The cave was cold.
Not the cold of spiritual ice.
Not the freezing aura of some ancient divine technique.
But ordinary cold.
Raw.
Primitive.
The kind that seeped slowly into flesh and bone.
Situ sat silently against the stone wall while darkness deepened outside the cave entrance. The crimson sky had already faded into a dim black-red gloom, and strange sounds echoed constantly through the distant mountains.
Roars.
Screeches.
Heavy footsteps.
The entire world felt alive.
Alive in a dangerous way.
Situ slowly opened his eyes.
His body felt heavy.
Every movement carried a faint soreness he had not experienced in ages. The injuries from earlier battles with the silver-scaled beasts had mostly recovered, but recovery itself now consumed time instead of happening instantly.
His breathing was slow.
Uneven.
Then—
a strange sensation spread through his abdomen.
Situ frowned slightly.
At first he did not understand it.
But moments later, the feeling intensified.
