The twin stars that hung in the heavens did not fade with dawn.
For three days and nights, they remained—watching, unblinking, unyielding. The cultivators of every nation fell into chaos, temples overflowed with prayers, and scholars whispered of the prophecy written by Wang Lin himself before he vanished:
> "When heaven grows two eyes, truth will no longer see."
---
Lotus Pavilion — Silent Hall
Rui Shen knelt before the statue of Wang Lin once more.
The air was cold, heavy, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
His body still ached from his battle with Echo, the Voice of the Unborn Sky.
He whispered, "You saw this coming, didn't you?"
The statue said nothing, but a faint white lotus bloomed at its base. Its petals shimmered with a light that pulsed in rhythm with Rui's heart.
Suddenly, a low hum filled the hall.
From the lotus, a wisp of white qi floated upward and condensed into a faint figure—barely human, more memory than spirit.
It was Wang Lin.
> "Child," the echo said softly. "You've awakened the first part of the Cycle. But now… the Second Eye opens."
Rui bowed deeply. "Master Wang Lin—what is the Second Eye?"
> "It is not a being, nor a god. It is the awareness of the Void itself. When the first heaven fell, its fragments birthed a consciousness—an endless hunger that seeks to reclaim balance through annihilation."
Rui clenched his fists. "Then I'll destroy it."
Wang Lin's ghost smiled faintly. "That's what I said, long ago. But the Void doesn't fight—it balances. If you destroy it, another will rise. You must understand before you act."
The spirit's form flickered, fading.
> "Go to the Astral Divide. There, you will find the Eye's root—and your own reflection."
Then the vision vanished, leaving Rui alone in silence.
---
Astral Divide — The Edge of Worlds
A month later, Rui stood before a rift that split the heavens like a scar. The Astral Divide—a place where time, qi, and reality intertwined. No mortal had entered it for a thousand years.
His spiritual sense quivered. Beyond the rift, he could feel both peace and terror—like the beating of a heart too large for the world.
Taking a deep breath, Rui stepped through.
Instantly, the world around him dissolved into streams of starlight. The ground beneath his feet became translucent, each step rippling through layers of existence.
> "You've come…"
A voice echoed—not one, but countless voices layered atop each other.
Before him appeared a vast figure made of cosmic dust—an eye that stretched from horizon to horizon.
> "I am the Second Eye," it said. "The balance between creation and ruin. You carry the mark of the Thief. Why do you trespass?"
Rui raised his head, unflinching. "Because the heavens are unbalanced again. Because mortals still suffer beneath gods they never chose."
> "Mortals… are dust," the Eye replied. "Their pain feeds eternity. You wish to steal what cannot be owned."
Rui closed his eyes. "Then I'll steal it anyway."
The Eye trembled. A thousand beams of light shot from its form, striking Rui's soul directly. His mark flared, releasing a tidal wave of black and white qi that tore through the void.
For a moment—he saw visions.
Wang Lin's battles.
Mo Xie's birth.
The fall of the first heaven.
The creation of the Abduction Path itself.
And through it all—one truth.
> The path of theft was never to steal power… but to steal fate itself.
---
Rui opened his eyes.
The Eye loomed closer, its power bearing down on him—but his heart no longer wavered.
> "I am not Wang Lin," Rui said, voice calm. "But I carry his will. You can watch, you can balance—but I will walk where heaven fears to tread."
The mark on his chest exploded in light, forming a perfect yin-yang lotus that consumed half the void.
The Eye screamed—not in pain, but in recognition.
> "So be it. Let the Second Era begin."
---
The Mortal Realm
The twin stars shattered.
From their remains, silver rain fell across the world—each droplet carrying traces of celestial qi. Cultivators everywhere broke through realms they'd never reached before. Chaos returned, but so did possibility.
And far above the mortal sky, the Astral Divide rippled.
Rui Shen stepped out, his hair streaked with silver, his eyes now mismatched—one black, one white.
> "Balance," he whispered. "No longer borrowed… but mine."
---