The forest trembled beneath Fan Zhi's silent step.
Two years had passed since the mission that changed everything. The crimson seal on his chest no longer burned—it slept, just as his emotions did. No sorrow, no guilt, no rage. Only silence. And silence… was comforting.
Tonight, the moon hung low, blood-red. A signal. He had arrived at the Edge Valley—a forbidden place spoken of only in cautious whispers. Legends said it was where the strongest beings once fought, where even time bent unnaturally. But Fan Zhi did not come for legends. He came for one name, whispered into his mind like an echo—"Severance."
The shadow he chased was not an enemy, but a clue—someone who might know the truth behind the dimension that swallowed him. Someone who might explain why he survived when his team did not.
Fan Zhi stepped through a veil of spiritual mist. Immediately, he felt something shift.
"Another one dares to trespass," a voice thundered.
He did not flinch.
A cloaked figure emerged, its face concealed, radiating strength that pressed down on the earth. "You carry the mark… of the Ten Thousand Seal. You shouldn't exist."
Fan Zhi said nothing. He didn't need to explain himself to anyone. His blade—still unsharpened since that cursed mission—remained sheathed. But his eyes locked onto the being.
"You seek the truth?" the figure asked, surprised at his composure.
Fan Zhi gave a single nod.
The air trembled. "Then face the memory you buried."
Before he could react, the mist coiled around him, and the world twisted.
[Flashback – The Moment He Was Sealed]
It wasn't the mission that broke him—it was the after. The moment his power flared beyond control, the skies cracked, and mountains bent in fear. His comrades—his only companions—fell. And Fan Zhi?
He didn't fight the sealing.
He knelt.
Bleeding, trembling, but alive.
"I don't want to live like this," he whispered. "If I can't protect… then seal me."
And they came. One by one. Thousands of the Supreme Beings. Those who once called him a rising star now stared in awe and terror.
And yet, even among them all, none could kill him.
So they sealed him.
To the rank of 'Ordinary'. The lowest. A mockery. A prison.
But still… he lived.
---
The mist receded, and Fan Zhi gasped.
But only for a moment. Emotionless once more.
"You endured," the cloaked being murmured. "You may proceed."
Fan Zhi stepped forward, deeper into the Valley.
But unknown to him, another presence had entered the Valley. One with silvery eyes, determined steps, and a heart that refused to give up.
Ming Yue.
She had finally found a trace—one she could not ignore.
Her journey had led her through forgotten realms, deceptive illusions, and battles not even the strongest dared to face. But the memory of a boy who once hugged her with warmth in chaos… remained.
She would find him—even if he no longer remembered warmth.
Even if he no longer remembered her.