---
---
---
The village of Baiyu had welcomed them with open arms, a quick respite from their perilous adventure. however as the night time deepened, the shadows that had threatened them in advance seemed to move slowly returned, lurking at the edges of their consciousness.
Feng Yulan sat inside the motel's not unusual room, her amethyst eyes scanning the dimly lit space. The others had retreated to their rooms, however she couldn't sleep. The unsettling come upon with the shadowy figures nevertheless weighed heavily on her thoughts. She felt it in her bones—some thing ominous was closing in on them.
Her hands absently traced the brink of her teacup, the nice and cozy liquid inside untouched. The Empress of the Void, that is what they had come to name her, and yet here she was, grappling with an unusual sense of unease.
The innkeeper, an aged man with type eyes, shuffled over to her. "can not sleep, miss?" he asked, his voice gentle, almost a whisper.
Feng Yulan offered a small, polite smile. "some thing like that. i have just were given loads on my thoughts."
The innkeeper nodded knowingly. "it is the shadows, isn't always it? they have been greater active recently, ever for the reason that sky darkened every week in the past."
Her eyes sharpened at his phrases. "The sky darkened?"
"Aye," the innkeeper stated, decreasing his voice even extra. "the celebrities themselves appeared to flicker out for a second. The elders say it's a sign of some thing terrible coming. A typhoon of shadows."
Feng Yulan's heart skipped a beat. The shadows they had encountered were no regular threats—they have been tied to some thing a great deal larger, something a ways greater dangerous. "thanks," she stated, status up. "you've got been very beneficial."
The innkeeper bowed slightly earlier than returning to his obligations, leaving Feng Yulan on my own with her mind. She had to tell the others. something changed into occurring, it turned into clear they couldn't manage to pay for to stay right here lots longer.
She climbed the stairs to the second one ground, where their rooms have been. She first knocked on Xuan Zhan's door. The cautious Strategist was already wide awake, as if he had sensed her technique.
"what is it?" he asked as he opened the door, his eyes right now noting her bothered expression.
"We need to acquire anybody," Feng Yulan stated, her voice firm. "there is some thing we want to talk about."
It failed to take long for the complete group to bring together in Xuan Zhan's room. notwithstanding the overdue hour, each of them seemed alert, their instincts as cultivators maintaining them on edge.
"what's going on?" asked Shen Lan, the Mischievous Executioner, his common playful tone absent.
Feng Yulan quick relayed what the innkeeper had instructed her approximately the sky darkening and the typhoon of shadows. As she spoke, the room grew aggravating, every of them understanding the gravity of the situation.
"So, the shadows we encountered… they're just the beginning?" Yun Xi, the dozing hurricane, murmured, her regular lazy demeanor changed with a rare seriousness.
"It looks as if it," Xuan Zhan responded, his analytical mind already racing thru possibilities. "If the shadows are growing more potent, then whatever's at the back of them is in all likelihood preparing to make a pass."
"We ought to go away this village," Tian Mei, the devil's Blossom, cautioned, her voice soft but firm. "If the typhoon is coming, we do not want to be caught in the center of it."
Hei long, the Sovereign of Shadows, nodded in settlement. "I do not like it either. We need to get out of right here and find a more secure place to regroup."
Lei Zhiyin, the Harmonious Tempest, strummed her fingers towards the brink of her chair, a considerate expression on her face. "If the shadows are gathering, they should be interested in some thing. some thing powerful. perhaps it's related to why we were added to this global inside the first place."
Bai Hu, the Chaotic Beast, leaned lower back with a grin. "properly, this just were given exciting. I say we follow the trail of shadows and notice in which it leads. may be amusing."
Zhi Xing, the Blunt Blade, crossed his palms, his expression as blunt as ever. "We need to be organized for something we find. this may be our toughest venture but."
Liu Xiu, the Silent Oracle, remained quiet, her sharp eyes watching the others as they spoke. subsequently, she brought, "anything takes place, we want to stick together. Our energy lies in our harmony."
Feng Yulan took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her identify as the Empress of the Void decide her shoulders. "Then it is decided. we'll go away at the beginning mild. but we want to be cautious. The shadows are looking us, and that they recognize we're right here."
The organization nodded in agreement, a feel of clear up settling over them. they'd faced risks earlier than, however this felt distinct—greater private, extra risky. regardless of the storm of shadows became, they have been decided to confront it head-on.
As they prepared to return to their rooms, Xuan Zhan stopped Feng Yulan at the door. "you've got been on area all night," he stated quietly. "Is there some thing else bothering you?"
Feng Yulan hesitated, her eyes assembly his. "it's just… I can not shake the feeling that that is all related. The shadows, the hurricane, the darkening of the sky. It looks like some thing out of my beyond—some thing I concept i'd left in the back of."
Xuan Zhan's expression softened, a unprecedented second of vulnerability passing among them. "something it's far, we will face it collectively. You don't ought to bring this burden alone."
She nodded, appreciating his help. "thanks, Xuan Zhan. I simply wish we are ready for what is coming."
With that, they parted methods, every of them returning to their rooms to put together for the journey in advance. but as Feng Yulan lay in mattress, sleep eluded her. Her mind became a whirlwind of mind, reminiscences of her beyond lifestyles as Velzoyr mixing with the existing.
in the dark, she ought to almost pay attention the whispers of the shadows, calling out to her, reminding her of the strength she once wielded—and the darkness that had usually been a part of her.
however this time, she wasn't on my own. And so long as her friends had been by her facet, she knew they could face whatever the typhoon of shadows had in shop for them.
---
---
---