Xiao Lin awoke slowly, as if rising from the bottom of a deep ocean. Light filtered through gauze curtains, the scent of herbs and incense tickling his senses. His body ached, bandaged tightly, but it was the heaviness in his chest that made it hard to breathe.
His mind was haunted — not just by the memory of the blade, but by what came after.
Visions. His mother's voice. Symbols. A fox with nine tails, glowing in moonlight, standing protectively over a child.
"Not a healer," he whispered to himself. "A gate…"
The door creaked open.
Sheng Long stood there, looking almost hesitant. His eyes were sharp and stormy, but when they landed on Xiao Lin, his tension eased — just slightly.
"You're awake."
"I'm sorry," Xiao Lin said softly. "I should've—"
"Don't," Sheng Long cut in, walking to his side. "You saved someone's life. That wasn't a mistake."
There was silence between them, thick and weighted.
Finally, Xiao Lin looked up. "Why did you… say that? About your heart?"
Sheng Long paused. The admission still echoed across the Empire.
"Because it's the truth," he said simply. "Even if I don't know where it leads. Even if war is coming. Even if I have to—"
"Sacrifice yourself again?" Xiao Lin interrupted, eyes fierce. "You don't get to do that again. Not without me."
Sheng Long swallowed hard. "I don't want you involved in this war any deeper than you already are."
"I already am. You know that."
Xiao Lin's hand hovered over his heart. "Something in me… changed. That pendant… the dragon… when I wore it, something inside me woke up."
That night, as the moon rose over the palace, Xiao Lin sat on the roof garden alone. Meditation didn't come easily anymore. When he closed his eyes, he saw stars exploding, fire washing over silver trees, and a woman's last cry:
"Run, Lin'er! You were born for this!"
Then something new — an unfamiliar memory surfacing like a dream:
A golden chamber in the heart of a mountain. Voices chanting. A fox-shaped statue bleeding light from its eyes. And a scroll burned before he could read it.
He was more than SS mental power. More than a healer.
He was tied to something ancient — and dangerous.
Across the stars, the Zerg queen stirred in her hive. Her drones brought news from spies hidden among the humans. The boy had awakened. The white fox — the one born of the lost bloodline.
"He can restore the beast core," she hissed in her native tongue. "He can undo what we shattered."
Panic. Fear. Rage.
A command was issued.
"Send the brood," the queen shrieked. "Find him. Kill him. Before the Gate opens."
Back on the palace grounds, Yan Shuo stepped into the shadows beside Sheng Long.
"There's movement on the fringe planets. Zerg activity is spiking."
"They know," Sheng Long said. "They fear Xiao Lin."
Yan Shuo studied his commander. "And you?"
Sheng Long didn't look away. "I don't fear him."
He looked up toward the roof, where Xiao Lin still sat under the stars.
"I fear what I'll become if I lose him."