“Mother!”
The cubs’ voices echoed around her.
Bai Xueyin’s vision blurred.
The silver pendant lay on the bed beside her, reflecting pale moonlight from outside.
Her head throbbed painfully.
Unlike the previous fragments—
This memory felt real.
Sharper.
Clearer.
More terrifying.
Someone had ordered her memories to be sealed.
Not hidden by accident.
Not lost naturally.
Sealed.
Deliberately.
Xue Linyuan was beside her instantly.
His cold hand steadied her shoulder.
“Xueyin.”
His voice sounded distant.
“Look at me.”
Slowly, her vision focused.
The cave returned.
The cubs.
The males.
The pendant.
Everything.
But her heartbeat remained erratic.
“I heard someone.”
The words left her lips softly.
Everyone froze.
“What did you hear?” Wu Ye asked immediately.
Xueyin swallowed.
Then repeated the voice from the vision.
> “Seal her memories now.”
Silence.
The atmosphere inside the cave became heavy.
Very heavy.
Because none of them looked surprised.
Only grim.
As if this confirmed their worst fears.
Lin Huan slowly picked up the pendant.
His cheerful expression was gone.
“This pendant…”
His fingers tightened.
“I remember it.”
Xueyin looked up.
“You do?”
The red panda nodded.
Years ago, before her disappearance, Bai Xueyin always wore the silver pendant.
Never removed it.
Never explained where it came from.
She would simply smile and change the subject.
At the time, nobody thought much of it.
Now…
It seemed far more important.
Wu Ye’s golden eyes narrowed.
“Turn it over.”
Lin Huan flipped the pendant.
Everyone immediately saw it.
A symbol engraved on the back.
A crescent moon.
Surrounded by ancient runes.
The moment Xue Linyuan saw it—
His expression darkened.
“Moon Sealing Arts.”
The cave fell silent.
Bai Qingluo tilted her head.
“What is that?”
For several seconds nobody answered.
Then Xue Linyuan spoke quietly.
“Forbidden techniques.”
The cubs froze.
In the beast world—
Anything labeled forbidden was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
“Those techniques can affect memories.”
“Only memories?” Bai Chen asked.
The prince shook his head.
“No.”
His silver eyes settled on the pendant.
“They can affect souls.”
The words sent a chill through the cave.
Even Wu Yin stopped smiling.
Xueyin felt cold.
Soul techniques?
This was becoming much bigger than simple amnesia.
Then Bai Xingyuan suddenly hissed.
The little snake cub rarely looked frightened.
But now he did.
“Mother.”
Everyone looked at him.
The cub pointed toward the pendant.
“It smells wrong.”
Silence.
The adults exchanged looks.
Because beast instincts rarely lied.
Especially serpent instincts.
“What do you mean?” Xueyin asked gently.
Trying to find the right words.
Then finally—
“It smells like…”
He hesitated.
“…blood.”
The cave became deathly quiet.
Xueyin’s heart sank.
Blood.
Soul techniques.
Sealed memories.
A disappearance nobody could explain.
The pieces were beginning to form a terrible picture.
And she wasn’t sure she wanted to see the completed image.
Suddenly—
A voice echoed from outside.
Cold.
Ancient.
Unfamiliar.
> “So the seal has started breaking.”
Everyone froze.
The males moved instantly.
Xue Linyuan stepped in front of Xueyin.
Wu Ye’s shadows spread across the cave walls.
Lin Huan’s cheerful demeanor vanished completely.
The cubs gathered around their mother.
Protective.
Alert.
Ready.
A figure stood beyond the snowfall.
Tall.
Hidden beneath a dark cloak.
Their face couldn’t be seen.
Only their eyes.
Silver eyes.
Watching the cave from afar.
Watching Bai Xueyin.
Then the stranger spoke again.
A single sentence.
One that made every adult’s expression change.
> “If she remembers everything…
the Beast World will fall into chaos.”
And before anyone could react—
The figure vanished into the snowstorm.
Leaving behind only silence.
And a growing sense of dread.
Because for the first time—
The mystery wasn’t just about Bai Xueyin’s lost memories.
It was about what those memories were hiding.