Chapter 37: Arc One Epilogue — The Last Heir
The streets of Mistforge no longer echoed with battle.
Instead...
They echoed with hammers.
Laughter.
The creaking of wagons carrying broken stone.
Children helping move supplies.
The city was wounded.
But it was alive.
For the first time in days...
Yun Che and Yun Ren walked home without weapons in their hands.
Only the silver Wolf Brigade badges hanging from their belts reminded them that life would never be quite the same again.
The afternoon sun bathed the snow in golden light.
Home.
It felt different now.
As the brothers pushed open the wooden gate...
They both stopped.
"..."
Three enormous beasts lay sleeping peacefully inside the courtyard.
The first resembled a gigantic white bear nearly three meters tall.
Crystalline ice grew naturally from its shoulders and back like jagged armor, glimmering beneath the sunlight.
Every slow breath released white frost into the air.
An Icecrag Frost Bear.
Beside it rested a sleek leopard larger than a horse.
Its silver fur was covered with faint blue patterns that shimmered like moonlight upon snow.
A brilliant crystal protruded from its forehead like a natural crown.
An Azure Crystal Leopard.
The last creature lazily opened one golden eye.
Its body resembled a massive monitor lizard nearly five meters long.
Rows of icy-blue scales ran along its spine.
Frost steamed from between its teeth every time it breathed.
Its claws looked capable of carving through solid steel.
An Iceback Glacier Drake.
The enormous reptile lazily flicked its tongue before closing its eyes again.
Yun Che blinked.
"...Why are there beasts in our house?"
Their mother laughed from the doorway.
"They're guests."
"Temporary ones."
Yun Jian walked out carrying a bucket of meat.
"The city saved every beast that survived."
"Some were too injured to return to the mountain."
"So..."
"We volunteered."
Yun Ren scratched his head.
"You volunteered."
His father ignored the correction.
Dinner smelled wonderful.
For the first time in what felt like forever...
The family gathered around a table without worrying about alarms.
Or monsters.
Or death.
As bowls were filled...
Yun Jian suddenly cleared his throat.
"I've been thinking."
Both brothers immediately became cautious.
That sentence rarely ended peacefully.
"You two nearly died."
Silence.
"So..."
"I've changed my mind."
"You need partners."
Yun Che blinked.
"You mean..."
"Beast companions."
Yun Mie nodded.
"They're not decorations."
"They're family."
"They'll protect you when you make mistakes."
"They'll warn you before danger appears."
"They'll stay beside you even when people cannot."
She pointed toward the sleeping beasts outside.
"I've already chosen."
She looked toward Yun Ren first.
"The Azure Crystal Leopard."
"It suits your spear."
"Fast."
"Silent."
"Elegant."
"It attacks exactly the way you do."
Yun Ren looked through the window.
The leopard lazily opened one eye before closing it again.
He smiled immediately.
"I like him."
Then Yun Mie looked toward Yun Che.
"The Iceback Glacier Drake."
Yun Che nearly dropped his chopsticks.
"The lizard?"
His mother nodded confidently.
"It isn't just a lizard."
"It runs faster than most horses."
"It can carry supplies."
"Its scales are naturally durable."
"Its venom is excellent."
"It thrives in every environment from frozen mountains to rocky valleys."
She smiled.
"And unlike wolves..."
"You can comfortably ride it for weeks."
"It'll make an excellent travelling companion."
Yun Che imagined himself riding the enormous reptile across unknown kingdoms.
His eyes slowly brightened.
"...Actually..."
"...that's pretty cool."
His father burst into laughter.
"I knew you'd say that."
Yun Che pretended to sigh dramatically.
"I suppose I'll accept my giant poisonous lizard."
Outside...
The Iceback Glacier Drake lazily thumped its tail against the ground.
Almost as though it understood.
Yun Jian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"As for me..."
He looked toward the enormous bear.
"I've grown attached."
Yun Ren laughed.
"You fought together once and now you're adopting him?"
"He has spirit."
Yun Jian nodded seriously.
"And look at him."
"The frost he produces will be excellent for cooling metal during forging."
"You always think like a blacksmith."
"Naturally."
The meal lasted long into the evening.
The brothers described everything that had happened inside the city.
Lord Shen.
The battle beneath the streets.
The Abyss creature.
The Wolf Brigade.
The mechanical arm.
The cultivation techniques.
The Territory Rune.
Every story left their parents alternating between pride and disbelief.
When Yun Ren demonstrated the Marionette Arm...
Even Yun Mie stared speechlessly.
"It moves exactly like a real hand..."
"It feels like one too."
Yun Ren smiled.
"I couldn't have asked for anything better."
Eventually...
Yun Che quietly asked,
"Father."
"The bloodline."
"Tell me everything."
Yun Jian froze.
His chopsticks slowly lowered.
"You... truly awakened it?"
Yun Che nodded.
"I can transform."
"I became the Abyss creature."
Silence filled the room.
Yun Jian stood.
Walked around the table.
Then placed both hands upon Yun Che's shoulders.
His voice trembled.
"I..."
"I never thought..."
He laughed weakly.
"I barely carry any of the old blood."
"Our branch separated from the true Yun Clan centuries ago."
"One generation after another..."
"The blood became thinner."
"We thought it had disappeared forever."
He looked directly into Yun Che's eyes.
"The original Yun Clan..."
"...were legends."
"They possessed one of the Supreme Bloodlines."
"When they defeated a beast..."
"They inherited it."
"Not merely its appearance."
"Its instincts."
"Its senses."
"Its abilities."
"Its elemental affinity."
"It was true transformation."
He took a shaky breath.
"The limit was roughly twenty forms but most people had less than ten forms."
"The stronger the cultivator became..."
"The stronger those transformations became."
"Once they entered Spirit Transformation..."
"They no longer relied upon a single affinity."
"One beast granted fire."
"Another wind."
"Another lightning."
"The Yun Clan became walking armies."
"They adapted to every battlefield."
"They were..."
"...invincible."
His voice broke.
"And now..."
"...it has returned."
Tears suddenly rolled down Yun Jian's face.
Without warning...
He embraced his youngest son tightly.
"So many generations..."
"So many years..."
"I thought..."
"I truly thought it had disappeared forever."
His shoulders trembled.
"The clan..."
"The Yun Clan..."
"...still lives."
Yun Che slowly hugged him back.
"I don't even know how it awakened."
"It doesn't matter."
Yun Jian shook his head.
"It chose you."
He stepped back and looked at his son with eyes full of hope.
"No."
"Not chose."
"It waited."
"It waited for the right heir."
He placed one hand over Yun Che's heart.
"Listen carefully."
"You do not need to restore everything tomorrow."
"But remember this, my son."
"You are no longer only walking your own road."
"The old Yun blood walks with you."
"You are..."
"...the last heir of the Yun Bloodline."
The room became silent.
Outside...
The Icecrag Frost Bear opened one eye.
The Azure Crystal Leopard raised its head.
The Iceback Glacier Drake looked toward the house.
Almost as though they too had heard the declaration.
Far away...
Mistforge's evening bell rang softly across the snow-covered mountains.
The city had survived.
Its people had grown stronger.
Old bloodlines had awakened.
New friendships had been forged.
The Abyss had taken its first step into this world.
And somewhere beyond countless mountains and endless seas...
The wider world waited.
For Yun Che...
His journey had not ended.
It had only just begun.
— End of Arc One: Mistforge —