The twins pressed their faces against the glass, eyes wide. "Second sister is amazing," Kim whispered.

"She's a storm," Chin Chin said.

Lily's feet struck the mat with precision, her landing sharp, her breath controlled — but her heart was racing.

'Not enough,' she thought, echoing Coach Carlos's words. Not yet.

Lily reset her stance, chalk dust clinging to her palms, the beam looming before her like a challenge she had to conquer again and again. Her muscles ached, her joints protested, but she welcomed the pain. It meant she was pushing. It meant she was alive.

Her mind flickered back to Geneva — the moment she'd felt Solaris's reach, the way the air had twisted around her, the way her body had moved not just to win, but to survive. That memory had never left her. It was stitched into her spine, into every leap, every twist, every breath.

She mounted the beam again.

Focus. Precision. Control.

She could hear Carlos's voice in her head even before he spoke aloud.

"Don't chase perfection. Command it."

Lily moved — fluid, fierce, a storm wrapped in grace. Her body obeyed, but her thoughts were louder now.

He's watching. He's waiting. He failed once. He won't fail again.

She landed cleanly, her feet silent against the beam. Carlos nodded, but Lily barely registered it. Her eyes scanned the gym, her senses stretched to the limit. Something was wrong. Not here. Not now. But close.

He's coming.

—

Up in the observation deck, Ling Li's fingers tightened around the railing.

She had been watching Lily's form, her technique, her rhythm — but now her attention had shifted. The air had changed. It was subtle, like a thread pulled taut beneath silk. A vibration in the qi. A whisper in the ether.

She closed her eyes briefly, tuning out the sounds of the gym—the thud of landings, the bark of commands, the hum of fluorescent lights. She reached inward, past the surface of her thoughts, into the deeper currents of energy that flowed through the world.

And there it was.

A pulse.

Faint. Familiar. Foul.

Solaris.

Her eyes snapped open, scanning the gym. He wasn't here — not physically. But his presence was brushing against the edges of the space, like a shadow testing the light. Ling Li's breath slowed, her mind sharpening.

She could feel it — the pressure mounting, the air thickening. Solaris was out there. Watching. Waiting.

And Lily was dancing on the edge of a blade.

She turned to Four Eyes, who had already sensed it too. His gaze met hers, and in that silent exchange, everything was understood.

"He's probing," Ling Li murmured.

Four Eyes nodded. "Looking for cracks."

Ling Li's gaze dropped to Lily, who was now stretching, her brow furrowed, her aura flickering with unease.

"He's watching her," Ling Li said. "Not just the performance. Her spirit."

Four Eyes's jaw tightened. "Then we reinforce everything. Her training. Her protection. Her mind."

Ling Li nodded, but her heart was heavy. She had faced Solaris before. She had wounded him. But she hadn't destroyed him.

And now, he was circling again.

The twins, still seated nearby, sensed the shift. Kim Kim looked up from her juice box, her eyes narrowing. Chin Chin leaned against her sister, whispering, "Mom's worried."

"Because the demon is here," Kim Kim said.

"Oh," Chin Chin replied, blinking.

Ling Li turned to them, forcing a smile. "Everything's fine," she said gently.

But the peonies at home had begun to sway harder than the wind allowed.

And somewhere beneath the city, a bell cried once more.

The gym's atmosphere was thick with focus. Lily had just finished another flawless routine, her breath steady, her muscles trembling with exertion.

Coach Carlos nodded approvingly, but his eyes remained sharp—he was pushing her to the edge, and she was meeting him there.

Leeroy stood at the far end of the gym, arms crossed, his stance relaxed but alert. His eyes scanned the perimeter constantly, his senses tuned to any fluctuation in qi. He had been assigned to protect Lily, and he took that duty seriously. But even he didn't sense what was to come next.

It began as a flicker.

A ripple in the air — subtle, almost imperceptible. The temperature dropped by a fraction. The shadows near the ceiling stretched unnaturally. The scent of chalk and sweat was briefly replaced by something colder, metallic, and ancient.

Solaris was here.

Not in body, but in essence. A projection. A sliver of his spirit, woven through cursed qi and cloaked in silence. He hovered just beyond the veil of perception, watching Lily with eyes that burned from another realm.

Lily paused mid-stretch, her spine stiffening. Her gaze darted toward the rafters, her instincts screaming. Something was wrong.

Coach Carlos noticed the shift. "Lily?" he asked, stepping forward.

"I… I felt something," she murmured, her voice tight.

Leeroy's head snapped up. His aura flared, scanning the space. "Everyone out," he ordered, voice low but commanding. "Now."

But it was too late.

The shadows twisted, and a pulse of cursed energy surged toward Lily — silent, sharp, aimed directly at her heart. It wasn't meant to kill. Not yet. It was meant to mark her. To weaken her. To claim her.

Ling Li, still in the observation deck, felt the rupture instantly.

She didn't hesitate.

Her body blurred as she descended, her qi flaring like a beacon. She landed between Lily and the incoming strike, her palm raised, her energy forming a barrier of pure light. The cursed qi collided with her shield — and shattered.

The gym trembled. The lights flickered. The air hissed.

Solaris recoiled.

He hadn't expected Ling Li. Not here. Not now.

Ling Li's eyes narrowed, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

"You dare touch her in my presence?"

The shadows writhed, then retreated. The cursed essence unraveled, vanishing into the ether like smoke fleeing sunlight.

Solaris withdrew.

But not in defeat.

In calculation.

Ling Li turned to Lily, who was pale but steady. "Are you hurt?"

Lily shook her head. "No. Just… shaken."

Leeroy approached, his expression grim. "That wasn't a probe. That was a claim."

Ling Li nodded. "He's accelerating. Leeroy, you've done well — but this threat is beyond solo defense."

She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a communication talisman, pressing her qi into its core. The parchment glowed briefly before dissolving into light.

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