**Cloud Vein Sect — Assembly Hall**
Instructor Wei's voice echoed across the stone plaza where the outer disciples had gathered.
> "The ruins at the Southern Ridge have opened again after a hundred years. Elder Lin has selected five of you to explore and retrieve anything of value. This mission is officially recognized by the Inner Council."
Murmurs broke out immediately.
> "Only five?"
> "Why not seniors?"
> "This sounds dangerous."
Instructor Wei continued, unbothered.
> "You will be led by an inner disciple — Yueyin."
Zeravon's head lifted slightly. He felt the name before he heard it.
Yueyin stepped forward, dressed in silver-gray robes that shimmered faintly. Her gaze scanned the crowd — and for a fraction of a second — paused on **him**.
Only he noticed.
But no one saw the glint of recognition in her eyes.
---
**The Selected Group**
* **Yueyin** – Mission lead, silent and unreadable.
* **Han Ziru** – Fastest among outer disciples.
* **Fei Rong** – Array specialist, modest and focused.
* **Jin Hao** – Muscle-headed but loyal.
* **Luo Mei** – Quiet girl with strange affinity to plants.
* **Zeravon** – The outlier. The unknown.
They left at dawn.
---
**South of the Sect — Ancient Ridge Forest**
The deeper they went, the more unnatural things felt.
The sky above was cloudy, but *the shadows below moved on their own*. Trees had no birds. Rocks had old script half-erased by time.
Yueyin led calmly, holding a **small compass-like device** — made of jade and white metal.
Fei Rong whispered to Jin Hao:
> "This compass… it's not from our sect. It's from the Upper Realm."
Zeravon, walking silently at the rear, heard every word — but remained still.
He didn't understand this place.
Yet… something **inside him did**.
The scent of the air. The tremble in the ground. The stillness in time.
> *"This land remembers me."*
---
**Within the Ruins – Twilight Hour**
They reached the broken gates of a sunken ruin — built into the side of a giant cliff.
Statues of unknown beasts lined the cracked stairs. Qi flowed strangely here — not chaotic, but **backward**.
Fei Rong muttered, "Even my arrays won't work here."
Han Ziru tried using his footwork technique to scout ahead — but after three steps, he stopped, confused.
> "I moved… but I didn't move."
Jin Hao punched a wall in frustration.
> *The space is looping…*
Yueyin turned to the group.
> "From this point forward, follow **exactly** where I step. Do not wander. Do not speak to the walls. And if you hear your name… ignore it."
Even Jin Hao fell quiet at that.
---
**Inside the Core Chamber**
The group made it past the first threshold — only to find a **floating altar** with fragments of treasure orbiting above it: scrolls, broken weapons, strange crystals.
But one fragment — a pale gray sphere — **pulled Zeravon's gaze** instantly.
He stepped forward, unable to resist.
Yueyin turned to stop him — but paused.
> *He's being… called?*
As Zeravon touched the edge of the altar, everything froze.
The ground stopped humming. The Qi halted. Even the floating items froze mid-air.
And then—
A deep sound echoed from **beneath the altar**:
> *"Oblivis… is close."*
Yueyin's breath caught.
> *"It's happening sooner than I thought."*
---
**Suddenly — Trap Activation**
The altar shook violently.
From the walls, **shadowed spirits** emerged — wrapped in black fog, their forms twisting unnaturally.
They weren't monsters.
They were **echoes** — fragments of memories lost in this ruin.
Yueyin instantly slashed through one with her jade blade, protecting the others.
Zeravon didn't fight.
But the shadows **didn't touch him.**
They backed away — as if unsure of what he was.
Fei Rong shouted, "They're ignoring him!"
Han Ziru cried, "They're only targeting us!"
> "Circle up!" Yueyin commanded.
> "This ruin is reacting to his presence."
Zeravon looked down at his hands — trembling, not from power — but from **recognition**.
> *"These spirits… they knew me once."*
---
**Ending Scene – As The Ruin Quakes**
Just before they escape the chamber, the gray sphere hurls itself toward Zeravon — embedding a sliver of light into his chest.
He stumbles — but doesn't fall.
Yueyin catches him mid-faint.
> *"The first key…"* she whispers.
> *"And the second name... begins to stir."*
Behind them, the altar cracks.
The spirits howl.
And far, far away, within the **Realm of Withered Fates**, something **opens its eyes**.
---