The wind howled through the shattered walls of the Morningstar Residence. Night had fallen over the Dawn Valley, but the air was still heavy with the stench of blood, ash, and a pain that seemed etched into the very bones of each survivor. Of the clan's three hundred members, only thirty-four were still breathing; their gazes, caught between horror and shock, shone in the trembling light of makeshift torches.
Samael sat cross-legged in the center of the main hall, the only structure that hadn't completely collapsed. The marble, once gleaming, was now stained with the blood of both allies and enemies. His face, framed by locks of snow-white hair, showed a fatigue deeper than any wound. His closed eyelids hid the glow of his eyes, but not his internal struggle: the void had left cracks in his meridians, and the weight of so many lost lives pressed against his chest.
Around him, four figures moved with urgency and dignity. They were the last loyal Elders, their robes tattered but their postures firm. Great Elder Marcus, burly and thick-bearded, was reinforcing the columns with the little earth Qi he had left. From time to time, his amber eyes drifted toward Samael, searching for guidance, for hope.
Elder Livia, with chestnut hair and emerald eyes, tended to the wounded with quick, though trembling, hands; every bandage seemed a silent promise that the Morningstars were not yet defeated. Elder Torian sharpened rusty weapons at the entrance, his single gray eye glinting in the gloom, while Elder Sela, a shadow among shadows on the ceiling, kept watch with eyes as black as the night.
Kael's voice broke Samael's tense concentration. "Patriarch…"
Samael opened his eyes; the neon violet of his gaze seemed to burn in the gloom. In front of him, Kael—his cousin—was the living image of fire: wild red hair, fresh-blood eyes, and a barely contained restlessness on his lips.
"How many are left?" Samael asked, his voice rough but steady.
"Thirty-four, counting the children." Kael lowered his gaze. "Most are wounded or poisoned. I don't know if we'll make it to dawn without help."
A heavy silence fell over the hall. Samael swallowed a knot of guilt, feeling the weight of every lost life like a slab on his soul. He recalled the faces of the fallen, the screams of his sisters, his father's final cry.
[System Update: "Clan Survival" — Complete.] [Reward sent to System Storage: "Obsidian Fang" Sword (Earth-High Rank) + Restoration Pill (Earth-Mid Rank).]
Samael knew he couldn't reveal miracles openly. He felt along the ground, found a rusted iron ring on the corpse of an enemy, and slipped it onto his finger. "From now on, this piece of iron will be my mask," he thought. He pretended to draw a jade vial from the ring and, with a flick of his wrist, took the pill. Swallowing it, he felt a warm surge race through his veins; his flesh tightened, the cracks in his meridians closed, and a cold clarity seized his mind.
[New Feature Activated: "Eye of Destiny"]
Samael's vision changed. Auras flickered like colored flames over the bodies of those present. He scanned his fallen sisters first. Pain pierced him to see them so vulnerable.
[Target: Eris Morningstar] Cultivation: Qi Sea – Stage 3 (Collapsing from poison). Aura: Crimson Red (Taboo). Note: Her destiny is a latent calamity. If the clan's luck increases, her seal will weaken.
[Target: Violeta Morningstar] Cultivation: Qi Sea – Stage 3 (Foundation Damaged by fractures). Aura: Blood Red (Taboo). Note: Vital anomaly detected. Her existence defies the laws of fate.
Samael clenched his teeth. "If they survive, they will change the world. And the world wants them dead."
He scanned the elders: Marcus and Sela, both with blue auras (Genius), pillars in the storm. Torian and Livia, green aura (Talent), exhausted but unbreakable.
His gaze fell on Lilith, semi-conscious, her arm bandaged. Aura: Purple (Fallen/Mutated Hero). Lineage: Ashen Phoenix (Sealed). Note: Genetic anomaly. She does not share the patrilineal dragon lineage.
"Kael," Samael said suddenly, his voice trembling between authority and urgency, "go to the hidden storeroom. Bring the white jade box… the last three Restoration Pills."
Kael nodded and ran off. For a moment, Samael allowed himself to close his eyes and feel the cold of responsibility. "What if I fail again? What if they die because of me? I can't allow it."
Kael returned, box in hand. The four elders looked at the treasure as if it were the last embers in an ice storm.
"Patriarch…" Marcus began, his voice broken, "if we use this, you won't be able to…"
"The pillar does not stand alone, Marcus. Our strength is the root, not the crown," Samael interrupted, looking each of them in the eye. "Today we bet on everyone."
The system flashed in his mind:
[System Event: Monthly Investment Cycle] [Invest resources in the clan to receive multiplied returns.]
Samael handed the pills to Eris, Violeta, and Lilith. The effects were so immediate that even the gravely wounded held their breath: black poison steamed from Eris, Violeta's broken foundation realigned with supernatural cracks, Lilith's stump healed amid sparks of incandescent feathers.
DING! [Successful Investment! Critical.] [Cultivation Technique: "Sutra of the Void Heart" (Vol. 1) obtained.] [Blood Nirvana Pill (Heaven-Low Rank).] [300 Spirit Stones (Mid Grade).]
Samael used the fake ring to discreetly "extract" the Nirvana Pill. On consuming it, his broken foundation solidified with an inner flash; the Sutra technique flooded his mind with visions of cosmos and void, teaching him to breathe without being rejected by the universe.
He took a deep breath, stood, and shook off his black robe. From the ring he drew the Obsidian Fang sword and a pouch of spirit stones.
"Marcus," Samael called, tossing him the pouch.
Marcus caught it, his mouth agape in disbelief.
"Three hundred stones…? Patriarch, this could feed an army… How…?"
Samael held his gaze and lied without hesitation: "My father's ring had secrets. Don't ask, just use it. Activate the Blood Mist formation. No one enters or leaves until I return."
[New Main Mission Activated: "Harvest of Debts"] [Objective: Infiltrate Zhao Manor and recover the Spirit Mine Scriptures.]
Samael approached Kael, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Where are we going, sir?" Kael asked, gripping his rusty sword, his red eyes shining with a mix of fear and desire for revenge.
Samael looked at him with the Eye of Destiny:
[Target: Kael] Aura: Gold (Child of Destiny – Awakening). Talent: Sword. Physique: ??? (Draconic Resonance).
"We're going to give them back their fear," Samael whispered, gazing toward the enemy city's lights where music celebrated over their dead. "Tonight, the Zhao will know the Morningstars still breathe."
Kael nodded. The two vanished into the night, leaving behind a hall where pain and hope wove a new pact of survival.