(Third-Person, alternating Yu and Lian focus)
The forest breathed with tension that afternoon.
Not the peaceful hush of dawn, nor the soft hum of evening — this silence was coiled, waiting, like the pause before a storm.
Liang Yu wiped a streak of sweat from his brow, his body glistening under the fractured sunlight filtering through the canopies. Cyan light rippled faintly along his palms as he practiced the Flowing Root Form, each motion drawing in mana from the air and soil. His stance had steadied, his rhythm sure — the once-clumsy movements had evolved into fluid, rooted grace.
Each inhale carried the scent of loam and moss; each exhale sent ripples of energy through the ground, awakening faint stirrings in the surrounding plants.
Nearby, Feng Lian stood with arms folded, silent and watchful. His eyes followed Yu's every movement — the gentle spiral of his mana, the way roots trembled as if listening. "His control improves by the day," he thought, though his gaze softened in quiet pride.
When Yu finished, he turned, chest rising and falling with exhaustion yet gleaming satisfaction. "I did it this time — the third cycle completed."
"Your flow has steadied, better then before." Feng Lian's voice came from a few paces away, calm but approving.
Yu smiled faintly, panting. "Maybe because I'm finally used to your terrifying morning routines."
Lian chuckled, eyes crinkling. "You'll thank me when you can fight without flinching at death's shadow."
Yu smiled, that shy yet radiant curve that always managed to pull warmth through Lian's iron-cold composure.
But that warmth was short-lived.
The forest's hush deepened — too sudden, too still. Even the breeze seemed to recoil.
Lian's hand slid instinctively toward his blade. "Stay alert."
The warning came just before the first growl.
From the ferns ahead, a Forest Fang Wolf emerged — sleek, ash-gray fur bristling with static, eyes glimmering with eerie blue light. Its paws left faint scorch marks in the soil as it prowled forward, hackles raised. A low snarl vibrated the air.
Yu froze. "That's not a common beast…"
"It's stronger," Lian murmured. "Mid lower-grade. Be careful. Its claws can rend stone."
Before Yu could reply, the wolf lunged.
The attack was lightning-swift — a blur of fur and fang. Yu twisted, mana flaring around his legs, and leapt aside just as claws slashed where his chest had been. He landed hard, rolling through the underbrush, pain flaring across his palms.
"Focus your breath!" Lian's voice cut through the chaos.
Yu gritted his teeth and obeyed. Cyan mana flared from his core, roots erupting from the ground to twist around the wolf's legs. The beast snarled, thrashing violently, the tendrils creaking under its brute strength. It tore free, lunging again, and Yu barely parried with a burst of cyan blades — thin, vine-like strands that slashed through the air.
The wolf staggered, bleeding from shallow cuts, but it was relentless.
Its fangs sank into Yu's shoulder, hot pain ripping through him. He shouted, forcing more mana through his veins — the ground shuddered as thorned roots coiled tighter, stabbing deep into the beast's flank.
A howl echoed. The wolf bucked wildly, and Yu drove his mana blade — a short dagger glowing with cyan light — into its chest. The pulse of life energy rippled outward. The wolf's body spasmed once, then went still.
Yu staggered backward panting hard ,his chest heaved as he pressed a trembling hand against his wound.
"Liang Yu!" Feng Lian's voice was sharp as he ran to his side.
Feng Lian was beside him in an instant, his hands steady but his eyes sharp. "You're injured."
"It's fine," Yu rasped. "I can still—"
A sound interrupted him.
Low. Echoing. Many.
From the shadowed ridges, pairs of glowing eyes appeared — one, two… twelve. The air filled with the feral harmony of growls. The rest of the Forest Fang Pack had arrived.
Lian's expression hardened. "Get behind me."
Yu's pulse quickened. "There are too many— Feng Lian ,go "
But Lian didn't move. His eyes flashed gold.
"I'll handle the front. Protect the children."
Electric mana crackled around Feng Lian like a living storm. His Thunder Qi roared, threads of violet lightning snaking down his arms and dancing along the ground.
Then the first wolf charged. Lian met it head-on, thunder cracking through his mana veins. With a sharp motion, arcs of electric-blue light flared around him, surging into his blade. The sword's edge gleamed white-hot as he swung, cleaving through fur and bone. The smell of ozone and blood mixed in the air.
Another wolf leapt — Lian sidestepped, lightning bursting from his palm, striking the creature midair. It howled, collapsing in a smoking heap.
Bolt of lightning shot forth, slamming into the wolves, leaving the air trembling with heat and ozone. The beast convulsed, yelping in pain.
The children gasped but stayed silent, clutching each other tightly.
"Thunder Mana…" Yu whispered, half in awe even as he pressed a hand against his wound to stem the bleeding. The raw power in Lian's strikes was breathtaking — lightning itself answering his will, every strike as precise as it was brutal.
Lian's movements became a blur — each strike faster, sharper, deadly. Thunder danced around him, burning through fur and fangs alike. But there were too many. For every wolf he brought down, two more lunged.
The pack encircled them, spreading wide, eyes gleaming with hunger and fury. From the distance came a guttural roar — the Alpha Wolf, larger, its fur streaked with black and silver, its body radiating faint mana pressure.
"Mid-lower grade at least," Lian muttered under his breath. "We can't stay here."
Yu pressed his hand to the ground, channeling cyan mana. Vines and brambles erupted around them, forming barriers that glowed faintly under the strain. The wolves slammed against the walls, their claws tearing at the living shield.
"Yu! Keep those up!"
"I'm trying!" His voice trembled, veins glowing faintly cyan. The roots creaked, splinters of green light scattering with every impact.
The children clung to Lian's cloak, eyes wide and wet with fear. "Uncle—!"
"Hold on tight!" Lian shouted, sweeping one child under each arm. He turned, eyes locking with Yu's. "We run!"
---
The retreat began like thunder rolling through the forest.
Yu staggered to his feet, summoning wave after wave of vines to slow pursuit. Lian slashed through the brush ahead, his thunder mana crackling through the blade, cutting apart roots, stones, and snarling wolves.
The forest seemed alive — growling, hissing, flashing with bursts of light and shadow.
The wolves lunged from both sides; Yu spun, throwing his palm wide. "Entangle!"
Roots exploded upward, ensnaring three wolves in thorny webs, their yelps drowned by the roar of collapsing trees. Lian's thunder answered a heartbeat later — a surge of blue light splitting the clearing, lightning spearing through the beasts that dared leap too close.
They ran. Branches whipped against Yu's face; the world blurred. His blood left a faint trail on the leaves.
"Keep moving!" Lian's voice was hoarse but steady.
"I can feel the mana," Yu gasped. "There's a hollow ahead—maybe shelter!"
Through the thick fog of exhaustion, Yu reached out with his mana sense — faint traces of energy flowing downward, into stone and shadow. A cavern. Hidden beneath overgrowth.
"Left!" Yu shouted.
Lian veered sharply, thundering through the ferns. Behind them, the wolves gave chase, their snarls shaking the air.
The ground sloped downward, stones slick with moss. The roar of a distant waterfall grew louder. And there — half-hidden beneath a curtain of ivy — yawned the dark mouth of a cave.
"Inside!"
They dove in just as the pack burst from the trees. Lian turned, hand flaring with thunder mana, and slammed his palm against the rock. Blue sigils ignited across the entrance, sealing it in a flicker of light.
The sound of claws scraping stone echoed from outside — furious, desperate. Then slowly, it faded into the forest's silence.
---
Inside, the cave was dark and cool, the air damp and filled with the scent of earth , only the drip of water and their ragged breaths filled the air.
Yu slumped against the cool wall, the wound in his side burning. Lian knelt beside him, pulling a small porcelain bottle from his pouch. "Drink."
The liquid stung his tongue, sharp and metallic, but warmth spread through his veins.
"Better?"
Yu nodded faintly. "You… always have a plan, don't you?"
Lian exhaled, leaning back against the wall beside him. "Plans don't survive beasts. Instinct does."
The children huddled close, whispering softly. Yu smiled weakly, watching them drift into exhausted sleep. The flickering flame of Lian's thunder-lit lantern cast gentle shadows across the cavern.
For a long moment, silence hung — broken only by the rhythm of their breathing.
Then Yu spoke softly, "I'm sorry. I was careless."
Lian turned his head, eyes softening. "You fought well. Don't apologize for surviving."
Their gazes met — quiet, steady, filled with something wordless.
Yu's heart gave a small, uncertain tremor.
In the dim glow, the cyan of his eyes reflected against the blue of Lian's mana, the two colors merging faintly in the air between them.
"Feng Lian…" Yu whispered, voice barely audible. "Thank you… for saving us."
Lian's hand brushed briefly against Yu's shoulder — firm, grounding, almost tender. "Rest. Tomorrow, we move deeper. The pack won't give up easily."
Yu closed his eyes, leaning back against the stone. The cave's cool air carried the faint scent of rain and thunder.
Somewhere beyond the sealed entrance, wolves howled — distant, mournful.
Inside, the warmth of shared silence settled like a fragile peace.
And as the last embers flickered, a new resolve took root in Yu's heart — fierce and bright.
This was only the beginning.