Lin Yuan woke with a gasp, sweat dripping down his spine. The dream still burned behind his eyes—a field of glowing grass, a faceless girl who reached for him.
He remembered her.
He never remembered faces. Not even his sister's. Not even his teacher's.
But hers… hers he could still see.
His hands trembled as he threw off the blanket. Something wet had soaked through his clothes. Sticky. Strange.
"What… what is this?" he whispered.
His breath caught. Shame and fear curled in his gut. Was he cursed?
Barefoot, he padded across the cold floor and knelt by his mother's bedside.
"Ma… I had a dream. Something happened. My body—it feels wrong."
She opened her eyes. Not startled. Just calm.
"Come here."
He crawled into her arms like a child trying to hide from the night.
"It scared me," he whispered. "It felt like something inside me changed. Like I'm not normal."
"You're not broken, Yuan'er," she said, brushing his hair. "You're growing. The dream was part of that."
He hesitated. "There was a girl. In the dream. I saw her face. I never remember faces."
His mother smiled.
"Then maybe she's important.Don't be afraid,I am always with you."
The sun crept over the eastern hills, painting the Taiyin courtyard in gold. The scent of roasted roots, hawthorn soup, and steamed millet cakes drifted through the morning breeze.
At a round table beneath the Soul Tree, Lin Yuan sat in silence. His little half-brother, Xiao Hu, sat beside him, face sticky with fruit paste.
Across from them sat Lady Mingyan—his second mother.
With midnight-black hair cascading over crimson robes, her skin shimmered faintly with gold tiger patterns. She looked more spirit than human—graceful, deadly, untouchable.
Even Xiao Hu, who usually bit anything that moved, stayed quiet in her presence.
Then—
"You smell weird today!" Xiao Hu blurted, sniffing Lin Yuan's arm. "Like fire and sweat!"
"Xiao Hu," Mingyan said, raising one elegant brow, "how many times must I tell you not to bite your brother?"
"But he tastes funny!"
Lin Yuan flushed. "I—don't lick me!"
Mingyan tilted her head, eyes narrowing in feline amusement.
"Hmm… You had your first dream, didn't you?"
His breath caught. "W-What? How can you tell?"
"You're leaking yang essence like a cracked furnace. Anyone with half a beast core could smell it."
She stood and slowly circled him like a predator sizing up her cub.
"In the demon clans," she said, voice silky, "your kind of dream isn't just about growing up. It means your soul's awakening. You've touched the Dream Realm."
"The… Dream Realm?"
"It's the first battlefield of the heart," she murmured. "A place where memories, fears, and desires take shape—and attack."
Xiao Hu clapped excitedly. "Mama taught me to dream-bite a fox spirit last week!"
"You bit my leg!" Lin Yuan hissed.
"Wrong target," Mingyan said dryly. "But a promising bite."
She tapped his chest with one clawed finger. "Your soul is wide open now. That's dangerous."
Lin Yuan swallowed. "Dangerous how?"
"If you don't learn to defend it, spirits, demons, even old grudges can invade. Some may want to guide you… but most want to eat you."
"Eat… my soul?"
She smiled.
"Don't look so pale. I'll teach you a secret art—Soul Pursuit. We don't run from nightmares. We hunt them."
"Hunt dreams?" he echoed.
"In the tiger bloodline, we bite back," she said with a grin.
Then she flicked his forehead.
"But first, eat your soul fruit. Your essence is injured. Then go wait by the training ring."
"Training?" he blinked.
"Of course. You think awakening your soul means a day off?" She turned. "From now on, Yuan'er… your real training began. Deep within the Grove of Whispering Pines, where ancient trees sighed with forgotten winds, a moss-covered stone platform stood in silent wait. Spirit lanterns floated in a perfect circle, glowing faint blue like will-o'-the-wisps.
Lin Yuan stepped onto the platform. The air shifted.
He didn't need to look up. He felt her arrive.
Lady Mingyan.
Her presence pressed down on the world—soft, heavy, undeniable.
"Sit across from me," she said, already settling at the center of the formation. "Close your eyes. Breathe with your dantian."
Mist coiled between them like living silk.
"This is your Soul Trial," she said. "If you pass… the Dream Realm will obey you. If you fail…" She smiled faintly. "You'll still wake. Eventually."
Lin Yuan swallowed and sat.
"Now," she said, voice low. "Tell me what haunted you."
"There was a girl," he whispered. "Veiled. She reached out to me. I… felt warm. But then something else came. A shadow. I didn't want to see it."
"Desire and fear wear the same mask," Mingyan murmured. "To master your dream, you must name your enemy."
The runes carved into the stone beneath him flared blue, then gold.
A weight pressed against Lin Yuan's chest. He gasped.
"I feel something," he choked. "It's heavy—I can't move!"
"Don't resist," she said, her voice like a blade in water. "Anchor yourself to truth. Who is it that comes?"
The pressure grew. His limbs wouldn't obey. Cold sweat beaded on his brow.
He saw it now—his own silhouette looming in the mist, hollow-eyed, whispering failure into his ear.
"It's… me," he gasped. "The part of me that's afraid. Afraid of being weak. Afraid of being… useless."
The words echoed like thunder.
Suddenly—release. The pressure vanished. He collapsed forward, breath ragged, palms slick with sweat.
Mingyan knelt beside him.
Her touch was cool, steady. She wiped his forehead gently with her sleeve.
"You did well," she said softly. "Most boys run. You stood."
"I was terrified…"
"Courage is not the absence of fear, Yuan'er," she said. "It's walking into the storm while your legs still shake."
A rune pulsed beneath him—then sank into his skin.
[Soul Art: First Gate Unlocked —Shadow Marking]
Lin Yuan blinked. "I… passed?"
Mingyan smiled, fangs barely showing. "Barely. But even a cracked gate still opens.You can mark shadow of something and that means you can find someone anywhere from the whole world and attack from their shadow and escape."
The Soul Tree shimmered under the silver starlight, its leaves glowing like crystal feathers. Beneath its sacred branches, four powerful women gathered—mothers, guardians, legends.
Lady Mingyan, the Tiger Demoness, cradled Lin Yuan's sleeping form in her lap.
Beside her, Lady Yinluo, his human mother, sat in thoughtful silence.
Lady Fengyan, the radiant Golden Bird Queen, arrived next, her wings folded into a golden robe.
And then, Lady Baihua, the Heavenly Python, appeared in a swirling mist, her voice echoing from a spiritual projection.
They looked down at the boy who had survived his first Soul Trial.
---
"He touched the Dream Realm," Baihua whispered. "The awakening has begun."
"Too soon," Mingyan growled softly. "His demon blood stirred before his soul was ready. If I hadn't intervened…" Her claws flexed. "He nearly tore his soul apart."
"His body's still too weak," Yinluo said gently. "But his will is strong."
"If he stays here much longer," Fengyan said, "he'll draw the attention of nearby clans. They'll sense the change."
"And if we hunt soul fruit ourselves," Baihua added, "the forest will whisper. They'll come."
Yinluo looked up, eyes steady. "Then let him grow among humans. Send him to a sect."
The grove fell silent.
Mingyan's brows furrowed. "You want to send him away?"
"There, he can train without suspicion," Yinluo said. "Buy soul fruit legally. Buy milk for Xiao Hu." She gave Fengyan a look. "And Qingxue can follow as his companion to enjoy human food. "
"He's too young," Fengyan objected. "He doesn't know how cruel the sect world can be."
"He must learn," Baihua said softly. "The Flowing Sky Pavilion accepts all bloodlines. It will serve as his crucible."
They debated advantages, risks, and disguises—until a plan formed.
Lin Yuan would enter the Flowing Sky Pavilion.
Xiao Hu and Qingxue would go with him—as his bonded beast and spirit pet.
The mothers would hide within a soul-linked dimension—within a jade pendant connected to Lin Yuan's spirit.
If danger came, they would strike from the shadows.
Lady Mingyan gazed down at her son. "He will not walk alone," she whispered. "No matter what robes he wears… he is our son."
---
✦ Morning Departure ✦
Birds sang sweetly in the forest. The scent of spirit rice and roasted herbs filled the air.
Lin Yuan stirred, warmth wrapped around him. He blinked into the golden light—and saw Lady Mingyan smiling down at him, her tiger eyes gentle.
"Awake already, my little cub?" she purred.
He yawned. "Did I fall asleep outside again?"
"You trained hard," she said, brushing his hair. "You earned your rest."
After bathing in the cold spring fed by a spirit vein, Lin Yuan dressed in fresh robes laid out by Lady Yinluo. The fabric hugged his lean, newly strengthened frame. His body was changing—becoming sharper, stronger.
In the house, a warm breakfast awaited—steamed buns, dried fruit, and fragrant tea.
Lady Baihua poured with delicate grace. Fengyan carved fruit slices for Qingxue and Xiao Hu, who were already tugging at Lin Yuan's sleeves.
Then Baihua raised her cup. "Today, you begin your journey to flowing sky pavilion."
He looked up. "To… the Flowing Sky Pavilion?"
She nodded. "You'll go as yourself—but you'll carry us with you.You need to heal your soul."
Lady Fengyan smirked. "Take Xiao Hu and Qingxue. Say they're your spirit beasts—no one will doubt it."
"Are you… sure?" Lin Yuan asked. "What if something goes wrong?"
Lady Mingyan stepped forward, placing a jade pendant on a red string around his neck. It pulsed once with warmth, then dimmed.
"This is your soul token," she said. "We're bound to it. If you ever face death… we'll come."
Her gaze softened. "But from this day forward—you walk with your own two feet."
Lin Yuan gripped the pendant, heart pounding.
"…I'll make you proud."
Lady Yinluo smiled. "We already are."
---
[New Quest: Enter Flowing Sky Pavilion]
[Soul-Link Token Activated | 4 Guardians Hidden]
[Companion: Xaio hu and Qingxue]
---
As he stepped into the path beyond the Soul Tree, the wind rustled its glowing leaves behind him—like a whispered promise.
> He may walk alone… but he will never be alone.