The Seventh Dormitory at Nuoding Academy lay cloaked in an oppressive silence, as if it were a graveyard for dreams unfulfilled and hopes shattered. The air was thick with an unshakable sadness, weighing down on the nine students gathered within. Tang San stood at the front, normally composed and unshakeable, now visibly shaken by guilt coursing through him like a restless spirit. His voice wavered, as he recounted the devastating news: "Tang Yan… he didn't survive the soul ring absorption." The words felt like a dagger slicing through the air, a necessary deceit that tore at his heart—a bitter truth underlined by the knowledge that Tang Yan was very much alive, concealed somewhere deep in the Star Dou Forest.
Wang Sheng, the unspoken leader of the group, clenched his hands into fists, the muscles in his arms tensed like coiled springs, tears streaming down his face like rivulets of grief. "He can't be gone," he whispered hoarsely, a sense of desperation clinging to his voice. "Last year, when that arrogant noble, Zhao Wei, tried to break my arm, it was Tang Yan who stepped in. He just smiled and said I was worth more than any spirit ring." The weight of memory threatened to crush him as he recalled Tang Yan's unwavering strength. The others around him nodded in silent agreement, each lost in their own cherished memories.
Li Mei, her fingers delicately tracing a scar on her wrist—a painful reminder from a bully's attack—spoke with a reverence that commanded attention. "He spent countless nights working on that soul power array," she said, gesturing toward the crude runes painstakingly etched into the worn wooden floor of their dormitory. "It looked rough, but it was so much more effective than anything those spoiled nobles could concoct." Her voice quivered with both pride and sorrow as she recalled his genuine determination.
Xiao Wu, seated on the edge of her bunk, felt tears threaten to spill from her pink eyes, reminiscent of sparkling gemstones filled with both hope and despair. The thought of Tang Yan's "death" resurfaced memories of her own mother's sacrifice, a flood of helplessness that she had long tried to bury. She gripped the frayed hem of her skirt, fighting to keep her composure. "He always gave me advice," she murmured, her voice breaking softly under the weight of nostalgia. "He said to use my charm like a blade, an instrument for power not play. I laughed then, but he was serious."
In the shadow of the doorway lingered Grandmaster, his heart heavy with unfulfilled dreams and the ghosts of past mistakes. The anguish of Tang Yan's absence mirrored his own inadequacies—the failures of his weak spirit and the bitter exile from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan that had haunted him for far too long. These children, bound together by a boy's selfless kindness, were a flicker of hope he had long since deemed extinguished. Yet, a sense of shame gnawed at him; he was their teacher, yet here he stood, learning valuable lessons from a boy far younger than himself.
Tang San felt his chest constrict painfully, as if the weight of his deception were a physical presence. His mind was unhelpfully assaulted by the Meme System chiming in with a sardonic whisper: "Quest: Break their hearts for bonus drama points! Reward: +5 Guilt." Ignoring the jarring intrusion, he locked eyes with Xiao Wu, her anguish reflecting his own tumultuous emotions, even if he hid them better. "He'd want us to keep moving forward," Tang San asserted, the taste of the lie bitter on his tongue. "To grow stronger for what lies ahead."
The students nodded, their grief palpable but laced with a newfound determination. Wang Sheng wiped the tears from his eyes, a fragile smile breaking through the curtain of sorrow. "For Tang Yan," he declared, his voice steady and resolute. The others repeated the sentiment, their voices merging into a haunting yet hopeful chorus. Tang San exited the room, the burden of his lies trailing behind him like a shadow, the potential for something greater flickering faintly in his mind—if only he maneuvered the pieces wisely.
As Xiao Wu lingered behind, her gaze fixed on the faint glow of the soul power array, she allowed herself to bask in the warmth of his memory. She could almost hear Tang Yan's infectious laughter, the echoes of his outrageous quests stirring a spark of defiance in her heart. "You're not gone," she whispered softly, her spirit ignited by the unwavering belief that he was still with them. Grandmaster watched her in silence, feeling a stirring within his own heart. These children, he pondered, held the potential to change everything.