Star qi is one of the most versatile in the current qi classification paradigm. Where other artists are predictable, using the techniques favored by their own flavor of qi, star artists are flexible. If you can imagine it, connect it, and symbolize it, then anything is possible. Star artists mix the creativity of a moon artist with the power of a sun artist, leading to some of the most unique and effective talismans and traditions in the known world. -From the ancient texts of the Shattered Moon Sect.

We struck out on the water with Lin at the pole staff. Though the gondola was a far cry from the sail boats used in Saikan, he was still by far the most experienced of us when it came to water travel in any form. Xinya, in a close second place, took up a position at the bow, holding out a soft orb of lavender light which banished the shadows that curled upon the water's still surface.

As for me, I remained firmly at the center of the boat. In the darkness of the sixteenth and third districts through which the river ran, the waters were thick with void qi, having collected it greedily over the course of centuries or more. Even if I had an inkling of learning to swim, this would not be the place to do it, even for a void spirit like me.

The boat creaked beneath me, and I cast a wary eye at the planks. The Forgotten had given us the best boat they had, but there was no denying the fact that it was old. The planks were aged, and it was as if every tiny ripple made the wood groan with the weight.

"Are we sure the boat is going to hold?" I asked softly. In the silence, my voice reached both Lin and Xinya clearly.

"It's a perfectly fine craft," Lin answered. He steadily pushed us forward with the long pole. I took the chance to peer over the side to where the stick met the water. It appeared to be sizzling slightly with exposure to the void, yet Lin didn't seem all that concerned.

"Are you sure? The void is dense in these waters."

"Yes. It's not that far, and we have an extra pole."

"But what if-"

"It'll be fine, Yoru. I promise." His words were firm, but kind. I nodded shakily and sat back in my seat.

Cold mists curled off the water. Each drop was tainted with the void, but none of us minded much. Xinya's family heirloom protected her from the effects of ambient qi, and Lin's skin glowed with adaptive wood qi. The only purpose the mists served was chilling me to the bone as I sat and waited for us to reach our destination.

The cold and the sound of the lapping waves against the side of the boat drew back memories. The last time I'd been so close to water was during the Tide Serpent fight. Hovering over the water on Eclipse's blade, I felt far more confident than at the mercy of a few planks of wood nailed together. Though Eclipse was at my side, its sheath wrapped in cloth to prevent anyone from recognizing it, I knew I wouldn't be able to catch both Lin and Xinya if the boat went down. One of them would end up in the water.

That cold darkness…memories of the Tide Serpent fight resurged into my mind. Those waters had been frigid beyond words. When I fell beneath the waves, I was lost, unable to see or do anything. Part of me had given up, waiting for the depressing, lonely waters to suck every last bit of life from this body and release my soul back to its origin.

Then…Lin had come. I could still remember the warmth of his lips against mine, the heat of the air he gave me filling me and banishing the hopeless cold of the sea. It was nice.

"So, Yoru," Lin began, drawing me out of my reminiscence. I felt heat in my cheeks and hoped that the darkness would help to hide it.

"Yes?"

"What was that you were talking with the Moon Guard about before we left? The star candle thing?"

I frowned and turned in my seat. "What do you mean? It's a star candle. Everyone knows about those."

"Obviously not everyone," he said, rolling his eyes at me.

"It's a tradition, a prayer to guide loved ones home safely after a long journey," I explained. "Star qi relies heavily on symbolism. By using a candle infused with it and placing it in the north, it invokes the power of the north star, which, in turn, represents safe navigation. Thus, lighting a star candle was said to bring your loved ones home." I paused, a funny realization dawning on me. "Kind of ironic to say in a city where only the lost may enter, I guess."

"I've never heard of that. Was it a practice in your kingdom?" he asked.

I nodded. "Not just mine. The Sun Queendom and Ocean Lord's Dominion practiced it too. That's why I'm surprised to hear the tradition had gone out of style."

"How old do you think the Moon Guard is?" Xinya wondered. "Must be really old to know about traditions from Lanyue." Though that was a very excellent question, it was not the part of Xinya's words that caught my attention.

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"Wait, how do you know about Lanyue?" I asked.

The name of my old kingdom had been all but lost to time. More commonly, it was referred to just as 'The Dark Moon Kingdom' or just 'The Old Lunar Kingdom' instead of by its original name.

Xinya stiffened and kept her gaze firmly on the waters before us. "Uh…it's on the statues, right? In Armillary Square?"

The lack of confidence in her words didn't inspire much in me. She was lying, and we both knew it.

How had she learned of it if not from the traces left behind in the Black City? I certainly had never mentioned its name before. Something wasn't right, and the more I thought about it, the more concerned I got. Only a few days had passed since her qi had fluctuated wildly towards the void, and though I had no proof that the two events were connected, it was still extremely worrying.

"Xinya, what aren't you telling me?" I asked, my voice low.

The young cultivator didn't answer. Instead, held her light further out over the water. I exhaled in frustration. So long as she didn't answer, she couldn't be accused of lying to me. However, that didn't mean she wasn't keeping it from me. As her guardian, it was my job to keep her safe, even if sometimes it was safer to bring her on the hair-raising, harrowing adventures rather than leave her behind. After all, it was possible to plan for known dangers. It was the unknown ones that warranted further investigation.

What have you gotten yourself into, Xinya? I wondered. As if reacting directly to my thoughts, the chatters of the void rose slightly, but rather than a violent surge, it was only a gentle wave.

"Secrets…the return of the guardian…old blood watches for the new."

That…was interesting. The void had never provided such a clear answer to a question before. It was cryptic, but it was clearly answering me.

Part of me wondered if that, in itself, was something to be worried about. I was getting closer to the void with every day that passed, and the extremely uncomfortable feeling of dissolving my entire body to save Lihua from the moth spirit still lingered in my mind. With each step, was I becoming closer to the Darkened Moon again? Would I lose myself to that darkness?

"Shouweiye…it's near…seek shelter…isolation."

Alarm shot through me. Shouweiye was the very same monster that attacked Lihua. I leapt to my feet, wobbling slightly as the boat shifted beneath me.

"What's wrong?" Lin asked, sensing my concern.

"Put out the light. Quickly!" I instructed Xinya. Immediately, the light winked out, leaving only the glow of my chains and the light from Lin's qi to distinguish us from the darkness.

The thrumming beat of the Shouweiye's giant wings pulsed in the air. It was definitely on the hunt. Frantically, I looked around, trying to think of some way to hide in the darkness, but there was nothing. The Forgotten hadn't sent us with any tarps or blankets, and we'd chosen to travel light. Everything we'd need for comfort, we could find in Half-Moon Manor once we arrived. However, that hadn't prepared us for the situation now.

"What's that sound?" Lin whispered.

I was too busy to answer. I couldn't ask him to release his qi technique. Though he'd undoubtedly survive the void's touch if Shouweiye passed over quickly, his skin would blister and burn, thus providing a significant potential to distract him later in our mission. When the traps of an Ascendent were concerned, I was not willing to take any chances on his safety. Even with my knowledge of the layout, it was an unacceptable risk.

The wing beats drew closer. The voices of the void grew more panicked as the monster's qi leaked out, spreading pain and destruction in its wake. Soon, its deadly aura would fall upon us, and then we'd really be in trouble.

Xinya drew close, wrapping her fingers into my chains like she always did when she was frightened. I wrapped an arm around her, almost without thinking. I didn't have the heart to push her away, even if I was a bright light trying to hide from a moth.

"Yoru?" Lin set his pole aside and joined us at the center of the boat. "What do we do?"

"It's hunting light," I said, still trying to think of a way to dim my chains.

Lin immediately saw the problem. The emerald veins that crossed his skin like bark began to flicker, but I latched onto his hand to stop him.

"Don't. You need that technique."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"What about void shadow?" Xinya offered. "Shen Tori made a cloud of void once, right? Can you do that?"

I bit my lip. She was right. Darkness and the void went hand in hand, and I did remember the cloud that Shen Tori had used during the Moon Fall Festival. It was rather hard to miss, since he was trying to kill me at the time.

But, I'd never channeled void qi in that way before. I didn't know if I could do it before Shouweiye descended upon us. It may have already been too late.

I had to try.

"Get close."

I sat down in the belly of the boat and pulled Xinya close to my chest. If there was anywhere that she would be protected from my own corrosive qi, it would be where I could direct it into myself rather than her. As for Lin, he knelt next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pressing his body into my side as close as he could. It was tight, but we didn't have a choice.

The beating drum of those enormous wings pounded the air, adding urgency as I began drawing the qi out of my body. My core was a font of power, but I didn't need all of it. Voidlight would be counter to my goal, but my qi was mixed to the point that I wouldn't be able to stop the moon qi from bleeding into the technique.

Instead, I focused that qi on a different purpose. Rather than shining bright, I shifted its purpose toward that of the New Moon, the aspect of reality which never would be. It was a lesser illusion, but I wove it over the rest of the technique in a desperate bid to keep us hidden from the moth above.

The rest, I pulled from the void itself. That aching emptiness that was the void part of my core answered eagerly. Smoke began to curl off my arms, and I held Xinya tighter, pushing the void away from myself as I did.

It reacted slowly, resisting my instruction to go far from my body and join the mass of void in the air. I could hear the shrill chittering of Shouweiye overhead, now. It was close…

An ear-splitting shriek rent through the air, and my heart began to pound faster. It had seen us for sure. The wing beats quickened and grew in volume. Xinya whimpered in my arms, and I was left with no other choice.

My thoughts were only on Lin and Xinya. My stomach flipped, and I felt sick as my body dissolved entirely.

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