The wind at A.C.E.S. Outpost No. 104 was cold—not like the wind that brushes against the plains or howls through broken cities, but a gray wind, heavy with the scent of iron, ashes, and memory. It was the wind of the end of the world.
Yue Mi didn't move. She stood frozen, staring at the boy who had spoken those strange words to her:
"I've finally found you."
His voice was calm, emotionless, yet it pierced her like an arrow. His crimson eyes locked onto hers, searching as though looking for something long lost.
Seconds passed—or perhaps centuries—before a soldier intervened.
"You, the new awakened one!" the soldier barked, cautiously stepping forward with his hand gripping his weapon tightly. "You're not allowed near civilians without clearance!"
But the boy didn't even glance at him. He didn't move. It was as though the world around him didn't exist. Only his gaze remained—fixed on Yue Mi.
Then, slowly, as if the moment itself was too heavy to bear, the boy stood.
He was taller than she'd expected. Not bulky, but tightly built, like someone shaped for battle rather than life. His long coat was frayed at the edges, stained with dried blood—leftovers from distant fights. And the sword—that massive black blade made from some strange metal—looked as if it contained something unseen. Something that screamed.
He reached for the sword with his right hand, and unsheathed it slowly. The screech of metal against the scabbard summoned a tense silence in the camp. Everyone stepped back—even the soldier.
"I am..." he spoke softly, but the weight of mountains hung in his words. "I am Lin Xian."
The name echoed in Yue Mi's mind like a ghost from forgotten tales.
Lin Xian.
She had never heard of him before... and yet the name felt familiar. As if she had dreamt it in another life, or had it etched into her heart in some distant world.
Then he added, not with hope, but with certainty:
"I've been searching for you. You... are one of those who carry the Crimson Pulse."
Crimson Pulse?
Before she could ask, the air around Lin Xian began to shift.
The ground beneath him cracked with fine lines, and the dust particles started to dance—as if commanded by an invisible force. The soldiers' eyes widened. Some raised their weapons, but Old Han—who had just arrived—raised a hand and said calmly:
"Stop... do not attack him. This boy... his energy is not demonic."
"But he's awakened!" one of the guards protested.
Old Han nodded gravely.
"More than that. This is no ordinary awakened one. He is among those... who have opened the First Gate on the Path of the Dao."
Silence.
Those who had... were no longer entirely human.
Yue Mi kept staring at him.
Her heart thumped—not with fear, but with something strange.
Something deeper. A warmth began to grow in her chest, a slow pulse echoing from her heart, as if answering a call she couldn't yet understand.
Lin Xian stepped closer.
"You… witnessed the falling stars, didn't you? You saw the moon when it changed color? And you were there… when you heard it call."
She stepped back slightly, whispering, "Who? Who called?"
But before he could answer, the camp's alarm blared.
Woooo! Woooo!
A sharp, cutting sound—used only for one reason: the approach of a demonic threat.
"The wolves..." someone murmured.
But Lin Xian didn't move. Instead, he lifted his sword and drove it into the ground. Then he said in a quiet voice:
"They followed me... as always."
Old Han looked at him, eyes narrowing. "Did you bring a pack of demonic wolves to our gates?"
The boy nodded.
"I came to warn you… What follows me is no ordinary pack. It is… one of them."
"One of who?" asked a soldier, his voice tight with fear.
Lin Xian replied with no trace of hope:
"The Tainted Ones."