The memory didn't fade.
If anything
It became clearer.
More vivid.
As if it had been waiting for this moment.
Back then
Lin Mo should have left.
The moment he confirmed it.
A demon.
Not just any demon
But one whose presence didn't match the chaos he had been taught to expect.
"…You're staring."
The voice broke through his thoughts.
Calm.
Too calm.
Lin Mo's gaze sharpened.
"…You're not like the others."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Silence followed.
Then
A faint smile.
"…Is that a compliment?"
"It's an observation."
The man stepped closer.
Slow.
Unhurried.
As if there was no danger at all.
But there was.
Lin Mo could feel it now.
The pressure beneath that calm surface.
Hidden.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"…You should leave," Lin Mo said again.
More firmly this time.
"…You keep saying that."
A pause.
"…But you're still here."
Lin Mo didn't respond.
Because
That was true.
His mission
He had almost forgotten it.
The disturbance.
The reason he had come here.
"…This place is unstable," Lin Mo said, shifting his focus.
"…You're the cause."
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…Am I?"
Before Lin Mo could respond
The air changed.
Violently.
A crack split through the space.
Dark energy surged
Uncontrolled.
Wild.
Nothing like the calm presence before him.
Lin Mo reacted instantly.
He moved forward
Hand raised
Energy forming at his fingertips
But before he could strike
Something pulled him back.
A force
Strong.
Sudden.
"…Careful."
Lin Mo's eyes widened slightly.
The demon
Had grabbed him.
For a second
Just a second
Their distance disappeared completely.
Too close.
Too sudden.
Too
Wrong.
"Let go."
The words came out colder than before.
But the grip didn't tighten.
Didn't force.
It simply… stayed.
"…You would have been hit," the demon said quietly.
Lin Mo frowned.
"…That wasn't your concern."
"…Maybe it is."
Silence.
Because
That answer didn't make sense.
Another surge of energy erupted
Stronger this time.
Closer.
Lin Mo moved again
But this time
He didn't move alone.
The demon moved with him.
Their actions
Almost synchronized.
Attack.
Deflect.
Step.
Turn.
It was wrong.
Everything about it was wrong.
An angel and a demon
Fighting side by side.
And yet
It worked.
The disturbance began to settle.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
Until finally
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Uncertain.
Lin Mo stepped back immediately.
Creating distance.
As if trying to erase what had just happened.
"…This changes nothing."
A quiet laugh.
"…Of course it doesn't."
But the way he said it
Made it sound like a lie.
Lin Mo's gaze hardened.
"…Next time, we won't stand on the same side."
"…Next time?"
The demon stepped closer again.
Not enough to touch
But enough to make it dangerous.
"…So there will be a next time."
Silence.
Because
Lin Mo didn't deny it.
And that
That was the beginning.
Back in the present
Lin Mo's eyes opened slowly.
"…That was the first mistake."
But even as he said it
He knew the truth.
It hadn't felt like a mistake.
Not then.
Not now.
The air shifted again.
Colder this time.
Sharper.
Watching.
Heaven was getting closer.
And this time
There would be no misunderstandings.
Far below
In the shadows
A familiar presence stirred.
"…So they've started moving."
Mo Ran's voice was quieter now.
But not calm.
His gaze lifted
Dark.
Focused.
"…Then I don't have much time left."
A pause.
"…Lin Mo…"
The name lingered
Not as a warning.
But as something else entirely.
Something deeper.
And this time
He wouldn't stay back.
To be continued… 🖤🔥