Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

The Unity Rune floated alone, untethered, radiating an aura identical to the earlier heavenly punishment. No one dared approach it, yet many longed to. They yearned to rush forward and seize the rune—to hold it close, to keep some part of the one they lost near. A son. A lover. A father. Jin Shu was gone, and the single rune was all that remained.

It hurt to watch the glow dim, flickering like an ember in the wind—fleeting, fragile, destined to be snuffed out.

The air was thick with sobs and sorrow.

Yin'er approached Sun Mei'er and Chen Ai Yun, who were weeping in each other's embrace over the one they had lost. But Yin'er didn't understand. She had been sent off to play far from the heavenly punishment and had only just returned as the storm began to fade.

"Big Sis Mei'er, where's Daddy?" she asked, her voice small and innocent—words that only deepened the sobs of the two women.

They pulled apart slightly and beckoned her closer.

"C…come here, Yin'er," Sun Mei'er said, holding out her arms.

Yin'er tilted her head. She liked her grandmother—though she wasn't supposed to call her that—so she nodded and walked forward.

Sun Mei'er scooped her up, pressing her gently into the space between herself and Chen Ai Yun so they could hold her together.

Yin'er didn't know what was wrong, only that the adults were crying. And when she was sad, she always looked for her daddy—so she glanced left and right, searched up and down, but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find him.

"Oh, my poor baby!" Sun Mei'er cried. "Why?! Why is he gone?!"

"Big Sis Mei'er has a baby?" Yin'er asked, squirming to get more comfortable in their arms.

"Yes," Sun Mei'er said, brushing away tears even as more fell. "My baby is your daddy."

"Oh, I remember!" Yin'er said brightly. Then her expression dimmed. "But… where is Daddy?"

"...He's gone, Yin'er," Chen Ai Yun answered softly.

"Gone?" Yin'er tilted her head, then looked up toward the sky. "But he's right there."

She pointed toward the Unity Rune, still pulsing gently in the air.

"No…" Chen Ai Yun whispered, her voice breaking. "That's just what's left—a piece of him the heavens left behind… so we wouldn't forget."

"But… he looks like Daddy. Only kinda see-through. And he has really cool horns," Yin'er said, pointing toward the sky as if she truly saw someone there.

Everyone turned their gaze upward, as if on cue—and there he was. A translucent figure hovered before the Unity Rune. He had horns—long, curved, and dark silver—and his bright silver hair shimmered faintly in the air. Aside from those features, his face was nearly identical to Jin Shu's, though slightly older.

The silver-horned man looked down at them from beside the rune. With a wave of his hand, a barrier of silver energy—neither qi nor any known power—rippled out, forming a dome around the mountain and rune. Most of the crowd was pushed out, though a select few remained within the protected space.

Those left behind were: Chen Ai Yun, Sun Mei'er, Yin'er, Feng Lian, Fan Biyu, Li Xue, Tian Li, and—surprisingly—Bing Hou and Zhu Ren.

"You nine share deep karma with… us. So, you are permitted to know this," the figure said. Though his voice was quiet, it rolled over them like a heavenly decree. "Jin Shu is dead—"

Gasps broke out. Even knowing the truth, hearing it spoken aloud struck like a blow to the chest.

"—but not gone," he finished.

"What do you mean, 'dead but not gone'?" Feng Lian asked, frowning. "And who are you?"

"He is undergoing rebirth—much like the phoenixes of your clan, rising from ash," the man said, gesturing to the Unity Rune. "As for who I am… I am Long Jinshu, prince of the Azure Dragon Clan—Jin Shu's first incarnation."

"You're the dragon he spoke of?" Chen Ai Yun asked, her voice hushed. "The one from his dreams?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "But we have little time for questions. I need your help. He needs your help."

He lifted his hand, and glowing projections appeared before each of them—intricate formation diagrams, pulsing with faint light.

"This rune has absorbed the remnants of the heavenly punishment to reconstruct Jin Shu's body. But to refine that power, it needs qi," he explained, nodding toward the rune. "Unfortunately, I cannot manipulate qi in my current form."

He looked at them gravely.

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"One of you must construct the formation I've given you. The rest must feed it your qi. Only then can the Unity Rune finish what it began."

Long Jinshu bowed his head. "Please begin."

"Wait," Chen Ai Yun called out. "If we combine the qi of nine different people, the result would be a muddled amalgamation, no being, dead or alive, could possibly absorb that."

"You're right," Long Jinshu said with a nod. "That's what the formation is for—and why it had to be you nine. It is called the Karmic Qi-Transfer Formation. It draws upon the threads of karma that bind you to him. But only the strongest threads can safely channel the needed qi. That's why you were gathered."

Bing Hou raised her hand. "I have a question."

He turned to her. "Please make it quick. We're running out of time."

"You said you needed people with strong karma," she said, glancing toward Zhu Ren. "But she and I barely know Jin Shu. We just met him a week ago."

"That's not entirely true," Long Jinshu replied, his tone gentler. "But I won't get into that now. For the moment, let's say it's me you're connected to. Daughter of the Dragon Clan—I am half your ancestor, or close to it."

He turned his gaze to Zhu Ren. "And as for her… I need the power of her Dao Spirit for a specific task."

"You… You're really an Azure Dragon?" Bing Hou asked, visibly shaken. "That wasn't just a myth?"

"A myth?" he echoed, almost amused. "It was only a few hundred years ago that your clan served under mine. Did they break away while I was gone?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. What does matter is this—if you help me, I'll help you. I will guide you in shedding your human shell and awakening your true bloodline."

He turned again to Zhu Ren. "And you—lend me your Dao Spirit, just briefly. I promise, when it returns to you, it will be stronger."

Bing Hou and Zhu Ren exchanged a glance, then nodded.

"Good," Long Jinshu said, turning back to the others. His silver eyes settled on Chen Ai Yun and Feng Lian. "Now, between the two of you, who will construct the formation?"

Feng Lian raised her hand. "I have the highest attainment in formation arts. It would be fastest if I do it."

Long Jinshu nodded. "Very well. Please begin."

Without hesitation, Feng Lian moved beneath the Unity Rune and began inscribing the formation into the mountain rock. Her movements were fluid and precise, as though she'd carved this formation a hundred times before. She finished mere moments after she started—fast enough to surprise even Long Jinshu.

"It's done," she announced, brushing a bead of sweat from her brow.

"I'd expect nothing less from the noble phoenix clan's sole successor," Long Jinshu said.

"I'm nothing more than an abandoned hatchling…" she replied quietly, a distant look clouding her eyes—memories of a painful past flickering beneath her calm exterior.

Long Jinshu considered pressing, but dismissed the thought. There was no time. "Now, each of you must place a hand over the formation. I'll activate it, and the formation will handle the rest."

He turned to Zhu Ren. "Except you. You only need to release your Dao Spirit and have it place its hand on the Unity Rune. A portion of its essence will be drawn out, but in return, it will absorb a trace of the heavenly punishment's aura—and with it, advance by a stage."

Zhu Ren gave a silent nod and summoned her Dao Spirit—the Dagger-Wielding Goddess. The spirit ascended and pressed its ethereal hand gently against the Unity Rune. Meanwhile, the others placed their hands over the formation's core.

With a single snap of his fingers, Long Jinshu activated the array.

At once, the intricate runes flared to life, casting a kaleidoscope of shifting colors across the mountaintop. Above each person's head appeared shimmering visions—echoes of the bonds they shared with Jin Shu.

For Sun Mei'er, it was the moment just after his birth. She cradled the newborn Jin Shu in her arms, whispering her love into his tiny ear—and smiled when his first giggle answered her soft breath.

Chen Ai Yun's vision showed the first time she met the child that should have been hers, yet was born from her wife. The infant reached out with his tiny hand and clutched her finger, holding on with unexpected strength.

Yin'er's memory was simple, but powerful—the moment she first opened her eyes… and saw Jin Shu's face.

Fan Biyu's vision showed the long nights Jin Shu spent tending her shattered legs before they journeyed to her sect—nights of silent, tireless care.

Above Li Xue hovered the memory of their first meeting. Jin Shu rode up on horseback, a tiny tiger cub perched on his shoulder, flashing a royal seal she'd dismissed as a fake. She'd promptly thrown him in jail. A decision she secretly never regretted—since it had brought them together.

Tian Li's vision revealed their brief time trapped together in the hidden realm during the tournament—the moment they slipped into a pond while kissing. The scene drew a chorus of mixed glances from those watching: curiosity, jealousy, teasing smirks. Tian Li blushed, but met their looks without flinching.

Feng Lian's vision was… different. No single scene emerged—only fragmented flashes, glimpses of moments yet to come. The images flickered too fast to capture, but one truth was unmistakable: they were witnessing visions of the future, even if none of them could grasp what they saw.

Perhaps most surprising of all was Bing Hou's vision—not from her perspective, but an aerial view of a vast assembly of dragons and dragon-like beings. They appeared to be in council, though no sound reached them. At the center stood a silver-haired woman who bore a striking resemblance to the silver-haired man floating above.

Before anyone could question the visions, a powerful ripple swept through the air—drawing every gaze back to the Unity Rune.