The rebellion ignited before dawn.
Yu Zhen sensed it while still sleeping beneath the moon-crystal ceiling—an oppressive pressure in his chest like the weight of an approaching storm.
[CRITICAL WARNING] [HOSTILE FACTIONS MOBILIZING] [TARGET: MOON PRIEST — CAPTURE INTENT] [MEMORY FRAGMENT 3 — VOLATILE]
The wards around the Moon Chapel flickered violently.
Yu Zhen was already on his feet when the first explosion tore through the outer gates.
Shouts echoed.
Steel rang.
Blood rose into the air like smoke.
The Court Explodes
The Moon Court erupted in chaos.
Three blood clans had united under Elder Varreth, determined to overthrow Lian Xuan and seize the Moon Priest to use as leverage or fuel their ascension rites.
Vampires swarmed the corridors.
Yu Zhen was escorted from the chapel by two guard captains — but he felt it instantly:
Lian Xuan was nowhere near.
Panic flickered for the first time.
Then the soul-thread blazed.
[SOUL THREAD LOCKED — NAVIGATION SYNCHRONIZED] [TARGET COORDINATES SHARED]
Yu Zhen broke from his guards and ran toward the throne spire, following the unbreakable pull in his chest.
The Throne Spire
The rebellion had already reached the heart of the palace.
Bodies lay scattered across broken marble, blood pooling in the rune-grooved floor. Elders clashed mid-air while distant towers burned.
At the central dais —
Lian Xuan stood alone.
Surrounded.
Golden eyes blazing, coat shredded from combat, black wings of vampiric energy flaring behind him like a manifested shadow.
Five clan leaders encircled him.
"You can't fight us all," Varreth hissed.
Lian Xuan answered simply:
"Watch me."
In a blur of crimson and gold, the arena erupted.
Yu Zhen Intervenes
Yu Zhen burst onto the scene as Lian Xuan impaled one Elder through the heart and flung another through a stone arch.
"XUAN!"
Lian Xuan whipped around instantly.
"Get back!" he snarled.
Too late.
Varreth lunged from the shadows, silver chains glowing with anti-priest rune markings whipping toward Yu Zhen's throat.
The System screamed:
[USER DEFENSE FAILURE IMMINENT]
Yu Zhen barely lifted his hands before—
—not darkness—
—but light exploded outward from his chest.
Memory rose like a tide.
Golden-silver energy ripped through the chains, obliterating them mid-air.
Yu Zhen's eyes flared with celestial glow.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 3 — FINAL INTEGRATION BEGINNING] [DIVINE RESIDUE UNLOCKED]
He stepped forward — no fear in his gaze.
"Do not touch him," Yu Zhen said quietly.
The air buckled.
Varreth recoiled.
"…What are you?"
Yu Zhen answered with divine calm:
"The Moon Priest you thought was prey."
The Bond Awakens Fully
Lian Xuan stared — stunned.
Memory tore through his mind at the sight of Yu Zhen glowing with godlight.
He remembered:
• Yu Zhen standing as the God of Souls beneath heaven's silver banners.• Holding his body after the shattering of the Fate Mirror.• Screaming his name across collapsing skies.
He staggered forward.
"Zhen…"
Yu Zhen felt the echo flood back.
He reached out across the battlefield.
"Xuan, remember me."
Their hands clasped.
Blood, soul, and divinity fused.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT 3 — COMPLETE] [FULL FRAGMENT RETRIEVED] [SHARED MEMORY SYNC: CONFIRMED]
The soul-thread detonated into brilliant light.
Every vampire in the court fell to a knee — overwhelmed by the divine force pouring through the bond.
Varreth screamed as the backlash incinerated him completely.
Aftermath
Silence claimed the Moon Court.
Ash drifted through open skylights.
Yu Zhen collapsed from the divine strain — but before he could fall —
Lian Xuan caught him.
Held him tightly.
"Never run headlong into danger again," he growled softly, barely restraining the tremor in his voice.
Yu Zhen smiled weakly at him.
"But you stand in danger every world."
Lian Xuan's arms tightened.
"Because I stand for you."
They sat together amid the ruined court while guards secured the palace.
This time…
Neither needed to speak to understand.
Memory Fragment 3 pulsed complete in both their chests — their connection deeper, clearer than ever.
[WORLD 3 OBJECTIVE COMPLETED] [MEMORY FRAGMENTS RETRIEVED: 3 / 12] [SOUL THREAD: STRENGTHENING] [TRANSFER TO WORLD 4 PREPARATION: ACTIVE]