Blood trickled from Ye Lin's nose, mixing with the red fluid inside the womb of the world. The bone knife in her hand pulsed in rhythm with the heartbeat of the small shadow pressed against her chest. Outside, the sound of explosions drew nearer. The Poison Leaf Sect was trying to carve into the world's flesh with blades of energy.
"You don't have much time," her sister hissed, the black umbilical cord trembling like a harp string pulled too tight."They'll destroy everything."
In the outer world
Ye Lin's physical body suddenly erupted into a thousand blood-red roots, piercing the walls and ceilings of the Sect's temple. The roots
Wrapped around cultivators, draining their energy
Formed a living bridge into the world-womb
Etched ancient symbols into the ground, a plea for help in the language of the First Guardians
Inside the womb
The small shadow crawled up toward Ye Lin's ear."Listen... the knife isn't meant to cut the cord..."
Her sister screamed in sudden pain. The black umbilical cord began to give birth to something new. An eighth god-child was emerging, this one with Ye Lin's perfect face.
"He lied to you!" the butterfly tattoo screamed."That wasn't a choice. It was a test."
Ye Lin looked closer
The bone knife was carved with microscopic script. It readTo cut lies, not fate
The black cord was not connected to her sister's body aloneIt was linked to the seven altars beneath the Sect
And the eighth infant was not a god-child at allIt was a perfect clone of herselfA vessel for her sister to inhabit
A final memory of their mother returned
"Lin'er... you must cut her words, not her cord..."
With one swift motion, Ye Lin turned the bone knifeNot toward the umbilical cordBut toward her sister's mouthJust as the spell was forming
Dimensional rupture
Everything twisted and spun
Ye Lin saw
Her sister split in twoThe wooden half shatteredThe human half collapsed
The seven god-infants screamedThen crumbled into golden seeds
Her broken inner world suddenly glowed
When her awareness returned, Ye Lin was lying in a field of golden corn.Above her, the sky was clear blue.Beside her, her sister's human form lay peacefullyGrown, unmarked, breathing slowly
"Congratulations," whispered the butterflyNow fully whole as a tattoo once more"You've killed the false god."
But far away, at the edge of the fieldA man stood
His golden mask was gone
Revealing Ye Lin's faceOlder. Weathered. Calm.
"The second phase begins," he saidThen vanished into dust
The golden seeds on the ground began to sprout