Chapter 6: When the Beast Stirs
The sky outside had quieted, the storm of yesterday's tremors fading into a still, grey dawn. Cracks in the heavens had long since sealed, but the scars on Earth remained—ash in the air, ruin in the streets, and something far stranger: awakening.
Inside the reinforced shelter beneath the academy, Lian Shen sat quietly beside the softly glowing egg. Her fingers, scraped from recent training, rested lightly on the smooth, almost glasslike shell. The egg had changed overnight. Pale blue runes pulsed beneath its surface like a heartbeat, and the warmth it gave off was… comforting.
Yet Lian couldn't sleep.
Every time her eyes closed, she saw it again—that moment yesterday when her system had activated, choosing her amid a crowd of panicked students. A voice from the void, deep and steady, had spoken:
"System recognized: Stellar Guardian Protocol initializing."
No one else had heard it. Only her.
Since then, messages had appeared—status screens hovering in her vision, information streaming into her thoughts.
[System Awakening Complete]
• System: ★ Stellar Guardian (Classified Tier)
• Rank: Unknown
• Core Trait: Celestial Bond
• Unique Ability: "Starfire Link" (Locked)
• Item Acquired: [Celestial Beast Egg – Unhatched]
• Passive Skill: "Lightbringer's Shield" – active.
And now this egg, given to her through the system, was stirring.
Lian leaned closer. Her breath caught as the surface shimmered. A ripple spread across it—like a sigh. Something inside responded to her presence. Warm. A little wild. Ancient.
She closed her eyes.
In that moment, something called to her.
A strange place opened within her mind—stars and drifting nebulae, the sound of distant wings echoing through the void. A single eye opened in the blackness. Slitted. Watching her.
"You will be the one."
She gasped aloud, stumbling back. The egg stopped glowing, as if the moment had passed. But she knew—whatever was inside, it had reached her.
And chosen her.
Meanwhile, deeper in the city's old military ruins, another presence arrived.
A sleek black aircraft lowered silently near the edge of the crater zone, deploying a small task force of men and women clad in dark silver armor. They bore the insignia of a forgotten faction—Unity Division Zero, a shadow force formed after the first abyssal portals opened, tasked with tracking, studying, and weaponizing awakened humans.
"Readings spiked again last night," said the woman at the front, her cybernetic eye flickering with blue light. "Two sources. One… unstable. Hidden. The other, unknown. High-tier beast signature."
A man stepped beside her, his expression sharp.
"Find them. Especially the one that's hiding. Power that masks itself… is power worth fearing."
Back at the academy, Luo Shen leaned against the rooftop railing, eyes half-closed as the morning wind passed over him. Below, the city slowly came back to life—rescue teams, drones, and citizens trying to return to something normal. But there was no going back.
His Chaos Infinity System pulsed silently in his mind, invisible to all but him.
[System Notice]
– 19 purchase requests available
– 8 anomaly readings detected nearby
– Lian Shen's bond has reached Stage 1
– Suggestion: Observe the egg's hatching. Possible celestial variant detected.
He allowed a faint smile.
"So even her system is already reacting."
He knew. She would become strong. Stronger than most. But she still didn't know about him—not really. She thought he was just getting by. Letting others shine.
Even when he burned the bullies' weapons to ash with a flicker of hidden force, he made it look like a system misfire. When he blocked that collapsing ceiling with a whispered word, they believed it was luck. All of them, even Lian.
And for now… that was fine.
He would let them believe.
Later that evening, Lian returned to the shelter. The egg was glowing again, now with cracks forming in perfect symmetrical patterns. Something inside tapped—soft but insistent. Her breath quickened.
[Hatching Initiated – Celestial Beast: ???]
Crack. Crack.
The light flared.
A burst of energy swept through the room—and when the brightness faded, there stood a creature, no taller than a child, covered in shimmering feathers like starlight woven into form. Its eyes, golden and curious, locked onto hers.
It tilted its head, chirped once, then leapt into her arms.
"Wh-What are you—?"
[Bond Confirmed – Celestial Beast: Lyra]
– Type: Starwing Phoenix (Young Form)
– Element: Light / Spatial
– Personality: Loyal, Fierce, Curious
– Unique Skill: "Phase Feather" – unlocked.
Lian blinked as a second screen appeared.
[Your beast companion has imprinted on you.]
"It will follow you to the end of all worlds."
Tears pricked her eyes.
"…Hi, Lyra."
Far above, on the rooftop, Luo Shen watched the rising light from the shelter below. His eyes were unreadable. The stars behind him shimmered—and for a second, one of them flickered.
He spoke, softly.
"You're not alone anymore, Lian."
But he also knew… something had awakened today that would draw attention. Not just monsters.
But gods.
And worse.