Chapter 17: Shadows from the Past
Ying Yue wandered through the forest temple ruins, her fingers brushing against ancient stone carvings. Strange symbols called to her—familiar yet indecipherable. The air here was thicker, as though centuries of forgotten prayers still lingered.
Bai Jiu watched from the entrance, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "This place remembers you," he said softly.
She turned to him. "I feel it. Like I've walked these halls before."
"You built them," he said. "Long ago, when the heavens still touched this realm."
He stepped closer, kneeling by a fallen statue of a goddess. Her face, though cracked and weathered, resembled Ying Yue. She stared in disbelief.
"That's me."
He nodded. "Fu Sheng, the Lady of Seals. Your light held the balance. Without you, the darkness grew restless."
"And now that I've returned…?"
"It awakens."
A sudden tremor rippled through the ground. Dust fell from the ceiling. Ying Yue stumbled back into Bai Jiu, who instinctively caught her. For a heartbeat, they remained close—his warmth, her breath.
Then a low growl echoed from beneath the temple floor.
"They've found us," Bai Jiu whispered.