The sky above Starfall Village did not look like a sky anymore. It looked cracked. Split. Like someone had taken a giant hammer from the heavens and smacked the night apart. The stars flickered wrong, bending weirdly, almost melting. Even the moon wobbled like it was drunk and confused.

And Yun… Yun felt like something inside him was being pulled straight upward, like a rope tied to his ribs and a giant hand somewhere in the clouds kept tugging every few seconds.

He stood in the middle of the field, fists clenched so tight his knuckles looked white-blue. His breath came in sharp gasps, not from fear but from too many things happening in his body at once. Heat… cold… buzzing… almost like lightning crawling up his spine. He shook so hard his teeth clicked.

Shen Yu was beside him, but even Shen Yu looked well, not scared, but definitely not calm like usual. His eyes were narrowed, his stance slightly lower, both hands behind his back like he was holding something invisible.

"Yun," he said quietly, "don't panic when it begins. And don't move unless I tell you. Understand?"

"I—I don't know if I can even breathe normally, never mind stand still," Yun muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Above them… the crack in the sky widened.

A roar vibrated through the world a deep, cosmic roar that didn't sound like an animal, or a monster, or even something alive. It sounded like a whole mountain grinding against another mountain. Or like a dead star screaming. Yun felt his knees shake.

Then the crack burst open.

Light poured out blue and white and gold, twisting and spiraling. And inside that light, something huge moved. A shape with too many arms, or wings, Yun couldn't even tell because the thing didn't make sense. It was like a shadow made out of galaxies, shifting every second, growing and shrinking at the same time.

Shen Yu whispered, "A Star Devourer… but why would one appear here…?"

Yun blinked. "A what? A WHAT??"

"No shouting," Shen Yu said, though his voice trembled slightly. "Concentrate."

But Yun couldn't concentrate. Not when the creature dropped from the crack like a falling mountain. Its steps didn't shake the earth they broke it. Every time one of its feet touched the ground, the soil cracked in spiderweb patterns, and the grass immediately wilted.

The Devourer screeched again, opening a mouth Yun swore wasn't there a second earlier. Inside its mouth were swirling suns crushed like sand. Its eyes if those were eyes looked like glowing black holes, sucking in light.

"Shen Yu," Yun whispered, swallowing hard, "I don't think we can beat something like that."

"Good. Because we're not trying to beat it," Shen Yu replied. "We're trying to survive five minutes."

"FIVE wh– WHY FIVE MINUTES?!!"

But before he finished yelling, the creature moved.

And the world blurred.

The First Blow

Yun didn't see the creature move; he only saw the aftermath. Shen Yu appeared in front of him instantly, one hand raised, catching a massive cosmic arm made of blazing nebula gas.

Catching it.

Like catching a falling stick.

Dust exploded everywhere. The shockwave blew Yun backward almost ten meters. His back slammed into a tree, knocking the air clean out of his lungs. He gasped, wheezing, coughing.

Shen Yu's feet dug deep trenches in the soil, but he didn't budge.

His voice cut through the chaos.

"Yun! Now is the time! The third pulse—use it!!"

"I—I don't know how!!"

"You do! Your blood does! Call it!!"

Yun pressed a trembling hand on his chest. The warmth—no, the burning was back. Stronger than ever. His heartbeat thudded like a drum of war. Each beat grew louder, brighter, hotter.

thum

THUM

THUMMM

The creature attacked again, swinging another cosmic arm. Shen Yu blocked it once more, but this time he groaned, his foot slipping slightly.

"Yun! MOVE!"

Yun screamed not out of fear, but because everything inside him burst.

Silver flames erupted from his arms.

His vision whitened.

The world slowed to a crawl.

He stepped forward and the grass beneath him bent away, scared or respectful, Yun didn't know. His entire body felt weightless, almost floating, yet heavier too like a mountain settled on his bones.

The Devourer swung at him.

But Yun didn't dodge.

He caught the blow.

His small hands glowing silver clamped around the cosmic limb and stopped it. The universe itself seemed to gasp. Even the monster shook its head, confused.

Yun screamed again, but this time the scream was power, not panic.

Cosmos – Somewhere Far Beyond

In the Celestial Empire, where Yun's real parents watched the fight from afar, alarms blared through entire star sectors. A golden mirror projected Yun's glowing figure, tiny but burning like a newborn star.

Yun's mother slapped a hand over her mouth, tears forming.

"That's… that's the Star Marrow Awakening! He's already reached that stage?! But that shouldn't be possible without guidance!"

Yun's father clenched his fists. "Someone is forcing the awakening from the outside. Someone is interfering."

A general rushed inside the chamber.

"Your Majesties! A Devourer descended near the boy's dimension. We suspect it was sent by"

He never finished. A sudden tremor shook the cosmic palace.

Something enormous was approaching.

Even among gods… fear spread.

Back to the Fight

Yun held the cosmic limb. It felt like holding a burning iron boulder that breathed. His arms trembled violently. His legs shook. Veins glowed faintly under his skin. It hurt like crazy—like being dipped in lava and lightning at the same time—but he didn't let go.

He refused to let go.

"Yun! Let it out!" Shen Yu yelled, forming a circle of blue light around his hands.

Yun gritted his teeth so tightly his jaw cracked.

The burning in his chest exploded upward.

Silver fire poured from his mouth, eyes, fingers.

A shockwave blasted across the ground.

The Devourer stumbled backward—its massive body actually pushed several steps by Yun's burst of power.

Shen Yu seized the chance.

He appeared above the creature's head and slammed two glowing palms onto its skull. A burst of rippling light spread out, slicing through the shadowy cosmic flesh.

The Devourer shrieked, its body collapsing inward like someone sucked its middle away. Its form cracked, fractured, then shattered into stardust.

The sky snapped closed.

Silence returned.

Yun collapsed to his knees, panting so hard it sounded like he was dying. His entire body shook uncontrollably. Silver light faded from his veins, leaving him sweaty, dizzy, and kinda nauseous.

Shen Yu landed beside him, kneeling.

"You… did well," Shen Yu said softly. "Too well. Honestly… too well."

Yun laughed weakly. "Hah… hah… I almost threw up my soul…"

Shen Yu smiled faintly. "Yes, that sounds about right."

Then Yun whispered, still shaking,

"Shen Yu… someone was calling me… during the fight… a voice… no, more like a feeling… warm… far away… like family or something."

Shen Yu stiffened.

The wind went quiet.

In the distant cosmos, two godlike parents felt their son's call.

And their enemies did too.

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