Chapter 4.5: The Waters of Obsession
The night was eerily silent. The moon cast a pale glow over the dense forest, its light filtering through the trees in soft beams, but the sense of peace was fleeting. Yulan, her heart still heavy from the betrayal of the Fire Sect, moved with purpose, Rael by her side. Despite the haunting memories and her constant fear, she felt a flicker of hope—a new path, a new beginning.
Rael had promised her safety. He had spoken of a place where she could finally rest and recover, where they could gather strength to confront the Fire Sect. But even as the forest closed in around them, Yulan couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The air felt thick, charged with an energy she couldn't quite place. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
"Rael…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Something's not right."
Rael glanced at her, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. "I feel it too."
Just as the words left his mouth, a ripple in the air caught their attention. The trees around them trembled, the ground quivering beneath their feet. Yulan's breath caught in her throat as a figure stepped out of the shadows, his silhouette outlined against the pale moonlight.
Qing.
Her heart skipped a beat, her body freezing as his familiar figure emerged from the dark. His long black hair, now tied loosely at the nape of his neck, caught the wind as he stepped forward, his eyes burning with a cold intensity. The faint glow of water—icy, sharp—danced around his form like an ethereal halo.
He had always been the water user of their generation. Mastering Shui Gong with an elegance that made his power seem as natural as breathing. But now, there was something darker in his aura—something that made the once familiar presence feel like a threat.
Yulan's chest tightened. Her breath came in shallow bursts. "Qing," she whispered, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice. "What are you doing here?"
His gaze softened for a moment, his lips curling into a pained smile. "Yulan… I've been looking for you."
Rael stepped forward, his posture tense, his hand near his weapon. "You should leave, Qing. This isn't you."
Qing's eyes flicked toward Rael, the briefest flash of disdain crossing his features. "I see you've found a new protector, Yulan." His voice held a note of bitterness, sharp like the sting of ice. "I always thought you'd come to your senses and return to me. But instead, you run to him."
Rael's hand clenched at his side. He had never liked Qing, always finding something off about him. But now, with the way Qing's words carried that bitter edge of jealousy, it was clear this wasn't a simple reunion. There was more beneath the surface.
"I didn't come here to fight," Rael said calmly, though his voice held an edge of warning. "We're leaving. You can't keep hunting her forever."
Qing laughed—a short, sharp sound that sent a shiver down Yulan's spine. "Leave?" He stepped closer, the water around him rippling violently, as if reacting to his emotions. "You think you can take her from me? You think I'll let you both go, running off together like this?"
Yulan's heart pounded in her chest, and a sense of dread crawled up her spine. "Qing, listen to yourself. This isn't who you are. You're not the same."
"Not the same?" Qing's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, his tone laced with venom. "I was always patient with you, Yulan. Always watching. But you never saw me. Not the way I saw you. I've given everything to you, everything I am. But you—" He pointed at Rael, his eyes narrowing, "—you chose him. You chose someone who doesn't understand you the way I do."
The air around them grew colder, and Yulan could feel the water swirling in the ground, the trees bending in response to Qing's power. He was a master of Shui Gong—no, more than that now. His abilities were twisted, influenced by his obsession, and the energy in the air felt unstable, dangerous.
Yulan stepped back, but Qing's eyes never left her. His gaze was intense, almost pleading, but there was something desperate in it now. Something darker.
"You belong with me," Qing said, his voice growing more insistent, more controlled, as he advanced. "You always have, Yulan. No one else will ever understand you the way I do."
"I don't belong to anyone," Yulan said, her voice cold, her breath coming faster. The air around them crackled, the weight of Qing's presence pressing down on her. She didn't want to hurt him, but the man before her wasn't the one she had once cared for. This was someone else—someone dangerous.
Rael stepped forward, his presence steady, like a rock in the turbulent storm. "Qing, stop this madness. You're only hurting yourself."
Qing's eyes flared with fury. "You don't understand! I've watched you for years, Yulan. I've protected you, given you my power. And this is how you repay me? By running away with someone else?"
Rael's hand shot out toward him. "Enough!"
Without warning, he thrust his hand forward, sending a burst of water toward Qing. But Qing, too, was swift. With a flick of his wrist, the water before him froze, hardening into sharp icicles. The water twisted and turned, forming a barrier between them. With a shout, Qing summoned a wave of water that surged toward them, its pressure immense.
Yulan reacted instinctively, her hands forming a swift defensive barrier of water, but the collision of the two forces sent a shockwave through the air. Rael's water collided with Qing's ice, shattering the stillness of the night. The sound of the impact echoed through the trees like a thunderclap, and the ground beneath their feet trembled.
Yulan's chest tightened as she felt the full force of Qing's anger—a storm contained within the depths of his power, an eruption waiting to be unleashed.
"You can't run from me, Yulan!" Qing roared, his voice shaking with both fury and despair. He slammed his hands forward, sending a wave of water surging toward them, the force of it like a crashing tidal wave.
Rael was ready. His hand sliced through the air, and water responded, rising up to meet the wave with an equal force. The two torrents collided with a deafening crash, sending a gust of wind through the clearing.
Yulan felt the pressure of the battle building around her, the force of the two opposing powers filling the air like a storm on the verge of breaking. She had to act, and fast.
"Qing!" Yulan cried out, stepping forward. "Stop! This isn't you. This madness—this power—it's consuming you."
For a moment, Qing faltered. His eyes flicked to her, and for a split second, the fury in his gaze softened. But then it was gone, replaced by something darker.
"You never understood, did you?" he said, his voice now cold and distant, tinged with madness. "You will understand. You'll see. In the end, you'll have no one but me. No one but me."
With a snap of his fingers, the water around him twisted violently, forming into jagged blades of ice that shot forward like deadly spears.
Yulan had no choice. She summoned all the water she could find, pulling it from the earth, from the very air around them, and sent it hurtling toward Qing's ice blades, shattering them in a spectacular display of power.
But the battle was far from over. Qing's face was twisted in an expression of fury and despair, his eyes burning with a fire that was out of control. He wasn't just fighting to defeat her—he was fighting for something far darker, something desperate.
"I won't let you go," he snarled.
Yulan's body was trembling with exhaustion, but her resolve hardened. She couldn't run anymore. Not from him. Not from this.
She raised her hands once more, and this time, when she summoned the water, it wasn't to defend herself. It was to strike.
The storm was no longer just within Qing. It was within her, too.
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To be continued...