Morning mist clung to the courtyard stones like a pale veil, diffusing the early light into shifting shades of grey. Lei Wei stood still, eyes half-closed, the Spirit Seed within him pulsing faintly. His breath flowed slow, smooth… almost calm.
Almost.
The Silverflame pup stiffened beside his feet. Its ears flattened. A low, rumbling growl rippled from its throat—not loud, but sharp enough to slice the silence.
Elder Yun turned without moving his feet, fingers tightening around his staff.
"They found us," he whispered.
Lei Wei's heart lurched. "Who?"
Elder Yun didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
A tremor crawled across the ground—subtle at first, like a distant drumbeat. Then heavier. Closer. The earth itself seemed to flinch beneath the approaching presences.
Lei Wei swallowed.
That rhythm…
That echo…
Beasts. Many. And not ordinary ones.
The Silverflame pup's body ignited with faint streaks of silver fire, involuntary instinct triggered by the approaching threat.
"Stay behind me," Elder Yun commanded.
The courtyard gate shuddered violently—
BAM!
Dust shook loose from the wooden frame.
A second impact.
Stronger.
BAM-BAM!
Then silence.
A single breath.
A single heartbeat.
And the gate exploded inward.
Wood splintered through the air like shrapnel. Lei Wei dove aside instinctively, rolling across the stone floor. Elder Yun's sleeve fluttered, qi pulsing outward to shield him from the debris.
When the dust settled, Lei Wei froze.
A massive black shadow stood at the entrance—
No, not one.
Three.
Three beasts—with coal-dark fur and ember-red eyes—stalked into the courtyard. Not Nightbane Wolves… but something close.
Ashfang Jackals — Veinforge Stage (Early).
Elder Yun's eyes narrowed. "These creatures don't gather in packs…"
His voice dropped.
"Someone is controlling them."
The memory of Willowmist flashed in Lei Wei's mind.
Nightbane Dread Wolf.
Those glowing, merciless eyes.
The destruction.
The screams.
His breath trembled.
The lead jackal crouched low… and the ground cracked beneath its claws.
"Brace!" Elder Yun snapped.
The beast leaped.
---
THE FIRST CLASH
Elder Yun moved first.
His staff blurred—one clean arc, sharp as a blade.
BOOM!
A shockwave cracked through the courtyard as the staff collided with the creature's skull. It crashed into a wall, stone fragments exploding outward.
But the other two jackals were on Lei Wei.
"Move!" Elder Yun shouted.
There was no time.
One lunged at his chest, jaws wide, dripping with corrosive saliva. The other circled for his blind spot.
Lei Wei's mind flashed white—
THUM.
The fragment stirred.
His muscles tightened with unnatural precision. His body twisted, avoiding the first set of jaws by a hair. He landed on his palms, spinning into a low slide—
—but the second jackal was faster than he anticipated.
Its claws came down toward his spine.
A silver blur intercepted.
FWOOOSH!
The Silverflame pup slammed into the jackal, fire erupting from its tiny body in a wild burst. The beast screeched, rolling across the courtyard with patches of fur burning with silver fire.
Lei Wei gasped. "Good boy—!"
THUM.
The fragment pulsed again.
His vision sharpened. His breath deepened. His senses stretched outward like invisible strings feeling for every ripple.
Elder Yun caught it.
"Lei Wei! Don't draw from that fragment—"
But it was too late.
The world shifted.
Sound dulled.
Light sharpened.
Every heartbeat within fifty meters echoed like a drum inside Lei Wei's skull.
Instinct.
Raw.
Ancient.
Primal.
A force pressed against his ribs from within, begging—no—demanding to be unleashed.
Lei Wei clenched his teeth, forcing control. "Not yet… not now…"
The jackal that had been burned staggered upright. Its eyes locked onto Lei Wei, fury boiling.
It charged.
Lei Wei stepped forward, Spirit Seed flaring weakly but sharply.
He thrust his palm forward—
Not a technique.
Not a skill.
Just raw force and instinct.
WHUM!
A pulse of qi exploded from his hand. Not wide. Not powerful. But perfectly condensed.
The jackal slammed into it—
—and was sent skidding back more than ten steps.
Elder Yun's eyes widened.
"That talent… that purity… that's no ordinary Spirit Seed…"
Lei Wei's hand trembled. His chest burned. Using qi like that so early was dangerous, but the feeling of strength—of precision—of instinct—felt intoxicating.
Another jackal lunged.
This time Lei Wei was ready.
He pivoted, letting it pass beside him, then slammed his elbow into its neck. His movements were sharp, clean—too clean for a beginner.
The fragment pulsed again.
Power begged to be used.
He fought it.
But the fragment didn't care.
It wanted blood.
---
THE TRUE THREAT ARRIVES
A whisper slithered across the courtyard.
Cold.
Mocking.
Inhuman.
"Impressive… for a child."
Lei Wei froze.
The jackals froze.
Even the Silverflame pup lowered its body in fear.
A silhouette stepped through the ruined gate—tall, draped in a cloak of shadows, face hidden behind a bone-like mask carved with runes.
Elder Yun paled.
"You… You're not from this region."
The masked figure chuckled softly.
"I followed the scent of something ancient. Something… primordial."
Its gaze shifted to Lei Wei.
"No.
Not him."
Then to the pup.
"That beast."
The Silverflame pup snarled, but its legs trembled.
Lei Wei stepped in front of it. "You're not touching him."
The masked figure cocked its head. "Brave. Foolish. Admirable. But pointless."
It flicked two fingers.
A whip of shadow lashed forward—faster than Elder Yun could react.
Lei Wei didn't think.
Didn't analyze.
The fragment moved for him.
His body jerked forward, hand rising on its own—
CLANG!
His palm collided with the shadow lash, stopping it mid-air.
Elder Yun's jaw dropped.
The masked figure paused.
"…Oh?"
Interest flickered.
Lei Wei hissed, breath shaking.
His arm felt like it was being crushed by a mountain.
The fragment thrummed violently.
THUM.
THUM.
THUM.
His vision blurred.
Not yet—not yet—
The shadow lash retracted. The masked figure assessed him silently.
"Interesting. But you cannot control it yet. And that makes you useless…"
He raised his hand again.
This time Lei Wei knew—
he would die.
The Silverflame pup would die.
Elder Yun would die.
The shadow gathered—
The world froze.
A voice echoed inside Lei Wei's skull.
Deep.
Resonant.
Ancient.
"Borrow my strength."
Lei Wei's breath hitched.
"You…? Now?"
"Accept it. Or die."
The fragment erupted.
Silver light burst from Lei Wei's chest, crawling up his arms like living veins of lightning. His hair whipped upward. His clothes fluttered violently.
The courtyard trembled.
The masked figure took a single step back.
"…What are you?"
Lei Wei didn't answer.
The voice inside him deepened.
"Let me take the body."
Lei Wei clenched his fists.
He hesitated.
Only a moment.
"Do it."
---
THE GODLIKE SURGE
The world shattered.
Power—pure, violent, ancient—rushed through Lei Wei's limbs. His stance changed. His breathing stabilized. His eyes glowed with faint silver rings.
The fragment spoke through his lips.
"Kneel."
The masked figure hissed.
"Impossible—"
Lei Wei vanished.
One heartbeat he stood still—
The next he was already in front of the masked figure, fist raised, qi compressed like a miniature star.
He struck.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave ripped through the courtyard, splitting the ground open and blasting the masked figure backward through two walls.
The jackals were thrown like rag dolls. Dust swallowed the sky.
Elder Yun shielded his face from the blast, eyes wide with terror.
"That… that pressure… that aura… It's not human!"
Lei Wei—no, the fragment—took a step forward, the ground spider-webbing beneath each footfall.
"Do not chase us again."
His voice wasn't a voice.
It was a decree.
The masked figure rose slowly from the rubble, shaking, blood dripping behind the mask.
"You… you're…"
He didn't finish.
He simply vanished into shadow and fled.
Silence.
Lei Wei staggered.
The silver aura flickered…
collapsed…
and went dark.
His body fell forward.
Elder Yun caught him.
The Silverflame pup whimpered, licking his hand desperately.
Lei Wei's eyes half-opened.
"Did… we win…?"
Elder Yun exhaled shakily.
"For now."
Lei Wei's body finally surrendered.
The fragment spoke in a fading whisper.
"I sleep now. Recover… while you can."
And darkness took him.