✦ Chapter 9: A Touch of Fire ✦
The village was quiet that night, yet Fu Sheng's heart raced with unrest. Her dreams had grown more vivid — not just images, but sensations. She could feel the heat of divine power crackling in her fingertips.
In a moment of unease, she stepped outside, drawn toward the forest where the moonlight shimmered silver on the snow. There, among the trees, Bai Jiu waited.
He turned as if he had known she would come.
— "You've begun to awaken," he said without surprise.
She nodded, barely able to meet his gaze.
— "I don't understand what's happening to me. These visions… these feelings… They feel too real to be dreams."
He stepped closer, his voice gentle but grave.
— "They are real. They are memories. You were once the Moonfire Goddess. The one who lit the skies and held the balance between light and war."
She flinched at the words.
— "Then who… who are you?"
He hesitated, pain flickering in his eyes.
— "I was your shadow. Your protector. Your equal. In the heavens, I was called Xie Changye."
A gust of wind passed between them. And for a moment, she saw it again — the temple, the flames, his armor soaked in blood as he screamed her name.
Her knees gave out, but he caught her.
— "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she whispered.
— "Because I wanted you to choose this life, not be burdened by the past."