The formation circle blazed to life beneath Ruo Han's feet, lines of pale blue stretching outward in perfect symmetry. The two elders moved in unison, their voices chanting the old incantations.
At first, the pressure was bearable — a weight in his chest, a tug at the warmth inside him.
Then the jade reacted.
A sudden pulse shot through Ruo Han's body, like molten metal rushing through his veins. His vision went white, and he staggered forward, nearly breaking the circle.
Elder Hui barked an order. The formation tightened, its glow intensifying.
Elder Hui: "Hold him!"
But they weren't holding him. The thing inside him fought like a caged beast.
In the Scarlet Sun Sect, Feng Lian felt the backlash — a violent pull in his own chest that yanked him to his knees. The cracked jade in his palm split further, bleeding red light between his fingers.
Back in the Cold Hall, the temperature spiked, frost melting from the walls in rivulets. Elder Mei's fan snapped shut.
Elder Mei: "This isn't a possession. It's… a resonance."
The word made Lan Qingshan's eyes narrow.
Qingshan: "Resonance with what?"
No one answered, because the floor shattered.
Light burst from the circle in a spiraling column, scattering the elders and knocking Ruo Han to the ground. For a moment, the Cold Hall was filled with an image — faint, like a reflection in rippling water — of Feng Lian's face.
Only Lan Xiyue moved. In two strides, he was at Ruo Han's side, pulling him out of the dying glow. His hand was steady, but his voice low enough only Ruo Han could hear.
Xiyue: "Who is he?"
Ruo Han's lips parted — but before he could answer, the last of the light vanished, leaving only scorched jade tiles and the sound of the elders' furious breaths.