Chapter 1423: Umbra

Shen Yue gasped as she snapped out of the trance she was in. She did not know when, but just as she read the system messages, her mind felt a little blurry. She felt extremely tempted to accept the choice.

It was also telling her all the right things as if the system prompt was tailor-made for her. As if it had already read her mind.

This was not a good thing. She looked up at Liam, and she knew he would instantly shut this down if she told him. So she bit her lips and accepted the prompt.

A system event treasure couldn't be a bad thing, right?

The moment Shen Yue accepted the prompt, the crystal started glowing with a bright golden light, and every bit of it shot towards her. The last of the golden light surged inward, disappearing into her chest like a sun being swallowed whole.

Her knees buckled slightly, but she caught herself, steadying her breath as a new energy surged through her veins—foreign yet intimately familiar, like meeting a version of herself that had always been buried under layers of expectation and fear.

Liam noticed the sudden shift in her expression. Her lips were slightly parted, her breath coming in shallow bursts, and a strange ripple danced across her irises. "Yue?" he asked, stepping forward with concern.

"I… I'm okay," she lied quickly, forcing a smile. "I think it worked."

Liam didn't buy it entirely. His eyes narrowed slightly, catching the faint tremble in her hands. "Did something happen?" he asked, more softly this time.

She shook her head. "It just… took a lot out of me. I need a moment."

Liam was quiet for a while, then gave a slow nod. "Alright. But if anything feels off—even slightly—you tell me. Immediately."

Shen Yue nodded, but deep down, a flicker of doubt crept in. What exactly had she just accepted?

As if answering her doubts, a system prompt flashed in front of her. Before she could read that, the prompt transformed into a small cat.

Shen Yue blinked in confusion as she stared at the cat.

Not a digital projection or some ethereal spirit—but a very real-looking, very smug little feline. It had sleek black fur, eyes like polished amber, and a tail that moved with lazy, deliberate grace. It blinked once at her, gave a yawn that showed too many sharp teeth for comfort, and then spoke.

"Well, that was dramatic," it purred, voice smooth as silk. "You mortals and your flair for the dramatic. But congratulations, initiate. You've just joined a very exclusive club."

Shen Yue staggered back a step. "A… what?"

The cat licked its paw nonchalantly. "Oh, don't worry. You're not hallucinating. I'm the guide—well, sort of. You unlocked the Eternal Path Fragment. That means you get me. And I get you. Until you either ascend… or explode. But let's be optimistic."

"Explode?" Shen Yue echoed weakly.

The cat tilted its head. "Metaphorically. Mostly. Depends how stubborn your soul is." It leapt up onto her shoulder as if it belonged there and nestled in like royalty. "But we'll get to all that. For now… let's just say your destiny has taken a detour. And trust me—you are going to love this."

The room spun for a heartbeat as Shen Yue tried to process everything. A smug, talking cat perched on her shoulder? Exploding souls? Eternal Path Fragment?

And Liam—Liam was standing just a few steps away, still watching her closely, unaware that a cosmic upgrade in feline form had just claimed her like a chosen artifact.

She forced herself to stay calm. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, but her breathing slowly evened out. "You're not going to explain everything now, are you?" she muttered under her breath, more to the cat than to Liam.

The feline gave a delighted little purr. "Oh, absolutely not. Where's the fun in that? You'll get the pieces in fragments. Just like everyone else before you. Besides, you wouldn't understand it all yet. Your mortal brain is still… squishy."

Shen Yue scowled, brushing a hand against her temple like she could somehow wipe away the smugness radiating off the creature. "Can you at least tell me your name?"

The cat's tail flicked, and it practically smirked. "Names are powerful, girl. But you can call me Umbra for now. I've been many things. Guide. Lurker. Doom of Realms, once upon a time. But mostly, I'm your eternal headache." It paused. "Oh, and one more thing—don't tell the soulweaver. Not yet. He'll ruin the calibration."

"The who?" Shen Yue asked, confused.

"Liam," Umbra replied, stretching with a languid yawn. "Now smile. Pretend everything is fine. It'll keep your ascension arc more entertaining."

Shen Yue clenched her fists, but she shook her head resolutely. The next second, she simply spilled everything to Liam.

"A talking what?" Liam was shocked.

Umbra, still draped across Shen Yue's shoulder like a pampered prince, yawned theatrically. "Oh, come now, Soulweaver. Don't be so dramatic. I'm an interface. A facilitator. A rather fashionable manifestation of a very old and very exclusive system."

The next second, the cat became visible to Liam, and he could suddenly hear his voice.

Liam's expression shifted from wary concern to stunned disbelief the moment the sleek black feline shimmered into visibility before his eyes. For one second, it was just Shen Yue standing there, eyes wide and shoulders tense. The next—a talking cat appeared like it had always belonged in their world.

Even with all of his improved senses and perception, he couldn't sense the cat at all.

"You've got to be kidding me," Liam muttered, staring at the creature now curled smugly around Shen Yue's shoulders like a scarf.

Umbra blinked at him with all the arrogance of a minor deity inconvenienced by lesser beings. "I assure you, I am not. And now that you can see me, that means the 'calibration' is complete. Hooray for trust." It flicked its tail with a flourish, as if proud of its own dramatic timing.

"Congrats, girl. You just made your life infinitely more difficult."

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