Night in the Heavenly Blade Sect was usually peaceful—soft winds brushing through pine forests, faint lanterns illuminating quiet pathways, the sky stretching endlessly above in a serene tapestry of stars. But on this particular night, something felt different. There was a tension in the air, a subtle hum that only the attuned could sense. Deep within the heart of the sect, inside the Astral Oracle Hall, seven elders who rarely gathered at the same time found themselves assembled under an urgent, unspoken call.
The hall was vast, with a celestial dome etched with ancient constellations, glowing faintly in the dim light. In the center lay the Astral Mirror—an ancient circular pool of liquid starlight that reflected not the faces of those around it, but the true energy of the heavens above. It rippled gently, though no wind existed indoors. At the very edge of the platform, Elder Tian Guanshi, the oldest and most revered among them, narrowed his eyes at the shimmering surface.
"Did you all feel it?" he finally spoke, his voice low, steady, and heavy as if weighed down by countless years.
Six other elders stood around him, each wearing expressions far from calm. Elder Hai Rong, strict and sharp-eyed, crossed his arms. "A surge that powerful… it didn't originate from outside the sect. The pulse was too close."
Elder Yun Meilan, the youngest among the seven and known for her intuition, frowned deeply. "Close? Elder Hai, it felt as if it burst right beneath our feet."
Elder Bai Qingshan tapped his staff lightly. "Impossible. No disciple possesses such a magnitude of celestial resonance. Not even our top cultivators." His tone was calm, yet the fingers gripping the staff were tense.
Elder Jinhai, often silent and enigmatic, finally spoke, "Perhaps it is not a disciple."
A chill settled among them.
The Astral Mirror flared suddenly, sending gentle ripples of silver light like startled water. Elder Tian raised a hand, and the mirror's glow steadied. Images formed in the surface—constellations twisting, lines connecting, twin spirals of luminescent energy swirling together in patterns unseen for centuries.
Yun Meilan gasped quietly. "The Twin Star Convergence…?"
"No," Elder Tian replied, his voice dropping to a grave whisper. "A phantom echo of it. As though something awakened that remembers that alignment."
A heavy silence followed. The seven elders exchanged looks—not of fear, but of ancient dread mixed with awe.
Hai Rong exhaled slowly. "This hasn't appeared since—"
"Do not speak that name lightly." Elder Tian's voice cut through the hall with the weight of authority. "Speculation will only cloud our judgment."
Elder Bai Qingshan stroked his long beard. "But Elder Tian… if a force connected to the Twin Stars truly awakened within our grounds… then we must consider the possibility that—"
"That the heavens themselves are moving," Jinhai finished quietly.
They all remained silent again, listening to the low hum of the Astral Mirror. Outside, the wind picked up, as if the world reacted to their suspicions.
"But where exactly is this force?" Yun Meilan asked, stepping closer to the glowing pool. "The Mirror is showing celestial disturbance, but no direction."
Tian Guanshi traced his hand above the mirror. The constellations trembled before the vision flickered—pine trees, an ancient cavern, faint glowing fragments, and then… darkness.
"No clarity," Tian murmured. "Something is shielding its presence."
"Something, or someone?" Hai Rong countered.
Elder Qingshan glanced between them. "A hidden expert? Or an artifact unsealed?"
"It didn't feel like an artifact," Yun said softly. "It felt… alive."
Her words made the elders fall completely silent.
Elder Tian finally spoke again. "We must exercise caution. Do not alert the sect. Do not investigate publicly. Whatever has awakened is powerful enough to mimic celestial alignment. If it feels threatened, it may vanish—or worse, retaliate."
The elders nodded in agreement. A quiet, heavy decision hung in the air.
"We will observe," Elder Tian concluded. "And when the force reveals itself fully, the heavens will guide us."
Little did they know… the heavens had already chosen.
Morning sunlight washed over the sect as though nothing unusual had happened. Birds chirped, disciples hurried to their practice fields, and the atmosphere brimmed with innocent routines. But deep beneath those smiles, small whispers had begun spreading.
Some disciples had felt the tremor last night. Others had woken to a faint pressure, as if the air had briefly thickened. The younger ones brushed it off as an illusion, but senior disciples exchanged uneasy looks.
Zeref Ying, however, woke up with a strange sense of peace.
He sat up slowly, feeling a warmth lingering faintly in his veins. It pulsed softly, like a heartbeat in harmony with the world. He touched his chest subconsciously—the place where the mark of Aetherion had glowed the night before.
Aetherion…
The ancient power that chose him.
But he didn't understand it. Not yet.
His mind replayed Miss Lin's explanation from the cave—about the cosmic essence, about cultivation of worlds, about his birth under the twin stars. Even now, it felt unreal.
He stepped out into the courtyard, breathing the cool morning air. The mountains rose in the distance like silent guardians, mist curling gently around their peaks. Everything looked normal.
But he felt different.
His senses were sharper, the world clearer, the colors more vivid. Even the rustling of leaves in the distance carried distinct tones he had never noticed before. It was as if the world had always been painted, but someone had finally increased its brightness.
Zeref inhaled slowly.
He needed to stay calm.
He needed to stay hidden.
Just as Miss Lin had told him.
As he walked toward the training grounds, he spotted Chen Ruo and Lin Yuexin waving at him excitedly.
"Zeref!" Chen Ruo shouted, jogging over with his usual bright smile. "You disappeared last night after the ceremony! Where did you go?"
Lin Yuexin nodded, slightly worried. "We couldn't find you anywhere."
Panic flashed in Zeref's eyes, but he quickly masked it with a casual grin. "Ah… I was just overwhelmed by everything and went for a walk. I guess I wandered too far."
Chen Ruo laughed. "Classic Zeref. You vanish as easily as smoke."
Yuexin narrowed her eyes. "Next time you disappear, at least leave a note!"
Zeref couldn't help but smile. Their presence grounded him.
But as they walked together toward the main courtyard, Zeref felt a strange sensation—a faint prickle on the back of his neck, as if someone was observing him from afar.
He turned subtly.
And there, upon the distant balcony of the high pavilion, seven robed figures stood in a perfect line—the Seven Elders, their gazes sweeping over the sect like predatory eagles.
Zeref paused, almost instinctively.
Their eyes…
Their aura…
It felt ancient, powerful, and searching.
Chen Ruo followed his gaze. "Whoa, even the Seven Elders are out today? Must be something important."
Yuexin whispered, "I heard they rarely gather like that. Maybe it's related to last night?"
Zeref forced a laugh. "Probably just a routine meeting."
But his heart beat faster.
The elders weren't looking at him specifically…
But the searching intensity in their aura made him feel as though they were trying to sense something.
Something hidden.
Something powerful.
Something… inside him.
He looked away quickly, trying to appear relaxed.
Yet the moment remained etched in his mind.
Inside the high pavilion, Elder Yun Meilan, with her gentle yet sharp perception, paused as she swept her gaze across the disciples.
"Elder Tian… I sense faint irregularities," she murmured. "Not strong enough to identify… but something subtle. Almost like lingering starlight."
Hai Rong snorted. "Starlight doesn't linger in humans, Elder Yun."
But Yun Meilan didn't reply to him. Her eyes had momentarily stopped on a black-haired young boy walking with two companions—Zeref Ying. But she said nothing. Her intuition tugged faintly at her, but the anomaly wasn't strong enough to be conclusive.
Tian Guanshi placed his hands behind his back. "Observe only. Do not draw conclusions without proof."
The elders dispersed silently.
Zeref spent the morning training lightly with Chen Ruo and Yuexin. He tried to stay focused, to blend in, to act normal. But every time his spiritual energy pulsed, he felt that same faint warmth from last night, as if Aetherion's power had not fully receded.
At one point, when he concentrated too hard, a spark of silver light flickered across his fingertips. He quickly clenched his fists, hoping no one saw.
But one pair of eyes did.
From the shade of a nearby tree, Miss Lin Zhiyao watched him quietly, her expression unreadable.
She saw everything.
Every flicker.
Every pulse.
She knew how dangerous it was for him… and for the world.
"He must learn to control it soon," she whispered to herself. "Before someone else notices."
As the sun descended, painting the sky in hues of amber and violet, Zeref went to rest under a willow tree near the lake. The gentle water reflected the heavens as ripples broke the surface.
He leaned back, exhaling softly. "When the stars whispered…" he murmured unconsciously.
He didn't know why those words came to him—perhaps a fragment of instinct, perhaps the echo of Aetherion itself.
Little did he know…
Above him, the stars were whispering.
And far away, in the sealed celestial realms unseen by mortal eyes, something stirred—responding faintly to the awakening of its heir.
Something ancient.
Something watching.
And it would not remain silent for long.
---
To be continued...