Chapter 26: Sparks in the Dark
The warmth from the second fragment still pulsed inside Mei Xiao's chest. It wasn't painful—yet—but it was hot, like a slow-burning ember settling in her ribs.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Jing He asked, watching her too closely.
"I'm fine," Mei muttered, avoiding his gaze. "It's just… really warm in here."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're sweating."
"Wow. Thank you, Captain Obvious."
He stepped closer.
Too close.
Mei backed up against the pedestal, regretting it instantly when she nearly knocked the crystal orb off. "What are you doing?"
"Checking for signs of elemental overload."
"You make it sound like I'm a ticking bomb."
"You kind of are."
She gasped, but before she could fire back, the flames sealing the exit shifted, flickering a brilliant gold. The barrier was weakening.
Jing He placed his hand against it. "The energy is changing. It's reacting to you."
"Oh great. First I glow, then I melt a door. What's next? Breathing fire?"
"Possibly."
Mei gaped at him. "You're joking."
He said nothing.
"You're not joking."
"Relax," he said, finally smirking. "You're not dangerous. Yet."
"Gee, thanks."
They stepped out just as the flames parted, back into the stone corridor. A strange silence greeted them—one that made Mei's skin prickle.
Too quiet.
"Where are the guards?" she whispered.
"Gone," Jing He replied. "Taken, or fled. Stay close."
As they moved through the passage, Mei reached out instinctively and grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't go ahead without me."
He glanced down at her hand, then back at her.
"I won't."
Something in his tone made her chest squeeze.
Back at the estate, chaos had already started. Yin Luo stood over a pile of scattered scrolls, eyes wide. "They're moving faster than we thought."
"Who?" Mei asked.
"The Obsidian Sect," Yin Luo said, holding up a torn piece of parchment. "They found another fragment. East of the Red River."
Jing He's eyes sharpened. "That's within the Lu Clan's territory."
"Wait—Lu Clan?" Mei asked. "Isn't that where your cousin is married?"
Jing He stiffened.
"Perfect," Mei sighed. "Family drama and magical apocalypse. Just what we needed."
Yin Luo blinked. "Apocalypse?"
"I exaggerate," Mei said, waving a hand. "Mostly."
Jing He crossed his arms. "We leave at dawn."
Mei groaned. "Do we ever sleep around here?"
"You'll get used to it."
She muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "martial freaks and their hero complexes."
Jing He's lips twitched.
That night, Mei sat alone near the balcony, the second fragment resting quietly inside her chest, a low flame she couldn't quite ignore. She touched her wrist where the sigil had burned brighter, wondering just how many pieces of herself had changed already.
Behind her, Jing He's voice came soft. "You're thinking too loudly."
She didn't turn around. "You're reading me now?"
"I don't need powers for that."
"…That's either romantic or creepy."
"Both," he said dryly.
And somehow, that made her laugh.