Chapter 16: The Disguised God
That night, Ying Yue couldn't sleep. Dreams haunted her—visions of war, of the heavens shattering, of her voice chanting an incantation that sealed darkness into a crystal.
And always, beside her, was the man with the silver eyes.
The next morning, she found Bai Jiu tending to the wounds of a deer in the glade. His movements were precise, practiced—not what one would expect of a warrior. She approached cautiously.
"You… know how to heal?"
He didn't look at her. "I know how to end pain. It is not the same."
"Why do you hide what you are?" she asked. "You are not like the others here. You don't belong in this world."
His eyes finally met hers. "Neither do you."
She felt a chill. "Then what am I?"
Bai Jiu stood, brushing the blood from his fingers. "Someone who once wielded power that frightened even the stars."
"You mean… I was a goddess?"
"No," he said quietly. "You are."
Her breath caught. "Then why do I remember nothing?"
"Because remembering would destroy you… and him."
"Him?"
Bai Jiu's eyes flickered with pain. "There is another who remembers you too. But his love turned into hatred long ago. And now, he returns."
"Who is he?" she asked.
Bai Jiu looked at the horizon, where dark clouds gathered. "The one you sealed with your dying breath. The one who killed you."