The sound grew clearer.
Slow.
Heavy.
Coming from deeper within the ruins.
Xu Tian stood still, his eyes fixed on the darkness ahead. The object in his hand felt cold, but the energy inside him was moving again.
Stronger than before.
Responding.
"…So you're connected," he murmured.
The children shifted slightly in his arms.
Xu Tian adjusted his grip.
"It's alright," he said quietly.
But his gaze didn't move.
The sound stopped.
For a moment, everything went silent again.
Then something stepped into view.
A figure.
Not human.
Its body was covered in cracked stone, like it had been part of the ruins itself. Its movements were slow, but steady.
Its eyes glowed faintly.
Xu Tian's expression tightened.
"…A guardian."
The creature stopped a short distance away.
It didn't attack immediately.
It simply watched him.
Xu Tian didn't move either.
The air between them grew heavy.
The object in his hand pulsed faintly.
The creature's eyes flickered.
Then it moved.
Faster than its appearance suggested.
Xu Tian's body reacted instantly.
Everything slowed again.
He stepped to the side.
The creature's arm struck the ground, cracking the stone floor.
Xu Tian narrowed his eyes.
"…Heavy."
He shifted his stance.
The children made movement harder.
But he couldn't put them down.
Not here.
The guardian turned.
No hesitation.
It attacked again.
Xu Tian moved.
Step.
Turn.
Avoid.
Each strike came with force, but lacked precision.
Strong.
But not skilled.
Xu Tian noticed it quickly.
"…Not like the others."
He stepped forward this time.
His arm moved.
A strike.
The impact landed against the creature's body.
A dull sound echoed.
The guardian didn't fall.
But it staggered.
Xu Tian frowned.
"…Hard."
The creature didn't slow down.
If anything, it moved faster.
Its attacks became heavier.
The ground cracked with each impact.
Xu Tian's movements sharpened.
Faster.
Cleaner.
That feeling inside him was clearer now.
Guiding him.
Each step felt more certain.
The guardian lunged again.
Xu Tian didn't dodge this time.
He stepped in.
His arm moved.
The object in his hand reacted.
A faint surge of energy passed through him.
The strike landed.
This time, the sound was different.
Sharper.
The guardian froze.
Cracks spread across its body.
Then it broke apart.
Pieces of stone fell to the ground.
Silence returned.
Xu Tian stood still.
"…That was new," he said quietly.
He looked at the object in his hand.
It felt different now.
Lighter.
But stronger.
Xu Tian exhaled slowly.
But he didn't relax.
Not completely.
Because the feeling in the ruins hadn't disappeared.
If anything-
It had grown deeper.
Xu Tian looked into the darkness ahead.
"…There's more."
He adjusted the children in his arms.
Then stepped forward.
This time, without hesitation.