"Um... guests, aren't you going to order yet...?"

The waitress at the doorway timidly peered into the private room at the three figures inside.

She swallowed hard, the heavy, suffocating air making her skin prickle with goosebumps.

"Miss waitress, has the person who reserved this room come by yet?"

Mu Yi’s dark eyes fixed on her, his fingers tapping lightly on the table with a crisp click.

Half an hour had passed, and Hank and Luo Er still hadn’t arrived.

Olienna had tried contacting them through the communication stone, but got no reply.

Hank and Luo Er seemed to have vanished into thin air, cutting off all contact.

"N-no," the waitress shook her head like a rattle drum, sensing the faint chill radiating from him. "That scary-looking man who booked the room this afternoon never showed up again."

This handsome young man was terrifying—even though he spoke normally, instinctive fear gripped her.

"I see."

Mu Yi tilted his head up, murmuring softly at the antique ceiling.

Hank and Luo Er weren’t the type to stand someone up. They’d never be late without contacting him.

Besides, they’d been so excited about tonight’s dinner. With their personalities, they should’ve arrived ages ago.

"Something’s happened..."

Mu Yi’s handsome brows furrowed slightly, a wave of unease rising from deep within.

He hated assuming the worst, but the situation was deeply unsettling.

"Miss waitress, I apologize for holding the room so long. Our friends are in trouble—I hope you understand."

Aiva stepped to the door and bowed politely to the waitress.

Her fingers flicked through the air, and sapphire-blue particles shot out like shooting stars.

She had to find Hank and Luo Er fast; their safety worried her terribly.

"Ah? It’s fine, really! No customers anyway..."

The waitress jumped at the apology from such a stunning beauty.

Flustered, she hurriedly helped Aiva up with an awkward smile, then fled the room like a scared rabbit.

*Wow... everyone in that room is extraordinary... so scary...*

"Mu Yi, what do we do now?"

Olienna’s face was grim as she turned to the man beside her.

She’d sensed something wrong the moment they lost contact.

Now, after so long with no word, Hank and Luo Er must be in serious trouble.

"Aiva, any luck?"

Mu Yi walked to the window, silently gazing at the glittering night view outside.

He hoped it was just a minor delay keeping them away.

They were his first true friends in this strange new world. Though they’d only met recently, their bond felt genuine.

Mu Yi had always had few friends—past or present—and he cherished every hard-won connection.

He refused to lose even new companions like Hank and Luo Er so easily.

"Master, let’s go out and look."

Aiva gathered the intel from her shooting stars and whispered close to Mu Yi.

She hadn’t found Hank or Luo Er yet, but one spot’s energy felt deeply familiar—and it was fading fast.

"Let’s go, kid."

Mu Yi flung the window open and beckoned to Olienna behind him.

He swept Aiva into his arms, one hand circling her slender waist.

Like a black eagle, he leapt out into the night.

Aiva tucked her head against his chest, her long hair fluttering obediently like a cat’s purr.

Below, pedestrians gasped as the handsome pair streaked overhead.

Bathed in moonlight, they glowed silver—Aiva’s cerulean hair streaming like a waterfall across the sky.

"Must you flaunt your love right in front of me...?"

Olienna’s eye twitched as she watched Mu Yi and Aiva soar away.

*Why did I team up with these two? Pure dog-food torture.*

"Master, two kilometers east, then turn right. An abandoned alley."

Aiva’s eyes stayed shut, sensing the surroundings. "The energy there feels strange... yet familiar."

That eastern presence was fading slowly in her mind, like a candle flame flickering in the wind.

"Got it."

Mu Yi pulled Aiva tighter against his chest.

His right foot slammed down on empty air, a white vortex swirling beneath him like a disc.

He surged forward like a shadow-stalking panther, the wind screaming as it parted around him.

People below craned their necks upward, but all they saw were fading white trails...

...

..

.

In the dim, abandoned alley, stray cats yowled from the shadows, their emerald eyes glowing unnaturally bright.

The deeper they walked, the thicker the stench of blood and rotting melon grew.

Filthy water oozed across the ground, reeking of decaying flesh and making bile rise in throats.

"Meow~~"

The cats arched their backs, fur bristling in angry hisses at these intruders.

But as the group pressed on, the felines’ defiance crumbled. After a hesitant pause, they slunk away into the darkness.

*Clang.*

A sharp sound broke the alley’s silence.

Something shiny tumbled from a fleeing cat onto the ground, gleaming silver even in the gloom.

Mu Yi stepped through the muck, crouched down, and picked up the glittering object.

Delicate, polished seashells lay in his palm—but the most beautiful silver one was missing from the necklace.

"..."

Mu Yi clenched the necklace, slowly lifting his gaze down the alley.

A glaring crimson stain stood out starkly against the darkness.

"How could this happen..."

Olienna covered her mouth, her face pale as she whispered.

Her twisted features were etched with grief.

*Why... why did it turn out like this...*