The wind, once a mournful whisper, now howled through the desolate remains of the Azure Echo Sect. The ruins, still heavy with the scent of decay, seemed to sigh beneath the weight of history, their silent testimony to a once-proud sect that had been swallowed whole by the cruel tides of time and treachery. It was in this lifeless expanse that Rin Xie walked, his steps echoing softly in the hollowed space. The dead, the broken, and the lost were all that remained.
Rin's body, still battered from his recent trials, moved with grim purpose. His ribs had mended, but the darkness within him—the death qi—was an ever-present reminder of what he had become. His skin had paled, eyes sunken, but his resolve was as sharp as ever. The Death Refinement Dao was alive inside him, a dark pulse that urged him onward.
He had been walking for hours, not knowing what drove him—whether it was the unyielding thirst for power, or the whispers of the Dagger, calling him into deeper darkness. Either way, he found himself drawn to the outer edges of the ruined sect, toward a distant forest where the air was thick with the scent of something… wrong.
At first, he heard nothing but the wind. But then, a faint growl reverberated through the air, a deep, guttural sound, raw with pain. Rin's instincts kicked in, his hand going instinctively to the Death Refinement Dagger at his side. He approached cautiously, his senses sharpening with every step. The growl grew louder, more urgent, as though something was struggling for life—struggling to survive.
The source of the sound lay beyond a ridge, nestled among the roots of an ancient, withered tree. The creature, lying prone and bloodied, was unlike anything Rin had ever seen. Its body was a mass of sinewy muscle, covered in scales that shimmered with a faint, sickly sheen. The creature's head was large, too large for its body, with twisted horns that curled back over its skull. Its eyes, though clouded with pain, were alert—watchful. It was no ordinary beast.
Rin's grip tightened around the dagger as he circled the creature. It was large, perhaps too large for him to take down in his weakened state, but there was something familiar about it. The creature's aura thrummed with death. Not the life-destroying energy that Rin had learned to wield, but something close—something ancient.
The beast's eyes shifted to meet Rin's, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to still. Rin felt an odd pulse of recognition—something deep within him stirred, as though the creature was not just another beast, but something far more significant.
The beast's voice, hoarse and barely above a whisper, filled Rin's mind. "I should not be here... But you..."
Rin recoiled slightly, unsure whether he was hearing things or if the beast truly spoke. His heart raced, and his breath quickened. The beast's voice continued, a low, rumbling growl of words that seemed to echo through the very air around them.
"You... are the one... who bears the curse."
Rin stood frozen, his mind racing. The creature's words made no sense, but there was a weight to them, a gravity that forced him to listen. He felt the subtle pull of the creature's presence, as if something deep within it was linked to his very being.
"I don't understand," Rin muttered, the dagger still clenched in his hand. "What curse do you speak of?"
The creature's bloodied muzzle twitched. "The curse of the Azure Echo Sect. The curse of death. The one who bears it... cannot escape. They must... they must join the dark path."
Rin's chest tightened. The words hit him with a force he couldn't explain, but he knew there was truth to them. He had already felt it, that undeniable pull—the inevitability of the dark power that coursed through his veins. The Death Refinement Dao was not a gift; it was a curse, a chain that bound him to an unknown fate.
The creature's eyes closed for a moment, and Rin felt the pulse of energy—something ancient, something tied to the sect's fall—surge from the beast's body. It was as if the very earth around them had shifted, and the air grew colder, heavier.
"You seek power, don't you, human?" The creature's voice rasped, filled with both pain and resignation. "You seek the death that will free you from your past. But power comes at a price, child. And death... death demands payment."
Rin felt an unfamiliar sensation stir within him—a strange mix of pity and sorrow, emotions that he had long discarded. His hand tightened around the hilt of the dagger, but his eyes remained locked on the beast. There was something about it, something that resonated within him. The creature was dying, but it was not a normal death. It was something more—something tied to the very essence of death itself.
"Help me," the beast whispered, its voice trembling with the weight of its final breath. "Help me, and I will help you. Our fates are... bound. Whether you wish it or not, we are soul-bound. You will be my keeper... and I... will be yours."
The words echoed in Rin's mind, each one a heavy weight. A soul-bound bond? He did not believe in such things—not after everything he had been through. But there was something about this creature—something that stirred the darkness within him. And when he looked into its eyes again, he saw it. He saw the echoes of a past he had not known, the echo of a protector—someone or something that had once watched over him.
There was no denying it anymore. Their fates were intertwined.
Rin did not respond immediately. He only watched as the creature's form trembled, its blood soaking into the earth beneath it. The connection between them felt like a dark thread being pulled taut, but there was no escape. The beast's death would be his death, its pain would become his, and vice versa.
With a swift motion, Rin raised his dagger and plunged it into the creature's side. The beast howled—not in pain, but in an odd mixture of relief and despair. Its body shuddered once, and then the energy within it began to flare, surging out from its dying form. Rin felt the pull, an irresistible force, and before he could react, the energy enveloped him.
A searing light filled his mind, and for a moment, he saw flashes of memories—visions of the past. He saw the Azure Echo Sect in its prime, its proud warriors standing tall, and among them, the creature. It was their guardian, their protector. And then, he saw it—the betrayal, the death, the fall of the sect. He saw the beast, bloodied and broken, bound to the sect's fate. Its soul had been tethered to the sect's destruction, and now, that tether had connected to Rin.
The energy of the beast flooded into him, merging with his own. The connection was instantaneous and unrelenting. It was not just death that he was absorbing—it was the beast's will, its memories, its very essence.
When the light faded, Rin stood over the creature's now-still body. His chest rose and fell with the weight of the bond that had been formed. His head ached, his thoughts fractured, but amidst the chaos of new energy, one thing was clear—he was no longer alone.
The beast's voice spoke again, but it was softer now, as though distant. "You will need me... and I will need you. Our fates are bound... for now\... and forever."
Rin could feel the creature's presence in his mind, a constant echo in the recesses of his thoughts. Its will was his now, its soul tethered to his. It was a burden, yes, but one Rin would have to carry.
He could already feel the power the beast had imparted to him, its death-attuned energy pulsing through his veins, heightening his senses, sharpening his mind. It was power, raw and untapped—power that could lead him to new heights of cultivation, if he could control it.
The price of this power, however, would be steep. Rin was certain of that.
He looked down at the beast's still form, his eyes hardening with determination. The world around him was changing, and so was he. There was no going back now.
He would walk this path, guided by the soul-bound beast, and together, they would carve a new destiny.
To be continued…