The wind howled like a beast in mourning.
Snow blanketed the jagged peaks of the Glacierfang Mountains, where even beasts feared to tread. A single silhouette moved through the storm—robes tattered, face obscured by a thin veil of frost.
Shen Li.
Every breath burned his lungs, and every step cracked the ice beneath his feet. But he pressed on.
The tower had spoken.A name had echoed through his soul.Yan Yue.
[Trial of the First Flame: Target Located][Emotion Detected: Suppressed Grief | Frozen Desire][Bonding Method: Emotional Resonance or Physical Catalyst]
He'd barely recovered from Mu Yiran's betrayal, and now the system wanted him to... connect? With a woman he didn't know? In the middle of a damn ice storm?
He almost laughed.
Still, he followed the pulse inside his chest. The Flame Tower's sigil glowed faintly, a guide through the frost.
Three hours later, he found her.
Or rather—she found him.
A blade kissed his throat before he could blink. So fast, so silent. Her killing intent pierced the snow itself.
"Speak," a voice whispered near his ear. "And I'll end your suffering quickly."
She was behind him—he could feel the chill of her breath. Icy. Measured. Controlled.
Yan Yue.
Her name pulsed in his soul like a slow heartbeat.
"I'm not your enemy," he said calmly.
"Then why do you carry the mark of the Eternal Flame?"
He stiffened. So she recognized it. That meant… she knew the Tower.
He turned slowly.
She stepped back, weapon ready.
She was stunning.
Silver hair fell like a waterfall over her shoulders, tied only at the end with black ribbon. Her eyes were crystalline blue, emotionless. Her body was wrapped in tight leathers and froststeel armor, sculpted for movement—not modesty. A scar ran from her collarbone to the edge of her sternum. A mark of survival, not vanity.
Yet her aura was cold enough to freeze time.
"You were part of the Flame Tower?" Shen Li asked.
She narrowed her eyes. "I survived it. Barely."
[Flame Candidate Confirmation: Yan Yue][Status: Dormant Flame | Trauma-locked][Condition for Progression: Melt Emotional Barriers. Initiate Physical Contact.]
He resisted the urge to groan.
So the Tower wanted him to awaken this assassin by melting her emotional armor. How? She looked like she'd kill a man for blinking too loudly.
"You're wasting time," she said, voice cutting. "Leave now. Or I'll bury you with the last idiot the Tower sent."
Shen Li raised an eyebrow. "I'm not here to control you. I'm here to help you unlock your flame."
"Don't insult me with that bullshit," she snapped.
"I know it hurts."
That stopped her.
Just a flicker. In her eyes. A memory. A ghost.
Shen Li stepped forward. She didn't move—but her fingers twitched.
"I lost someone too," he said softly. "She betrayed me to gain power. Left me to die. The Tower woke when I was bleeding on a stone altar."
Her lips parted slightly.
"I don't want to use you," he added. "But the Tower... it connected us. There's something inside you. Pain. Desire. You've buried it, but it burns."
Yan Yue laughed bitterly. "You think you can touch my soul with words? Pathetic."
He reached out.
She moved like a serpent, blade flashing to his throat again. But this time, he didn't flinch.
Their faces were inches apart.
"I'm not afraid of pain anymore," Shen Li whispered. "I'm already burning."
[Touch Detected: Trial Initiated][Emotional Spark: 2% Resonance][New Status: Cold Bond Formed]
Yan Yue's eyes widened as her blade dropped. A wave of warmth surged between them—just a flicker—but her hands shook.
"What… what did you do?" she asked, stepping back.
"I didn't do anything," Shen Li said. "It's the bond. The Flame Tower showed me a vision of you before I knew your name. There's something inside you trying to reach out. And now it's awake."
She trembled. Just barely. Her hand clenched into a fist.
"I killed my master," she said suddenly. "When the Flame Tower chose me, he tried to use me as a vessel. I slit his throat during the trial. I felt nothing."
"…You survived alone?"
"For seven years."
[Emotional Depth Unlocked: Loneliness | Suppressed Guilt][New Option Available: Shared Meditation or Skin Contact to Stabilize Flame Core]
"You don't have to be alone anymore," Shen Li said gently.
Her eyes narrowed.
"If you touch me again without warning, I will kill you."
He smiled. "Fair enough. May I stay here for the night?"
She hesitated.
Then turned.
"Follow. But stay five feet behind."
Later, in a cold cave lit by moonlight and flickering blue fire, Shen Li sat in silence as Yan Yue sharpened her blade. The tension between them was thick, but her shoulders weren't as stiff now.
"You really believe emotions make you stronger?" she asked, not looking up.
"I believe pain shapes power. But love refines it."
She snorted. "Poetic fool."
And yet…She didn't ask him to leave.
And for the first time in seven years, she allowed someone to sleep near her fire.
Even if only five feet away.
[Trial Progress: 16%][Bond Strength: Warming Flame Formed][Next Objective: Prove Trust through Shared Danger]