The Tower of Silence

Sera sat in the Tower of Silence. It was the highest room in the Jade Courts, windowless and soundproof.

She was alone.

Without the System, the silence was deafening. She felt cold. Hollow.

She touched her chest. The golden thread was gone. But the phantom warmth of Ren’s back against hers remained.

* You're the girl who likes spicy pork buns.*

She looked at the ceremonial robes laid out for her. They were white, embroidered with gold runes of binding. Her father had told her the Graduation Ceremony was her ascension to Elder status.

Now she knew the runes were for extraction.

She stood up. She walked to the mirror. She looked at the perfect girl in the reflection.

"I hate you," she whispered to the reflection.

She picked up a heavy jade hairbrush. She threw it at the mirror.

* CRASH.*

The glass shattered.

She wasn't the Sect Leader's daughter. Not anymore.

She closed her eyes and reached out. Not with her Qi, but with her heart. She remembered the feeling of the Harmonic Link. The resonance.

* Ren?* she called out into the void.

Deep in the earth, miles below in the Abyss Prison, a spark flared in the darkness.

* Sera?*

The System was gone. The magic was broken. But the bond... the bond wasn't just code.

Sera opened her eyes. They weren't cold anymore. They burned.

"Time to break some rules," she said.