The world split open in thunder.
The winged beast dropped from the cliffs like a living storm, claws raking through the dirt road and scattering men like sparks. Its wings spanned nearly thirty feet, feathers black as obsidian, each movement stirring cyclones of dust and flame. The air burned just from its breath.
The Red Leaf Caravan erupted into chaos. Horses screamed, carts overturned, arrows whistled uselessly into the night. Guards shouted commands that were swallowed by the creature's roar.
Lin Dong stood frozen for a heartbeat, the sound vibrating in his bones. The beast's eyes—red, ancient, intelligent—locked on him through the firelight. He could feel its hunger, not for flesh, but for the energy pulsing under his skin.
"Lin Dong, move!" Li Yan's voice cut through the din. She loosed arrow after arrow, each bursting into flame midair, striking the beast's hide. It staggered, but the wounds closed instantly, smoke searing the air.
The masked rider laughed, cloak snapping behind him.
"You can't harm a Spirit-Stage beast, girl. Not unless you carry something divine."
He raised his hand, and tendrils of shadow twisted outward, binding the creature's wounds, feeding it. The rune beneath Lin Dong's collar pulsed in warning.
He took a step forward, fists trembling.
"Why are you after me?"
The man tilted his head. "Not you, boy. What sleeps inside you. The Talisman's spark doesn't belong to mortals."
Before Lin Dong could answer, the creature lunged.
A wall of black wind slammed into the ground where he'd stood, sending him sprawling. His staff rolled into the dirt. The beast reared, jaws gaping wide, drawing breath for a final strike—
—and the rune answered.
The world went silent.
Golden light burst from Lin Dong's chest, swirling into the air like molten dust. Symbols—ancient, unreadable—spun in a circle around him, glowing brighter with each rotation.
"No," the masked man hissed. "He's syncing with it!"
Lin Dong didn't understand the words. He only felt heat. Energy surged through his veins, wild and untamed, setting his nerves ablaze.
The creature struck.
He raised his hand instinctively—
—and the sky itself bent.
A column of light exploded upward, meeting the beast mid-descent. The impact shook the valley, hurling carts and men aside like leaves. Fire and lightning merged, roaring skyward until night became day.
From within the blaze, Lin Dong's silhouette emerged—small, fragile, yet unyielding. His hair whipped in the wind, eyes glowing molten gold.
The beast screeched, staggering back, its chest scorched with a brand that shimmered in the same pattern as Lin Dong's rune. The connection was instant—predator and prey, bound by fate.
For a heartbeat, Lin Dong saw through its eyes.
He saw ancient skies filled with floating cities. Armies of beasts flying beside human cultivators, runes carved into their flesh. He saw a war that had shattered mountains and oceans. And at the center of it all—a figure robed in light, wielding a talisman like his own.
Then the vision snapped.
The beast roared again, in pain or rage, Lin Dong couldn't tell. But it didn't strike. It backed away, wings trembling.
The masked man snarled. "Obey me, you wretched thing!"
He thrust his hands forward, dark energy lashing out, chaining the creature in shadow. The beast resisted, eyes rolling, blood sizzling into the earth.
Lin Dong stepped forward, lightning sparking under his feet. His voice came low, fierce.
"Stop hurting it."
The man sneered. "And who will stop me? A child who doesn't even understand what he is?"
The rune flared. Lin Dong's staff leapt from the ground into his hand. He spun it once—then slammed it down.
The ground cracked. Golden lines raced outward like veins of light.
A pulse erupted from the staff's tip, cutting through the shadow chains and striking the masked man square in the chest. He screamed, cloak burning away, revealing a face scarred by black runes—the mark of a Dark Sect Enforcer.
Li Yan shouted something, but Lin Dong barely heard. The world had narrowed to the sound of his heart and the roaring light around him.
The man staggered back, clutching his chest. "You… you can't control it. It'll consume you like it did the others—"
"Then I'll learn to control it!" Lin Dong's voice cracked like thunder.
He swung the staff, and the rune's energy burst outward, a tidal wave of gold. The enforcer was thrown back into the rock wall—stone shattered, and when the dust cleared, he was gone.
Silence.
The beast still stood, wings quivering. Slowly, it lowered its head, its red eyes dimming. It stared at Lin Dong, then gave a sound that almost resembled a growl of acknowledgment.
Then, with a single beat of its wings, it soared into the clouds and vanished.
The wind died. The fires guttered out. The night was still again.
Lin Dong stood there, panting, staff trembling in his hand. The rune's glow faded, leaving only the faint echo of its warmth in his chest.
Li Yan approached carefully, her bow lowered. "You… what in the gods' name was that?"
Lin Dong stared at his hands, the faint shimmer of energy still dancing over his skin.
"I don't know," he whispered. "But it's not done with me yet."
She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "Then I hope you're ready for what's coming. Because whatever that was—someone will come looking for it."
In the distance, beyond the shattered cliffs, the first light of dawn began to rise — bleeding gold across the clouds, painting the sky like fire.
And for the first time, Lin Dong didn't feel like a boy from Qingyang anymore. He felt like the world had finally seen him.