The fire crackled weakly inside the cave they had taken refuge in, feeding off dried monster hide and brittle bones. Outside, the Abyss roared with distant howls—hungry, restless.
Inside, silence hung heavier than the stone walls.
Ye Tian sat near the mouth of the cave, sharpening his bloodstained blade fragment against a jagged rock. Sparks flicked off in the dim light, dancing between him and the girl now sitting upright behind him.
Yue Qing watched him.
Not with suspicion.
But with something else.
Curiosity. Wariness. And something like... warmth. Confused, cautious warmth.
"You didn't sleep," she said quietly.
"Didn't need to," Ye Tian replied, not looking at her. "Sleep is for people who aren't being hunted."
She smirked faintly. "You're not bad at brooding, you know."
"I've had practice."
Her smile faded. "You don't talk like a sect disciple."
"I'm not one anymore."
Yue Qing hesitated. "You said you were betrayed."
Ye Tian finally turned to look at her. His eyes weren't filled with rage in that moment—but with something deeper. Wounded steel. The calm after the storm… right before another.
"I was their heir," he said. "The sect's future. I gave them everything. My blood, my trust, my loyalty."He clenched his fist, knuckles whitening. "And they gave me… a broken back and a grave."
The silence between them turned brittle.
Yue Qing lowered her gaze.
"…I was born unwanted," she said softly. "My mother died birthing me. The elders said my veins were cursed. They cast me out before I could even walk. I've been surviving down here ever since."
A pause.
"I guess we're both garbage they threw away."
"No," Ye Tian said firmly. "We're what they'll choke on when they try to forget."
That made her look up.
And for a moment, something passed between them.
Not love.
Not yet.
But something rawer.
Recognition.
Yue Qing crawled closer, careful with her still-healing arm.
"You saved me," she said. "Most would've let me die."
Ye Tian met her gaze. "Most haven't bled like I have."
She reached out, brushing a cut on his cheek. Her fingers were cold.
"You could've let yourself die, too. Why didn't you?"
He was quiet for a long moment.
Then:"Because I want to see them fall. All of them. I want to watch them break. And I want them to know exactly who made it happen."
"…Revenge?"
"Justice."
She leaned closer, voice barely audible. "You know what revenge turns people into?"
His answer came like ice:
"Monsters."
She nodded. "Good."
Then, without warning, she leaned in and kissed him—just barely—a soft brush against the corner of his mouth.
Ye Tian froze.
"Why?" he asked, voice low.
Yue Qing pulled back, expression unreadable. "You're not a monster yet. But you will be. And I don't want to regret not knowing what you were like before."
She stood up, brushing dust from her cloak.
"Come on. If we're surviving together, I'm not carrying your corpse if you get careless."
Ye Tian watched her back as she walked away toward the tunnel.
And despite himself…
He smiled.
[System Notice: Emotional Proximity Detected – "Yue Qing" (Affinity +5)]New Title Earned: Companion of the Abyss (+3% recovery per hour when near Yue Qing)]
System Advice: Emotional bonds strengthen the host's core. But beware… bonds can also break you.
Ye Tian stood, gripping his blade.
"She kissed me," he muttered.
[Yes. You are now 0.004% less of a complete loner.]
"…Shut up."