Xiao Wu sat on the academy roof, legs dangling over the edge.
The night breeze brushed past her hair, cool and gentle, but it did nothing to calm the restlessness in her chest. Since the dream, sleep had refused to come easily. Every time she closed her eyes, fragments returned—warmth, blood, a voice calling her name.
Wu'er.
Footsteps landed softly behind her.
"You always choose high places when you're confused," Lin Chen said.
Xiao Wu didn't turn. "And you always know when I am."
Lin Chen walked to her side and sat down, gaze fixed on the stars. For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Xiao Wu asked, very quietly, "Do you know why I dreamed of her?"
Lin Chen didn't pretend to misunderstand.
"Yes," he said.
Xiao Wu's fingers tightened on the roof tiles. "Then tell me."
He studied her for a long moment—not measuring strength, not weighing value, but judging readiness.
"I won't tell you everything," Lin Chen said calmly. "Not because I don't trust you… but because knowing too much right now would kill you."
Xiao Wu swallowed. "You're serious."
"I always am when I say things like this."
She nodded once. "Then tell me what I can know."
Lin Chen exhaled slowly.
"You are not human," he said.
Xiao Wu snorted softly. "Yeah, I figured that part out years ago."
Lin Chen smiled faintly. "You are more than a transformed spirit beast. Your bloodline is ancient—old enough that the Star Dou Forest itself reacts to it."
Xiao Wu's breath caught.
"The woman in your dream," he continued, "was your mother. A hundred-thousand-year spirit beast. One who chose to protect instead of hide."
Xiao Wu's eyes burned.
"They killed her," she said.
"Yes," Lin Chen replied. "Spirit Hall was involved."
Silence fell between them.
The wind seemed louder now.
"…Then why am I alive?" Xiao Wu asked.
Lin Chen turned to her fully.
"Because she sealed you," he said. "Your memories. Your aura. Your past. And because fate—twisted as it is—placed you somewhere no one would think to look."
"Not fate," Xiao Wu said bitterly. "Luck."
Lin Chen shook his head. "Neither."
He met her gaze.
"Because you were protected," he said. "By your mother. By the forest. And now—by me."
Xiao Wu laughed softly, eyes wet. "You say that like it's obvious."
"It is," Lin Chen replied.
She wiped her eyes quickly, then stared up at the sky. "If Spirit Hall finds out completely… what happens?"
"They'll come," Lin Chen said honestly. "Not today. Not tomorrow. But eventually."
Xiao Wu's jaw tightened. "Then I should get stronger. Faster."
"You will," Lin Chen said. "But not by tearing the seal open."
She looked at him sharply. "You can stop me?"
"I can," he said. "And I will."
Xiao Wu studied his face, searching for doubt.
She found none.
"…You're unfair," she muttered.
Lin Chen chuckled quietly. "I've been told."
After a moment, Xiao Wu leaned slightly closer, shoulder brushing his arm.
"…Thank you," she said. "For not lying. And for not telling me everything."
Lin Chen looked back at the stars.
"Some truths are anchors," he said. "Others are blades."
Below them, Shrek Academy slept peacefully.
But far away, Spirit Hall prepared its next move.
And in the Star Dou Forest, ancient eyes watched the girl who had begun to remember—
And the boy who had chosen to stand in front of her.