DEMON SOVEREIGN'S REIGN

Beneath the endless twilight of the Sea of Falling Stars, Liu Shen soared above crashing waves and silver mist, his figure like a shadow cutting across moonlight.

This sea was unlike any other—its waters shimmered with starlight, whispering names of forgotten cultivators and long-lost sects. Beneath its surface lay secrets entombed by the heavens themselves.

And among them… the Second Shadow.

> "If the beacon reached her," Liu Shen muttered, "then she will be waiting."

He descended upon a lone island, blackened by time and scorched by spiritual decay. At its center stood the ruins of an old temple, its doors cracked open by the sea wind.

A voice echoed from within.

> "Demon Sovereign… or should I say, Liu Shen. You took your time."

---

Second Shadow: Ji Suyin

From the darkness emerged a woman clad in ocean-blue robes embroidered with constellations. Her silver hair flowed behind her, and her eyes shimmered like twin galaxies.

Ji Suyin, Second Shadow—once feared as the Sea Oracle of the Abyssal Court.

> "You haven't changed," Liu Shen said, stepping into the crumbling hall.

> "And you've changed too much," she replied, her tone unreadable. "The Liu Shen I knew wouldn't beg for help."

He smirked. "Good thing I'm not here to beg."

Suyin studied him. "Then what do you want?"

> "The Nine Shadows must reunite. You've felt the stirrings. The Heavens are moving. If we don't act, they'll chain fate again."

A pause.

Then she turned, walking deeper into the temple.

> "Follow me. If you want my allegiance, you'll have to prove your truth. The sea remembers what the mind forgets."

---

Trial of the Tide Pool

Within the temple lay a sunken chamber, filled with water glowing with faint, blue light.

> "This is the Pool of Remembrance," Suyin said. "Step in, and the sea will judge your intent. Lie… and it will drown your soul."

Liu Shen didn't hesitate. He waded in.

The water felt like ice and fire—memories clawed at him, dragging him into visions of his past life.

He saw the moment of betrayal—blades piercing his heart, shadows watching in silence.

But then, he saw Suyin, long ago, standing at his side, wounded and weeping… defying the heavens even as they struck her down.

He gritted his teeth.

> "I remember who stood with me. And who turned away."

When he opened his eyes, the water had calmed. A figure formed beside him—a shade of Suyin's past self, kneeling in loyalty.

Outside the pool, Ji Suyin stared, the hardness in her gaze melting.

> "The sea accepts you," she whispered. "So do I."

---

The Lost Armory

With her allegiance renewed, Suyin led Liu Shen deeper beneath the temple.

They arrived at a submerged sanctum: the Abyssal Armory, sealed since the days of the Abyssal Court.

Within it floated ancient relics: spears that could pierce stars, armor forged from starlight, and a mirror said to reflect a person's truest fate.

Suyin placed a hand on the mirror.

> "This is the Starveil Mirror. It shows what is bound to happen… unless the path is broken."

Liu Shen stepped before it. His reflection was different—it showed him seated on a throne of bones, the heavens in chains, but his eyes were empty, devoid of soul.

> "That's not victory," he muttered.

> "No," Suyin said. "It's what the Heavens want you to become. A tyrant in rebellion."

He turned away.

> "Then we change the ending."

---

Interruption from the Depths

As they gathered the relics, a tremor rippled through the sea floor.

A whirlpool tore open the waters outside the temple—and from it rose a monstrous, serpentine form. Divine chains wrapped around its massive body, etched with celestial runes.

> "The Heavens bound a guardian here?" Liu Shen growled.

> "That's no guardian," Suyin said. "That's a Fate-Eater."

The creature shrieked, its voice like a thousand screams layered in one. It lunged toward the temple, jaws agape.

Liu Shen extended his hand, conjuring a barrier of voidflame.

> "We can't let it escape. If it consumes fate, it'll rewrite this entire region's destiny."

Suyin nodded. "Then we fight."

She summoned waves laced with moonlight, weaving them into spears of liquid force. Liu Shen hurled chains of demonic will, anchoring the creature's limbs.

The Fate-Eater writhed and shattered the seabed, trying to retreat into the timestream—but Liu Shen appeared above it, arms raised.

> "Soulbrand: Void Collapse!"

A sphere of condensed space-time erupted around the creature's head. It screamed one final time before imploding, vanishing into dust and memory.

---

A Message from Beyond

As the sea calmed, a faint glow shimmered from the Fate-Eater's remains. A crystal floated toward Liu Shen—an echo memory.

When he touched it, an image played before his eyes:

> A young boy with demonic eyes, standing before an altar. Behind him… a smiling woman cloaked in starlight. Her voice whispered:

"He must never learn what lies beneath the Jade Veil. If he does… fate itself will bleed."

The image shattered.

> "That woman…" Liu Shen said slowly. "I know her."

> "So do I," Suyin said quietly. "She was the First Shadow. Your mother."

Liu Shen froze.

> "But she died before I was betrayed."

> "Or so we thought," Suyin murmured. "What lies beneath the Jade Veil may change everything."

---

A Gathering Storm

On a cliff overlooking the Sea of Falling Stars, Liu Shen, Ji Suyin, and a flock of ravens stood in silence.

One of the ravens landed on Liu Shen's arm and croaked once.

> "Wu Lian and Meixing are under attack," he translated. "The Crimson Dunes have become a battlefield."

Suyin's eyes narrowed. "Then we head east."

> "No," Liu Shen said. "You go. I need to go back to the Sect. There's something in the records—something about the Jade Veil."

He turned to her.

> "Find the Fourth Shadow. Her fate is tied to the sands."

Suyin nodded.

> "And you… find the truth your enemies fear."