Days passed.
Too quietly.
The forest returned to its rhythm—wind through leaves, distant calls of beasts, sunlight filtering gently through branches. No ripples disturbed Feng Lihan's senses. No hostile gaze brushed against Lin Yue's fragile presence.
Too quiet to be reassuring.
Mo Shan and Feng Lihan did not let that calm deceive them.
At dawn and again at dusk, they trained.
Mo Shan pushed his limits mercilessly, forcing his core to stretch and condense, veins glowing faintly as he chased a breakthrough that refused to come easily. Feng Lihan sparred with shadows, his crimson wings cutting the air, refining control rather than brute force. Every strike was precise. Every breath measured.
They were not preparing for a fight.
They were preparing for survival.
Lin Yue watched from the cave entrance most days, one hand resting unconsciously over his abdomen. His pregnancy had progressed quickly—unnaturally so, guided by the golden life-element that flowed through him. The child within him was calm, warm… aware.
Sometimes, Lin Yue could swear the baby responded when Feng Lihan came close, the life-energy pulsing brighter, as if recognizing its other parent.
Then, one night, everything changed.
The pain came suddenly.
Lin Yue woke with a sharp cry, fingers digging into the stone floor as something deep inside him twisted. Heat spread through his body, followed by an ache so intense it stole his breath.
"Feng—" he gasped.
Feng Lihan was at his side instantly.
Mo Shan appeared a heartbeat later. One look at Lin Yue's face—pale, slick with sweat—was enough.
"It's time," Mo Shan said.
Lin Yue shook, clutching his stomach as another wave of pain tore through him. "It hurts… it hurts so much—"
Feng Lihan gathered him carefully into his arms, holding him upright, wings folding protectively around them both.
"I know," he murmured, voice steady despite the fear burning in his chest. "I'm here. Breathe with me."
Mo Shan raised his voice. "Summon Seven. Now."
A messenger talisman shattered.
Moments later, Seven arrived—robes askew, eyes wide the instant he felt the chaotic life-energy flooding the cave.
"…By the ancestors," he whispered. "This is really happening."
He was a healer. One of the best.
But this—
This was the first time he would help a man give birth.
"I—I know theory," Seven muttered, hands glowing as he scanned Lin Yue. "Golden life-element adapts anatomy, creates a temporary birthing channel—but pain receptors don't lessen. This will be… intense."
Lin Yue screamed as another contraction hit, body arching uncontrollably.
Feng Lihan tightened his grip. "Easy. I've got you."
Lin Yue sobbed, pressing his face into Feng Lihan's shoulder. "I can't—Lihan, I can't—"
"Yes, you can," Feng Lihan said firmly, forehead resting against his. "You're stronger than this pain. Stronger than all of them."
Mo Shan knelt on Lin Yue's other side, gripping his hand. "You're not alone," he said softly. "Not now. Not ever."
Seven swallowed hard and focused. "Lin Yue, listen to me. When the pain peaks, don't fight it. Push with it. Your life-element will guide you."
Another scream ripped from Lin Yue's throat—raw, broken.
Outside the cave, the forest trembled.
Golden light spilled from the entrance, thick with life-energy, pulsing in waves that made even ancient beasts bow their heads. Far away, unseen eyes snapped open again—but this time, not in hunger.
In awe.
Inside the cave, Feng Lihan held Lin Yue through every cry, every shuddering breath, feeling something inside him fracture and reform all at once.
Fear.
Love.
And a fierce, terrifying hope.
"Just a little longer," Seven said urgently. "The child is almost here."
Lin Yue cried out one final time, body shaking as golden light flared—
And the world held its breath.