Chapter 22 – Whisper of the Rift Moon
The moon hung low that night — twin crescents glowing silver and blue, bathing Azure Sky Academy in an ethereal calm.
But calm never lasted long for Yin Jin.
He stood at the academy's balcony, the wind carrying faint whispers from the mountains beyond. His newly awakened Nebula Fire flickered softly within him, its black-gold light pulsing to the rhythm of the twin moons.
Behind him, Baifang leaned lazily against the railing, chewing on a roasted skewer.
> "You've been staring at those moons for hours. Gonna confess to one of them or what?"
Yin Jin smirked.
> "You talk too much for someone who nearly blew himself up with lightning."
> "That was training," Baifang said with a grin. "Controlled chaos."
> "It was chaos. Not controlled."
Their laughter faded when the air suddenly shifted. Frost shimmered across the balcony rails — delicate, blue-white crystals forming in patterns of crescents and stars.
Yin Jin turned.
Chaein stood at the doorway. Her hair shimmered faintly, two streaks of silver glowing like moonlight. The air around her was calm… but heavy, like a sleeping storm.
> "You shouldn't be out here," she said softly. "The moon calls to bloodlines tonight."
> "Yours?" Yin Jin asked.
Her gaze met his — and for a moment, her eyes changed. Two moons spun within her irises.
> "Mine… and perhaps yours too."
---
The Moon's Call
Later that night, the academy trembled.
Students awoke to find frost and embers floating through the corridors, dancing like spirits. Some swore they heard singing — a sound from beyond the mortal plane.
Deep within the central courtyard, Yin Jin and Chaein stood back-to-back as streams of light descended from the twin moons, forming ancient runes beneath their feet.
Xu Liang appeared in a flash of light, his expression grim.
> "Both of you — stop your qi circulation immediately! The moons are resonating with your bloodlines!"
Yin Jin grit his teeth, trying to suppress his fire, but it only burned hotter. The black-gold flames coiled upward like a living serpent, defying his will.
Beside him, Chaein's frost surged skyward, her twin tails of light unfurling once more.
The two elements — flame and frost — clashed violently, spinning around them in a blinding spiral.
> "They're synchronizing!" Xu Liang shouted. "The Rift's energy is reacting to their cores!"
For an instant, the entire academy was bathed in a glow — half golden fire, half silver frost.
Then, silence.
The energy vanished as quickly as it came, leaving Yin Jin and Chaein standing amidst a field of crystalline grass and embers.
She stumbled slightly, and Yin Jin caught her by the arm. Their eyes met again — too close, too real.
> "You okay?" he asked quietly.
Her lips parted. "Why… do your flames feel like home?"
Yin Jin froze, the question piercing through his usual calm.
Before he could answer, Xu Liang's voice echoed again — distant, but firm.
> "Both of you will report to the Hall of Origins at dawn. What's awakening within you… may not be coincidence."
---
Shadows Beyond
Later, as night deepened, unseen figures gathered on the far hill.
Elder Wu — head of the Academy's Rift Division — stood watching the twin moons.
> "The heir of Shen Luo and the Twin Moon Vixen… fate has bound them too soon."
Beside him, a cloaked figure stepped forward.
> "Should we intervene?"
Wu shook his head.
> "No. If the Rift seeks them, resistance would be meaningless. But send word to the Celestial Court. The Nebula Lineage has reappeared."
The figure bowed and vanished into the shadows.
---
Back in his dorm, Yin Jin lay awake. His body felt foreign — his heart pulsing in sync with a distant rhythm.
He could still feel the echo of Chaein's frost against his flame.
He closed his eyes.
> "Flame and frost… sun and moon… are we fated to burn together?"
Outside, under the twin moons, Chaein stood alone on the roof, her breath misting in the cold air.
She whispered into the night, voice trembling with both fear and longing.
> "If you're the heir… then I am your mirror."
As the twin moons aligned perfectly for the first time in centuries, a faint rift shimmered across the sky — invisible to all but the two whose souls had begun to awaken.
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