Release Schedule: Once per week.
With no recollection of her past or even her own name, our heroine has merely been existing since waking in a place known as the Obsidian Terraces. Uncertain how to fend for herself or earn coin, she turned to protec...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I scanned the trees, looking for anything unusual. Birds chirped in the canopy, while various animal calls echoed through the forest. They appeared to be fleeing from something but resumed calmer behavior well before reaching our camp. I could only assume they were fleeing from the Blighted, as there were no signs of Divine Beasts yet.
A few hours had passed since I returned to camp with Fang. The emperor, his disciples, and the humans had yet to make an appearance. Dusk was falling, eliminating the likelihood of us leaving until morning.
Motioning with one hand, I sent small orbs of light drifting through the trees to illuminate the area. If nothing else, I could scare off the wild animals and buy us time. In an array around me, I summoned sharp shards of light. Were anything threatening to appear, I would impale it.
There was little we could do if the divine beasts drew near, but at least I could destroy Blighted or other smaller enemies if necessary. With the Blighted alert and making moves, I could no longer detect the dark presences from earlier in the day.
A small sigh escaped me, and I rested back against the tree. With our change of plans, it seemed unlikely we would get to investigate any of the things I had noticed. I hadn't gotten to hunt anything, either.
An alluringly sweet smell drifted past me, pulling me from my thoughts. Moments later, darkness engulfed each of my light orbs. My focus, however, was on the branch I sat on. Shadows pooled together to form a figure, which solidified into Yahui.
"You are missing dinner." Yahui tilted his head, examining me.
"Someone needs to keep watch," I replied dismissively, glancing away from him. Though he had engulfed my light, this time he wasn't trying to crush it. Perhaps he was learning. "Are we waiting until morning to leave?"
"No. We leave once everyone has eaten—including you." Yahui's pointed look made me grimace and pull myself to my feet. "You and I will ride in the carriage that was brought along. Everyone else shall be on foot, aside from the few pregnant humans we will allow to ride on our qilins."
"Wouldn't they do better in the carriage?" I asked, frowning at him.
Yahui shrugged and crossed his arms. "They would, but now that we must travel as a group it will be easier for others to determine who I am—and it is likely I will need to act in an official capacity."
"So, dinner, then we leave?" I pivoted on the branch, but stopped to look at him again. "And do you intend to dampen my light the entire time?"
"It is pleasant." Yahui's eyes drifted closed, his grip on the orbs unwavering. A long, soft sigh escaped him. Just as I was beginning to think he intended to stay that way, his eyes opened slightly, and he turned away. "We should return to camp so you can eat. You may leave your lights as they are."
I watched him leap gracefully from the tree, hesitating to follow. Yahui, however, strode confidently in the direction of camp the moment his feet touched the ground.
