The snow fell like ash that day.
Soft. Silent. Inevitable.
Each flake drifted to the stone paths of the Glacial Garden, blanketing the cold world in a deceptive purity.
But beneath the surface… something stirred.
Something sharp.
Something red.
Xian Lei stood at the edge of the training courtyard, breath steaming in the winter air.
His hands were steady, but his soul thrummed with unease.
System Alert: Ambient Qi Disturbance Detected.Origin: 130 meters northeast. Tier: Unclassified. Signature: Fragmented.
The System had never misread danger.
He stepped forward.
Yue Qianlan had been instructed to attend a secluded cultivation session today, part of her assigned role as an "ice sovereign in training." It was a private session—one even the inner court guards hadn't been told about in full detail.
That in itself wasn't suspicious.
But the fact that she had gone alone?
That was.
And worse…
She had gone near the Fractured Plateau.
A place no one should be training in winter.
The terrain was unstable. Ruins from a forgotten sect lay buried beneath the frozen cliffs. Few dared go there—even fewer returned.
So why was she sent there?And why now?
The butterfly had flapped its wings.
But what if something darker had followed its wake?
The System pulsed again.
Host Alert: Tether Sync Spasm Detected.Bound Entity Emotion: Sudden Fear. Rising Panic.+897 Qi GainedWarning: Immediate proximity threat.
Xian Lei didn't wait.
He ran.
Snow kicked up beneath his boots as he crossed the outer spires, leaping between icy ledges and frozen pine bridges. The cold bit into his face, but he didn't care.
The tether throbbed now—not with its usual gentle hum, but with erratic pulses.
Fear.
Confusion.
Pain.
And… something sharp beneath it all.
Guilt?
When he reached the edge of the Fractured Plateau, the world was silent again.
Too silent.
Even the wind had stopped.
He crouched behind a stone ridge and looked down into the hollow below.
And saw her.
Yue Qianlan stood in a circle of cracked stone, her spiritual robes torn at the shoulder. Her blade hovered at her side—but her posture was defensive.
Opposite her stood a figure in tattered black robes, face masked, body surrounded by a chaotic haze of qi.
Rogue cultivator.
Not sect-affiliated.
Not sane.
Not alive for much longer.
The man laughed, voice cracking like dry bones. "Didn't think I'd get the real thing. Thought I'd just find some spoiled ice bitch with a fancy title."
Yue Qianlan's voice was cold. Controlled. But her qi trembled ever so slightly.
"You've made a mistake."
"Oh, I made plenty," the man grinned, licking blood off his blade. "But coming here wasn't one of them."
He lunged.
Xian Lei didn't think.
He moved.
The rogue's blade arced toward her ribs.
But before it landed—
A gust of wind tore through the snow.
And Xian Lei appeared, sword flashing like moonlight on steel.
CLANG—!
His blade met the rogue's with a scream of metal, sparks flying as both were knocked back from the force.
Yue Qianlan gasped—just once—but didn't move.
Their eyes met.
You—
"I told you," Xian Lei said, not looking at her. "I'd protect you."
The rogue snarled. "Another Foundation brat?"
Xian Lei didn't reply.
He attacked.
The fight was short.
Brutal.
Xian Lei's movements were sharper than before. Guided not only by training, but by the System's amplification. Every time Yue's panic spiked, his power surged in response.
She watched—stunned—as he wove through the snow, parried the rogue's desperate lunges, and finally drove his blade straight through the man's throat.
Blood sprayed across the snow like ink on parchment.
A final, gurgling breath escaped the rogue's lips.
Then silence.
Then collapse.
It was over.
And the snow kept falling.
Xian Lei panted, his blade dripping red.
Then he felt it.
Tether Surge Detected.Emotion: Shock. Guilt. Sorrow.+1,132 Qi GainedWarning: Host Mental Sync Pressure at 38%. Risk of Emotional Overload.
He turned.
And saw Yue Qianlan's expression.
Not anger.
Not disgust.
But grief.
Not for the dead man.
But for the fact that she'd needed saving.
Again.
"I should've sensed him earlier," she said quietly, staring at the body. "I was… distracted. I let my guard drop."
"You were lured," Xian Lei said. "This wasn't your fault."
She looked at him.
"No," she said, voice breaking slightly. "It was yours."
That stung.
But before he could speak, she clarified.
"If you weren't here… if you hadn't been watching me again… I wouldn't have made it."
She looked away.
"I hate this feeling."
"What feeling?"
"This…" Her voice cracked like ice underfoot. "Dependence."
Tether Feedback: Emotional Whiplash DetectedHost Emotional Sync Level Approaching Limit.Initiate Meditation or Separation Soon.
But Xian Lei didn't leave.
Instead, he took a slow step forward.
"I didn't save you because I think you're weak," he said.
"I saved you because I remember what happened last time."
Her eyes widened.
Last time…
The tether throbbed again. Sharper. Deeper.
She looked down at her hand, clenched into a fist.
"I should've killed him myself."
"You could have."
"But I didn't."
She closed her eyes.
"And now, that blood… is on you."
Xian Lei stepped closer.
"I can bear it."
"I don't want you to."
Silence again.
Thicker this time.
More human.
He sheathed his sword.
The snow around them was stained in patches of crimson.
But it was still beautiful.
Still quiet.
Still real.
"I never meant to feel this way," Yue Qianlan whispered.
"What way?"
"Afraid," she said. "That if you disappear… I might not recover."
System Resonance Milestone Achieved
Emotion: Vulnerability. Shared Grief. Recognition of Reliance.
+1,802 Qi GainedTrait Unlocked: Spirit WardYou can now redirect minor spiritual attacks from the Bound Entity to yourself.
*Warning: Host burden increasing. Managing balance recommended.
Xian Lei didn't reply at first.
He simply walked to her side.
Stood beside her.
And together, they watched the blood freeze into the snow.
The wind picked up.
Not cold this time.
Almost… cleansing.
As if the world itself recognized the moment.
Not victory.
Not peace.
But the fragile first steps toward something dangerously human.