Path of the Forgotten.

The wind was sharp when Lin Feng stepped out of the cavern. Not cold — but sharp, like it wanted to peel back the skin of the world and reveal what was underneath. Behind him, the cave sealed without sound. The symbols, the shard, the whispering voice — all vanished like mist at dawn. But something had followed him out.

Not a spirit.

Not a power.

A change.

He walked slower now — not out of fatigue, but because the ground felt too fragile. As if the world itself was thinner beneath his feet. He could almost feel the turning of the earth… like a beast breathing in its sleep and above him, the moon trembled.

---

Meanwhile – Inner Sect Pavilion

Lan Xueyin stood at the edge of a private cultivation field, eyes locked on a simple thread of ash drifting through the wind. Only she could see it — a sliver of burnt Qi that no longer obeyed natural order.

It had taken days to trace it back from the dueling platform, following the unseen scars left behind by Lin Feng's battle. But now… She narrowed her eyes > "That energy isn't demonic… or spiritual. It's absence."

She closed her hand around it. It didn't burn. It devoured warmth > "And it's growing louder." Just then, her shadow shifted. She turned instantly — but saw nothing. Still, her body tensed. That presence... it wasn't human.

> "He's not the only one awakening."

---

That Same Night....

Han Yu walked the stars.

Not literally — but through the ancient meditation technique of his lineage. Each step moved his consciousness across threads of starlight, seeking answers only the night could offer. But tonight… the sky gave nothing.

No revelations.

No glimpses.

No warnings.

Just static. > "They've severed his fate…" Han Yu murmured. "Or perhaps… he severed it."

Then — a shiver. Not fear. Something worse. Because he'd seen something like this once before — long ago — buried in the ruins of the Starseer Clan's forgotten temple.

A mural of a man with no face, surrounded by corpses of gods, tearing through realms with empty hands. And beneath that image, an inscription: > He who walks without thread shall break the heavens' loom.

> "It can't be him," Han Yu whispered. "He was erased…" But the stars did not lie.

> "Unless he was simply… forgotten."

---

Somewhere Else – A Place That Should Not Exist

A pool of black light stirred.

And a voice — older than kingdoms, cracked like ancient bone — rasped from within. > "He stirs…"

Chains trembled, wrapped around a giant form lost in darkness. > "The child walks again…"

Another voice answered. Feminine. Cruel. Amused. > "Should we kill him this time?"

The first voice growled. > "We tried. And failed. Again and again."

> "Then what—"

> "We wait."

> "Why?"

The voice crackled. > "Because last time… he remembered too late, this time… let us see if he remembers too soon."

---

Back to Lin Feng

He sat beneath a pine tree, watching the moon. He didn't know where he was going. Didn't know what had changed inside him. But something had. His heartbeat was slower. His breath deeper. His thoughts quieter. And yet…When he looked at the stars, he felt closer to them than to the dirt beneath him. Then — something shimmered in the distance. A faint ripple of spiritual energy.

A beast? No.

A person. Approaching quietly.

He stood up. Ready.

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