"No force in the world could stop her fall...and yet , some eyes would follow her, always
Pov Author.
Morning arrived silently, pale light bleeding over the plateau. Frost clung to the broken stones, and the ruins seemed colder than the night before. Anna stirred first, her cloak slipping from her shoulders as she sat up, muscles stiff and mind heavy.
Tomorrow everything changes .
Shou Feng was already standing at the highest point, dark robes untouched by the wind. The air around him pressed down like gravity, shadows curling unnaturally at his feet. The mountain beneath him seemed to tremble ever so slightly, as though aware of the god who walked it.
"You didn't sleep," Anna said softly.
He did not turn. "Neither did you."
It was a statement, not a question.
Kiyoshi approached, Kitsune padding quietly beside him, tails flicking with unease. Even the fox seemed unsettled, ears alert to a presence beyond sight.
"The seals won't last another night," Kiyoshi warned. "Whatever broke them is still near."
Shou Feng's black eyes narrowed. "Renji," he said, voice low and even.
Anna felt her pulse quicken. "So he is coming," she murmured.
"He never left," Shou Feng said.
The group moved at first light. The path descended sharply, twisting into a valley carved from ancient stone, fractured and worn. Mist clung thickly to the ground, hiding the depths below. The air buzzed faintly, a pressure that pricked at Anna's skin.
She pressed a hand to her chest. "Do you feel that?"
Shou Feng's gaze flicked toward her briefly, sharp as a blade. "I feel it," he said, voice low, controlled. Not tenderness. Not love. Just attention—focused, consuming. She shivered under it.
The valley floor stretched wide before them, mist rolling and twisting like liquid shadows. Every step felt heavier than the last. Anna pressed forward, determined. She would not falter—not now, not ever.
They paused as Shou Feng halted suddenly. The valley fell silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
"No," he muttered. "This is not Renji's doing."
Anna swallowed. "Then whose?"
His dark gaze swept the ruins ahead. "Kazan."
The name cut through the air like ice. Anna felt it—a cold tug at her chest, a pulse that set her heart racing. Memories flickered behind her eyes: firelight, broken stone, a woman screaming a name that was not hers.
Shou Feng's hand grazed her arm, steadying her. "Focus," he said, voice sharp. "Whatever you feel, control it."
Anna nodded, though her body trembled.
The ruins ahead rose taller, darker. Broken statues lined the path, their faces shattered beyond recognition. Each step forward made her chest tighten. She could feel the pull of something immense—malevolent—and it tugged at her very soul.
"This place…" she whispered. "It feels alive."
"Built to break gods," Shou Feng said, stepping closer. His shadow fell across her, heavy, protective, and dangerous. "And it will not take you."
They entered the ruins. Cold air brushed against their skin, unnatural and biting. Every sound was magnified: their boots on stone, the faint hiss of wind through broken pillars.
Then a voice broke the silence:
"So you all are still here."
Anna froze.
From the shadows emerged a figure tall and pale, silver-white hair cascading over sharp features, eyes glowing faint crimson—Renji.
Shou Feng stepped immediately between them and Anna, aura flaring. Black and red energy twisted around him like living flames, lashing at the ruins themselves.
"She is mine," he said, voice low and fierce. "Do not touch her. Do not look at her. Do not breathe near her."
Renji's eyes flicked toward Anna. "…Nahan," he breathed.
Anna recoiled instinctively. "That's not my name!"
Shou Feng's aura surged further, black and red spiraling outward, making the very stone shiver. "She is not yours . She is here. With me. Always."
Renji's lips curved in a faint smile. "Still possessive," he said. "Even after all this time."
The ground trembled beneath them. Ancient seals shattered as dark energy burst from the depths. Kazan had arrived.
Shou Feng's fists clenched, black and red power coursing like wildfire through him. He turned to Anna, his voice dropping to a growl that was all command and obsession. "Whatever happens next, do not answer him. Not now. Not ever. Understand?"
Anna's legs shook. She could feel the pull of the darkness—stronger than any force she had known. Her boots slipped as the air tugged at her, dragging her forward.
Shou Feng reached for her, fingers grazing the space where she had been, but she slipped beyond his grasp.
The ground split violently between them.
Anna fell.
Into the darkness.
Shou Feng's roar tore through the ruins, fury and obsession spilling outward. His gaze burned into the shadows, but she was gone.
From the darkness came a voice, low, cruel, and familiar:
"Welcome back, Nahan… she is finally mine."
The wind carried it, curling around Shou Feng like a promise of war.
"And in the darkness , a name not hers pulled her closer than any god ever could"