The shrine beneath the spirit trees stood quiet as the first light of dawn filtered through the orchard leaves.
Mist curled low over the earth, clinging to the roots and stones like a forgotten breath.
Tian Shen stood there long before the Sect awoke, his robe still dusty from travel, a faint trace of windburn on his cheeks.
He placed the lantern gently before the scroll, letting the warm light cradle the names he had written.
The flame flickered in the early breeze, steady but soft, like a heartbeat remembered.
A few feet behind him, Feng Yin approached without a sound. Her presence didn't startle him. It never had.
"You're back early," she said.
Tian Shen nodded, not turning.
"It was time."
"You found what you were looking for?"
He glanced at the scroll.
"Not what. Who."
Feng Yin stood beside him, her eyes tracing the etched characters.
"You remembered all their names."
"Not all," he said softly. "But enough to begin."
