Lin Yuan got back to his dorm a little after one in the morning.
Half the hallway lights were dead. Flickering.
He pushed the door open quietly — Zhao Lei turned over on the top bunk, the bed frame creaked. On the other bed, Old Zhao's snoring sounded like someone sawing wood.
Lin Yuan lay down on his bottom bunk and took off his glove. The gold lines on the back of his hand glowed faintly in the dark. Like a closed eye.
"Where'd you go?" Zhao Lei's voice came from above. Mumbled. Half asleep.
"Bathroom."
"Oh... you wear gloves to the bathroom?"
Before Lin Yuan could answer, the snoring started again.
He stared at the underside of the top bunk, squeezing the five-cent coin in his palm. It wasn't hot anymore, but he could feel it vibrating. A tiny heartbeat.
He closed his eyes.
Dragon-kin. Abyss King. Anchoring.
Three months.
Die in your sleep.
He turned over. Then again.
Zhao Lei snoring above. Old Zhao sawing wood next to him. Lin Yuan kept his eyes open. There was a water stain on the ceiling, shaped like a map. He stared at it and thought about random things.
Like — if he really died in three months, what would he regret?
Never had a girlfriend. Never been abroad. Never had authentic Chongqing hot pot.
And — he still didn't know what his grandmother meant by "someone will come for you." How much did she know? Why didn't she tell him?
These questions circled in his head for over an hour. Eventually he fell asleep without realizing it.
---
Sunday. No classes.
Lin Yuan woke up around noon. Zhao Lei was already at his computer. On the desk sat a takeout box with two cold fried dough sticks left inside.
"You saved those for me?"
"No. I couldn't finish them." Zhao Lei didn't turn around.
Lin Yuan didn't say anything. He pulled the badge from under his pillow — dark gold, a dragon on it.
"What's that?" Zhao Lei glanced over. "You joined a club?"
"Something like that."
"What club?"
"History research club."
Zhao Lei made a sound like he'd lost interest. On the screen, his character took a hit. He cursed and slammed the keyboard.
Lin Yuan put the badge in his pocket and put on his shoes.
At the door, he stopped.
"Zhao Lei."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
Lin Yuan didn't answer. He closed the door and left.
He didn't know what he was thanking him for either. Maybe the fried dough sticks. Maybe that he didn't ask more questions. Maybe just — someone was in the dorm waiting for him to come back, no matter how late.
---
History building. Sunday. No one around.
The hallway was quiet. Just his footsteps echoing on the tiles. He walked to the end. The small door was still there. He pressed the coin into the groove. The door slid up.
Ramp. One hundred and twenty-eight steps.
He counted. One, two, three... Every time he walked this path, he couldn't help counting. Maybe to make sure it wouldn't suddenly get longer. Maybe just nerves.
Halfway down, he heard voices ahead.
Not Old Zhou. Younger voices.
"Who's coming today?"
"The new guy. The Abyss King."
"The Abyss King? Like... the legendary one?"
"Legendary or not, we'll see."
Lin Yuan slowed down. The voices got closer.
Two people came around the corner. A guy and a girl. Both in black uniforms. Silver badges on their chests.
The guy saw him first. Paused.
"You're...?"
"Lin Yuan."
The girl looked him up and down. The corner of her mouth curled up. "You're the Abyss King?"
"Yeah."
She laughed. Didn't say anything else. Pulled the guy's arm and walked away. A few steps later, Lin Yuan heard her say quietly: "Doesn't look like much."
The guy answered: "Shut up."
Their footsteps faded up the ramp.
Lin Yuan stood there for a few seconds.
Doesn't look like much.
He swallowed it and kept walking down.
---
The library.
Old Zhou sat behind his massive wooden desk. A cup of tea sat in front of him, steam rising.
"You're here." He didn't look up. "Practical training starts today."
"Who were those two?"
"Dreamkeeper candidates. They joined a few months before you."
"How did they know I'm the Abyss King?"
Old Zhou looked up. "Your badge is different. Dark gold with a dragon. Regular candidates have silver."
Lin Yuan looked down at his badge. He hadn't noticed the others were silver.
"Starting today, Su Wanqing will teach you combat training," Old Zhou said.
"Su Wanqing?"
"Instructor. Short temper. Try to bear with it."
The moment he finished speaking, Lin Yuan heard footsteps behind him.
High heels. Click, click, click.
Not just any high heels. The kind with thin heels that make a sharp sound on wooden floors.
Lin Yuan turned around.
A woman walked in.
Tall. Long hair over her shoulders. A black fitted dress, hem ending mid-thigh. Black stockings. Black high heels — at least ten centimeters.
Dark red lipstick. Her eyes weren't big, but they were bright. When she looked at someone, she squinted slightly, like she was examining a product she wasn't sure about.
Lin Yuan's first thought: this person doesn't belong in a library. She belongs on a magazine cover. Or in the corner booth of some fancy bar.
Second thought: his heart was beating faster.
Not fear. It was — how to put it — like when the girl he had a crush on in middle school suddenly talked to him. His heart skipped.
"You're the Abyss King?" She looked him up and down. "You don't look like one."
Her voice was a little raspy, like she smoked a lot. But that raspy quality didn't sound bad. It gave her words an extra layer of texture.
"Su Wanqing." She didn't offer her hand. Just nodded. "Starting today, I teach you combat."
"Hi..."
"Don't call me teacher. Just the name."
She turned and walked deeper into the library. "Follow me."
Lin Yuan followed. Her high heels clicked on the wooden floor. Steady steps. Her waist was slim. The hem of her dress swayed slightly with each step.
He forced himself to look away.
Behind him, Old Zhou said: "Don't stare. She used to be field ops. She can kick a nightmare's head off."
Lin Yuan's face turned red.
---
The training room was deep in the library. A white room, about fifty square meters. Gold runes carved into the floor.
Su Wanqing took off her high heels and stood barefoot on the runes. Her toes were painted dark red.
"Stand here." She pointed to the center of the runes.
Lin Yuan walked over. The floor was cold.
"Take off your shoes."
He did. When his toes touched the runes, a warm feeling rose from the floor.
"Close your eyes. Breathe deep. Feel the energy inside you."
Lin Yuan did. The pulse in his chest was still there. Clearer than yesterday.
"You feel it?"
"Yeah."
"Push it to your hand."
Lin Yuan tried to "push." At first nothing happened. He gritted his teeth, pushed harder — warmth flowed from his chest to his arm, from his arm to his palm.
His hand lit up. Gold light.
"Not bad," Su Wanqing said. "Faster than I expected. But not enough."
She walked up to him and held out her hand. "Hold mine."
Lin Yuan held it. Her hand was soft, but cool.
"Now push your energy into my hand."
Gold light flowed from his fingers to hers.
"You feel that?"
"Yeah."
"This is 'channeling.' The most basic skill." She let go. "Next is 'release' — pushing your energy out to affect things around you."
"Like what?"
"Make that lamp turn on." She pointed to a small lamp on the wall.
Lin Yuan stared at the lamp. Pushed hard. Nothing.
"Not force," Su Wanqing said. "Feeling. You're not 'pushing' it. You're 'inviting' it."
"What do you mean?"
"Your energy isn't a hammer. It's water." She stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Relax. The more tense you are, the less it flows."
Her fingers were cool. Lin Yuan took a deep breath and tried to relax.
The pulse in his chest quickened.
The lamp lit up. Not all at once — slowly, like sunset played in reverse.
"See?" Su Wanqing let go.
The lamp went dark again.
"Do it again."
Third try. The lamp stayed on for five seconds.
Fourth try. Over ten seconds.
"Again." Su Wanqing's voice turned cold. "Don't stop."
Lin Yuan gritted his teeth and kept "inviting." The pulse in his chest started to get unstable — fast, then slow, like a heart skipping beats.
"You're trying too hard," Su Wanqing frowned. "I said, it's not — "
The lamp exploded.
Not went dark. Exploded. Glass shards flew everywhere. Lin Yuan stumbled backward and fell on his ass. His hand was still glowing, but the light wasn't soft anymore. It was harsh, white-gold, like welding sparks.
Su Wanqing's face changed.
"Stop." Her voice was low.
"I... I can't..."
Lin Yuan felt the pulse in his chest ignite. Expanding wildly. The gold lines on his hand began to spread — vines crawling up his wrist, his arm, his shoulder.
Su Wanqing stepped forward in one move and pressed her right hand against his chest.
Blue light lit up from her palm.
The two forces collided. Something hit Lin Yuan's chest like a sledgehammer. His vision went black. He fell backward.
(Continued in Part 2)