The figure stepped from the shadows with a quiet, deliberate grace, the rustle of leaves barely audible beneath the heavy silence of the forest. Lan Yue's pulse quickened as her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword, the Lotus Flame flickering to life along the blade's edge, casting a faint glow against the darkened trees.
Beside her, Li Feng stood poised with his spear, his expression tense but calm. The figure was cloaked, their face hidden beneath a deep hood, but their presence was unmistakably powerful. There was something about the way they moved—silent, fluid—that set Lan Yue on edge. This was no ordinary traveler.
"Who are you?" Li Feng demanded, his voice steady but sharp, cutting through the thick air of the forest. His dark eyes never left the figure, every muscle in his body coiled, ready to strike at the first sign of aggression.
For a moment, the figure said nothing, their face still obscured by the shadows of their hood. Then, slowly, they reached up and pulled the hood back, revealing a woman with piercing, sharp eyes and a calm expression that betrayed no emotion. Her dark hair was tied back, and though her face was young, there was an air of experience about her—a confidence that came from years of battle.
"My name is Mei Lin," the woman said, her voice smooth and controlled. "I've been following you."
Lan Yue's grip tightened on her sword, her instincts on high alert. "Why?"
Mei Lin's gaze flicked between Lan Yue and Li Feng, her expression unreadable. "Because you're in danger. And if you want to survive, you'll need my help."
Lan Yue exchanged a quick glance with Li Feng, her mind racing. They didn't know who this woman was, or whether they could trust her, but something about the way she spoke—calm, assured—told Lan Yue that she was not here to make idle threats.
"You've been following us," Li Feng said, his voice edged with suspicion. "How long?"
Mei Lin's lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Long enough to know you're planning something dangerous. And long enough to know that you've killed Elder Han."
Lan Yue's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected the woman to know about Han so quickly, let alone the fact that they were the ones responsible for his death. Her pulse quickened as she met the woman's gaze, searching for any sign of deception.
"You're well-informed," Lan Yue said, her voice steady despite the tension in the air. "But that doesn't explain why we should trust you."
Mei Lin's smile faded, her expression growing serious. "I know you don't have any reason to trust me. But the truth is, I'm not your enemy. In fact, I'm here because we have a common goal—the destruction of the Shadowborn."
Lan Yue's chest tightened. The Shadowborn—again. Every path seemed to lead back to them, the growing darkness that threatened to consume everything in its wake. But could this woman really be an ally in their fight, or was she using the mention of the Shadowborn to manipulate them?
"You know about the Shadowborn?" Li Feng asked, his voice filled with quiet suspicion.
Mei Lin nodded, her gaze steady. "More than most. I've been tracking their movements for months, watching as their influence grows. And I've seen firsthand what they're capable of. They've already begun to infiltrate the clans, corrupting those in power—just like Elder Han."
Lan Yue's pulse quickened. Mei Lin's words mirrored what they had already uncovered—Han's betrayal, the dark qi that had consumed him, the Shadowborn's growing influence within the White Lotus Clan. But how could she know so much about it?
"How do we know you're not one of them?" Lan Yue asked, her voice sharp as she took a step forward, her sword still glowing with the faint light of the Lotus Flame. "How do we know you're not working for the Shadowborn?"
Mei Lin's expression darkened, her sharp eyes narrowing. "Because I've lost everything to them. My clan, my family—they were destroyed by the Shadowborn's corruption. I've been hunting them ever since."
Lan Yue's heart ached at the woman's words, but she remained cautious. People could weave convincing lies when it suited them. "Prove it."
For a moment, Mei Lin said nothing. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, she pulled back the sleeve of her cloak, revealing a long, jagged scar that ran the length of her forearm. Dark energy pulsed faintly along the scar, a remnant of an old wound, the traces of dark qi still lingering in the air around it.
"This is what the Shadowborn did to me," Mei Lin said, her voice quiet but filled with a cold, simmering anger. "I barely survived the attack, but the rest of my clan wasn't so lucky."
Lan Yue's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the scar. The energy that radiated from it was unmistakable—the same dark qi she had felt during the battle with Elder Han, the same twisted power that the Shadowborn wielded. This woman had faced the Shadowborn before, and she had lived to tell the tale.
Li Feng's eyes flicked to Lan Yue, his expression thoughtful. "She's telling the truth."
Lan Yue hesitated for a moment longer, weighing the risk. Trusting Mei Lin could be dangerous—they didn't know enough about her or her past—but they couldn't afford to turn away potential allies. Not when the threat of the Shadowborn was growing by the day.
Finally, Lan Yue nodded, lowering her sword slightly but keeping her guard up. "All right. We'll hear you out. But if you try anything—"
"I won't," Mei Lin said, cutting her off with a calm but firm tone. "You have my word. I want the Shadowborn destroyed as much as you do."
Lan Yue's muscles relaxed slightly, though the tension in the air remained thick. Mei Lin might not be an enemy, but she was still a mystery—a wildcard in their already precarious situation.
"What do you know about their plans?" Li Feng asked, his voice taking on a more strategic tone as he stepped closer, his posture shifting from suspicion to cautious interest. "How are they infiltrating the clans?"
Mei Lin's expression grew serious as she lowered her arm, pulling her cloak back into place. "The Shadowborn are masters of manipulation. They don't just attack outright—they plant seeds of darkness, sowing discord and corruption. They offer power to those who seek it, twisting their minds with dark qi until they're little more than puppets. It's how they got to Elder Han."
Lan Yue's chest tightened as Mei Lin's words confirmed her worst fears. The Shadowborn weren't just attacking from the outside—they were rotting the clans from within, turning their leaders into tools for their dark agenda.
"They've already begun to infiltrate other clans," Mei Lin continued, her voice low but filled with quiet intensity. "The Iron Crane Clan, the Serpent Blossom Sect—they've all been touched by the Shadowborn's influence. If we don't stop them now, they'll tear the entire world apart."
Lan Yue's heart raced as the weight of Mei Lin's words settled over her. The threat of the Shadowborn was far greater than she had imagined. If they had already begun corrupting other clans, then the White Lotus Clan was just one piece of a much larger puzzle—a puzzle that was rapidly falling apart.
"What do we do?" Lan Yue asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mei Lin's gaze was sharp, her expression filled with cold resolve. "We gather allies. We expose the Shadowborn's influence wherever we find it. And we fight."
Lan Yue's pulse quickened as she exchanged a glance with Li Feng. They had been fighting for the survival of their clan, but now it was clear that the stakes were much higher. The entire world was at risk, and the Shadowborn were already tightening their grip.
"We'll need more than just a handful of warriors," Li Feng said, his voice filled with determination. "If we're going to fight the Shadowborn, we'll need an army."
Mei Lin nodded. "Then let's start building one."