The wind outside Ren's window howled like something alive.
He sat at the edge of his bed, still shaking. The phantom warmth of Li Wei's dream lingered under his skin, a slow burn that refused to fade. Every breath felt too shallow, too aware.
The mark on his shoulder still glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. He pulled his shirt aside and stared at it—bright as a candle flame, whispering things he couldn't bear to listen to.
"Li Wei…" he whispered again, his voice barely a breath.
The bond thrummed in answer.
A pulse—distant, pained.
Ren froze. This time, it wasn't in his head. He felt something wrong in the current of their connection, like static warping a signal. A tremor through the bond, and then—darkness, like a curtain being drawn between them.
Somewhere beyond the mortal plane, the balance shifted.
In the ruins beneath the northern shrine, Kyran watched the barrier shimmer and fade. The circle of relics glowed around him—shards of divine metal, cursed charms, and a single vial of serpent blood. His eyes burned silver as he forced his energy through the relics.
The air hissed, and the veil between realms wavered.
"It's working," he muttered. "The bond weakens the longer I push."
From the shadows, a tall figure stepped out—the hunter. His coat was torn, the seal of Heaven scorched into the leather. "You're treading a dangerous path, Kyran. Even the gods won't forgive this."
Kyran's smile was thin. "The gods stopped listening long ago. I don't need their forgiveness. Only results."
He picked up the vial, swirling the faintly glowing liquid inside. "Do you know what this is?"
The hunter's jaw tightened. "Serpent essence."
"Correct." Kyran's tone darkened. "It ties a divine to their anchor. Li Wei's power is tethered to a human—and as long as that human lives, Li Wei will never ascend again."
"Ren," the hunter said flatly.
Kyran nodded. "The anchor. Remove him, and the bond collapses. Li Wei returns to the divine realm, free of mortal weakness."
The hunter looked away, conflict flickering behind his eyes. "You speak of killing an innocent boy."
"Innocent?" Kyran's laugh was bitter. "He carries the serpent's mark. The heavens call that a curse, not innocence."
He stepped closer to the flickering barrier. "I'm not doing this for cruelty, Hunter. I'm doing it because Li Wei was meant to be mine. The serpent's fall ruined everything. And now that I have the means to undo it—" his hand flared with dark light "—I won't hesitate."
The hunter hesitated only a moment before drawing a sigil on the ground. "Then I'll help you. Not for your obsession—but because the heavens demand balance. If the bond between divine and mortal breaks the order, it must be corrected."
Kyran smirked. "Whatever helps you sleep."
He raised the relic high. The air rippled; the barrier between the realms shivered. Lightning arced through the circle, splitting the shadows.
"Let the serpent's chain weaken," Kyran whispered. "Let the bond bleed until he begs for mercy."
Ren gasped. His chest constricted, pain lancing through his veins like fire. The mark on his shoulder flared too bright to look at. He fell to his knees, clutching it.
The pulse of the bond screamed. Li Wei's presence flared in his mind—half a voice, broken and distant.
Ren—stay awake. Don't—let it—break.
"Li Wei?!" Ren choked out, the world spinning. His breath came shallow and fast, vision blurring. "What's happening to you?"
The voice faded, replaced by static.
Ren collapsed forward, trembling. The mark dimmed, flickering between light and shadow.
Far beyond the veil, Li Wei staggered where he stood within his temple of smoke and gold. The serpent sigil at his throat burned crimson. "Kyran," he hissed. "You fool…"
He reached for the bond, feeling Ren's pain like a knife.
But when he tried to cross the boundary—to reach his human—something resisted. A wall of twisted energy rose between them.
He snarled, eyes flashing. "If you touch him, Kyran, I'll rip your soul apart."
His wings flared, golden light slicing through the dark. "You want to test heaven's fury? You'll have it."
Outside, the night broke into thunder again.
Ren lay trembling, eyes barely open, whispering Li Wei's name into the dark as the storm raged.
The bond pulsed once—weak but alive.
And somewhere in the distance, the first whisper of war between realms began.