The next few days passed in a blur for Tianwu, the events of the previous night haunting him in a way he couldn't fully explain. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the fleeting expression on Lei Xu's face, that brief flicker of recognition, the strange and unsettling feeling that there was something more to their encounter than either of them was willing to admit.The camp continued its journey through the dense forest, the air growing colder as the days wore on. The further they traveled, the more restless Tianwu became. His thoughts were never far from Lei Xu, and the mysterious man's cryptic words kept echoing in his mind: "The past is a dangerous thing to dwell on." It was as though something deep within him—the god he once had been—was urging him to remember.But remembering meant confronting the part of himself that he had buried, the part that felt like a distant nightmare, half-forgotten, but always lingering in the back of his mind.As the group set up camp that evening, Tianwu wandered off, his thoughts clouded. Yuren called after him, but he didn't stop. He needed to clear his head, needed to understand what was happening.In the solitude of the forest, Tianwu leaned against a tree, closing his eyes. The wind stirred the leaves, and the sound of distant water flowing reached his ears. He let himself sink into the rhythm of nature, trying to silence the tumult in his mind.But it was no use. His memories, long dormant, began to surface—fragmented, distorted, yet undeniable. He remembered battles fought under a sky of blood-red clouds, the clang of weapons ringing in his ears. He remembered the presence of another, a shadow that moved through the carnage with unmatched grace. A presence that, at first, had been an enemy.But then, there had been something else. Something more than just enmity. He had felt it in his soul—a deep, magnetic pull toward the person who had once been his sworn enemy. That person had been powerful, even more so than Tianwu himself. They had fought side by side in a war that spanned realms, a war that had shaped the gods and their followers. But through it all, there had been a bond that had not just been forged in the heat of battle but in something deeper, something forbidden.Tianwu's breath hitched as fragments of their shared past came rushing back—shared smiles, whispered words in the dark, the feeling of a hand brushing against his own in moments of silence between wars. And then, betrayal. The betrayal that had torn them apart. The shadows that had consumed them both, pushing them into separate fates.His eyes snapped open as realization hit him like a thunderclap. Lei Xu was not just some shadowy figure. He was the reincarnation of someone Tianwu had once known deeply, someone who had been more than just a lover—someone who had been a part of his soul.Lei Xu was the God of Shadows. His sworn enemy in the heavens, but also his greatest love. The memory was like a wound reopened, sharp and raw. The memories of their time together as gods had been buried deep inside him, but now they surged to the surface, threatening to overwhelm him."Lei Xu," Tianwu whispered to himself, his voice shaking with the weight of the truth. "How could I have forgotten?"Back at the camp, Chengyan had noticed Tianwu's absence and had been keeping an eye out. He had seen the way Tianwu had reacted to the mention of Lei Xu's name, the way the two of them locked eyes the night they had first met. He had suspected that there was something more to Tianwu's past than he had let on. The tension between them was unmistakable, like two forces pulling at each other, yet always kept apart by something neither of them could control.Chengyan approached quietly, standing at the edge of the forest. His gaze was steady, his expression unreadable. He had his own suspicions about Tianwu's origins, about the divine aura that seemed to emanate from him, but he hadn't pressed the issue. There was something more important at stake now—the shadows were closing in, and their enemies were growing stronger.He didn't say anything as he approached Tianwu, sensing that the other man needed space. But as he neared, he saw Tianwu's face—pale, tense, his eyes filled with a depth of emotion that Chengyan hadn't seen before."Are you all right?" Chengyan's voice was quiet, almost tentative.Tianwu turned slowly, as if just realizing he wasn't alone. His gaze softened when he saw Chengyan standing there, but it quickly hardened again. He had no answers for the prince. Not yet."I need to go," Tianwu said, his voice barely above a whisper. "There's something I have to do."Chengyan's brow furrowed. "Where are you going?"Tianwu hesitated. "I need to find him."Chengyan's eyes flickered with understanding. "Lei Xu."Tianwu nodded, his expression distant. "He's not just some enemy. He's... he's someone I've known for longer than this life. Someone I shouldn't have forgotten."There was a long silence as Chengyan processed Tianwu's words. "You're saying that Lei Xu is someone from your past life?"Tianwu's gaze hardened, his fists clenching at his sides. "He's the God of Shadows. My sworn enemy... and my lover."The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their implications. Chengyan's mind raced. It made sense now—the strange connection between them, the unspoken understanding, the magnetic pull that had drawn Tianwu to Lei Xu despite the enmity.Tianwu's eyes were now focused on the distant horizon. "I don't know why, but I feel like I need to confront him. To finally put the past to rest."Chengyan stepped forward, his tone firm but understanding. "I understand. But you're not going alone."Tianwu turned to face him, his eyes narrowing. "I don't need you to follow me."Chengyan didn't back down. "You're not going alone, Tianwu. Whatever you're facing, I'm not going to let you face it by yourself. If Lei Xu is who you think he is, we need to prepare. The past may be coming back to haunt us, but we need to stay together. We're stronger that way."Tianwu looked at Chengyan, his gaze softer than it had been before. There was a quiet understanding between them, a bond that had been slowly forming over the course of their journey. For the first time, Tianwu felt the weight of the past and the present balancing out, as though he wasn't carrying it alone."Thank you," Tianwu said softly, his voice laced with gratitude and something more.Chengyan nodded, his expression resolute. "Whatever happens, we face it together."The two of them stood there for a moment longer, the weight of their unspoken words hanging in the air. The future was uncertain, the path ahead fraught with dangers both known and unknown. But for the first time in a long while, Tianwu felt like he wasn't entirely alone.Later that night, as the group settled in for rest, Tianwu lay awake, his thoughts still swirling. He knew what he had to do, but the consequences of his actions weighed heavily on him. He couldn't undo the past, but perhaps—just perhaps—he could change the future.The shadows of his past, of the love and betrayal, of the gods and their wars, were rising again. But Tianwu was no longer the same man he had been. He had been reborn, and with that rebirth came the chance to rewrite his fate.And the first step was to face the shadow that had once been his greatest love.To be continued...