The outer disciple dormitories were quiet now, most having retreated to their rooms, some already meditating for tomorrow's final. The moon, a perfect, luminous disc, hung high above Sky Cloud Mountain, bathing the whitewashed buildings in an ethereal glow. Lin Xier found Jian’s door, identifiable only by the rough '999' carved into its wood. She paused, her hand hovering, a sudden wave of apprehension washing over her.
What if he truly is gone? The Jian I knew? she wondered, her breath catching in her throat. What if I only make things worse? But the memory of his quiet kindness, his whispered encouragement to her years ago, gave her a fragile strength. She had to try. For both of them.
She knocked, a soft, hesitant rap against the sturdy wood. "Jian?" she whispered, her voice barely au
