Yun didn't sleep that night, not even for a blink. His whole body was still buzzing from the fight at the edge of the forest, the part where his awakening reacted on its own and blasted that Hunter apart… or whatever remained of it. His chest ached from the recoil, his fingers trembled, his vision flickered sotis like stars were passing behind his eyes.
But most of all
He couldn't forget the voice.
The whisper that wasn't a whisper.
The call from far, far beyond the sky.
It felt stronger now… too strong, like soone was pulling at the thread of his soul.
Shen Yu sat beside him, leaning on a broken tree stump, rubbing his temples tiredly. "Your bloodline's growing reckless," he said, sounding half-worried, half-annoyed. "Next ti warn before you blow a crater into the ground, alright? You nearly sent flying."
"I didn't do it on purpose," Yun muttered. "It just… snapped. Like sothing inside pushed too hard."
Shen Yu looked at him silently, then nodded a little. "That's what scares ."
The forest was still glowing faint silver from Yun's energy. That alone put a lump in Yun's throat. He wasn't supposed to be able to change landscapes. Farrs didn't do that. Normal boys didn't do that.
He swallowed hard. "Are more Hunters gonna co?"
"Yes," Shen Yu said without hesitation. "The mont the Hunters saw that burst of power… they marked your world. They will co in waves now, and each wave stronger than the last."
Yun's breath caught.
Shen Yu continued, voice low, "This world can't protect you anymore, Yun. It's too small to contain your awakening. Staying here… it puts everyone in danger."
Yun stared at the ground so hard his eyes stung.
His village.
His family.
Everyone laughing, gossiping, yelling, scolding, eating together.
All of it hanging by a thread because of him.
He clenched his fists. "Then what do I do?"
Shen Yu inhaled deeply, then pointed to the sky.
"You go up."
Yun blinked. "Up… where?"
"To the higher world," Shen Yu said. "The Celestial Steps. The Star Path. Whatever na people use. Your parents ca from there. And the ones who want you dead too. If you stay here, you'll die… and your world with you."
Yun felt sothing drop inside him. "But… my family… my village"
Shen Yu placed a hand on his shoulder. "Leaving doesn't an abandoning. It ans giving them a chance to survive."
Yun opened his mouth to answer but the forest floor trembled.
A ripple of silver tore through the sky like a giant scratching at the heavens.
Yun's vision blurred, and suddenly he saw
A flash of the Cosmos
Planets tearing apart.
Armies of star-forged warriors marching across nebula bridges.
His mother, Empress Yueran, holding back a collapsing star with bare hands.
His father, Emperor Lianxing, bleeding cosmic fire, gripping a broken spear made of galaxies.
They were fighting.
Bleeding.
Falling.
For him.
The vision shocked him so hard he gasped and stumbled backward, nearly falling to his knees.
Shen Yu grabbed him. "Yun?! What did you see?!"
"They're fighting…" Yun whispered hoarsely. "My parents… they're fighting sothing horrible… and losing."
Shen Yu went pale. "…then ti is shorter than I thought."
Before either of them could breathe again, a strange wind surged out of the forest, spiraling around Yun. The wind carried voices, soft and distant:
"Co… child of the stars… co before all is lost…"
Yun shook violently. "It's calling again stronger now"
"Fight it!" Shen Yu barked. "Not yet! Don't answer it yet!"
"I—I can't—" Yun's eyes glowed bright white, his hair lifting like gravity forgot him.
But then a figure burst through the bushes, panting heavily.
A girl.
No older than Yun.
With dark red hair in a ssy braid and bright amber eyes shining with determination.
"I found you!" she gasped, hands on her knees. "Finally… goodness, I thought I lost the trail"
Shen Yu stiffened. "You how did you get here?!"
The girl puffed her cheeks angrily. "Because I followed him, obviously! He keeps blowing up energy like fireworks! Anyone with sense could track him!"
Yun blinked, dazed. "Uh… who are you?"
The girl stood tall, chest puffed proudly. "My na is Lianhua! And I've been ordered to assist you, Young Master Yun! Whether you like it or not!"
"Huh?? Since when am I anyone's young master??" Yun yelped.
"Since before you were even born," she said. "And also because you're… um… kinda the heir of an entire cosmic empire."
Yun froze.
Shen Yu groaned into his hand. "This is exactly what I feared."
Lianhua marched right up to Yun, grabbed his wrist, and said:
"You have two choices now, Yun."
The wind around him surged harder, nearly lifting him off the ground.
Choice 1: Stay in this world and die fighting the Hunters alone, dragging your whole village down with you.
Choice 2: Ascend with to the higher realm, learn to control your power, make allies, and return one day strong enough to save this world and your family."
Yun's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Everything felt too fast.
Too big.
Too impossible.
But then
He rembered his mother's smile.
His father's clumsy attempts at fishing.
Old villagers shouting his na.
Children laughing.
The forests he grew up in.
His ho.
He took a deep breath.
"I'll go," Yun said. "I'll ascend. And one day… I'll co back stronger."
The sky answered instantly,a massive pillar of silver light exploded downward, swirling around him like a storm.
Shen Yu stepped back, watching with both pride and fear.
Lianhua grinned, relieved.
Sowhere across the cosmos, his real parents sensed him.
His journey…
was finally beginning.
But the path ahead was not easy.
The Hunters were preparing.
Other cosmic races watched.
And Yun,had no idea that this choice tonight would change the fate of countless worlds.
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