The battlefield was in ruins, sacred halls burned, their golden rooftops crumbling under the weight of betrayal. Smoke curled into the sky, choking the once-pristine air. The Crimson Feather Sect, a place of wisdom and strength, was now a graveyard of fallen disciples. Xiao Lian stood amidst the wreckage, her blade gleaming with blood, her breathing controlled despite the chaos.
And then, the air shifted.
A cold pressure descended, wrapping around her like invisible chains. It wasn't just power, it was something more sinister, something unnatural.
Xiao Lian's grip on her sword tightened. She had felt this aura before, but never like this.
She turned sharply, her eyes locking onto a lone figure standing atop the ruined steps of the grand hall.
Qin Ziyan.
His presence was suffocating. His robes, once a brilliant white that symbolized purity, were now tainted with silver and black, embroidered with celestial runes she didn't recognize. A strange energy pulsed around him, wild, unstable. His cultivation had skyrocketed, far beyond what was possible in such a short time.
It wasn't just growth. It was corruption.
Xiao Lian's chest tightened as she took in the man before her. His sharp features were the same, but his eyes… his eyes were different.
There was no warmth, no quiet confidence. Just a cold emptiness, like something inside him had been stripped away.
The silence between them stretched, heavy with everything left unsaid.
"Qin Ziyan," Xiao Lian called, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. "What have you done?"
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze unreadable. Then, in a voice devoid of its usual warmth, he said:
"You should leave, Xiao Lian."
Her breath hitched at the formality of her name. He had never spoken to her like that before.
"Or?" she challenged, lifting her chin.
His expression didn't change. But the air around him did.
The ground beneath him cracked as energy surged, celestial runes glowing ominously along his arms.
"Or I will personally destroy you."
Xiao Lian's pulse pounded in her ears. Not from fear, but from something deeper—anger, grief, disbelief.
This wasn't just power. It was something twisting him from the inside out.
She studied him carefully, searching for a sign, a crack in his cold facade. And then she saw it, hesitation.
He hadn't attacked yet.
"You're using a forbidden technique, aren't you?" she asked, voice low.
His jaw clenched.
"It doesn't matter."
"It does." She took a step closer. "You were always careful with your cultivation. You valued balance, precision. But this—" she gestured at the unnatural glow around him "this is reckless. Dangerous."
He flinched. Just barely, but she saw it.
For the briefest moment, the old Qin Ziyan flickered through the cracks. But then, as if remembering something, his expression hardened again.
"I have a purpose now, Xiao Lian. A power greater than anything I could have dreamed of."
"A power that isn't yours," she countered. "It belongs to your master, doesn't it?"
Silence.
And in that silence, she had her answer.
She took another step forward. He didn't move.
"You can still fight it."
He laughed then, a hollow, empty sound.
"You think I have a choice?"
Xiao Lian clenched her fists. She understood what he meant. This wasn't power he had taken, it was power that had taken him.
"Then resist it."
His hand twitched.
His body knew the truth, even if his mind refused to accept it.
But then...something shifted.
An unseen force seemed to tighten its grip on him. His aura darkened, and the hesitation vanished.
"Leave, Xiao Lian."
His voice was quieter now. But it was a command, not a plea.
"I won't warn you again."
Xiao Lian exhaled slowly, lifting her sword, her resolve solidifying.
"No."
A flicker of something flashed in his eyes, pain? Regret?
And then, he moved.
It was fast. Too fast.
Xiao Lian barely had time to react before he was in front of her, his palm surging with celestial energy. She twisted, dodging at the last moment, but the force of his attack sent shockwaves through the ground.
The sheer pressure nearly knocked her off her feet.
"You're holding back," she realized aloud.
He should have been faster. Stronger. He could have ended this instantly. But he didn't.
Qin Ziyan didn't respond, but his grip on his sword tightened.
"If you're going to kill me," she pressed, "then why hesitate?"
He stilled.
And in that stillness, she saw it again.
Conflict.
It was brief, barely a heartbeat but it was there.
And it was all she needed.
Xiao Lian lunged, closing the distance between them. Their swords clashed, sparks flying in the air. She met his strikes with equal force, pushing him back step by step.
"You don't want this," she said between strikes. "Whatever that master of yours promised you...it's not worth it."
Qin Ziyan's attacks became sharper, more erratic. He was trying to silence her, to drown out the voice in his head that told him she was right.
But the more he fought, the more his movements wavered.
"Shut up," he growled, his strikes becoming reckless.
"Then prove it," she challenged. "Kill me."
He froze.
And in that instant, she saw her chance.
Xiao Lian twisted, knocking his sword from his grasp. Before he could recover, she pressed her blade to his throat.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Their breaths were heavy, the only sound between them.
Then, his shoulders sagged.
For the first time since she had seen him, he looked tired.
"Xiao Lian…" His voice was barely a whisper.
She loosened her grip.
"Come back," she murmured. "It's not too late."
His lips parted. For a second, she thought he might say yes.
Then, the runes on his skin flared.
A violent surge of energy exploded from him, forcing her to stumble back.
When she looked up, his expression had changed.
The conflict was gone.
The hesitation was gone.
All that was left was the cold, detached gaze of someone who no longer belonged to himself.
"I warned you."
And with that, he vanished.