The pale glow beneath the frozen lake shimmered like the last breath of a dying moon.
Mo Lianyin and Qingxue stood at the shore, their reflections distorted by cracks in the ice.
The silence was oppressive, as though the cavern itself were holding its breath.
---
"Are you ready?" Qingxue asked quietly.
Lianyin's fingers flexed. "If I hesitate now, everything we've endured will be for nothing."
He stepped onto the lake again, this time without fear. The ice groaned under his boots, spiderweb fractures radiating from each step.
The silver glow pulsed in time with his heartbeat, drawing him deeper until he reached the exact center.
---
He knelt and pressed his palm to the ice.
It was warmer now, almost inviting.
His abyssal flame flared to life, melting a perfect circle in the frozen surface.
Beneath the thinning ice lay a silver lotus, its petals carved from light itself. In its center hovered a single drop of liquid moonlight, trembling as if afraid to fall.
---
The Fifth Forbidden Art – Veins of the Abyss.
Except… it was incomplete. The energy radiating from it was fractured, its essence unstable.
And then, a voice—a woman's voice—slid into his mind.
Child of shadow, what will you give to complete me?
Lianyin's breath caught. "What do you mean?"
Power cannot be born without balance. To gain me whole, you must surrender something equal in worth.
---
Qingxue's voice echoed faintly from the shore. "Lianyin? What's happening?"
He didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on the moonlight drop.
"What do you want?" he asked the voice.
The answer came like the toll of a funeral bell:
Your memories. The ones that keep you human.
His stomach tightened. "Which ones?"
The faces you hold most dear. Your sister's smile. The sound of her laugh. The warmth of her hand. All of it.
---
The cavern seemed colder. The lotus shimmered, as if mocking his hesitation.
"Without those memories… she'll be gone forever," he whispered.
She is already gone, the voice replied gently. But I can give you the strength to make sure her fate is not repeated.
---
He closed his eyes. Flashes of Yueyin filled his mind—the way she braided her hair, the winter she carved him a wooden talisman for luck, the way she sang to drown out the sound of war outside their home.
If he gave them up… would he still be fighting for her? Or would he become just another weapon, hollow inside?
---
Qingxue's voice cut through his thoughts. "Lianyin! Don't do anything reckless! If the price is too high, walk away!"
He turned to her, and for the briefest moment, he wanted to obey. But then he remembered the enemies ahead, the impossible road still stretching before them.
If he didn't take this chance, they would both die before the end.
---
He looked back at the lotus. "Take them."
It will hurt, the voice warned.
"I've been hurting for years," he said. "Just do it."
---
The ice beneath him cracked violently. Silver light erupted upward, wrapping around him like molten chains. It pierced through his skin, flooding his veins with cold fire.
And then the memories began to burn away.
---
He saw Yueyin running toward him, smiling. He reached out, but her face blurred.
He heard her humming, but the notes scattered into silence.
Her voice called his name, fainter and fainter, until it was gone.
Something inside him tore loose, leaving a hollow ache that no blade could match.
---
When the light faded, the lotus was gone. In its place, a mark like silver veins glowed faintly along his arms, pulsing with new strength.
The Veins of the Abyss were complete.
He stood, breathing hard. His body felt lighter, sharper—like every motion could split mountains. But when he searched his heart for the warmth of his sister's memory… there was only emptiness.
---
Qingxue ran to him. "What happened? What did you give?"
He stared at her, his expression unreadable. "It doesn't matter. We have what we came for."
She studied him for a long moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You've changed," she said finally.
He didn't answer.
---
As they left the cavern, the ice behind them sealed over, hiding the place forever.
In the shadows above, something watched them go—a figure in white robes, silver hair falling over her shoulders.
She smiled faintly, and though her eyes were soft, they brimmed with sorrow.