The air in Sector 17 was heavier at night.
A thick layer of dust floated under the streetlights, mixing with the occasional gust of wind from the hovercars above. Neon signs blinked tiredly, flickering in and out of power. People hurried home, eyes down, avoiding trouble.
Ye Wuchen walked slowly.
His bag was light. Just a coat, a cracked spirit tablet, and the broken spirit cube his mother had given him. But something inside him felt heavier than ever before.
Not fear. Not pressure.
A strange sense of becoming.
---
He turned into the alley behind his apartment complex. A rusted fence creaked in the breeze. A dog barked in the distance. Familiar sounds—but tonight they felt distant, like echoes from another life.
By the time he reached the door to their tiny flat on the fifth floor, his legs felt numb.
He knocked lightly.
A moment later, the door opened. His mother stood there, eyes tired but alert. She wore her nurse's uniform, the collar stained slightly from her second shift.
"You're back," she said softly. "I was worried."
He nodded. "Sorry."
She stepped aside, letting him in.
---
Their Apartment
It wasn't much.
One small room divided by an old curtain. A low table. Two mats. A broken fridge and a sink that coughed when used. Yet, somehow, it was still warm.
Ye Ruo placed a cup of hot water in front of him. "You didn't say what happened at the academy."
He didn't answer immediately. The steam from the cup clouded his eyes.
Then, quietly, "I awakened."
She froze. "What?"
"I awakened. Two martial souls."
She dropped the rag she was holding. "Two?"
He looked up. "A beast soul. Shadow Dragon Wolf. And something else… locked. A lotus made of golden fire."
Her hand trembled.
"…I see."
"You knew something, didn't you?"
She didn't deny it. Instead, she sat across from him and looked away. "Your father… he wasn't from Qingye. He was from the southern wild provinces. He left before you were born."
Wuchen frowned. "You told me he died in a fire."
"I did. That wasn't a lie." She inhaled shakily. "He died. But not because of a fire. Because of what he was."
Wuchen leaned in. "Tell me."
But she shook her head. "Not now. You're not ready. And I… I've already said too much."
There was a long silence.
Then she whispered, "Wuchen… promise me you won't tell anyone else."
"I already lied at the academy."
She reached out and gripped his hand tightly. "Then keep lying. Whatever awakened inside you… it's not ordinary. If the wrong people find out—"
"They already know."
She stared.
"The Spirit Tower monitors soul awakenings. My twin awakening triggered some kind of pulse. The system told me they'll come looking."
She looked terrified now.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
He looked down at his hand—the one that had glowed with shadow energy.
"I have to leave. Tonight."
---
His Room – A Few Hours Later
Ye Wuchen sat cross-legged on his old mat. Outside the window, the city lights blinked like stars. A light wind pushed through the broken vent, ruffling the pages of an old cultivation manual that had never helped him before.
Now, things were different.
> "System," he said in his mind. "Are you there?"
> [Online.]
> "What happens if I don't get a soul ring in 72 hours?"
> [Host's spirit energy will collapse. Twin soul fusion is unstable without a stabilizing ring. You will suffer soul paralysis. Possibly death.]
He exhaled slowly.
"Figures."
> [Recommendation: Leave urban territory. Enter wild zone. Hunt compatible beast.]
> [Suggested type: Shadow-type creature, below 300-year level. Balanced temperament. Moderate resistance.]
> [Warning: Urban tracking has begun.]
His eyes snapped open.
> [Spirit Tower Scout Drones – Estimated proximity: 2.3 km]
He stood.
No more waiting.
---
Before Leaving
He walked to his mother's room. She was asleep on her side, her face soft under the blanket. He didn't wake her. Instead, he left a note:
> Mom,
I'm going to be okay. I'm not running from this — I'm walking toward something bigger.
I'll come back stronger. I promise.
—Wuchen
He placed the note on her pillow, adjusted her blanket, and turned away.