A Clan Divided
1. The Weight of an Outsider
Chen Zhen stood in the great hall of Shanggu Keep, surrounded by the last remnants of a once-mighty clan. The air was tense, thick with suspicion and unspoken grievances. The elders sat rigid on their stone seats, watching him like one might watch a storm approaching from the horizon—acknowledging its power but uncertain whether to take shelter or face it head-on.
Meilin had not spoken since his arrival.
She stood near the head of the chamber, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. But Chen could feel it—the way her qi pulsed beneath her skin, the restrained force of someone who had spent her entire life preparing for war.
The other elders weren't so silent.
"You carry Shanggu Feng's soul," one of them said at last, an older man with storm-worn hands, his robes embroidered with faded lightning sigils. "But your body is not of our blood. What are you, truly?"
Chen met his gaze evenly. "A man looking for allies before it's too late."
A scoff from another. A younger warrior, lean and sharp-eyed. Shanggu Quan, the man's presence radiated authority—though it was not given to him by age, but by the respect of warriors who had fought alongside him.
"Too late for what?" Quan folded his arms. "The war against the Lou Clan is at a standstill, and we've spent decades weathering worse storms than you."
Chen didn't flinch.
"This isn't about your war," he said. "It's about something coming that neither you nor the Lou Clan are prepared for."
Silence.
The tension shifted.
Not disbelief—uncertainty.
They had already suspected something was wrong. The anomalies, the disruptions in qi, the whispers of shadows moving beyond the known lands.
But no one wanted to be the first to say it aloud.
"You want to unite the clans?" another elder asked, his tone edged with disbelief. "The hatred between us cannot be undone with words."
Chen exhaled. "I don't expect it to be. But you'll have to decide which is more important—your past, or your survival."
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2. The Rift Among Them
The moment the elders dismissed him, the real conflict began.
Chen had barely stepped out of the great hall when Meilin caught up with him.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she demanded, voice low but fierce.
He turned to her, calm. "Spoken the truth?"
Her jaw tightened. "You've forced them to consider something they don't want to face. You think they don't already know the Lou Clan is moving? That something is changing in the world? They know, but acknowledging it would mean admitting they are weak."
Chen studied her for a moment. "And what do you believe?"
Meilin was silent for a long time.
Then, she finally said, "I believe you are dangerous."
"Because I'm right?"
"Because you remind me of Julong."
Chen stilled.
"You trained under him, didn't you?" she said, watching him carefully. "I see it in the way you move, in the way you talk. He was never one to let others decide his fate. And now, neither are you."
Her expression darkened. "Julong is the reason we were nearly wiped out."
Chen frowned. "Explain."
Meilin's lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't know what he told you, but he once tried to force peace between us and the Lou Clan. He thought he could control both sides, manipulate the war into something manageable. But he miscalculated. And the result was a massacre that cost us our strongest warriors."
Chen's breath was slow, steady. He had always known Julong wasn't just a teacher—he had his own motivations, his own history. But this?
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he believed something worse was coming," Meilin admitted. "He was obsessed with it. Talked about forces beyond the clans, beyond our wars. Sound familiar?"
Chen said nothing.
Because it sounded exactly like what he was saying now.
And if Julong had once failed to unite the clans… what made him think he would succeed?
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3. The Warning Comes Too Late
Before Chen could dwell on Meilin's words, the first explosion rocked the mountainside.
The ground shook violently, sending tremors rippling through the stone structures of the keep.
Shouts echoed from the walls. Warriors rushed to defensive positions, their energy flaring to life.
Meilin was already moving.
"Something's here."
Chen followed her without hesitation, his glaive already in his grip.
They emerged onto the outer battlements, where storm clouds churned unnaturally above the valley.
And below—moving shadows.
Chen recognized them instantly.
Hollow Stalkers.
Dozens. No—hundreds.
Unlike before, they weren't testing the defenses.
They were attacking.
"The elders will see your warning sooner than expected," Lou Tian murmured darkly.
Chen's grip tightened on his weapon.
"Then let's make sure they survive long enough to listen."
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