Smoke, thick and acrid, curled through the broken eaves of Jinshan Village. Flames, small and persistent, still flickered where bustling market stalls had once stood. The Nightspawn had retreated—for now—but they'd left behind a chilling tableau of ruin and overwhelming fear.
Mei Lin stood amidst the smoldering ashes, her breath shallow, tasting of ash and terror. Her fingers trembled around the jade pendant, now cool and unnervingly silent against her palm. Beside her, the magnificent six-tailed fox sat utterly still, its golden eyes fixed on the horizon with a solemn, ancient gaze.
Jin approached, his face smudged with soot, a fresh bruise blooming on his cheekbone, his sword now nicked along its polished edge. "You okay?" he asked, his voice rough with exhaustion.
She managed a faint nod. "That… that creature. The fox. It saved me."
"It came from your pendant," Jin observed, giving the spirit creature a cautious, wide-eyed glance. "Are you sure you're not secretly a goddess?"
The fox let out a distinctive huff, almost a scoff. "She's not. But she bears the mark of the Heaven-Sealed Lineage. Her blood calls to ancient powers."
Jin blinked. "It talks now?"
"Of course I talk," the fox snapped, its voice surprisingly deep and resonant. "I'm Tian, spirit of wind and wisdom—though currently bound to a rather reckless child."
Mei Lin frowned, a spark of defiance cutting through her shock. "Why now? Why me?"
Tian's golden eyes narrowed, a profound weariness flickering within their depths. "Because Lord Xian has returned. And your pendant is one of the Seven Seals forged to stop him. Your destiny was sealed before your birth."
The name sent an involuntary shiver down Mei Lin's spine. Lord Xian. The Fallen Star of legends, a celestial being who once tried to conquer all realms, only to be cast down by the gods themselves.
She swallowed hard, the myths feeling terrifyingly real. "But that's just a story. A nightmare for children."
"Not anymore," Tian stated, its gaze piercing. "The Nightspawn were his vile creation. Their presence means he's gathering strength, the veil between worlds thinning with each step."
Elder Ren, limping heavily but remarkably alive, joined their small group, his face etched with grim determination. "The Celestial Court must be warned. We cannot face this darkness alone."
"I agree," Jin said, his hand instinctively going to his sword hilt. "But first—we get Mei Lin to Spirit Valley. The sages there can protect her… and maybe explain why her pendant is glowing like a dragon's heart."
Tian dipped its head in assent. "Spirit Valley is sacred ground. No Nightspawn dares enter. For now."
Mei Lin took a shaky, fortifying breath. The enormity of it all—a hidden lineage, ancient seals, a resurrected evil—threatened to overwhelm her, but the urgent need to move, to do something, spurred her on. "Then let's go."
As they moved through the devastated village, Tian padded silently ahead, its six tails swaying gently, leading the way east toward the mist-wreathed mountains. Jin walked close beside Mei Lin, his sword sheathed, but his hand never straying far from the hilt. A silent promise of protection.
Behind them, Jinshan Village smoldered in the encroaching silence, a stark reminder of what they were leaving. Ahead, the path twisted into shadow and whispered legend.