Wu Haoyu's POV:
The chamber's stone walls pulsed, the Nexus core's consoles sparking, dying, but Yanyan's star-dagger blazed, her blood dripping, waking something worse—a global seal, not Huang, not Wu, its hum a trap swallowing her. My pipe was slick with gore, arm, thigh, and chest screaming, blood seeping from every fight, but I stood in front of her, pipe raised, ready to break Master Wu, Huang Zhao, Meilin, Warden Thal—anyone who dared touch my fire, my heart, Huang Yanyan.
Her knife trembled, blood crusted on her cheek, shoulder and thigh oozing, ribs heaving, star-dagger glowing, Huang seal drinking her blood, her eyes fierce but fading—my love, my everything, trusting me despite my blood, Wu's blood, the Wu key chaining us to this hell. I'd bleed dry to save her, to prove I wasn't him, her star worth more than my life.
