Meng Yuqing was listening to the flurry of system notifications when footsteps approached his room. They stopped just outside his door, and Xuan's voice came through the curtain.
"Meng Yuqing, are you asleep?"
"Not yet. Come in."
The curtain was lifted, and Xuan entered, carrying a bundle of clean animal pelts in his hands.
"The nights are chilly. My Sub-Father asked me to bring these for you."
"Thank you." Meng Yuqing accepted the pelts and turned to spread them over the stone bed.
Once he finished, he noticed Xuan hadn't left. Instead, he stood by the stone platform on one side of the room, gazing at the items placed there. Meng Yuqing recalled seeing wooden toys and some colorful stones on the platform earlier. They must have been Xuan's childhood toys. This room was probably his, now temporarily lent to Meng Yuqing.
Thinking of this, Meng Yuqing walked over to Xuan, who seemed lost in thought while staring at the toys.
"Are these your childhood toys?" Meng Yuqing asked.
"No, they're not," Xuan replied, shaking his head and snapping out of his daze.
"Then why are they in your room?" Meng Yuqing asked, puzzled.
"This isn't my room," Xuan said, his voice uncharacteristically subdued. "This was my younger brother An'an's room. He was a little sub-beast."
Meng Yuqing grew even more confused. Xuan had just reached adulthood, which meant his younger brother should be even smaller. Why would this room be empty for Meng Yuqing to use? And why hadn't he seen any sign of this little sub-beast today?
"Meng Yuqing," Xuan called, interrupting his thoughts.
"Hmm? What is it?" Meng Yuqing asked, snapping back to the present.
"I actually came to talk to you," Xuan said, his expression unusually serious.
"Go ahead." Meng Yuqing immediately matched Xuan's serious tone.
"Although my Sub-Father has already apologized, I feel I need to say it personally." Xuan paused, meeting Meng Yuqing's gaze with unwavering sincerity. "I want to apologize for leaving you alone in the wilderness when I went to hunt the Shadow Beast. I didn't consider your safety enough. I hope you can forgive me."
Meng Yuqing was caught off guard. "What? No, you don't have to apologize for that. I never blamed you. Really."
He continued earnestly, "I understand why you had to hunt the Shadow Beast. After everything I learned today, I see how much pain it caused your tribe. You couldn't let it escape. I saw how your tribespeople reacted—they were sad about the past but also relieved and proud. To them, you're a hero."
Xuan's expression grew complicated. He had known Meng Yuqing didn't resent him, but hearing him frame Xuan's actions as heroic felt strange and humbling.
After a moment of silence, Xuan spoke again, his voice low. "It's not just for the tribe. That beast… I had to kill it for another reason."
He paused, as if struggling to continue. Meng Yuqing could sense Xuan was suppressing something, a burden he couldn't share even with his family.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Meng Yuqing asked gently.
Xuan's gaze grew distant as he fell into a memory. Slowly, he began recounting his perspective of the beast attack ten years ago. What Meng Yuqing heard was far more brutal and heartbreaking than the summary Summer had shared earlier.
It was autumn, ten years ago. During this season, the beastmen rotated shifts to conduct the annual autumn hunt. Two-thirds of the tribe's beastmen would leave to hunt while the remaining third stayed to guard the tribe. Sub-beasts used the season to gather food, preparing for the winter.
Autumn was a time of plenty, with abundant prey and plants. Predatory beasts rarely targeted tribes, as they could easily find food elsewhere. Attacking beastmen—strong, capable warriors—was not worth the risk, especially when easier prey was available.
But that year, everything changed. Two weeks before winter, as the final autumn hunt was underway, Summer and Yang led the hunters into the wilderness, leaving behind a reduced defensive force.
Three days into the hunt, Xuan and Lie were in the back plains, learning hunting skills from an elder beastman alongside other young trainees. It was a typical day, with nothing to hint at the impending catastrophe.
Autumn Leaf, Xuan's Sub-Father, had brought them lunch. Xuan's younger brother, An'an, had stayed home, feeling unwell, under the care of their Sub-Uncle, Chiyan.
That was when the alarm came—a beastman's warning roar echoed through the valley. Xuan, already trained to understand such signals, knew what it meant: Beast attack. Numerous threats. Danger.
The elder trainers immediately sprang into action. They instructed three beastmen to escort the trainees and sub-beasts to a hidden cave for safety while the others rushed to the frontlines.
Autumn Leaf joined the evacuation team, shepherding Xuan, Lie, and the other children into the cave. As the minutes passed, more sub-beasts and younglings arrived, escorted by exhausted beastmen who immediately returned to the fray.
The cave was well-hidden, and under normal circumstances, it was secure. But this attack was different—beasts began converging on the cave with alarming frequency. The three beastmen guarding it had their hands full, fighting off wave after wave of attackers.
"Ping, are you okay?" one of the guards called out.
"I'm fine, but the situation up front must be dire for this many to slip through," Ping replied.
"Ping, Tao—watch out! These beasts are relentless!" another guard shouted.
The situation worsened as stray beasts broke through their defenses and charged the cave. The older trainees shifted into their beast forms, forming a protective barrier in front of the younger children and sub-beasts. Their actions allowed the adult guards to focus on the stronger beasts.
Eventually, the attacks subsided. Just as they began to believe the worst was over, a bloodied beastman staggered into view.
"The numbers are overwhelming," he gasped. "Lan said all twelve-year-old trainees are to join the battle. He's already sent Fei to summon Summer and Yang. We have to hold until they return."
This was not good news. It meant the tribe was on the brink of collapse.
As Xuan recounted this, his voice grew hoarser, his expression darkening. Meng Yuqing listened intently, his heart heavy with the weight of Xuan's memories.