The forest seemed quieter after the battle, though a heavy hum lingered in the air — as if the earth itself still trembled from what had happened. Faint golden traces of Lian's energy still glowed on the ground, weaving delicate patterns that pulsed once… twice… and vanished into the soil.
The moon had climbed high, spilling cold silver light across the clearing. The three girls now stood before Lian, their weapons of spirit light dimming slowly. What moments ago had been chaos now hung in still, uncertain silence.
The first to speak was the calmer twin — tall, graceful, her silver hair tied with a cord of wolf-fur and moon-thread. Her amber eyes glimmered like twin suns hidden behind calm clouds.
"You shouldn't be able to do that," she said quietly. "No mortal can burn the shadow spirits away."
The other twin, who looked identical save for the faint crimson streak in her hair and a sharper tilt to her smile, tilted her head. "No mortal bleeds gold either." Her gaze slid to Lian's arm where faint lines of golden light still throbbed beneath the skin. "He's not ordinary. Not at all."
The third girl bounced lightly on her feet, breaking the tension. "Well, duh! Ordinary people don't explode with moonfire." She grinned wide, brushing a stray leaf from her short dark hair. "Name's Nisha, by the way. Spirit Maiden, part-time wanderer, full-time amazing."
Lian blinked, taken aback by the whirlwind energy of her tone. "I'm… Lian," he offered. "Just Lian."
The calmer twin placed her hand over her heart and bowed slightly. "Lyra, Princess of the Wolf Spirit Clan."
Her sister smirked and mirrored the gesture with exaggerated grace. "And Lira — her twin. The better one."
Lyra shot her a sharp look. "The louder one."
Nisha giggled. "You two are adorable."
The twins ignored her, their eyes still fixed on Lian. The wind carried the faint scent of spirit essence — moon lilies and wild fur. It clung to them like power and bloodline both.
"You're certain he's human?" Lira murmured, stepping closer, her tone somewhere between curiosity and hunger. "Because I can feel something else beneath his skin."
Lyra frowned. "His aura doesn't match any known mortal resonance. It's… old. Ancient." She hesitated. "Familiar."
Lian tensed slightly, glancing away. "I don't remember much," he admitted. "Only my name. And a woman's voice — she keeps saying something about my veins." He swallowed, feeling their eyes on him. "That they… carry eternity."
The three girls froze.
Lyra's eyes widened, the calm mask slipping. "Eternal… Veins?" she whispered.
Nisha tilted her head. "That sounds important."
Lira's expression darkened. "It's more than important. It's a legend. A prophecy, older than even the Spirit War. It speaks of a mortal vessel born of heaven's rebellion — one whose blood holds the memory of gods."
Her tone was part wonder, part suspicion. "If that's true… then you shouldn't exist."
Lian's chest tightened. "I wish I didn't," he muttered. "I didn't ask for any of this."
Lyra's eyes softened. "No one does."
The silence that followed was thick — only the whisper of wind through branches and the faint hiss of dying spirit energy.
Finally, Nisha plopped down on a fallen log, crossing her arms. "Well, whether he's a prophecy, a ghost, or a glowing soup can, he did save us. So maybe we stop glaring and start thanking?"
Lira sighed. "Gratitude doesn't erase danger."
Lyra nodded thoughtfully. "She's right, Nisha. If he truly carries the Eternal Veins, every spirit beast, every corrupted cultivator, every power-hungry clan will come for him. His blood alone could reshape the balance between realms."
Nisha frowned. "Then we protect him."
The twin sisters exchanged a glance — one filled with old understanding, unspoken but sharp. Lira looked away first, her voice low. "Protecting him might doom us all."
Something in her tone chilled the air. Lian's fists clenched unconsciously, golden threads pulsing faintly beneath the skin. "I didn't ask for protection," he said quietly. "I just want answers."
Lyra stepped closer, her presence calm yet commanding. "Then we'll find them together. But you must stay hidden. The Azure Division will not stop searching for the one who lit the storm. And neither will the forces from our realm."
"The Azure Division?" Lian echoed, unfamiliar with the name but unsettled by the way it sounded on her tongue — dangerous, secretive.
"Hunters," Nisha said simply. "They catch what they can't understand and break what they can't control."
Lyra gave a solemn nod. "And you, Lian Ardent… they will never understand."
The weight of her words pressed deep into him. The forest felt smaller now, like the world was closing in.
Lira studied him for a long moment, eyes glinting in the pale moonlight. "You carry the blood of eternity," she murmured. "And yet you walk like a man who doesn't know what he's lost."
Lian met her gaze evenly. "Because I don't."
For a heartbeat, something flickered behind her eyes — pity, or perhaps recognition — and then it was gone.
Nisha hopped up and clapped her hands. "Enough doom and gloom. I say we take him to the Grove. Elder Fen will know what to do."
Lira frowned. "The Grove is sacred."
"And so is not dying in the forest at night," Nisha replied cheerfully.
Lyra gave a small nod. "She's right. The night spirits are restless. We move before the mist thickens."
The three of them began to walk, the forest parting as if recognizing royal blood. Lian hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the clearing. His golden sigils had vanished, but the faint echo of them pulsed beneath the soil — alive.
Whatever power slept in him had stirred, and now the world — mortal and spirit alike — could feel it.
As he followed the three spirit maidens into the deeper forest, the moon shifted behind clouds, and the shadows seemed to move with it, watching.
Cliffhanger:Far behind them, at the edge of the clearing, something dark pooled where Lian's blood had fallen. The ground pulsed once — and from it, a pair of eyes opened.They glowed red.
The forest had marked him. And now, something else had too.