Sometimes, all it takes for a genius to be born is a little confidence, and a taste of success. -A pamphlet on training disciples which circulated through the Pearlescent Valley for many years.

Xinya sprinted across the rooftops as fast as her legs could carry her. It was rough. The tiles were slippery and uneven, but they had nothing on the tops of the fences in Saikan, especially during the rainy season. As Saikan's leading fence hopper and general troublemaker, this was a breeze.

Few void spirits barred their path as the two children raced towards armillary square. Xiaolong had been right. Most of the monsters gathered near the ground, where the qi of the living was more plentiful for them to eat. Those they did encounter were small and weak, the size and shape of horrible birds rather than the vicious monsters that attacked the inn. Against Xinya's lightning and Xiaolong's flaming iron, they fell quickly.

"How much further?" Xiaolong called.

Xinya didn't know. The mote of moonlight that she'd conjured to light their path didn't reveal much of the streets below, and only the dull glow of the armillary ahead gave the two any indication of where they were.

The voidspawn woman was still ahead, disappearing and reappearing every so often to continue leading them towards…something. Was it the armillary itself? Did she want Xinya to help Uncle Yoru with his repairs?

Xinya skidded to a stop next to the woman. She hadn't disappeared this time. This was where the buildings ended, giving way to the wide plaza that swam with a vortex of shadows centered on the brilliant light of the armillary. From here, she could see blades flashing, could hear Uncle Lin's furious shouts as he coordinated with Mister Satoro. She didn't see any of Uncle Yoru's light, though. No doubt he was already working on the repairs.

The woman pointed, not to the armillary itself, but far to the right, almost to the edge of the square.

"A sinister foe lays beyond." That familiar voice rang clearly in Xinya's head. "You cannot defeat them, but you must warn your master before they slip back into the shadows…"

A sinister foe…if she wasn't meant to defeat them, then what was the point of the strange woman dragging her all the way out here? Surely, manifesting before Yoru himself would have been a more effective way to get him the message…

Then again, Yoru was busy. Only he could bring light back to the district. While he was otherwise occupied, Xinya would have to serve in his place.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself. To Xiaolong, she said, "this way." He nodded and began sliding down the roof tiles.

They jumped down, landing on the exposed balcony of a shop with a large diamond on the sign. Rather than jump further and risk twisting an ankle, Xinya slid the door open and gestured for the boy to follow her inside. Merchants and artisans of every shape and size huddled in the dark corners of crates and work tables as they picked their way through by the light of her qi. At the stairs, they raced down, reaching the door at ground level in a heartbeat.

"There's an enemy in the dark," Xinya explained. "We need to find and identify them so my uncles can be informed."

"I take it you mean a different enemy than the many shadows," asked Xiaolong. Xinya nodded.

To her right, the mysterious woman beckoned further down the street. With the void spirit swarming the armillary, it was now or never. Xinya crept close to the buildings, trying to remain small and quiet, despite the shining sphere of qi in her hand.

A shadow monster growled from within a broken shopfront. The young cultivators skidded to halt. It flowed through the darkness like a fish through water, circling them and staying just on the edge of Xinya's light.

"Come on, you cowardly shadow! Come get us!" she shouted. It growled in response.

Her muscles tensed, lightning crackling through her body. It lunged, ready to take a bite out of her with teeth that belonged to no fish she'd ever seen in Saikan. She threw herself to the side, throwing both her moonlight sphere and a bolt of lightning into the creature.

It howled and thrashed, lunging for the next closest target, which was Xiaolong, but the boy was already twisting his body away in an almost snake-like manner. His iron sphere appeared from the side, dispersing much of the shadow surrounding the monster. With one final burst of lightning from Xinya, it howled and vanished altogether.

The two looked up at each other. Xinya grinned. Even if she had to work together with Xiaolong, she figured she could get used to winning fights. In fact, she was so gleeful that she nearly started giggling uncontrollably.

Xiaolong's face dropped suddenly, his eyes shifting from a cheerful blue to an alarming yellow as he looked behind Xinya. She knew that look. That was the look that Mister Pharyx had had when Shen Tori had appeared behind her at the lighthouse moments before kidnapping her.

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A split second was all she had, but she acted, curling into a ball and throwing her body backwards. She slammed into a set of legs which then stumbled back in surprise.

Her assault didn't end there, though. She reached out, grabbing the newcomer's legs with a hand, mustering all her lightning and channeling it into her assailant. He grunted and tensed as the lightning raked through him. Xinya leapt back to her feet and retreated to where Xiaolong was already spinning his sphere in a fast orbit around himself.

"He doesn't look like a shadow," Xiaolong muttered.

Xinya had to agree. In fact, he looked like a normal person. He was dressed in dark clothes to hide himself in the pitch black of the void that swirled all around them. Yet, around his neck, a silver necklace glimmered in the light of Xiaolong's flames. Xinya couldn't make out the symbol, but she was certain that it would lead them to who this person worked for.

"We have to get his necklace," she explained.

"How?"

Xinya was still working on that part, and the man had recovered. He seethed in rage, drawing a sword from his side. The blade was black as the night around them.

"Clearly, you children have some lessons to learn regarding bothering your betters."

"I see no betters before me," Xinya hissed. "I only see a monster who would endanger the lives of those around him."

"Respect your elders, you ill-mannered wretch!"

"Xinya, we should retreat," Xiaolong murmured.

She shook her head. "He won't let us, even if we wanted to. He seems like the type who doesn't want witnesses, no matter how young."

The man pulled down his hood so the two could see his wicked grin. He was an oni, a tall one with red skin and dark horns.

"It seems you two need a lesson in manners, I'll be happy to give it."

He lunged forward with incredible speed. Xiaolong directed his sphere, and it streaked towards the oni like a comet. Yet, just before it could make contact, a shield of light appeared between them, reflecting the sphere high into the air.

"Scatter!" Xinya cried as she ducked under the blade. She could only hope that Xiaolong would avoid being cut in half.

The boy grunted, and Xinya smelled iron. Splashes of golden blood shone brightly in the dark, illuminating their battlefield, and Xiaolong, for all to see. He was clutching a gash on his side that bled with that same brilliant gold.

Anger surged inside the little girl. He got hurt because he refused to let her go alone. Xinya stared at the blood. Was there supposed to be this much? Or did it look like more than it was because it glowed?

He wouldn't be here if not for me, she thought. That just made her anger grow. She couldn't let this oni get away with this. The lightning inside her reacted, surging over the moonlight in her core. It ached to be free, to smite this wicked villain who would so callously hurt a child.

"Hey oni!" she shouted. "You're a pretty big guy, but I hear that oni get smaller with more power. You must be a chump if you're that big."

"What did you say, you wretched brat?" he growled, turning to face her. Xinya set her face in a determined scowl. As long as he was focused on her and not Xiaolong, everything would be fine. She could take a few hits…probably.

"I said you're a weakling and a chump!"

The cruel smile faded from his lips. Xinya set herself in place, readying herself for the strike.

The oni lunged with his sword, slicing a wave of brilliant silver qi in her direction. She ducked before reaching out. Lightning arced from her fingertips, only to be immediately pulled away from the oni. Xinya only had time to register the change in direction before the lightning connected with a dark object which slammed into the oni with enough force to shove him back and pin him to the wall. The lightning of her attack surged along the metal shaft of the weapon before scouring the man's body. He twitched and shook before falling still.

From the shadows stepped the blue skin of Mister Satoro, the Demon of Tragedy himself. He looked at both children with a raised eyebrow.

"Your guardians will not be happy with you both," he scolded. Xinya bowed her head.

"It's my fault. Xiaolong wouldn't have left if I hadn't done it first. He was just looking out for me. I should take the punishment," she said to the ancient oni. He snorted in amusement.

Before any further conversation could be had, blue light filled the square. Xinya shielded her eyes, but even blinded, she could hear the sounds of shrieking void spirits as they were mercilessly dispersed by the light.

When the light faded enough that she could finally see again, she beheld the square. Blue-silver light reached every corner, banishing the shadows and lifting the oppressive darkness that had clung to the district only moments before.

"Is that…voidlight?" she asked, only to realize that the two next to her probably didn't know Yoru's signature flavor of moonlight as well as she or Uncle Lin did.

It was incredibly strong, stronger even than the voidlight Yoru had used to erase Shen Tori from existence. Whatever arrays were working within the glowing celestial sphere amplified Yoru's power tenfold, and Xinya was in awe. This was the light of an Ascendent. This was the light of the Darkened Moon.

"It's beautiful," she found herself saying.

"Maybe this time he's fixed it so it won't die again," Satoro said grumpily as he turned to the corpse of the lesser oni and pulled Heixin from the body. It dropped to the ground in a slump.

Xinya darted forward, yanking the necklace from the body before she could forget. She slipped it over her head to store it before turning to help Xiaolong. The boy was still holding the gash in his side.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He grimaced but nodded. "Give me your arm."

Carefully, she took her friend's hand, pulling it over her own to support his weight. She was less injured than he was, and he looked like he might fall over at any moment.

"You know, I've never met someone who bleeds in gold before," she said, trying to lighten the mood for him.

"I would have been surprised if you had," Satoro answered. The three of them began walking back to the armillary's light. "After all, only dragons bleed in gold."

Xinya blinked and stared at Xiaolong. The boy's hat was crooked, and he was trying not to look at the girl as they walked.

"You're a dragon?"

Before the boy could muster a response, they were at the edge of the park where Uncle Lin was waiting, a scowl darkening his normally cheerful face. He was staring right at her.

Xinya knew that she was in deep, deep trouble.

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