A cold wind blew across the open courtyard of Qingyun Station's outer sanctum, carrying with it the scent of starlotus petals and the faint hum of celestial energy. The sky above was filled with stars—but not just stars. A shimmering constellation shaped like a coiling dragon pulsed once, then vanished.
Li Tianxuan stood at the edge of the sparring platform, breathing heavily. Sweat clung to his skin, glistening under the faint blue glow of the Dao runes etched into the stone beneath his feet.
Across from him, Mei Yuelan wiped her blade with a silk cloth, her gaze steady and unreadable.
"You're improving," she said. "Barely."
Tianxuan gave a crooked smile, shaking his head. "Is that your way of saying I'm not completely hopeless anymore?"
Her lips twitched—almost a smile.
"Maybe."
Their practice had become a daily ritual. What started as cold mentorship was slowly becoming something else. Mei Yuelan had stopped treating him like just another rogue cultivator. She still didn't let her guard down easily—but there were cracks now. Moments when her hand lingered too long on his wrist after a correction, or her gaze softened when she thought he wasn't looking.
Tianxuan sat down beside the fountain, letting his mind slow. He closed his eyes and listened—not just to the sound of running water, but the whispering of the Celestial Heart Core inside him. The relic pulsed, its rhythm syncing with his breath. It whispered secrets to him in fragments—some in star-code, some in forgotten language.
And sometimes… in voices.
Tonight, one was female.
Warm. Gentle.
"The stars weep for the fallen sons… but they still shine, Tianxuan."
He opened his eyes quickly, heart racing.
Was that… the Codex again?
Or something else?
---
Elsewhere on Qingyun Station
Xiao Qingyu sat on the observation deck, her mechanical eyes reflecting the starlight. She held a data crystal in her hand, watching a flickering holo-recording: a boy, laughing, running through a metal corridor.
It was her… and her twin brother. Years before the Empire took him.
The soft chime of footsteps pulled her out of memory.
"Hey," Tianxuan said, gently. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
She didn't turn, but her voice held no ice. "You're not."
He sat beside her, letting the silence stretch a little. Then:
"You ever miss it?"
"My old life?" She glanced at him. "Every night."
He hesitated. "Do you think… we're meant to become something better after all this? Or are we just surviving because it hurts less than giving up?"
Xiao Qingyu looked at him fully then, her expression unusually open. "Maybe both."
Tianxuan held her gaze. "You're not alone, you know."
Neither spoke for a moment. The air between them was thick with shared understanding.
When she finally smiled, it was faint. Sad. But real.
"I know."
---
Meanwhile, across the sector…
On a derelict satellite floating over the edge of the Void Sea, the Pale Hunters gathered.
Wearing masks of bleached bone and robes of twilight silk, they moved without sound. Their leader, Hunter-Seer Xiran, stood before a cracked star mirror, watching a faint, glowing pulse in its center.
"The Codex stirs," she whispered. "The Chosen walks toward the Path of Convergence."
Another hunter stepped forward. "Shall we begin Phase Two?"
Xiran nodded. "Yes. But keep him alive. The prophecy only unfolds if his heart breaks before it awakens."
---
Back on Qingyun Station
That night, the crew of the Broken Dream shared a rare dinner together under the starlit dome.
Suyin brought her infamous spice noodles. Wuming pretended he could taste them, though Tianxuan suspected his tongue had long since evolved past human tolerance.
Mei Yuelan actually laughed once when Greg attempted to serve wine and instead projected a toast in six languages before sparking out.
It was… warm. Messy. Human.
Later, as the others drifted off, Tianxuan found himself walking alone through the midnight garden, only to find Mei Yuelan already there.
She stood near the reflecting pond, her silhouette bathed in moonlight.
"I didn't mean to intrude," he said.
"You didn't." She didn't turn.
"Can't sleep either?"
She nodded slightly. "Too many memories here."
"Of what?"
"Before the war. Before I lost my sister."
He stepped closer. "You never talk about her."
"There's nothing left to say."
He watched her face, the pain behind her stillness.
Then, gently, "I don't believe that."
Her eyes met his, and for once, she didn't look away.
"Tianxuan… what are you really fighting for?"
He hesitated.
"First, survival. Then revenge. But now… maybe to protect the people who remind me I'm still human."
A breath passed between them.
She stepped closer.
"You're dangerous," she whispered.
"Why?"
"Because I'm starting to care."
Their hands brushed. For a moment, the universe fell away.
But before the kiss could happen, the emergency beacon blared.
"WARNING: Incoming hostiles. Multiple signals. Pale Hunter signature confirmed."
Yuelan's eyes went cold in an instant. "Later."
Tianxuan nodded, already summoning his inner energy. "Definitely later."
---
Qingyun Station – Outer Skies
Dozens of dark ships emerged from hyperspace like shadows cut from the void. Pale Hunter crafts—silent, swift, and deadly.
The Broken Dream took the first blast. The shields flared. Wuming shouted over comms, "We've got company. Real nasty."
Tianxuan launched into the air, riding a stream of astral energy, Mei Yuelan beside him in a flash of moonlight bladework. Qingyu followed, drones hovering at her side, weapons humming.
The battle raged.
But amid the chaos, one Hunter slipped through. Fast. Silent. Straight for Tianxuan.
He turned too late—until a silver streak intercepted the attack.
Mu Shenshui, high priestess of the Cosmic Flow, descended in a swirl of light and flowing robes, her presence commanding and cold.
"You will not touch him," she said, voice like chimes in a storm.
Her arrival turned the tide—at least for now.
As the enemy retreated into hyperspace, Xiran's voice echoed in Tianxuan's mind.
"The Star Throne awaits you, child. But the hearts you love will be your undoing."
He gasped, staggering.
Mu Shenshui caught him gently. Her hands glowed faintly with healing light.
"You are stronger than you know," she murmured.
"I don't feel it," he whispered.
"You will."
Her touch lingered longer than necessary. Her eyes held something distant… and tender.
---