**Li Shen** felt the weight of his son's words hang in the air, heavy with the pain of their broken bond. The sight before him was surreal—his once innocent son, now standing amidst the aftermath of battle, his eyes glowing with an unnatural electricity that mirrored the power of the sword he wielded.
**Li Wei** stood firm, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the anger and betrayal coursing through him, and he had to hold on to it.
**Li Wei:** *"If you see me again, I'll make you regret your words, Father,"* he declared, the crackling energy of **Howl** pulsating in tandem with his rage.
**Li Shen** took a step back, his eyes widening as he realized that the boy before him had changed—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He no longer recognized the child he had raised. This was a being filled with dark power, and it both terrified and enraged him.
**Li Shen:** *"This isn't you, Wei! You don't need that sword! You don't need this power!"* His voice was pleading, desperate to reach the son he once knew.
But **Li Wei** shook his head, determination etched across his face.
**Li Wei:** *"You don't understand! I lost everything because of your cowardice!"* The anger erupted, causing arcs of lightning to crackle around him, reflecting his tumultuous emotions. *"I had to do this to survive. I had to gain the strength to protect those I love."*
**Li Shen** felt a pang of regret as he remembered the warmth and innocence of his son before tragedy struck.
**Li Shen:** *"What have you become?"* His voice was heavy with sorrow.
**Li Wei** took a step forward, his voice steady but laced with anger.
**Li Wei:** *"I've become what I needed to be. I will destroy everything in my path to make sure no one else has to suffer like we did. And you? You'll see. One day, I will find you again, and when I do, you'll wish you had been a better father."*
The tension between them crackled in the air, like static before a storm.
**Li Shen** took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his failures settle on his shoulders.
**Li Shen:** *"If you believe that strength lies only in power, then you've already lost."* He raised a hand, trying to reach for the child he hoped was still within **Li Wei**.
But **Li Wei** scoffed, swinging **Howl** with a flourish, arcs of electricity crackling dangerously close to **Li Shen**.
**Li Wei:** *"You're wrong! Power is all that matters in this world. You had a chance to protect us, but you failed!"*
As the rift between them widened, **Li Wei** turned away, the glowing sword held tightly in his grip.
**Li Wei:** *"Stay away from me. I have my own path now, and I will walk it alone."*
With a final glance over his shoulder, **Li Wei** vanished into the distance, the storm within him echoing in the tumult of his heart.
**Li Shen** stood frozen, torn between grief and anger, realizing that he had lost not only his wife but also his son to a darkness he had never wanted for either of them.
**Li Shen:** *"Wei..."* he whispered, the name echoing with regret as the weight of his choices crashed down on him.
Li Wei: (turning away) "If we meet again, I swear, I will kill you.
As **Li Wei** disappeared into the shadows, **Li Shen** fell to his knees, the reality of his situation overwhelming him. His son was gone, and in his place was a vengeful storm, one that would stop at nothing to destroy what remained of their family.
The battle was over, but the war within them had just begun. Each would walk their path, one seeking redemption and the other seeking power, their destinies forever entwined in tragedy.
As Li Shen falls to his knees, the weight of everything that has transpired crushes him. His friends and daughter, Xiao Ling, arrive at the scene, breathless from their sprint, their faces etched with concern and confusion. They take in the scorched earth, the lifeless bodies of the infected, and Li Shen's devastated expression.
**Jiang Tao:** (panting, looking around) "Li Shen, what... what happened here? Where's Li Wei?"
**Chen:** (concerned) "Are you hurt? Talk to us!"
Li Shen doesn't respond immediately. His shoulders slump, his face buried in his hands. The weight of his guilt, his regret, is written in every line of his body. When he finally looks up, his eyes are hollow, as if life itself has drained from him.
**Li Shen:** (in a broken voice) "I couldn't save him... I couldn't save my son... nor could I be a proper father."
His words hang heavy in the air, and Xiao Ling steps forward, her young heart pounding in her chest, unable to fully grasp what her father is saying. Tears sting her eyes as she kneels beside him, grabbing his arm.
**Xiao Ling:** (voice cracking) "Father, what are you talking about? Where's Li Wei? What happened to him?"
Li Shen can barely meet her eyes. His heart aches with the truth he can't bear to tell. His voice is barely more than a whisper.
**Li Shen:** "Your brother... he's gone. I failed him."
His words tear through Xiao Ling. She gasps, her small hands trembling as she clutches his arm tighter, shaking her head in disbelief.
**Xiao Ling:** (pleading) "No... no, you didn't. You didn't fail him, Father. We can still find him, we can—"
Li Shen gently places a hand on her head, silencing her. His voice, though quiet, holds the weight of finality.
**Li Shen:** "I'll be going far away for a while. I can't be the father you need... not right now. I need to find answers for myself, and maybe... maybe I can find a way to make this right."
He turns to his friends, his once fierce, determined gaze now vacant, like a man who's lost his reason to fight.
**Li Shen:** (to Jiang Tao and Chen) "Take her with you. Enlist her with the Cloud Knights. She'll be safe there... and she'll become stronger, stronger than I could ever make her."
Jiang Tao and Chen exchange worried glances. They've never seen their friend like this, broken and lost.
**Chen:** (softly) "Li Shen, are you sure about this? What about you? Where will you go?"
**Li Shen:** (voice low) "Anywhere but here. Just... take care of her. Promise me."
Jiang Tao, sensing that no amount of reasoning would change Li Shen's mind, nods solemnly. He steps forward, placing a hand on Li Shen's shoulder.
**Jiang Tao:** "We'll take care of her. But remember, you still have people who care about you, Li Shen. Don't forget that."
Li Shen gives a hollow nod before looking down at Xiao Ling one last time. She stares up at him, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, her heart breaking at the thought of losing not just her brother but now her father as well.
**Xiao Ling:** (whispering) "Father... don't go. Please."
He leans down, kissing the top of her head before rising to his feet, not daring to look back.
**Li Shen:** "Stay strong, Xiao Ling. I'll come back for you... someday."
With that, Li Shen turns and walks away, his silhouette fading into the distance, leaving behind a daughter, friends, and a broken family shattered by loss and fate.
The mysterious black-haired woman stood silently atop the tree, her dark eyes glinting with satisfaction as she observed the tragic scene unfolding below. Li Shen's departure, his daughter's tears, and the devastation left in the wake of the infection had all played out perfectly according to her twisted plan.
**Woman:** (softly, to herself) "What an interesting experiment... The family bonds, the despair, and finally... the boy's awakening."
As she spoke, Erebus appeared beside her, his presence cloaked in darkness, like a shadow come to life. His deep, resonant voice broke the silence between them.
**Erebus:** (smirking) "You certainly went overboard with the infection outbreak. A bit excessive, even for you. But I suppose it served its purpose. The sword has been found."
The woman tilted her head slightly, a small smile creeping across her lips. Her voice was cool and calculated, betraying no emotion.
**Woman:** "Overboard, perhaps. But chaos breeds clarity. The boy awakened to his potential. The infection pushed him to the edge, just as I planned. Now the sword, Howl, is in his hands. Everything is falling into place."
Erebus nodded approvingly, crossing his arms as he gazed down at the fading figures of Li Shen and his children.
**Erebus:** "The sword is powerful. But now that it's bonded with the boy, we'll need to keep an eye on him. His hatred may be the key to unraveling something far greater. For now, you should report back to the Star Council. Tell them the experiment was successful, and that we've found what we sought."
The woman gave a slight nod, her eyes still fixed on the horizon where Li Wei had disappeared. Her smile widened, sinister and full of dark promise.
**Woman:** "The Council will be pleased. The infection was a necessary catalyst, and the sword will lead to even more devastation. I'll make the report."
With a final glance at the aftermath of her experiment, the woman leapt from the tree, disappearing into the shadows, leaving Erebus standing alone, watching the flames of the distant burning city. The game was far from over, and the pieces were now in motion. The Star Council would know that their plans were advancing, and the chaos they craved would soon spread far beyond this world.
**Erebus:** (quietly, to himself) "Now, let's see how the boy handles the weight of that power..."
The scene shifted back to Xiao Ling, her small frame trudging alongside her father's friends as they made their way away from the devastation. The glow of the distant fire was now a faint ember on the horizon, but its memory still burned bright in her heart.
Xiao Ling's hands were trembling, still covered in the dirt and blood from her desperate attempts to save her mother. Her legs felt heavy, her body numb. She couldn't get the sight of her mother's final moments out of her head. The infected… the tree… the screams.
She wiped her eyes quickly, trying not to let the tears spill over. She couldn't afford to cry. Not now. Not when everything was crumbling around her. Her brother was gone, her mother was dead, and her father… was leaving too.
Jiang Tao, who walked beside her, glanced down, noticing the girl's silence. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't react. She just kept walking, her face blank, eyes fixed on the ground in front of her.
**Jiang Tao:** (softly) "You don't have to carry all of this, Xiao Ling. We're here for you."
She didn't respond, her mind too far away to register his words. All she could think about was Li Wei, her younger brother, and the coldness in his eyes when he spoke those final words. "I will kill you." The look he had given their father was something she had never seen before. It wasn't anger. It was something darker, something twisted. Her chest tightened just thinking about it.
**Xiao Ling:** (muttering under her breath) "I should have done more…"
Chen overheard her, his brow furrowing.
**Chen:** "Xiao Ling, none of this is your fault. You did what you could."
She stopped abruptly, her fists clenching at her sides. The tremble in her hands became worse as she stared down at the ground, her voice suddenly rising.
**Xiao Ling:** "I didn't do anything! I couldn't save her! I couldn't stop him! What good am I if I can't even protect my own family?"
Her voice cracked with raw emotion as the tears she had been holding back finally fell. Chen knelt down beside her, his expression softening.
**Chen:** "You're just a kid, Xiao Ling. No one expects you to carry this on your own."
Xiao Ling shook her head, her tears falling harder now.
**Xiao Ling:** "But now I have to. My mother's dead. My father's leaving. And my brother… I don't even know what's happening to him. I—I have to be stronger. I can't just—"
Before she could finish, Jiang Tao pulled her into a firm embrace, letting her sob against his chest. He didn't say anything. He just held her, giving her a moment to release the flood of grief that had been building since the tragedy began.
After a while, Xiao Ling's sobs quieted, and she pulled back, wiping her face with her sleeve.
**Xiao Ling:** (sniffing) "I'm going to the Cloud Knights, aren't I?"
Jiang Tao nodded, his face gentle but firm.
**Jiang Tao:** "Yes. Your father wants you to join them, to train and become strong. He believes it's the best way for you to grow, to protect yourself… and to find your brother one day."
Xiao Ling's eyes flickered with a new determination as she clenched her fists again.
**Xiao Ling:** "I'm going to find him. And I'm going to stop him before he becomes a monster."
There was no hesitation in her voice now. Her grief had begun to harden into resolve. She wasn't just a scared little girl anymore. She was Xiao Ling, and she would find her brother, no matter what it took.
As the scene shifts back to Xiao Ling, now 11 years old, she stands confidently in her Cloud Knights uniform, a determined look in her eyes. She's been training hard over the past five years, driven by the memories of her mother and the promise to protect those she loves.
In the training yard, she showcases her skills with the sword, moving gracefully and fiercely. Her instructor watches with a mixture of pride and concern, noting her intensity and the underlying emotions that fuel her determination.
After her training session, she seeks out her friends among the recruits, eager to share her progress and hear about their own journeys. They discuss their dreams and aspirations, with Xiao Ling expressing her desire to be stronger, not just for herself but to honor her mother's memory and to one day reunite with her brother, Li Wei.
As they talk, rumors swirl among the recruits about strange occurrences in the surrounding forests—whispers of powerful beings and dark forces emerging, igniting curiosity and concern among the young warriors. Xiao Ling feels a sense of urgency; she wants to investigate these rumors herself, believing they could lead her to the truth about her family's past and the fate of her brother.