Meiling and Jenny pushed through the thick of the gym, stepping over fallen cleaner women and stunned students. The gunfire outside had slowed but not stopped; every few seconds another bullet ripped through a window, but now combined with the sounds of students trying to claim their freedom, academy had become a cesspool of violence.

Jenny glanced over her shoulder at Meiling. "We're almost there. Just keep close to me."

Meiling's eyes flicked across the room one last time, and a familiar face—or rather, the lack of one—made her gut clench.

Xue.

Her cousin was nowhere to be seen.

Meiling slowed for a heartbeat, the weight of realization heavy on her chest. "Of course…" she muttered under her breath. "As expected… She's not someone I can rely on for anything."

Jenny tugged her arm. "Meiling, come quick! We can't stop."

Meiling shook her head, snapping back to focus. "I know. Let's go."

They reached the edge of the stage, where a heavy curtain hung torn and scorched. Jenny slipped behind it, motioning for Meiling to follow. The noise of the gym dulled slightly here, though the distant screams and gunfire still echoed like ghosts.

"Through here," Jenny whispered, crouching by a door half-hidden behind stacks of folded chairs.

Meiling glanced back one more time at the chaos—students hurling powers, cleaner women shouting and shooting at will, bullets striking sparks off the floor. Every guild memeber still fighting in the gymnasium. It was a mess.

"Ren...Stay safe…" Meiling whispered, then stepped into the shadows after Jenny, walking through a narrow hallway.

The storage room they entered beyond was dim, the smell of dust and disinfectant thick. Jenny closed the door behind them, muffling the noise.

Meiling's hand hovered at the light switch, but Jenny beat her to it, shutting the door with a soft click. The outside chaos dimmed to a distant rumble, like thunder behind heavy walls.

"Where… where is Ren?" Meiling whispered, peering into the shadows. The cramped room was empty—no Ren, no other students—only shelves stacked with paper towels and disinfectant, and a single mop leaning like a soldier at rest.

"Ms. Jenny?" Meiling turned.

Jenny's back was to her, shoulders stiff, breathing oddly shallow. "He's… safe," Jenny said, almost too quickly.

Meiling frowned. "What do you mean safe? Where is he—"

A sudden white-hot pain bloomed in her abdomen. The world snapped sideways. Meiling's breath hitched; she staggered back, eyes dropping to the thin blade jutting from her belly.

Jenny's face floated in front of her, framed by the dim light. The usually kind expression was gone. In its place stretched a smile so wrong it seemed to split her face—teeth bared, eyes glinting with feverish obsession of a smile.

"You…" Meiling rasped, clutching at the wound.

"You shouldn't have done that," Jenny hissed. Her voice, normally soft and teacher-like, now echoed like a broken recording. "You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have done that!" Each repetition was louder, more frayed.

Meiling lurched backward, blood slipping through her fingers. Her vision blurred as she summoned her strength. "What—what the hell are you doing?!"

Jenny's eyes went wild. "You shouldn't have touched my Ren!" she screamed.

Meiling's heart slammed against her ribs. My Ren? The words burned into her mind. Jenny's Ren. Jenny's Ren.

"What the hell are you talking about, Ms. Jenny?" she gasped, pressing her palm harder against the wound. "Ren isn't—"

But Jenny had already vanished into the deeper shadows of the storage room, her footsteps echoing like a whisper of nightmares. Only her voice lingered, disembodied:

"You shouldn't have done that… you shouldn't have done that…"

Meiling's breath came ragged. No time to think. No time. She straightened, forcing her qi to flow through her veins despite the blood loss. "I need to escape," she murmured to herself.

"Imperial Qi: Binding of Qi!" Her voice trembled but firmed as she thrust her palm forward. A golden threads burst from her fingers, curling through the storage room like serpents trying to restrain Jenny.

The floor glimmered, and the shadows stilled. Meiling knew things were getting too dangerous for her, so she had to restrain Jenny quickly and get out of the room.

But then Meiling heard—footsteps. Slow. Steady. Unhindered.

She was confused as to how Jenny could move even with her Imperial Qi restraining her, and no sooner had she realized this than the sight in front of her shocked Meiling to the core, making her forget the pain in her abdomen for a moment.

"No…" Meiling whispered, her blood running cold for reasons beyond her injury.

From between the racks of stacked chairs, a figure stepped out—tall, regal, and utterly familiar.

Meiling's heart nearly stopped. "No. It… it can't be you."

Lan Jia.

Her aunt. The woman she had once admired more than anyone, the woman whose smile had been her childhood's north star. And the woman who, one day, had vanished and left behind only rumors and blood.

Lan Jia's lips curved into a grin that was all teeth. "Your Imperial Qi has no effect on me, little dove." Her voice was a velvet blade.

A golden aura flared around her like a miniature sun, burning away Meiling's qi in an instant. Meiling's power snapped back to normal. The air thrummed with different kind of power so dense it made Meiling's knees buckle.

"Impossible…" Meiling hissed, staggering. Her Imperial Qi had frozen entire gangs before. No one—no one—walked through it unscathed.

Lan Jia advanced, each step measured. "Did you really think you can outsmart me with your Imperial Qi? I am superior to you in every way, little dove!"

Meiling tried to step back but found herself pinned. Invisible bands clamped around her limbs. She gasped as her body lifted slightly from the floor, held aloft like a puppet.

"I'm not like you," Lan Jia murmured, her golden aura pulsing. "I can do more than bind." She raised one delicate hand and snapped her fingers. Across the room, a chair exploded into splinters.

"Yours only holds people," she said. "Mine can crush them. You've got lot to learn, my niece."

Meiling's teeth chattered. Pain lanced through her abdomen as she strained against the grip. "Why… why are you doing this?"

Lan Jia tilted her head, her hair shimmering like molten gold under the flickering bulb. "Because, little dove, you've been living a life meant for me."

"What?"

"Give me all the love Ren showed you." Lan Jia's eyes gleamed fever-bright. "Give me Ren."

Meiling's stomach turned. "You're insane."

Lan Jia's smile widened. "From today onward, you will be me. And you—" she leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper "—can rest in peace."

Her hand reached for Meiling's forehead, fingers trembling with anticipation.

No… I can't die here. Not like this. Meiling's mind screamed, but her body was locked. The golden aura pressed down harder, squeezing the air from her lungs.

Then—

The door burst open with a crash.

"Amanda Marquez, Unit One! Freeze and put your hands up!" a sharp voice barked.

Light from the hallway spilt into the storage room as a line of armored figures stormed in. Amanda stood at the front, pistol raised, eyes like ice. Behind her, Ren stumbled in, his face pale with shock. Several SWAT members fanned out, weapons trained on the golden-haired woman.

"Step away from her!" Amanda commanded.

Meiling's head lolled toward the doorway. Relief flickered in her chest at the sight of Ren, but it was drowned by shame and fear.

"Meiling!" Ren shouted, his voice cracking when he saw the blood on her uniform. "Let her go!"

Lan Jia clicked her tongue in mild annoyance and slowly turned her head toward them.

"Finally…" she breathed.

Her eyes locked on Ren. The grin that spread across her face was something monstrous. "You finally, finally, finally saw me… my beloved Ren."

Ren froze, the color draining from his cheeks. "What…?"

Amanda's finger tightened on the trigger. "Whoever you are, release her now!"

Lan Jia ignored her, taking a step closer to Meiling but tilting her head to keep Ren in her sight. "I've been waiting so long," she crooned, voice thick with hunger. "Watching you from the shadows. Watching her steal what was mine."

"Ren…" Meiling coughed, blood on her lips. "Don't… don't come closer. Run away! She is crazy."

Ren's fists clenched at his sides. "What are you doing to her?"

"She touched what's mine." Lan Jia's smile trembled at the edges. "But it's all right now. You've seen me. You'll understand soon."

Amanda raised her voice. "All units, stand ready. She's an Imperial Qi user named Lan Jia—non-lethal if possible, but if she makes a move on the hostage, shoot."

Lan Jia laughed, a low sound that filled the cramped room. "Shoot? You think you can kill me?"

Her golden aura flared brighter, casting long shadows. The SWAT members shifted nervously, fingers on triggers.

Ren stepped forward despite Amanda's arm snapping out to block him. "Lan Jia… right?" His voice shook, but he forced it steady. "You're Meiling's aunt."

Lan Jia's eyes softened at the sound of his voice. "Well, am I…" she whispered, though he'd never met her before.

"I don't know what you want," Ren said carefully, "but this isn't the way. She's bleeding out. Let her go."

Lan Jia's gaze darted between him and Meiling, emotions warring behind her irises. For a flicker of a second, her grip loosened, and it looked like she was about to let Meiling free.

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