Chapter 14: The Heart Remembers ✦
The battle dragged through the night. Every strike Bai Jiu made was graceful, honed, precise—centuries of experience behind every motion. But Hei Mo was relentless, his power fueled by the unraveling seal and something older… darker.
Fu Sheng's role was defensive—her strength not yet whole. But each time Bai Jiu was injured, her anger ignited a spark. Her light grew stronger.
And then Hei Mo spoke what she feared most:
— "Do you even remember why you sealed me, goddess?"
Her vision blurred.
A flash.
She was on her knees, a blazing crown shattered at her feet. Bai Jiu stood behind her, bleeding, dying. And before her… not Hei Mo, but a creature of shadows—the Devourer, a being born from divine betrayal.
She had used all her power to seal it away.
And Hei Mo… had been the one possessed.
She gasped as the vision ended.
Hei Mo staggered back, eyes wide. "You saw it."
Fu Sheng's eyes glowed fully now, white-blue like moonlit flame.
— "You were innocent once. You were corrupted. But you chose to let the darkness in."
She raised her hand. A circle of ancient runes lit the air.
— "I remember who I am. I remember who he is. And I remember what I must do."
She looked at Bai Jiu, whose gaze softened.
— "Then I'll fight by your side until the end."
Their hands touched again.
And in that instant, sky and earth trembled—as if the heavens, too, remembered.