The rain had not eased. If anything, it poured harder, each drop striking the flagstones like arrows. The night's air was thick with the metallic tang of spiritual pressure — not his own, but a wave pushing in from the eastern gates.
Mo Lianyin didn't need a messenger to confirm it.
The Crimson Lotus Court had arrived.
He moved through the sodden corridors of Xuanming Sect like a shadow among shadows. The faint lanterns that still burned flickered under the oppressive qi that seeped through the walls. His boots left wet prints behind him, but the storm swallowed the sound of his steps.
When he reached the Hall of Silent Vows, the great bronze doors were ajar. Inside, the Elders of the sect were gathered in tense silence. Their robes were damp, their hair clung to their temples, and every eye turned toward him the moment he entered.
"Mo Lianyin," Elder Yuan said, his voice dry as parchment despite the rain pounding on the roof. "We have little time. They've breached the outer barrier."
"They're after the Moon's Shadow Seal," Lianyin replied.
Elder Yuan's jaw tightened. "And you believe you alone can stop them?"
"I know I can," he said, his tone level but cold. "But not without the Heart Lotus Severance."
The murmurs were instant — sharp, disapproving, fearful. Elder Qiu slammed her hand on the armrest. "That art is forbidden for a reason! It rots the soul and poisons the veins. Even if you succeed, you'll—"
"I will do it," Lianyin cut in, his voice hard enough to silence the hall. "I'm not asking for permission."
His gaze swept across the elders, lingering just long enough for them to feel the weight of it. "If I fall, burn my body before sunrise. If I don't… then you'll see the Crimson Lotus Court burn instead."
He didn't wait for their answer.
---
The ritual chamber lay deep beneath the Hall — a place where even the walls seemed to breathe in the cold. A single lotus pond sat in the center, its water black under the flickering torchlight. Above it, a great stone lotus carved into the ceiling dripped crimson rainwater into the pool.
Lianyin knelt before the pond, his reflection distorted into something monstrous by the ripples. The scroll detailing the Severance lay open beside him, its ancient ink smudged from centuries of use and fear.
The blood anchor must be bound before the first petal falls.
That line burned in his mind.
He closed his eyes. Faces came unbidden — some enemies, some strangers, and one… one he wished he could forget. The choice clawed at him. He had hours at most.
The sound of footsteps broke his focus.
"You move fast," came a familiar voice.
Zevian Vale stood at the edge of the torchlight, his white robes now streaked with rain and dirt.
"I told you," Lianyin said without looking up. "I'll find my own way."
"And I told you," Zevian replied smoothly, "that your own way will kill you."
Zevian stepped closer, holding out a thin jade vial. Inside, a single drop of deep red liquid swirled slowly, as if resisting the glass itself.
"A willing anchor," Zevian said. "One who has already given their heart to you — though I doubt you deserve it."
Lianyin's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"That," Zevian said, placing the vial beside the scroll, "is none of your concern until after you survive."
The torches flickered violently. Somewhere above, the crash of shattering barriers rolled like thunder.
"They're here," Zevian murmured. "Choose quickly, Mo Lianyin. Once the first petal falls, you won't get another chance."
---
The Severance began with fire in his veins. It burned from his fingertips to his chest, curling around his heart like chains of molten steel. The black lotus in the pond unfurled slowly, its petals bleeding red into the water.
A voice — not Zevian's, not his own — whispered through the chamber. One petal for the power to kill. Ten for the power to destroy.
The first petal detached, drifting lazily toward the water.
And above them, the Crimson Lotus Court burst through the final barrier.