Poppy felt the words settle somewhere deep, icy and inevitable.
Caelan swore softly under his breath. “That sounds celestial.”
“It is,” Mingzhao said. “Older than the clans. Older than the moonwell. An ancient celestial entity whose presence always preceded catastrophe.”
Poppy whispered, “Then the fragment… is just part of it.”
Mingzhao nodded once. “A splinter of its will.”
“And the shadow I saw—”
“Is its true form,” Mingzhao finished. “Or the memory of it.”
The room fell silent.
Dead silent.
Poppy finally found her voice again. “But… why is the moonwell calling me? I’m not a Guardian. I’m not part of any celestial line—”
Xu Yunlian stepped closer, her expression soft but scared. “You are moonborn and bear moonwell qi now,” she said gently. “You touched its heart when it was wounded. It marked you.”
“And,” Caelan added, eyes flicking to Poppy’s abdomen, “it marked the life inside you.”
Mingxi’s breath shuddered. “That’s why the fragment recognized her,” he whispered.
“But also why the moonwell reached out.” Poppy looked at her hands, trembling. “I’m connected to it.”
“Yes,” Mingzhao said. “Now the moonwell is begging for help.”
“What did it tell you?” Elder Suyin whispered.
Poppy exhaled shakily. “To run.”
Everyone stiffened.
“Run?” Mingjun echoed. “From what?”
Poppy looked at him helplessly. “I don’t know. I think… from the shadow. From the true Devouring One. From whatever is coming.”
Mingxi’s voice dropped, soft and dangerous. “We’re not running blindly.”
“You may not have a choice,” Caelan said quietly.
All eyes snapped to him, and Caelan cleared his throat nervously.
“The Western Council… sent one final message with me. They believe that if the Devouring One’s true form rises again, even partially…” He swallowed. “The world will end.”
Even the foxfire lanterns dimmed.
Poppy grabbed Mingxi’s hand, squeezing, hoping for some grounding. “What do we do?”
Mingzhao answered, “Everything we must.” He stepped forward. “We prepare to leave Huoyáo Jìng.”
Chapter 101
As the elders erupted into debate, Poppy suddenly felt, a faint strike against her ribs, like a tiny heartbeat out of sync with her own. She inhaled sharply.
Mingxi spun toward her. “What is it? What do you feel?”
