The forest was alive with sound—branches creaked in the wind, birds chirped warnings to one another, and in the distance, the faint rustle of the mercenaries’ search parties grew louder. Xu Tian moved like a shadow among the trees, his steps silent, his body low. The star’s whispers had gone quiet, but their presence lingered in the back of his mind, a dark pressure that refused to leave him.

  He stopped near a shallow stream, crouching beside the water. His reflection stared back at him, unfamiliar and unsettling. His once-lean face looked sharper now, his cheekbones more prominent, and his eyes...

  He blinked, leaning closer. The whites of his eyes were laced with faint, black veins that pulsed faintly when he moved.

  “What are you turning me into?” he muttered, his voice low.

  The water offered no answer.

  The stream’s quiet gurgling was suddenly broken by the sound of voices—two, this time, speaking in hushed tones. Xu Tian froze, his eyes narrowing. He slipped into the underbrush, his body melting into the shadows, and waited.

  The voices grew louder until their owners came into view. The first was a man, tall and broad-shouldered, carrying a sword across his back. He wore the simple robes of a wandering cultivator, though his posture betrayed an air of inexperience. The second was a woman, her robes pristine white and embroidered with the symbol of a lotus in bloom.

  A healer.

  Xu Tian’s breath hitched as he recognized the emblem. The Lotus Blossom Pavilion, one of the sects known for their mastery of healing arts and their rigid moral code. They rarely left their mountain sanctuary, which meant this woman had to be on an important mission.

  The man grumbled, his voice carrying over the sound of the stream. “I told you, we shouldn’t have come this way. These woods aren’t safe.”

  “And yet here we are,” the woman replied, her tone calm but firm. “If you’re that worried, you’re welcome to return to the pavilion and tell the elders you abandoned me.”

  The man scowled but said nothing.

  Xu Tian watched them carefully, his mind racing. He could take them, he thought. The man looked strong but inexperienced, and the woman, though likely powerful in her own way, wouldn’t be prepared for the kind of power Xu Tian wielded.

  The star’s whispers stirred. “Take them. Their strength is yours for the taking.”

  Xu Tian shook his head. No. He wasn’t about to start slaughtering innocent people. The mercenaries were one thing—they had been hunting him. But these two weren’t a threat.

  Not yet.

  He moved to slip away, but his foot snagged on a root, and a branch cracked beneath him.

  The woman’s head snapped toward the sound. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the underbrush. “Who’s there?”

  Xu Tian cursed under his breath. He was still cloaked in shadows, but they weren’t perfect. The woman’s gaze lingered on the spot where he hid, her expression wary.

  “I don’t want trouble,” she called out, taking a step forward. “If you’re hurt, I can help you. There’s no need to hide.”

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  Xu Tian hesitated. He could feel the star stirring within him, urging him to act. The shadows at his feet began to shift, curling outward as if preparing to strike.

  “Stay back,” he said finally, his voice low and sharp.

  The woman stopped, her hands raised in a placating gesture. “I’m a healer,” she said. “That’s all. If you’re injured, let me help you.”

  “Help me?” Xu Tian let out a bitter laugh. “You’re from the Lotus Blossom Pavilion, aren’t you? Your kind doesn’t help people like me.”

  The woman frowned, lowering her hands slightly. “People like you?”

  “Broken. Crippled. Worthless,” Xu Tian spat. “You heal the strong. The ones worth saving. Not the ones who’ve been thrown away.”

  The man behind her shifted uneasily. “Yan Mei, we should leave. Whoever he is, he’s dangerous.”

  Yan Mei held up a hand, silencing him. Her gaze never left Xu Tian, her expression unreadable.

  “You’re not broken,” she said finally.

  Xu Tian’s breath caught. For a moment, the star’s whispers fell silent, drowned out by the weight of her words.

  The encounter ended without bloodshed. Yan Mei, against her companion’s protests, insisted on helping Xu Tian treat the wounds he hadn’t even realized he had—scrapes, bruises, and burns from his time in the ruins.

  They sat by the stream, the tension between them palpable. Xu Tian watched her warily as she worked, her hands glowing faintly with golden light as she channeled her healing energy. The star within him recoiled at her touch, and he had to fight to keep it from lashing out.

  “You’re reckless,” Yan Mei said as she bandaged a cut on his arm.

  Xu Tian snorted. “Says the healer wandering into dangerous territory with no protection.”

  “I can handle myself,” she replied, her tone clipped.

  Xu Tian glanced at her companion, who stood a short distance away, keeping a wary eye on the forest. “And him? What’s his story?”

  “Disciple-in-training,” Yan Mei said with a faint smile. “He’s supposed to be protecting me, but I think I’ve done more protecting than he has.”

  The man bristled, but didn’t respond.

  Their uneasy truce was cut short by the sound of shouts in the distance. Xu Tian’s head snapped up, his senses on high alert.

  “Mercenaries,” he said, his voice low.

  Yan Mei frowned. “They’re hunting you?”

  Xu Tian didn’t answer. He was already on his feet, his body tense. “You should leave,” he said. “They’re after me, not you.”

  Yan Mei hesitated, but before she could respond, the mercenaries emerged from the trees. There were five of them this time, their weapons drawn and their eyes scanning the area.

  “There he is!” one of them shouted, pointing at Xu Tian.

  Xu Tian’s heart raced as the shadows at his feet began to stir. He turned to Yan Mei, his expression grim. “Get out of here.”

  But she didn’t move. Instead, she stepped forward, placing herself between Xu Tian and the mercenaries.

  “What are you doing?” Xu Tian hissed.

  “I’m not leaving you to die,” Yan Mei said firmly.

  The star’s whispers surged, urging him to attack, to unleash the full extent of his power. But as he watched Yan Mei stand her ground, a faint flicker of doubt crept into his mind.

  For the first time in a long time, someone was standing beside him.

  The mercenaries attacked without hesitation, and the forest erupted into chaos. Xu Tian moved like a shadow, his newfound powers weaving through the fray with deadly precision. Tendrils of darkness lashed out, disarming one mercenary and slamming another into a tree with bone-shattering force.

  Yan Mei fought alongside him, her healing light turning into shields that deflected blades and arrows. Her companion, though inexperienced, managed to hold his own, his sword strikes clumsy but effective.

  The star’s power surged within Xu Tian, intoxicating and terrible. He could feel it taking over, driving him to fight harder, faster, more brutally.

  By the time the last mercenary fell, Xu Tian was barely standing. The shadows around him pulsed erratically, their movements wild and uncontrolled. He felt the star’s hunger growing stronger, urging him to take more, to consume the lives of the fallen.

  But then he heard Yan Mei’s voice.

  “Xu Tian,” she said softly, her hand on his shoulder. “Stop.”

  The shadows receded, and the star’s whispers fell silent.

  Xu Tian collapsed to his knees, his chest heaving.

  As the forest fell silent once more, Yan Mei knelt beside Xu Tian, her expression unreadable.

  “You’re dangerous,” she said quietly. “But you’re not beyond saving.”

  Xu Tian let out a bitter laugh. “And what makes you think I want to be saved?”

  Yan Mei didn’t answer. Instead, she stood, her gaze fixed on the horizon.

  “Come with us,” she said finally. “If the mercenaries know about you, others will, too. You won’t survive on your own.”

  Xu Tian hesitated, the star’s whispers stirring once more. Trusting her was a risk. But staying alone? That might be worse.

  After a long moment, he nodded.