The days after the festival grew heavier, like the air before a storm.
Xiao Lin trained harder than ever. Morning drills, afternoon exercises, late-night meditation to sharpen his mental power. His fox form grew stronger, faster — no longer the clumsy creature he had first transformed into, but a sleek, dazzling silver figure.
Sheng Long watched it all from a distance.
Sometimes from the balcony, arms crossed.
Sometimes from the shadows of the training grounds.
He saw the way Xiao Lin laughed when sparring with Lu Jian or traded light jokes with Yan Shuo. He saw the way Xiao Lin's ruby eyes brightened when he mastered a difficult technique.
He saw — and he burned inside.
But he stayed silent.
He had promised himself:
Not until after the war.
Not until he could be sure Xiao Lin wouldn't be hurt because of him.
Not until he knew if he could survive it all.
The world didn't owe him a future.
And neither did Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin noticed the Marshal's distance.
He noticed how Sheng Long would train with him one day — sharp eyes correcting his form, rare praise dropping from his lips — and then vanish the next, leaving only cold, unreadable orders in his place.
Hot one moment.
Cold the next.
It was driving Xiao Lin insane.
He punched a training dummy harder than necessary one afternoon, startling Yan Shuo.
"You alright, Lin?" Yan Shuo asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
Xiao Lin forced a smile. "I'm fine."
But he wasn't.
The jade fox pendant Sheng Long had given him hung heavy against his chest, almost mocking. He toyed with it constantly, running his thumb over its smooth curves.
Had it meant something?
Or had he been foolish to think it had?
Later that night, Xiao Lin found himself wandering the palace gardens, restless.
The stars wheeled overhead, cold and bright. The silver moon lit up the empty paths, painting everything in stark white and black.
And at the heart of the garden, beside the koi pond, stood Sheng Long.
Silent. Waiting.
Xiao Lin hesitated, heart pounding.
Part of him wanted to walk away — to keep pretending nothing was wrong.
But he was tired.
Tired of guessing.
Tired of feeling like a burden Sheng Long was too kind to cast aside.
Tired of wanting something that always felt just out of reach.
He squared his shoulders and walked forward.
"Marshal," Xiao Lin said, stopping a few feet away.
Sheng Long turned, his face unreadable in the moonlight.
"You're working too hard," he said quietly.
"So are you," Xiao Lin countered, voice tight.
A tense silence fell between them.
The koi rippled the water behind them. A night bird called once, then went silent.
Finally, Xiao Lin spoke, fists clenched at his sides.
"Why do you keep pushing me away?"
Sheng Long's expression didn't change — but something flickered in his eyes. Pain. Regret.
"I'm trying to protect you," he said at last.
"Protect me from what?" Xiao Lin demanded, voice trembling. "You? Yourself?"
"From the future," Sheng Long said, voice low. "From... what I might have to do."
Xiao Lin stared at him, feeling like the ground was tilting beneath his feet.
"You think I'll break?" he said bitterly. "That I'm too weak to handle it?"
"No." Sheng Long's voice was fierce now, almost desperate. "You're strong. Stronger than you know."
He took a step closer, then stopped himself, fists clenched.
"But if I let myself want this... want you... and then something happens to me again—" He broke off, grinding his teeth. "I couldn't bear it. And I won't drag you down with me."
Xiao Lin's throat closed up, but he forced the words out.
"You already dragged me in the moment you gave me this," he said, pressing a hand to the fox pendant.
Sheng Long flinched — and that tiny reaction cracked something inside Xiao Lin.
He closed the distance between them in three quick steps.
"I don't need you to shield me from everything," Xiao Lin whispered fiercely. "I just need you here."
For a moment, Sheng Long looked like he might crumble. His hand twitched — like he wanted to touch Xiao Lin, pull him close.
But in the end, he only murmured:
"Not yet, Little Fox. Not yet."
Then he turned and walked away into the night, leaving Xiao Lin standing alone beneath the endless stars.