dark descendent lurking fate

1. The Girl and the Fox

At the edge of the shattered crater, Qi Rong sat silently on a boulder, nervously chewing the corner of her sleeve.

Beside her, a tiny silver-furred fox—her contracted spirit beast—let out a soft warning growl.

> "I know… I know we shouldn't be here," she whispered to the fox, stroking its head. "But something's alive down there. I felt the heartbeat."

The earth had been scorched into a basin of cracked stone and blackened wood, and at its very center…

A figure lay still.

Unmoving.

Dressed in dark sect robes, torn and burned. His face calm.

But around him, the air shimmered—like something ancient still lingered.

She had been staring for almost an hour.

> "What do I even do?" she muttered, glancing at the sleeping boy. "Take him to the city? Run away? Wake him?"

The fox gave a quiet yip.

And then…

He moved.

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2. A Stir in the Silence

Ash's fingers twitched.

Qi Rong froze.

He groaned quietly, as if waking from a nightmare, and slowly… ever so slowly, opened his eyes.

Two deep, focused eyes—like black lakes disturbed by hidden storms.

He sat up, slowly and groggily, glancing around at the ruined crater and the unfamiliar forest.

> "Where…?" he murmured. "This isn't… the sect… Elder Huo…?"

He looked down at his hands, still trembling faintly.

Flashes of thrones, of beasts, of that moment when everything collapsed…

He remembered the storm, the green dragon, the altar's fall.

And now?

Now there was nothing familiar around him.

His instincts screamed this wasn't the same world.

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3. A Cautious Encounter

Qi Rong took a hesitant step forward.

The fox growled again, but not aggressively—more in awe.

Ash's head snapped toward her.

Their eyes locked.

She froze.

He stared at her—half alert, half exhausted.

Qi Rong immediately raised both her hands.

> "I-I'm not an enemy! I was just… nearby when the crater appeared. I didn't do anything!"

Ash tilted his head slightly, his aura unreadable.

He could sense no threat in her.

Only curiosity. And… fear.

His gaze moved to the fox.

A Tier 1 spiritual fox, nothing dangerous.

But her spiritual root glowed faintly—she was no commoner either.

> "What realm is this?" he finally asked, voice low and cold.

Qi Rong blinked.

> "Wh-what realm? Uh… this is the Lianhua Mortal Realm. Eastern territory. You're not from here… are you?"

Ash didn't answer. But his expression said everything.

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4. The New World

He stood—his legs still weak from the burden of his new spirits.

He had to seal them, now. Bury the surge deep within his spiritual sea before their power flared uncontrolled.

Behind him, the crater still smoldered.

Qi Rong swallowed hard.

> "You fell from the sky like a meteor," she said quietly. "I think… you were inside the storm."

Ash didn't respond, but he closed his eyes for a moment and took a long, deep breath.

> "Shen Mu…? Vulcan…?"

No response.

They were sealed deep, likely conserving energy.

He turned to the girl and gave her a small nod.

> "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

> "N-no! Just me and my fox, I swear!"

> "Good."

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5. A Name Unspoken

She hesitated, then extended a hand nervously.

> "I'm Qi Rong. I'm just a wandering tamer."

Ash looked at her hand, then at her eyes.

> "...Ash."

He didn't offer a sect name.

Didn't give a surname.

Just Ash.

And something in Qi Rong's gut told her—this boy was not just some young cultivator.

He was something far beyond her understanding.

> "Do you… need help getting to a town?" she asked.

Ash turned and looked at the forest.

> "Just point me toward the nearest sect."

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