Shrek Academy's courtyard was quiet again, but the air had changed.
Dai Mubai stood alone near the training posts, fists clenched, white hair damp with sweat. The morning lesson replayed endlessly in his mind—Zhu Zhuqing vanishing into his shadow, the clean strike across his back, and Lin Chen's calm voice cutting through everything.
She didn't get stronger, he thought bitterly.She got clearer.
A sharp crack echoed as Dai Mubai's fist slammed into a wooden post. The wood splintered, but the pain did nothing to cool his chest.
"Training like that won't help."
Lin Chen's voice came from behind him, calm and unhurried.
Dai Mubai stiffened, then turned, eyes sharp. "Here to lecture me too?"
Lin Chen shook his head slightly. "I'm here because you're standing at a fork in the road."
Dai Mubai scoffed. "You wouldn't understand."
"Star Luo," Lin Chen said casually.
The word hit like a hammer.
Dai Mubai's pupils shrank. "How do you—"
"White Tiger bloodline. Royal succession. Brothers killing brothers," Lin Chen continued, tone flat. "You ran, not because you were weak—but because you didn't want to become a beast in a cage."
Silence.
Dai Mubai's jaw tightened. His soul power surged instinctively, white light flickering around his body.
"You think knowing that makes you superior?" he growled.
Lin Chen stepped forward.
"No," he said. "It means I know why you're stuck."
Dai Mubai laughed harshly. "Stuck? I'm stronger than everyone here except you."
"And still afraid," Lin Chen replied.
The words landed cleanly.
Dai Mubai's breathing grew heavy. "Afraid of what?"
"Of choosing," Lin Chen said simply. "If you fight your brother, you might die. If you don't… Zhu Zhuqing dies instead."
Dai Mubai froze.
The world seemed to tilt.
"…What did you say?"
Lin Chen met his eyes, gaze sharp and merciless—not cruel, just honest.
"Star Luo doesn't allow spares," he said. "She was raised as your blade. If you retreat forever, the empire will discard her."
Dai Mubai's vision blurred for a moment.
Memories surfaced—Zhu Zhuqing training until her hands bled, her cold eyes, the way she never once asked him to stay.
"You think I don't know that?" Dai Mubai whispered.
"I think you know," Lin Chen replied. "But knowing and acting are different."
Dai Mubai clenched his fists until blood seeped from his palms.
"…And you?" he asked hoarsely. "What do you want?"
Lin Chen was silent for a moment.
"Nothing from you," he said. "This isn't about loyalty. Or gratitude."
He turned slightly, looking toward the dormitories where Zhu Zhuqing was training alone.
"It's about whether you remain prey to fate," Lin Chen continued, "or decide to bite back."
The words hung in the air.
For a long time, Dai Mubai didn't speak.
Then—slowly—he straightened.
The chaotic anger in his eyes didn't disappear.
It condensed.
"…If I choose," he said quietly, "I don't get to lose."
Lin Chen nodded. "You never did."
Dai Mubai exhaled deeply, shoulders relaxing just a fraction.
"…Then stop holding back on me," he said. "Next time we fight."
Lin Chen smiled faintly.
"Survive first," he replied.
As Lin Chen walked away, Dai Mubai stared at his own reflection in the shattered wood.
The White Tiger roared softly within his chest—not in fury…
But awakening.
Far above Shrek Academy, unseen threads tightened.
One monster had been confronted.
Another had decided to stop running.