When the world finally stopped spinning, they were in yet another place. "What did you do?" he clutched his head as he staggered up. Xin-Wei was already walking forward, unfazed. An-Ri hovered close by, her head flicking back and forth the Divine Beast and Nao-Zai.

"It's a temporal jump," the tiger said over its shoulder. "I would advise you to acclimate to it."

A groan rumbled in his throat when he tried to tamp the growing nausea down. He rubbed his temples, running circles against them, and stalked after Xin-Wei who was already miles away. He caught up when the tiger stopped at the rim of cliff.

Only it wasn't a cliff. Nao-Zai's jaw hung open when his eyes took in the deep crevice bleeding out from their feet. It looked like mark made from a huge chunk of the sky that fell and crashed into the ground. He raised his gaze to the heavens. Compared to the Divine Plane, this realm was aglow. Even the dome above their heads sported spindly wisps of clouds.

"Are we still in the Divine Plane?" Nao-Zai blurted.

Xin-Wei chose that moment to dive down the crevice in a graceful leap, its tail flicking in the air. Nao-Zai picked up his pace and was reduced to huffs and gasps as he tried to keep up. "We are in one of the lower planes," the tiger said as they trekked deeper into the crevice. Loose soil crunched underneath Nao-Zai's boots. Maybe it's recently upturned? "Not exactly the mortal realm or Shaoryeong. A little higher than that."

Nao-Zai scratched the back of his head. "How many realms are there?" he asked. "This is confusing."

"It is, to a mortal mind such as yours," Xin-Wei leaped over a sharp chunk of rock sticking over the ground like an unwanted mound. "When you're a Divine Beast, even the most complex concepts become so simple."

Nao-Zai rolled his eyes. "Spirits, must be so nice," he said.

His sarcasm flew by the Beast's head. "Yes," Xin-Wei replied. "It is. At times."

They reached what Nao-Zai assumed to be the center of the crater. "What took you so long?" Reol-Je tilted its head at them. "We're burning up over here. That ball of fire doesn't look like it's going to set soon."

Xin-Wei's blue eyes turned a dark brown against the rays' fiery orange light when it swiveled towards the sky. "All the more we should hurry," it said. "The tears?"

Nao-Zai turned to An-Ri who glided forward, holding both of the large crystals. Their light blue hue morphed into a jade-like shade against the amber light.

Chai-Song clicked its beak at the sight. "Dae-Zhang overdid themself this time around," it said. "This way."

They piled after the fowl, keeping careful watch over her train of folded feathers to make sure they didn't step on it by accident. "The Eternal Prison is not a simple cage to hold back Han-Xi's korza," Chai-Song explained. She whipped an arc, sweeping her feathers along with the motion. Nao-Zai jumped before it swept him off his feet. The fowl leveled its gaze on him. "It's a trap from which they will never emerge from."

"We'll need the power of four Beasts, and thankfully, we have enough," Chai-Song trotted to a specific spot just as Reol-Je and Xin-Wei took its left and right. The two of them stood at equal distance from the Sapphire Fowl. "Oh, back up a bit."

Nao-Zai blinked, realizing too late Chai-Song was referring to him. He stepped backward and continued doing so until the fowl clicked its beak. "Now, hold out Dae-Zhang's tears. That way, we will have their korza as well."

An-Ri passed the large crystals to Naio-Zai. Now that he bore both, it was evident they were heavy. And yet the spirit carried it like it's without weight. "We will be concentrating our energies until we create a perfect mesh to bind Han-Xi's essence in this plane," Chai-Song's deep purple eyes gleamed with enough malice to make him glad they share the same goal. "This will be their last stronghold and it shall be for eternity."

"Am I supposed to stand here and hold the tears?" Nao-Zai asked. If so, then this might be his easiest mission. Ever.

Xin-Wei snorted, kneading the ground with its claws. "You will be scouring the world Han-Xi created and focusing on extracting the Piper from it before it crumbles and traps him inside," it said. Its teeth were bared, as if he found the particles stuck between its paws distasteful. "Now is the perfect time to find out how to utiliize the Thread connecting your souls."

Chai-Song tilted its head at them. "If there are no more questions, then, let's begin."

The ground at the Beasts' feet gleamed in various colors, bathing them in soft light. The orange light began dimming, mimicking the sunset in the mortal realm. Slowly, the Divine Plane reminded Nao-Zai of its existence as the sky changed from fiery to soothing waves of indigo. Then, the crystals in his arms hummed with ethereal energy. A faint teal glow sat over his skin and sleeves, a soothing kind of warmth settling over his arms as a result of the tears pressing against them.

It's starting.

The air turned electric as wisps of energy bled off the Beasts and the crystals in his arms. He watched as these wisps intertwined and wove together like threads in a loom. More and more, the illuminated mesh grew until it was large enough to cover the crater. When it didn't stop there, Nao-Zai's mind stopped computing it altogether. He just watched until the mesh made from the Beasts' korza hovered higher and higher until it matched the darknening sky in its distance from the ground.

Then, the beasts' eyes flared silver, eating away everything in their sockets. The threads brightened further, their weaving motions, faster. The sky ripped and stitched itself back together. The clouds flickered in and out of existence. Even the ground beneath the light seeping out of their soles melted and hardened a succession Nao-Zai's eyes were too slow to follow.

This was the making of a new world, and Nao-Zai was here to witness it.

A set of claws crunched against the soft soil. None of the Beasts moved, though. It couldn't be An-Ri either. She's not that huge yet. "Look at you, hypocrites," a foreign voice rumbled through the crater. "Who told me that using korza to rewrite the rules of a realm will result in an untethered imbalance in the universe? That's right—the same people who are now walking the same path as I."

Nao-Zai turned and his heart became as heavy as the crystals in his arms. The rows of golden scales lasted forever, covering the snake-like flank curled on the ground above the crater, the four, clawed feet, and the neck leading up to a scarlet mane. And sitting atop the mane...

The reddest eyes stared down at them. A thousand horns flanking its head and trailing down its back glinted against the setting light, showing Nao-Zai how sharp they were. Its forked tail, covered in thick strands of hair, tapped against the ground in lazy jabs.

"Han-Xi," Reol-Je said. The blazing threads still burned in the sky. They could still make it. If Nao-Zai bought enough time, maybe they could even finish the job here and now. "It's been a while."

The dragon's nostrils flared. Its whiskers swished with the motion when it turned to the tortoise. "Indeed, Reol-Je," it answered. "It pains me to declare whatever this is you're doing—it cannot continue."

Xin-Wei snorted. "Pain is the least you have to worry about," it said. "Set the Piper free and we will not need to continue down this path."

Han-Xi's eyes narrowed. Its lips parted to reveal rows of pointed teeth, each one a formidable blade on its own. "My beloved belongs only to me and no one else," it declared. "Anyone who tries to take him away will be eliminated."

The dragon lunged in a blur of red and gold. The Beasts scattered, the ongoing prison being forgotten. Nao-Zai clutched the crystals which were still alight. He sought Xin-Wei from the chaos just as Reol-Je and Chai-Song fended off Han-Xi's attacks. The sunlight returned when the dragon opened its jaws and a plume of fire poured out. Chai-Song opened its train of feathers and with a mighty sweep, sent the flames back to its owner.

"We can still do it," Nao-Zai said as Xin-Wei lowered itself into a pouncing stance. Its tail flicked left and right, its features crumpling into a feral snarl. "An-Ri and I will deal with Han-Xi. You continue with the prison."

A hefty weight slammed behind him. The ground quivered. A horned shadow fell over him. He turned, ever so slowly, to face the creature responsible for all of this. "You," the word bled in an accusatory tone dripping with hate from Han-Xi's lips. "Why do you always show up and ruin everything?"

Nao-Zai had not an inkling of what the dragon was supposed to be referring to. That's the least of his concern, though. He gritted his teeth and tossed the crystals in the air. An-Ri's white hair zipped through the air. She got the tears. His hand wrapped around the Moonblight's hilt. He leveled it towards Han-Xi's head. "Bring Kai-Se back," he said. "I'm not afraid of you."

A laugh gurgled deep within Han-Xi's throat. "My dear, young mortal," it said, drawing to full height by uncurling its neck into an almost straight line. "You should be."

The tail came out of nowhere. Nao-Zai's periphery exploded with the view of the fiery prongs heading his way, poised to skewer him. He raised his sword. A blur of ink and snow slammed against the crimson.

"Go!" Xin-Wei yelled as it wrestled with Han-Xi's tail with a series of wild swipes and roars. "I'll meet you in the other place. Chai-Song will take you there."

Nao-Zai's eyes widened as shock sank in. "I can't leave you here," he shouted back. An-Ri hoevered in the air, unsure of whether to go with him or follow Xin-Wei's order. "I'll fight with you."

Han-Xi zipped in the air and dived down. Xin-Wei's leg skidded inches from Nao-Zai. "Fool! They are after you," the tiger yowled when the dragon's horns slammed into its head. Blood splashed in the air.

Divine Beasts bleed red.

Xin-Wei grunted, holding Han-Xi in place. Within the motion, its paw had trapped the dragon's tail, pinning it on the ground with hooked claws. "Build the prison," Xin-Wei said through bared teeth. Its feet began making trenches against the soil as Han-Xi pushed against it. "I'll be with you. I promise you that, Nao-Zai."

With a roar, Han-Xi turned its head to the side, slapping more horns against Xin-Wei's mane. Then, the dragon bounded for him.

The world sped in his vision as his collar snapped against his throat. "Hold tight," Reol-Je's muffled voice bled in his ears. "We're entering another temporal jump."

Nao-Zai squirmed. "Xin-Wei—" he gasped. The two beasts grappled for dominance over each other. Each slam sent reverberations up his spine and arms. He had to help. The tiger had done so much for him and the world. It's unfair for it to be this way.

Han-Xi's claws sparked to life, swiping across Xin-Wei's snout. The tiger growled and lunged. The dragon's tail slammed against Xin-Wei's flank, sending the tiger flying. Before the snow beast even slapped the crater's brittle wall, Han-Xi bounded forward on all fours, opening its jaws wide. Flesh squelched as the dragon's teeth sank into Xin-Wei.

That's when the world glitched and swirled around Nao-Zai. No. Not yet.

Not yet!

The plane winked out existence. The last thing he saw was Han-Xi's triumphant grin, the dragon's lips parting to reveal its teeth stained with red. It was the color of blood and, as if by a cruel coincidence, its murderous eyes.

Nao-Zai blinked once and a new surroundings spread out before him. His cheeks were wet, with blood or tears, he had no idea. He whirled to find Reol-Je and Chai-Song behind him. "Take me back," he breathed. "I have to go back—"

"And get yourself killed?" Reol-Je's crimson eyes were gentler compared to Han-Xi's blood-red ones. It's a painful reminder, nevertheless. "By all means, be my guest. But I am not wasting Xin-Wei's sacrifice by sending the mortal they protected into the claws of a beast who wanted him dead."

"What does Han-Xi want with me?!" Nao-Zai screamed at no one. At the heavens, at fate, at anyone who found themselves at the end of his roiling emotions. "I didn't do anything!"

Reol-Je's foot swiped at him, knocking him flat on his face. His wrists caught his weight at the last second. Pain lashed out in his skin. Oh, was this what happened to Kai-Se in Dangrao?

"Get a hold of yourself, young mortal," the tortoise chastised.

Nao-Zai groaned. He doubted the tortoise aimed to kill him with that blow. It wasn't strong enough to shatter bone but it still sent bolts of pain shooting in his limbs and sides.

"You will know more when you find the Piper," Chai-Song's shadow, a gentler shade than that of Reol-Je's, fell over him. "So get right into it. I doubt he's having the time of his life in Han-Xi's worlds."

His teeth dug against his jaw so hard it hurt. An-Ri's tufted ears edged from his vision. He snaked an arm around her and held her close. All the spirit could do was to return the favor, pressing her head against his heart and staying there. He righted himself into a sitting position. He was about to mess with his hair when he felt a lump stuck inside his fingers. What...

He brought his clenched fist towards his face and opened his locked fingers. His heart almost stopped beating then.

Because sitting atop his palm with its soothing glow and swirling energy was a white bead.