Shadows in the Dark

The Ling Clan's training ground was deathly silent. Ling Xueya stood at the center of the arena, her chest rising and falling in steady rhythm as the dark energy surrounding her slowly faded. The whispers of the crowd had long since died out, replaced by stunned disbelief.

She had won.

Against all odds—against an opponent far stronger than her—she had emerged victorious. But instead of triumph, a sense of unease settled in her heart. That power… it wasn't normal. It had awakened on its own, responding to her desperation like a living entity lurking in the depths of her soul.

From the shadows of a distant pavilion, a figure watched her.

He was cloaked in an abyssal-black robe that seemed to merge with the darkness itself, making his presence nearly undetectable. His face remained obscured by the hood, but faint red glimmers flickered where his eyes should be.

The Shadow had been watching her for a long time.

A deep, emotionless voice murmured, "So the forsaken child of the Supreme God has finally begun to awaken."

His presence was unseen, his words unheard—except by one.

At that moment, Xueya's breath hitched. A chill ran down her spine, and an inexplicable sense of dread gripped her heart. Her instincts screamed at her—something was watching.

Her gaze flickered toward the pavilion.

But there was nothing there.

The sensation vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Was it my imagination?"

She shook her head. No. It wasn't.

Deep down, a part of her knew—something far greater than she understood was beginning to stir.

Ling Clan's Inner Chambers

Elder Mo had barely stepped into the grand hall when the head of the Ling Clan, Ling Zhen, slammed his fist against the table. The sound echoed sharply, causing the gathered elders to flinch.

"You allowed her to continue?" his voice was sharp, filled with barely restrained fury.

Elder Mo remained unfazed. "She won fairly."

"She used that cursed power," Ling Zhen spat. "We should have crushed her the moment she revealed it."

"She defeated Ling Hu in a fair duel," Elder Mo countered. "If we had stopped her, it would have been an open admission that we fear her power."

Silence followed.

Ling Zhen exhaled sharply, his expression dark. "She's dangerous. If that darkness grows beyond our control, she will become a threat—not only to the Ling Clan but to the entire cultivation world."

A soft chuckle interrupted the tension.

From the corner of the room, another elder leaned forward, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

"If she's such a threat… why not use her before eliminating her?"

Ling Zhen's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

The elder smirked. "We let her believe she has a place here. We nurture her power… and when she's strong enough, we send her on a mission she cannot return from."

Ling Zhen's expression hardened.

Finally, he gave a slow nod. "Very well. We shall raise the blade—and when the time comes, we shall cut it down ourselves."

Xueya's Room – Midnight

The oil lamp flickered weakly as Xueya sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands. Even after washing up, she could still feel the lingering sensation of that power.

Dark. Ancient.

Alive.

"What… are you?"

She clenched her fists.

Then, she heard it.

A whisper.

Soft, almost too quiet to notice.

Her eyes snapped up, heart pounding.

She wasn't alone.

The air in her room shifted. The temperature dropped slightly.

And then—

A shadow emerged from the darkness of the corner.

Not a person.

Not a spirit.

Something else entirely.

Xueya couldn't move. The pressure of its presence alone felt suffocating.

And then…

It spoke.

"You are awakening, little one."

Its voice was everywhere—inside her ears, inside her mind, inside her very soul.

Xueya's blood ran cold. "Who… what are you?"

A deep chuckle.

"Who I am… does not matter. But what you are… that is the question, isn't it?"

The shadow shifted, tendrils of darkness curling around it.

"You are not what they told you. You never were."

Xueya's breath caught in her throat.

"Not… what they told me?"

The shadow's form slowly began to fade, dissolving back into the void.

"But soon… you will remember."

And then—

It was gone.

Xueya sat frozen, heart pounding in her chest.

What did it mean? What was it trying to tell her?

She didn't know.

But something inside her whispered—

This is only the beginning.