“Something’s following her. Again. Smaller. Mini boss. A DLC pack. Y’all should patch that.”
Poppy covered her face. “Please stop.”
Two healers approached Mingxi next.
“Sit,” one said sternly. “Six tails outside ritual conditions are dangerous. We need to check your channels.”
“I’m fine,” Mingxi insisted.
He clearly wasn’t.
Poppy reached for his wrist. “Please.”
He sat immediately.
The healers examined him.
“Pulse too fast.”
“Qi channels overexpanded.”
“Emotional catalyst.”
“Moonwell residue.”
Shen Mingzhao’s eyes moved from speaker to speaker, his expression unreadable. When the examination finished, the healers bowed.
“Clan Leader… your son is stable, but only barely.”
“I said I’m fine,” Mingxi repeated.
Poppy brushed his hand. “You’re not.”
He softened instantly and then groaned. “Ugh. Disgustingly cute.”
Shen Mingzhao stepped forward. “Now,” he said, voice low, “you will tell me everything.”
Mingxi stood—unsteady but determined—and instinctively positioned himself in front of Poppy.
“It began at the moonwell,” he said. “The entity’s revenants—”
Lysandra waved dramatically. “Dude had dead-by-daylight vibes.”
Everyone ignored her, and Mingxi continued. “The entity tried to force its way through her. Poppy performed the binding ritual. The Grimoire shattered.”
Xu Yunlian covered her mouth. “The Grimoire… is gone?”
Lysandra giggled. “Not gone. Glitterfied. Evil glitter. Everywhere.”
Minghua whispered, awe-struck, “She is delightfully mad.”
Caelan sighed. “You have no idea.”
Mingzhao pinched the bridge of his nose.
“So,” he summarized, “a shadow creature formed from the shattering, followed you into the gorge, attacked, and nearly killed Poppy.”
“Yes,” Mingxi said.
