The morning wind blew heavier than usual, like it carried dust from far away places Yun never even heard of. He woke up feeling weird again, like soone poked his heart with a stick during the night. His whole body humd, tiny sparkles under his skin like ants of light crawling around.
He sat up too fast and hit his head on the wall.
"Ahh—dammit… stupid house," he groaned, rubbing his skull. His mother shouted from outside, "Yun! If you break that wall you're fixing it yourself!"
He muttered under his breath, "One day I'll be strong enough to punch the whole house away," then froze because that sounded way too possible now.
After eating so half-burnt porridge (he cooked it, so of course it was terrible), Yun walked outside and tried to do "training," but honestly he wasn't even sure what training ant anymore. His bloodline kept waking on its own, like a cat that refused to sleep properly.
He punched the air a few tis. Boom. The air shook.
He jumped. The ground cracked a little.
He breathed too hard. A chicken fainted.
"Okay… sorry chicken," he said, dragging it upright while it twitched.
But deep inside he felt sothing new, sothing warm and sharp at the sa ti — like starlight trying to burn through his ribs. And… a feeling, a voice? Not exactly a voice, more like a humming calling him from far, far away, like from the end of the sky.
He whispered to himself, "Why does the universe sound like it wants to co outside…?"
Before he could think more, Shen Yu appeared behind him like a ghost who forgot how to knock.
"You felt it again?" Shen Yu asked.
Yun nearly scread because he didn't hear him coming.
"Will you stop doing that!? One day you'll— actually no, I'll die before that, but still!"
Shen Yu only smiled. "The call is getting stronger. Your bloodline is peeling away its seals faster than expected."
Yun blinked. "Seals? Like… like soone wrapped in cosmic tape or what?"
Shen Yu opened his mouth, closed it, sighed.
"…Sothing like that, yes."
anwhile… sowhere far beyond mortals, in the High Star Realm
A palace drifted in the void, made of pure light and shifting constellations. Stars orbited it like obedient fireflies. Inside it, two figures stood on a balcony, looking out over a storm brewing in the cosmic darkness.
One was a tall woman, hair like a silver galaxy spilling over her shoulders, eyes glowing faint gold — the Star Empress Lianxue, mother of Yun.
The other was a man with a scar across his radiant cheek, wearing armor forged from the bones of collapsed stars — The King of Falling Suns, Tianlang, Yun's father.
They were stronger than anyone in the Mortal Universe could even dream, yet right now, both looked tired. Too tired.
"This is the third realm collapsing this month," Tianlang growled, slamming his gauntleted hand against the railing. "If the Abyss keeps pushing through the cracks, even we will run out of ti."
Lianxue closed her eyes. "And our son… our little Yun… his bloodline is awakening too fast. If he resonates with us now, the Abyss might sense him."
Tianlang clenched his jaw. "I hate this. Hiding him like this. Letting him grow without us…"
"You know why we had to," she whispered. "If the Twelve Great Clans discovered he inherited the Celestial Dual Core… they would kill him before he beca a threat."
Tianlang looked away.
"And they would kill us too."
A long silence.
Lianxue touched her chest gently. "I felt him today. His aura shook the cosmic threads. He's growing stronger… but sothing is hurting him. The call is pulling him too early."
A distant explosion echoed through the void behind them. A star detonated like an enormous firework.
Tianlang sighed. "We don't even get one quiet mont, do we?"
"No," Lianxue answered. "We don't."
Back in the village
Yun sneezed so loud a bird fell out of a tree.
"Why… why does this keep happening?!"
Shen Yu watched him with a face that tried to look calm but really looked like soone trying not to laugh.
"Well, your divine bloodline is reacting to your parents' cosmic conflict—"
"My WHAT reacting to WHO??"
"Never mind."
Yun stomped his foot in frustration and the entire yard trembled. A bucket flipped over by itself.
"That's it! I'm officially done being weak!" Yun shouted. "From today I start real training! I'll get stronger by force if I have to!"
"Good," Shen Yu said. "You'll need it."
Yun froze. "Need it… for what?"
Shen Yu looked toward the sky.
"The cosmos is shifting. And whether you're ready or not… they already began searching for you."
Yun gulped loudly.
Then the chicken that fainted earlier woke up and pecked his foot.
Yun scread like a dying goat.
Shen Yu sighed. "We have work to do.
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