Moonlight washed over the Sect of Shadows.
Silent winds brushed the crimson banners as Yu Meixing stood in meditation, unaware that the danger was already inside the courtyard.
Beneath her, the ground shivered—a crack of cursed qi splitting stone.
The Soul Beast emerged without sound.
A blend of shadow-serpent and celestial wyrm, it bore no killing intent.
Only… hunger.
---
The First Strike
Meixing opened her eyes just as the creature struck, its maw aimed for her neck.
She moved on instinct—her fan snapping open, releasing a gust of violet fire.
> WHOOOSH—!!
The Soul Beast reeled back, screeching. The flames were laced with soul essence—Meixing's own cultivation technique. She didn't hold back.
> "A celestial wyrm…" she whispered. "Here?"
She lunged again, this time aiming for the seal on its skull. The air around her warped—Liu Shen watched from above, cloaked in shadow.
> "She's using lethal force…" he murmured. "No hesitation. No familiarity."
But doubt lingered.
---
The Fragment Cracks
As the fight escalated, the Soul Beast lashed out with a psychic shriek—its mental voice like shattered glass.
> "You… were once… her… command…"
Meixing staggered.
The words hit something buried.
A flash of memory:
> A silver hall.
A command sigil in her hand.
Liu Shen kneeling—bleeding—before her.
> "Meixing…?" past-Liu Shen whispered.
The memory shattered before it completed.
Meixing fell to one knee, clutching her head.
> "No… what… was that…?"
The Soul Beast lunged.
---
The Killing Blow
With a scream, she unleashed her full technique—Moon Lotus Flame, a forbidden art Liu Shen had once created himself.
The courtyard exploded in silvery fire.
When the smoke cleared, the Soul Beast was dead—charred to ash, the celestial sigil on its skull broken.
Meixing stood trembling, lips pale, heart racing.
> "Where… did I learn that technique…?"
From the shadows, Liu Shen narrowed his eyes.
> "She remembers something."
---
A Shattered Quiet
Later, back in her chambers, Meixing stared into her mirror—at her own eyes.
> "Who am I to him… really?"
Outside, Liu Shen stood by the door, his hand raised to knock.
But he didn't.
Instead, he turned and vanished into the night.