"Official?!" Maya shrieked, her voice echoing off the walls of Li Wei's bedroom, utterly shattering the fragile peace of the evening. "Official?! Ren, what are you talking about?! Are you two... are you two dating?!" Her face was a mask of horror and outrage, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared between Ren and the now-crimson Li Wei.
Li Wei, still clutching the bowl of noodles, was frozen, her blush deepening to an almost painful shade. She stammered, trying to form a coherent response, but no words came out. The unflappable general was completely flustered by the mundane accusation.
Ren, meanwhile, felt a wave of exasperation. He had tried to use modern terminology, to simplify their complex relationship, and had only managed to create a new, far more immediate crisis. "Maya, it is not—"
Before Ren could finish, a sharp, distinct tap-tap-tap echoed through the room.
It came from the window.
The sound was soft, almost gentle, but utterly out of place in the quiet residential night. It wasn't the sound of rain, or a branch scraping. It was deliberate. Precise.
All three of them froze. Maya's furious expression instantly evaporated, replaced by wide-eyed terror.
Her head snapped towards the window, her breath catching in her throat. Ren's senses, already heightened, strained against the silence. He felt it then – a faint, cold presence, just beyond the glass, a familiar malevolence.
"What... what was that?" Maya whispered, her voice trembling, barely audible. Her eyes, fixed on the window, were filled with a primal fear.
Without a moment's hesitation, Maya scrambled off her chair. With a small, terrified whimper, she launched herself across the room, abandoning her post by the door. She didn't stop until she reached Ren, burying her face into his side, her arms clamping around his waist, trembling uncontrollably. Her fear was raw, unadulterated.
Li Wei, however, reacted with the swift, deadly precision of a seasoned warrior. The blush vanished from her face, replaced by a grim, focused determination.
Her eyes narrowed, sharp and alert, scanning the window. The bowl of noodles was set down with a barely audible click, forgotten. Her posture shifted, subtly but completely. Her shoulders squared, her weight distributed, her hands rising slightly, fingers splayed, ready. It was a fighting stance, ancient and instinctive, honed by countless battles.
Another tap-tap-tap. This time, slightly louder, more insistent.
Then, from outside the window, a chilling whisper slithered into the room. It was not one voice, but many, layered and discordant, like dry leaves rustling over graves, or distant, mournful cries carried on a spectral wind. It spoke in no discernible language, yet the intent was clear: a cold, pervasive hunger, a promise of inevitable capture. The air around the window grew colder, a
palpable chill seeping through the glass.
Li Wei's eyes blazed. Her hands moved with astonishing speed, tracing intricate, unseen patterns in the air before her. A faint, ethereal glow, like moonlight on water, shimmered around her fingers. She muttered words under her breath, ancient and powerful, words that seemed to hum with forgotten magic. As she spoke, the faint glow intensified, forming a translucent barrier that pulsed with a soft, protective light over the window. Ren felt a surge of familiar energy, a faint echo of the arcane power he once commanded.
The layered whispers outside shrieked, a sound of frustrated rage and pain, as if striking an invisible wall. The cold presence Ren had felt recoiled, suddenly, violently. The ethereal glow around Li Wei pulsed once more, then faded, leaving only a faint, lingering warmth in the air.
The whispers ceased. The cold receded. The tapping stopped. The shadow had vanished.
Li Wei lowered her hands, her breathing still a little heavy, but her fighting stance relaxed.
She turned, her gaze sweeping the room, ensuring the threat was truly gone.
Ren, still holding a trembling Maya who was quietly sobbing into his shoulder, stared at Li Wei. He had seen her use her powers before, but never with such deliberate, focused intent. "General," he said, his voice low, filled with a new kind of awe and a profound question. "How? How are you able to wield such power in this world? My own abilities... they are but a faint ember."
Li Wei met his gaze, her expression complex. A flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes – perhaps a memory, perhaps a secret. "It is... different for me, Emperor," she replied, her voice soft, almost evasive. "A different connection. A different... burden." She didn't elaborate, her gaze drifting towards the now-silent window, a grim determination settling on her features.
Maya, meanwhile, continued to cling to Ren, her body shaking with residual fear, her sobs muffled against his shirt. The mundane world had just been shattered for her, replaced by a terrifying glimpse of the ancient war that now threatened her brother. And Ren, holding his terrified sister, knew that the fragile peace of their new lives was truly over.
Hours later, the house was quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator in the distance. The three of them had eaten the noodles Li Wei had prepared, the earlier tension replaced by a weary silence. Maya had eventually stopped crying, but she remained glued to Ren's side, her earlier outrage replaced by a profound, clinging fear.
The clock on Li Wei's bedside table glowed faintly, displaying "12:00 AM." Midnight.
"It is late," Li Wei said, her voice soft, breaking the silence. She looked at Ren, then at Maya, who was still huddled against him.
"Ren, you should rest. You can take the bed."
Ren, exhausted, nodded. He gently tried to untangle himself from Maya, who clung tighter for a moment before slowly releasing him. He stood up, stretching his stiff limbs, and headed towards the door to use the toilet.
As he reached the doorway, Maya's voice, still a little shaky, called out. "Li Wei? Where are you going to sleep?"
Li Wei, who had started to gather the empty bowls, paused. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, a rare, playful spark that Ren hadn't seen before.
She glanced at Ren, then back at Maya, a faint, teasing smile playing on her lips.
"Oh, I suppose," she said, her voice light, "I'll just sleep right here. Beside the Emperor."
The words hung in the air for a beat. Ren, halfway out the door, froze.
Maya's eyes, which had widened in disbelief, suddenly narrowed into furious slits. Before Ren could even process what was happening, Maya's hand shot out.
SMACK!
The sound of a sharp slap echoed through the quiet room. Li Wei let out a surprised yelp, her hand flying to her cheek.
"Don't you dare!" Maya shrieked, her fear momentarily forgotten, replaced by a surge of protective fury. "You are not sleeping next to my brother! Not on my watch!"
Li Wei rubbed her reddened cheek, a look of stunned surprise on her face, quickly followed by a sheepish smile. "It was a joke, Maya," she mumbled, but the blush was back, deeper than ever.
Maya, however, was not amused. She stood over Li Wei, her hands on her hips, a formidable guardian. "Some jokes are not funny, Li Wei! Now, where are you really going to sleep?!"
Ren, watching the scene unfold, could only sigh. The ancient war might be escalating, but the mundane battles of sibling rivalry and teenage drama were proving to be just as, if not more, chaotic. He slipped out of the room, leaving the two girls to their argument, a faint, weary smile touching his lips. It was going to be a long night indeed.