The wind howled across the shattered battlefield, carrying with it the scent of blood and burnt earth. Yun Lintian remained kneeling, his hands pressed against the broken ground, fingers digging deep into the soil as if trying to claw his way back to a reality that no longer existed.
"I should have been there..." His voice was raw, broken. "I should have protected them."
Long Qingxuan tightened her arms around him, her tears soaking into his torn robes. "It's not your fault," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You couldn't have known—"
"I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!"
His roar sent another shockwave of power rippling outward, forcing even Linlin and Qingqing to stumble back. The earth beneath him cracked further, veins of golden and black energy pulsing erratically from his body—Creation and Destruction spiraling out of control.
Long Qingxuan didn't let go. Even as his unstable aura lashed at her, leaving faint burns across her arms, she held on.
