As Xu'er and Su Mu stepped out of the "Midnight Bloom" with bags in hand, the late afternoon Sun cast a warm, golden glow over the bustling Emberlight District. 

"Well, that was... quite an experience." Su Mu said, a slight blush still warming her cheeks. 

The memory of Xu'er's kiss, the taste of her, the feel of her hands – it was all so new. 

Everything felt so fresh and powerful, occupying her thoughts continuously.

Xu'er laughed, with a low, melodious sound that turned a few heads. 

"That's just a little appetizer, Missy," she purred, as she linked her arm comfortably through Su Mu's again. 

Su Mu found herself smiling, slowly getting used to Xu'er's rhythm. 

"And what exactly does the 'main course' involve?" she asked, her voice a little breathier than she intended.

"Patience, my sweetie," Xu'er winked. "First, that drink I promised. A little something to loosen you up even more, though," she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a husky whisper that brushed against Su Mu's ear, "you didn't seem to need much help back there in the fitting room."

Su Mu's blush deepened, but she didn't pull away. The casual intimacy, the playful teasing, it was intoxicating. 

The Source Power on her internal panel had ticked up to [Source Power: 9.5%] during their passionate encounter. 

The close contact, the intense emotions had clearly fueled her Empathic Siphon.

They walked on, arms linked, their steps falling into an easy rhythm. 

The earlier awkwardness had melted away, replaced by a comfortable silence. 

Su Mu found herself unconsciously leaning a little closer to Xu'er, drawn by her warmth and the captivating energy that seemed to radiate from her. 

The street was a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds. 

As they were about midway across a particularly wide thoroughfare, Su Mu, who was always subconsciously monitoring her internal panel now, felt a sudden, sharp spike. 

[ Source Power: 9.6% ] ... [ Source Power: 9.8% ] ... [ Source Power: 9.9% ] ... [ Source Power: 10.0% ]

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. The numbers on her Source Power display, which had been climbing at a steady, leisurely pace, suddenly began to surge upwards. 

0.1%... 0.2%... then another 0.1% every few seconds. 

Su Mu could feel it, this wasn't the slow, nor was it the pleasant, steady trickle from being close to Xu'er. 

It was a dramatic and unexpected acceleration, filled with negative and unpleasant emotions, combined with strong fear. 

'What the fuckk…?' Su Mu thought, her mind racing. The powerful influx of energy felt almost overwhelming, like a torrent. 

Her heart began to pound, not from Xu'er's proximity this time, but from a sudden, prickling sense of alarm mixed with intense curiosity. 

She instinctively tightened her grip on Xu'er's arm, her head subtly turning, her newly enhanced senses kicking as she began to actively scan her surroundings. 

Her emerald eyes, usually soft, now held a sharp, analytical gleam, searching for the source of this intense, almost aggressive, energy emission in the crowded Emberlight District.

The crowds of the Emberlight District blurred around Su Mu as her senses, amplified by the Insight Digitization, zeroed in on the anomaly. 

It was like a beacon in the general hum of the city's spiritual static. 

Her "gaze" swept past the chattering pedestrians, laughing couples, and hurried couriers on levitating platforms, finally locking onto a solitary figure standing across the wide thoroughfare, almost directly opposite them.

'There.' The individual was cloaked in a heavy, dark black robe that seemed to absorb the light, making him appear almost like there was no one at the scene. 

His head was entirely obscured by a thick scarf wrapped in such a way that no features were discernible – not gender, not age, not even a hint of their race. 

He stood perfectly still, amidst the bustling river of people, in front of a large and expensive looking storefront. 

The huge shop itself looked like it's the center of the whole district; its sign depicting gears and cogs, and the window displayed a jumble of archaic-looking advanced mechanical contraptions and spare parts arranged in a meticulous order.

"Xu'er," Su Mu said, her voice a little tight, her grip on Xu'er's arm instinctively becoming firmer. 

She tried to keep her tone casual, but an edge of urgency crept in. 

"Do you see that person? Over there, in front of the mechanical shop? The one in the black robe?"

Xu'er squinted, her purplish eyes, usually so quick to catch every detail, sweeping across the crowded street. 

"Hmm? Robed and mysterious? Where, I don't see anyone..." She scanned the area Su Mu indicated, her head tilting slightly. 

For a moment, her usually sharp senses, which were more attuned to social cues and spiritual energies, didn't pick up the still, light-absorbing figure. 

The camouflage of the robe, or perhaps a subtle dampening effect it had on conventional spiritual senses, seemed to be effective against a casual glance, even for someone like Xu Er.

"Why, Missy?" Xu'er's arm tightened slightly around Su Mu's, a playful smile returning to her lips. 

"Did they catch your eye? Looking for a new type of... accessory?" she teased, through her eyes, now focusing more intently on the spot Su Mu pointed to. 

She still couldn't quite pinpoint the figure Su Mu was so fixated on, but she trusted Su Mu's sudden urgency.

Su Mu barely registered the tease. 

Her attribute panel was still flashing, the Source Power climbing at that alarming rate, now well past 11%. 

[Source Power: 11.3%]

[Source Power: 11.5%]

"No, Xu'er, seriously. Right there, in front of that mechanical repair shop."

While she was still observing, and just as Xu'er was about to ask for more details, the scene shifted. 

From the group of shoppers and pedestrians, another figure, then two more, emerged from different directions. 

They moved with an unnerving, silent purpose, their bodies also shrouded in the same heavy, dark black camouflage robes that seemed to absorb light, making them appear almost invisible. 

They converged on the storefront, taking up positions around the initial cloaked individual who still stood like a statue.

"Yes, now I see them," Xu'er murmured, her playful tone gone, replaced by a low, cautious note. 

Her body tensed slightly beside Su Mu's. "And I don't like the look of them. Or the feel."

As the cloaked figures formed a loose semi-circle around the entrance of the mechanic's shop, a low sound began to emanate from them. 

It started as a barely audible hum, then swelled into a guttural, rhythmic chanting. 

The language was alien to Su Mu's ears, filled with harsh consonants and elongated, wailing vowels that seemed to scrape at the edges of her hearing. 

It was deeply unsettling, and the negative energy absorbed into her body intensified with each chanted phrase.

[Source Power: 11.8%]... [Source Power: 12.1%]...

"What are they doing?" Su Mu whispered. 

Other passersby were starting to notice too, their steps faltering, curious and apprehensive glances turning towards the strangely robed figures and their unnerving chant.

The ordinary hustle and bustle of the Emberlight District seemed to fade into the background, the scene before them taking on a nightmarish, surreal quality. 

A ripple of unease was beginning to spread through the crowd.