Awakening the Seal

The night erupted with chaos.

Li Wei ran, his breath sharp in his lungs as the thundering hooves drew closer. The exiles had vanished into the trees, but he had no such experience in disappearing like a ghost.

Behind him, the riders broke into the clearing. Their torches cast a flickering orange glow against the trees, stretching their shadows into monstrous forms.

"There! The boy!" one of them barked.

Li Wei didn't look back. He pushed his legs harder, dodging low-hanging branches and leaping over gnarled roots. His feet barely touched the ground before he surged forward again.

Faster. I have to be faster.

A sudden whizzing sound—then an arrow buried itself into the tree beside him.

Panic surged through him. They're trying to take me alive.

His glowing palm burned. The power of the Celestial Seal wanted to be unleashed, but he had no idea how to control it. If he stopped to figure it out, he'd be caught.

Then—a voice.

"This way!"

Li Wei barely saw the figure emerge from the shadows before a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him aside. He stumbled, barely managing to keep his balance as he was pulled into a narrow gap between thick boulders.

Jinhai.

The scarred exile clamped a hand over Li Wei's mouth as the riders thundered past. The flickering torchlight barely missed them, the glow reflecting off Jinhai's sharp blade.

They waited.

Seconds stretched into eternity before the riders finally disappeared deeper into the forest, their voices fading.

Jinhai exhaled and released him. "You really don't know how to run, do you?"

Li Wei scowled. "They almost caught me."

"Almost is better than dead."

Jinhai peered out from between the rocks. The forest was quiet once more, but tension hung thick in the air. He turned back to Li Wei.

"You've got two choices, kid. Keep running alone and get caught… or stick with me and learn how to survive."

Li Wei hesitated. He barely knew Jinhai. But after everything—after losing Baiyun Village, being hunted, and nearly dying—he had no one else.

He clenched his fists.

"…Teach me."

Jinhai smirked. "Good. Lesson one—never hesitate."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night.

Li Wei followed.

Somewhere deep in the forest, the Celestial Seal pulsed.

And his journey had only just begun.

Li Wei followed Jinhai through the dense forest, his legs aching from exhaustion. Every step felt heavier, but Jinhai didn't slow down. The exile moved like a shadow, weaving through the trees without hesitation.

"Where are we going?" Li Wei finally asked, breathless.

Jinhai didn't look back. "Somewhere safe."

They walked in silence until they reached a rocky outcrop overlooking a misty valley. Below, the forest stretched endlessly, the trees swallowed by darkness. A river snaked through the land, its waters shimmering under the moonlight.

Jinhai finally stopped and turned to Li Wei. "You have power, but you don't know how to use it."

Li Wei glanced at his palm. The golden marks remained, faint but ever-present, like a fire waiting to ignite. "I don't even know what it is."

Jinhai smirked. "Then let's find out."

Before Li Wei could react, Jinhai lunged.

A dagger flashed in the moonlight, slicing toward Li Wei's throat. Instinct took over—he stumbled back, barely dodging the blade. His heart pounded.

"What are you doing?!"

Jinhai attacked again, faster. Li Wei raised his arms to block, but he was too slow. The dagger stopped just before piercing his chest.

Jinhai chuckled. "You're dead."

Li Wei's breath came in gasps. "You—You were actually trying to kill me!"

"Survival doesn't wait for permission," Jinhai said, sheathing his dagger. "If you want to live, you need to awaken your instincts."

Li Wei swallowed hard. His instincts? What instincts?

Jinhai stepped closer, his expression serious. "That power inside you—it's part of you. But right now, you're treating it like a burden instead of a weapon."

Li Wei looked at his palm again. He wanted to understand. He wanted to control it.

"What do I have to do?"

Jinhai smirked. "First, you need to stop thinking."

Li Wei frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

Jinhai raised his dagger again. "It will. When your life is on the line."

Before Li Wei could protest, Jinhai attacked once more.

And this time, there would be no hesitation.

The dagger came fast—too fast. Li Wei barely had time to move before the cold steel sliced toward him.

Focus!

His instincts screamed, but his body was too slow. The moment he tried to step back, Jinhai shifted, twisting his wrist to redirect the strike toward Li Wei's side.

I can't dodge it!

Panic flared in his chest. His hand burned. A surge of warmth—no, energy—rushed through his veins. His mind blanked.

And then—

A golden glow erupted from his palm.

The light was blinding, expanding outward in a sudden burst. Jinhai's dagger stopped mid-strike, repelled by an invisible force. The exile's eyes widened as he staggered back, his footing nearly lost.

Li Wei stumbled too, gripping his hand. His palm felt hot, as if molten gold flowed beneath his skin. The golden marks had come alive, shifting like liquid energy. His breaths came in sharp, uneven gasps.

"What… what was that?" he whispered.

Jinhai straightened, sheathing his dagger. He studied Li Wei with a mixture of curiosity and something else—satisfaction.

"You felt it, didn't you?"

Li Wei swallowed hard. He had felt it. The moment his mind stopped thinking, the moment fear took over—something deep inside him had reacted.

Jinhai smirked. "Your instincts are waking up. Good."

Li Wei clenched his fist, feeling the lingering warmth of the Celestial Seal. "So… this power. It responds to danger?"

Jinhai nodded. "For now. But if you want to survive, you need to control it—before it controls you."

Li Wei exhaled. This was just the beginning. He knew that much.

He had unlocked something inside himself. A force ancient and unknown. A power that made him a target.

And if he didn't master it soon—

He wouldn't live long enough to see what it was truly capable of.