The pale light of dawn crept over the Snowjade Mountains, casting long shadows on the ancient pines that bordered the Moonlit Sect. The air was still, but something had changed in the world. It wasn't just the silence after a storm—it was the hush before a far greater one.
Li Tianming stood on the edge of the sect's southern cliff, robes billowing, eyes narrowed at the horizon. Mei'er stood beside him, now fully recovered but distant, her expression clouded by the remnants of the vision she had received.
Behind them, the rest of the Moonlit Alliance gathered. Wei Jian, Qingxue, Yun Wuxin, and Shuang'er—each quiet, each waiting.
"We all felt it," Tianming said. "The shard's warning. The first eclipse isn't just prophecy. It's beginning."
Wei Jian cracked his knuckles. "Then we do what we always do. Fight first, ask questions later."
"No," Mei'er replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "This time, we have to be ready. It's not just a battle—it's a reckoning."
Qingxue nodded. "We should return to the Astral Archives. The elder scrolls speak of the twin eclipses—the Astral Concordance. If the first one is coming, the second follows quickly. We need to know what that means."
Tianming turned. "Agreed. And while you do that, I'm going to the Forbidden Crescent."
The group stilled.
"The Forbidden Crescent?" Wuxin asked. "That's suicide. It's where the spirits of failed cultivators are said to roam. Even elder core disciples fear it."
"It's also where my father vanished."
The words stunned them. Tianming rarely spoke of his past—least of all his family. But now, in the growing storm, truth was the only armor worth wearing.
"My father was once a Starforged Guardian. He was investigating this same corruption—twenty years ago. Then he disappeared. The system didn't just choose me for power. It chose me because of blood."
He turned to Mei'er. "I need you to stay here. Lead them. You're the only one who can open the shard chamber now."
She hesitated. "You're not going alone."
"Not alone," another voice said.
It was a surprise.
A young woman in azure robes stepped into the clearing. Her hair shimmered like moonlight, and her presence was both gentle and formidable.
"Mu Yuelan," Qingxue said, stepping forward. "Senior Sister of the Azure Frost Court."
Yuelan bowed. "The Moonlit Sect sheltered us during the Frost Rebellion. I repay that now. I go with him."
Tianming studied her for a moment, then nodded.
"Then we leave at dusk."
---
Whispering Path
The road to the Forbidden Crescent was unlike any other in the Moonlit lands. Mist clung to the path like a living shroud, whispering unintelligible things into the ears of those who walked it. The trees grew twisted, and the stars above dimmed with every mile.
Tianming and Mu Yuelan walked in silence at first.
Then, she spoke.
"You don't remember me."
He turned. "Should I?"
She smiled faintly. "I saw you once—years ago. When you tried to sneak into the Frost Vault as a boy. You claimed you could sense a star calling to you. I thought you were crazy."
He chuckled. "I probably was. But the call never stopped."
They passed an old bridge, half collapsed. Beneath it, bones gleamed pale and dry. Tianming paused, placing a talisman on the wood.
> [Divine Resonance Talisman Engaged. Pathway Stabilized. Host Gains +2.4% Detection Resistance.]
"We're close," he said. "I can feel the gate. The energy shifts here—like time folds back in on itself."
Ahead, the trees parted.
There, nestled between two broken statues of forgotten cultivators, stood a blackened arch of stone. The air around it shimmered.
"The Crescent Gate," Yuelan whispered.
Tianming approached—and his system chimed.
> [Forbidden Domain Detected. Confirm Entry? Warning: Spatial Anchors Required or Risk Dimensional Dissolution. Current Preparedness: 87%]
He pressed his palm against the seal.
"Yes."
The gate opened.
---
The Crescent Beyond
Within, the world was different. Skies bled violet. Mountains hovered in the air like broken shards of a mirror. Rivers flowed backward. And spirits wandered—some weeping, some screaming, some locked in endless battle.
Yuelan drew her sword immediately. "This place is madness."
Tianming nodded. "It's a graveyard for fate."
They walked carefully, using the spirit anchor beacons Tianming had crafted from the Starshard's energy. Each one pulsed, warding off the weakest spirits.
Hours passed.
Then, at a cliff overlooking a sea of stars, they found it.
An ancient monolith. Carved with a name: Li Shentao.
Tianming fell to his knees. His father's memorial.
But something was wrong. The stone wasn't dead. It pulsed faintly.
"He's alive," Tianming whispered.
And then the vision struck.
> [Genetic Echo Detected. Host Memory Reclamation Commencing...]
A flood of images:
—A man wrapped in black-and-gold robes. —A voice saying, "If I fail, find the shard." —A gate collapsing.
When he woke, Yuelan was holding him. Her eyes shimmered.
"You saw him."
Tianming nodded. "He's not dead. He's trapped. Somewhere deeper."
Then the wind howled.
From the forest beyond, a creature emerged. Ten feet tall. Body like molten jade. Eyes empty stars.
"A starbound wraith," Yuelan hissed.
Tianming rose, blade drawn.
"We fight together."
And the battle began.
---
[End of Chapter 14: Twilight Oath]