The sun had not fully risen yet, but the horizon was already tinged with a faint orange hue—like the sky itself was preparing for something momentous.
Amid the stillness of dawn, Ray Yu stood with unwavering presence, his eyes fixed on a narrow dirt path leading up to a high plateau where an abandoned facility stood. Torn and faded, the A.C.E.S. insignia fluttered over its gate, barely clinging to the rusted metal.
They had left the campsite before dawn, and for the first time, not a single word had been spoken. Lin Xian walked with his thoughts consumed by shadows too heavy to voice, while Yue Mi held her sister's hand tightly, stealing glances at Ray Yu—trying, perhaps, to understand the living enigma before her.
When they reached the facility, the iron gate creaked open, swaying lazily in the wind as if inviting them inward.
Ray Yu strode ahead without looking back, his voice steady and solemn:
"This is one of the old transport stations. It still works—off the kingdoms' radar. A.C.E.S. used it before… before we fractured."
In the heart of the building, a massive vehicle shaped like a sleeping metallic ember floated gently above the ground, sustained by forgotten tech from the first post-meteoric age.
Ray Yu opened the hatch and gestured for them to board.
Moments later, as the vessel began to hum softly, he spoke again:
"Our destination… is the city of Long Qi."
He said it like one speaks a name out of myth.
Turning to face them, his tone softened, but carried deeper weight:
"According to old reports from A.C.E.S. units that were still intact before the schism, there is a specific location in the heart of the city—where a Dao remains unclaimed."
Lin Xian raised his brows in surprise, while Yue Mi asked gently:
"How can a Dao remain unclaimed? Doesn't every Dao manifest when someone calls to it?"
Ray Yu gave a faint smile, though it lacked warmth.
"There are Dao Gates… and then there is what lies beyond the gates."
He paused briefly, then gestured toward a glass panel at the front of the vessel. A glowing 3D map sprang to life, displaying vast, interwoven currents representing the flow of Dao across the continents of the new world.
He continued:
"Long Qi was once one of the great cities… but it fell into silence a year ago. Some say it was destroyed by a mysterious plague. But we know the truth—the Dao tried to awaken there… and found no one worthy."
Ray Yu closed his eyes, as if the words weighed more than the air itself.
"A sleeping Dao… waiting to be stirred."
He then looked at them, voice more grave than ever:
"But before we arrive, you must understand something important."
He tapped a console beside his seat. A new image appeared—massive gates of dark light, falling one by one like stars dying in sequence.
"Soon… the Path of Immortality will open. From it, will emerge those we call the Immortals… and also those we call the Demonic Ones. And when that happens, the world will change forever."
Yue Mi looked stunned, her younger sister gasping softly in confusion.
But Lin Xian… said nothing.
He was staring at the image of the gates as though he had seen them before. As if he knew them.
Ray Yu stepped closer, his eyes no longer entirely human, and said:
"Boy…"
"You don't need to suppress your Dao as if it were a curse."
Lin Xian froze.
Ray Yu continued, his voice like grinding stone:
"I know your Dao… the Dao of War."
"I know it because it is rare… because it is chaotic… and because those who wield it either die—or slaughter."
He leaned in, his words sharp as blades:
"But if you suppress it… it will kill you. Not from an enemy. From within."
"The Dao of War… is not something you tame. It is something you ride like a beast. And if you don't ride it—it will ride you."
A heavy silence followed.
Even the air inside the vessel seemed to change.
Ray Yu sat down quietly then, his tone returning to its somber rhythm:
"Once we reach Long Qi, we begin training. Not techniques—but survival."
"Training to open your hearts to the Dao."
"Only those who can contain the Dao… can walk the Path of Immortality."
In the back of the vessel, Yue Mi glanced at Lin Xian. The boy remained silent, but in his eyes… something had begun to stir.
Something ancient.
Something waking.