Chapter 42: Twin Fates Unsealed

Chapter 42: Twin Fates Unsealed

Ling Mei walked with measured steps, her shadow flickering along the polished marble tiles as she left the murmurs behind—the whispers, the schemes, the polite betrayals.

Their voices no longer mattered.

Her emerald eyes shimmered—not with tears, but with something colder. Firmer. A quiet, eerie determination that drained the warmth from the world around her. Those who passed her in the corridor cast her sidelong glances… yet to her, they didn't exist.

She was alone. She had chosen to be.

The hallway opened into her private chamber—dim, silent, untouched. Shadows cloaked the walls, and the faint scent of jasmine lingered in the still air. With a soft click, she shut the door behind her, sealing herself away from their expectations… and their control.

Ling Mei approached the old dresser, fingers trembling slightly as they touched the bronze handle.

Crrrk.

The drawer groaned open like a beast roused from sleep. From within, she pulled out a thick, weighty tome—its surface pale white, streaked with green veins that pulsed faintly like living roots. As she set it on the table, it landed with a dull thud—like a stone falling into a deep well bottom.

A pulse rippled through the chamber.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. Not overhead—but deep, as if from the earth or something older. Faint, unnatural panting followed—a rhythmless breath neither hers nor anyone else's.

The book responded.

A soft glow rose from its surface. Letters shimmered to life beneath her touch, delicate and ancient.

THE BOOK OF AEROMANCY

It welcomed her. No… it called to her.

Her fingers hovered above it, trembling not with fear—but with anticipation. Her breath came shallowly. Her voice, when it came, was hoarse. Fractured.

"I don't care anymore…"

The words fell like ash.

"I don't care about the consequences. I don't care if it guides me… or consumes me. I don't care if it stirs something unnatural inside me."

A shudder coursed through her spine.

"The family ignores my will," she muttered—bitter, broken. "They see me, but they never see me."

Her gaze hardened, emerald eyes blazing.

"I don't care. I don't care—I don't care!"

Her fists clenched tight—nails piercing skin until blood welled between her fingers.

"All I need… is result. Power."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Power to shape my own fate."

KRRAAAKK–THOOM!!!

A jagged bolt tore through the sky outside. Light scorched the horizon. Thunder cracked like a divine whip.

---

And far away—beneath that fractured sky, past the ruins of the great Ling Estate—rain whispered over broken land. It slithered through uprooted trees, trickled across jagged stone, and wrapped the world in a curtain of silver mist.

There, lying amidst the wreckage of a forgotten battle, was Lei Feng.

He was still. As still as the earth beneath him.

Rain fell in thin sheets, soaking his torn garments and tracing the sharp planes of his face. It ran across dried blood, smudged ash, and wounds both fresh and fading. His body lay among the scars of battle—ruined, yet unbroken.

For a moment, he resembled a fallen warrior, one whose tale had ended beneath the sky's mourning tears.

Then—

Gasp.

A sudden breath tore through the silence.

His fingers twitched. A shudder rolled down his arms. His brow furrowed as if dragged from the depths of a torment too long endured.

Snap.

His eyes flared open.

Twin storms ignited within them—piercing, brilliant blue. Lightning didn't just reflect within his gaze… it danced, living, crackling with newfound life.

Not just awakened.

Reborn.

---

Lei Feng rose slowly, joints popping faintly as if the body remembered its own ruin. But there was no pain—only an electric hum beneath his skin, a tingling charge thrumming in every vein. He flexed his fingers with wonder, feeling energy swirl like a living thing.

"Feels like lightning's running through me…" he murmured, voice low, slightly hoarse.

Then, he chuckled and rubbed his head with a lazy grin. "Damn… what a long dream. But why was I dreaming about Ling Chen?"

He squinted, frowning.

No, not just a dream.

A memory.

Vivid, intimate… but not his. Not truly.

---

In that memory, he—Ling Chen—stood in the gardens of the Ling Family. His hands were small. His face still bore the softness of youth. Fifteen years old, watching a younger girl chase butterflies through the blooming jadegrass.

Ling Mei.

She was only thirteen. Laughter spilled from her lips like wind-chimes in the breeze, bright and careless.

And Ling Chen followed after her, a smile playing on his lips—but his heart was heavy.

Three years had passed since the Ling Family adopted him for his rare High-Grade (Purple) talent. But despite their hopes, he hadn't leveled up even once.

Ling Mei, on the other hand, had awakened an Elite-Grade (Gold) talent. At thirteen, she was already showing signs of awakening a magic class. In just a few more months, she'd likely awaken her class.

He didn't resent her. How could he?

She was his little sister. His only light in that cold house.

But he'd felt the weight of failure. Of silence. Of eyes full of disdain.

Not hers—never hers.

But the others. The elders. The servants. His stepmother, Ling Qingyao.

The memory twisted.

Now he stood in the great hall—before eight figures cloaked in pride and judgment. The Patriarch. The Matriarch. Elders. All watching him like insects beneath their boots.

The decree was swift.

"You are no longer a son of the Ling Family."

No warmth. No sympathy. No second chances.

Ling Chen hadn't begged. He hadn't cried. He had simply bowed, turned, and left with his last shred of dignity.

But it only worsened.

Life outside the estate was brutal. He was beaten, cheated, spat on. No protection. No credits. No backing. Just a boy branded as useless by the powerful.

Yet he endured. Day after day. Scar after scar.

Until one night… fate turned.

---

It was raining.

A hooded figure stood before him, tall and lean with crimson eyes like razors—Masaru Genji.

Ling Chen recognized him instantly.

The Masura Clan heir, obsessed with Ling Mei. Even though Ling Chen already cu ties to the Ling Family.

Genji still deemed him a threat because of Ling Mei's pure affection towards him. He was— Cold, efficient, ruthless.

And he'd come for Ling Chen.

No words were exchanged.

Only steel.

Ling Chen fought, not to win—but to survive.

He didn't.

His final breath escaped beneath that storm, his eyes wide not with fear… but sorrow.

A single memory etched into his mind as he fell:

Ling Mei, standing outside the tavern just two days before, smiling and offering him a bag of food supplies and daily necessities.

She hadn't known he would die.

She hadn't known… someone would come for him.

---

The dream broke.

But Lei Feng sat there for a while—still staring at nothing. Breathing. Remembering.

Though the System had long since transferred Ling Chen's memories to him… this felt different.

More intimate.

More personal.

Vengeful. Bitter. Grieving.

Lei Feng exhaled.

And then he remembered.

The Main Quest.

Its timer now ticking with only six months of time—and a death penalty looming like a blade.

Fulfill Ling Chen's Final Wish:

Eliminate those responsible for his death.

Destroy the corrupt elements within the Ling Family.

Rise to power and reclaim his honor.

"I will," Lei Feng whispered. "Even if I have to burn this world to do it."

---

His gaze swept the area. A familiar battlefield. Shattered terrain. Dried blood etched into the soil.

But the goblin corpses… were gone.

"What…?" he muttered. "Where are they?"

The ground bore the signs of his struggle—slashes, scorch marks, craters—but no bodies remained. No beast cores.

"Did someone take them while I was unconscious?"

He frowned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Damn it… those were my kills. I should've had the rewards."

But then… his eyes narrowed.

"If they wanted me dead, I'd be dead. Whoever it was… they left me unharmed."

His entire body tensed.

"I got lucky this time. But next time?"

He looked down.

Mud clung to his clothes. His Corelink bracelet—his connection to his bank account—was cracked, glitching. White static danced across the screen.

"Broken, huh?" He sighed, trying not to curse. "Figures. Guess even in this world, not everything is indestructible."

Still…

He smiled.

A low, bitter grin.

His blue eyes gleamed.

"Doesn't matter."

He raised his hand to the stormy sky—fingers curled into a fist. The air shimmered with faint electricity.

"I won't stay weak. Not again. I'll rise… even if I have to crawl through blood to do it."

---

Then—without warning—

Footsteps.

Soft. Measured.

From behind, a figure approached.

White robes. Untouched by mud or rain. Long silver hair tied in a flowing ponytail. His beard were pure white and was neatly trimmed, but his face radiated youth—smooth, striking, almost unearthly.

His hands were clasped behind his back. His steps left no sound, as if he glided over the earth itself.

Lei Feng didn't notice—his eyes still fixed on the clouds.

"Never again," he murmured. "Never again will I let myself fall like this. I'll grow stronger. I'll transcend limits. I'll reach the apex. Even if I must walk alone."

The storm above rumbled—as if acknowledging his vow.

And then—

A voice.

Gentle. Warm. Yet piercing like thunder wrapped in silk.

"I like your determination, young man."

Lei Feng turned sharply—startled.

His eyes locked onto the man before him.

Tall. Regal. Eyes clear as sapphire. A faint, knowing smile rested on his lips.

Power radiated from him—not forceful, but calm. Controlled. Like a silent storm waiting to be unleashed.

"Wh-who are you?" Lei Feng asked, heart pounding.

The man didn't answer right away.

Instead, he smiled.

"What is your name… young one?"