Part Two
They stood in silence for several seconds.
Below them, the city buzzed in confusion. Car alarms echoed. People shouted in the streets about the strange blackout and the glitch on their screens.
Wen De wiped rain from his face.
"Start explaining."
The girl studied him carefully.
"You really don't remember."
"That's been a popular theme tonight."
She hesitated.
Then, quietly: "Your bloodline once stood at the top of the cultivation network."
He almost laughed.
"Look around. Does this look like the top of anything?"
"I'm not joking."
Neither was she.
"The Origin Network connected thousands of realms. Energy flowed freely between them. Advancement was structured. Monitored. Controlled."
"Controlled by who?"
"The Origin Throne."
He swallowed.
"That thing I saw?"
"Yes."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"Three thousand years ago, your ancestor severed the network."
Wen De shook his head. "Why would anyone do that?"
"Because the Throne wasn't maintaining balance."
Her gaze hardened.
"It was harvesting."
The word settled heavy between them.
"Harvesting what?"
"Worlds."
A car alarm below cut off abruptly, as if the sound itself had been swallowed.
She continued, "Entire civilizations were drained of spiritual energy once they reached sufficient density."
"Drained how?"
"Erased."
The rain suddenly felt colder.
"And Earth?" Wen De asked.
"Earth was cut off before it matured."
"By my bloodline."
"Yes."
He ran a hand through his wet hair.
"So we were heroes?"
She didn't answer.
That silence told him enough.
"No one wins against the Throne," she said quietly. "Your bloodline didn't either."
"And I'm what? The leftover?"
"You're something they missed."
He let out a shaky breath.
"That doesn't make me feel better."
"It shouldn't."