The cavern was still shrouded in oppressive darkness when Feiyin stirred from his brief sleep. His back pressed against the cold, uneven rock, the only warmth ing from his own body. He opened his eyes to nothingness, only the sensation of the damp air and the faint st of minerals in his elling him that he was still ihat wretched cave.

  Even though he was awake, his mind lingered in the remnants of his dream—the Nexus. The ever-prese figures standing amidst the boundless void, surrounded by the stars of infinite worlds. He had no memory of what had once been before his birth into this life, but he khat the dream was something far beyond normal. Something other.

  It was because of those dreams that he was the way he was. Smarter than his age, able to think more deeply, to trol himself better. To e wasn’t that he wasn’t a child—he was. He felt like one. But his mind worked in ways that ofte him apart. The sorrow, the rage at being stolen from his home, the gnawing ay about his parents—it all still lived inside him. It still hurt. But unlike most children, he knew how to fun despite it.

  The cavern’s air was thick with dampness and the lingering st of earth, making it hard to breathe deeply without feeling the weight of the underground pressing against them. The hard rock beh him was unfiving, his muscles sore from both tension aion.

  It was a strange feeling—being awake and seeing no difference from when his eyes were closed. But he wasn’t relyiirely on sight. He listened, felt the vibrations through the stohe osciltions of the fai shifts around him. There were others in the cavern, shifting in their sleep, whispering, sniffling, breathing.

  Even though he had tried to rest, his body refused to settle pletely. His mind, even less so.

  A soft rustling beside him signaled movement. He turned slightly and sensed Ren stirring.

  “You’re awake?” Feiyin asked quietly.

  Re out a slow breath. “Barely.”

  There was a small yawn, followed by a flick of something soft. Yue stretched her limbs before settling again. “You two are way too tense,” she murmured, though there was little true amusement ione. “I guess that makes sehough.”

  Feiyin turoward them both, leaning his forearms on his knees. “We should talk. About what we do. What our strengths are.”

  Ren made a low noise, somewhere between intrigue and skepticism. “You’re already thinking about pns?”

  Feiyin gnced in the dire of the distant panicked whispers and muffled sobs. “Do you think we have the luxury not to?”

  Ren exhaled sharply but didn’t argue.

  Yue shifted again, hugging her knees. “Alright,” she sighed. “I guess it’s better than just sitting here.”

  Feiyin nodded. “I’ll go first. I’m at the peak of Body Tempering, and my senses are sharp. I deteent and souer than most, so I’ll be able to tell if something’s approag before it gets too close.”

  There ause before Ren muttered, “Peak?” He didn’t sound disbelieving, just surprised. “How old are you again?”

  “Six.”

  “…Huh.”

  Yue hummed. “That’s impressive.”

  Feiyin tilted his head. “What about you two?”

  Yue flicked an ear. “I’m also at the peak.” She hesitated for a moment before tinuing. “I had… a lot of help. My pushed me hard when I was younger.”

  Feiyin caught the slight edge to her voice—there was something unspoken there.

  “Your ?” Ren asked.

  Yue exhaled through her nose. “I’m from the Lynx . Snow Lynx bloodline.”

  That caught Feiyin’s attention. The Snow Lynx was a well-knowkin liheir physiques were naturally strong, their senses sharper than even most beastkin, and they had an instinct for stealth and ambush tactics. It made sehat she’d be at the peak of Body Tempering at just eight years old.

  “I’ve heard of them,” Feiyin admitted. “That expins your sense of smell.”

  Yue nodded. “I track sts easily. And even in a pce like this, I tell when something isn’t right based on the air.”

  Ren scoffed softly. “Must be nice.”

  She shot him a look. “And what about you, oh mighty critic?”

  Ren smirked, but it cked true humor. “I’m not at the peak, but I’ve reached 3000 kg of irength.”

  Feiyin raised an eyebrow. “That’s not bad at all.”

  “I taught myself,” Ren added. “Watched soldiers train from the alleys of the city.”

  Feiyin sidered that. “You learned just by watg?”

  Ren shrugged. “Didn’t have a choice.”

  Feiyin didn’t push further. He already had a feeling about Ren’s background. Life in the slums wasn’t easy—if Ren had been alohen he had likely learned how to survive purely by instind observation.

  “And I have good instincts,” Ren tinued, his voice l slightly. “I know when something’s wrong. When danger’s close. It’s how I stayed alive. I also see better than most in the dark, due to my demon side bloodline”

  Feiyin didn’t doubt it. Survival wasn’t just about strength. It was about knowing when to fight, when to run, and when to hide.

  He nodded. “That’s a good skill to have.”

  Ren exhaled through his nose. “Better than just sniffing the air.”

  Yue bristled. “Excuse me?”

  Ren smirked faintly. “What? You think you’re the only one allowed to tease?”

  Yue narrowed her eyes but huffed.

  Feiyin sighed, rubbing his temples. “Enough. You two bicker like siblings.”

  Ren made a noise in the back of his throat, but Yue seemed to take some so the parison.

  Feiyin refocused. “Alright. Betweehree of us, we have good dete abilities. I sense movement and sound. Yue track sts. Ren see better and feel when things are off.”

  Yue tilted her head slightly. “So what do we do with that?”

  Feiyin tapped a finger against his khinking. “We o use it to our advahe others in this cavern are panicked, lost. Most of them will run blindly into danger. But we won’t.”

  Re out a slow breath. “And what? Let them die?”

  Feiyin’s jaw tightened. “…I don’t know yet.”

  Yue’s ears flicked back slightly.

  There ause before Ren sighed. “Tch. Well, at least we’re not pletely useless.”

  Feiyin smirked faintly. “That’s the spirit.”

  Ren shot him a dry look. “Don’t push it.”

  Yue finally rexed slightly. “Well, whatever we do, we should move soon. Sitting here forever won’t get us anywhere.”

  Feiyin he cave was vast. He could seunnels leading in different dires. Some led deeper into darkness. Others had faint movements, signs of life—though whether they were people or beasts, he couldn’t tell yet.

  Ohing was certain.

  They wouldn’t st if they stayed in one pce for too long.

  Feiyin exhaled slowly. “The’s start pnning.”