanished. This time, he was the blur.
The collision wasn't a clang. It was an explosion that lit up the entire forest, turning the night into day for a single, heartbeat-stopping second.
To be continued!!!