The moon hung low over Dracon's castle, veiled by shifting clouds as if the heavens themselves could sense the chaos unfolding within its shadowed halls.
Wu Mei stood between Qin Yangzhou and the towering black walls, her expression wavering, flickering between blank submission and something deep within—something struggling to rise, to surface.
"Wu Mei," Qin Yangzhou whispered, his voice desperate but soft, "it's me… it's Yangzhou. Your husband."
He reached out, brushing her cheek gently. Her eyes twitched. The coldness in her black irises rippled, as if a storm surged behind them, unseen.
She flinched.
"I don't… know you…" she muttered, but her voice cracked—faltering. Her lips trembled.
"Yes, you do," he said firmly. "You are Wu Mei. The woman I fell in love with. The woman who carry our child. Remember the forest? The river? The rose I gave you? You said it smelled like home."
Home.
That word cracked something wide open.
Her head jerked slightly, and the fog that Dracon's spell had poured into her mind began to burn, her chest rising and falling faster. Her eyes welled, and for a brief second, the black faded into brown—the warmth of the real Wu Mei flickered through.
Behind them, the great iron doors of the castle creaked open.
Dracon.
Clad in his ceremonial cloak, with rage flickering in his red eyes, he saw it—Wu Mei beginning to return to herself. Something inside him twisted.
"No…" he whispered, his voice low and dangerous.
Qin Yangzhou took Wu Mei's trembling hand and pulled her close, whispering in her ear, "We have to go. Now."
She nodded, weakly. Her voice came out cracked. "Take me home…"
But before they could move another step, Dracon raised his arm—and in a blur of motion, a black, silver-tipped arrow gleamed in his grasp.
"No!" he roared.
Qin Yangzhou turned, shielding Wu Mei with his body. But she saw the glint of the arrow midair—its fatal trajectory aimed right for his heart.
And in that single moment, love overtook all.
Wu Mei shoved herself in front of him.
The arrow struck.
Right into her chest.
A sound escaped her lips—not a scream, but a soft, strangled gasp—and her body arched from the impact. Blood spilled instantly, seeping into her black dress, staining it with brilliant red.
"Wu Mei!" Qin Yangzhou screamed, catching her as she fell.
Her body was light in his arms—too light—and growing colder by the second.
Dracon's face fell.
He took a step forward.
"No… No, that was not supposed to happen…" he murmured. "I didn't mean to—"
Arin's blade was at his throat in an instant, her eyes wild with fury.
"You don't get to speak," she hissed.
Shao Wei blocked his path on the other side, fire flickering in her palm. "You hurt her. You don't deserve to say her name."
Dracon's hands curled into fists, but he made no move to fight them. He simply stared… at Wu Mei bleeding on the stone ground.
Qin Yangzhou knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he cupped her pale cheeks. Her lips were blue, but she still breathed. Barely.
"Don't leave me," he whispered, tears dripping from his lashes. "Please, don't leave me…"
Wu Mei's eyes fluttered open. Blood trailed from the corner of her mouth, and her voice was weak—like wind through broken glass.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't let you die."
"No, don't say that—just hold on," he begged, his voice cracking.
Her hand reached up, trembling, to brush his cheek. "Don't let the baby… die."
Qin Yangzhou froze.
His heart stopped.
"What?" he whispered.
" Don't let the baby to die " she said, her eyes fluttering closed again. " please save him"
Her hand dropped.
And her eyes closed fully this time.
"Wu Mei?" he called out, shaking her lightly. "Wu Mei?!"
She didn't move.
He pulled her close to his chest, pressing her tightly against him. "No, no, no—don't do this! You can't—!"
Behind him, Shao Wei turned to Arin, her voice hard. "She's still breathing—but barely. We need to get her out of here. Now."
"I'll carry her," Qin Yangzhou said firmly, lifting her into his arms.
As he passed Dracon, he stopped.
Their eyes met.
Dracon's voice was hollow. "I never wanted this. I—"
"If she dies," Qin Yangzhou growled, "I will make you wish you will die. I swear it."
And he walked past.
Dracon didn't stop him.
He didn't move.
He stood there in the silence, watching Wu Mei disappear into the distance—cradled in the arms of the man she'd chosen over him. Blood still stained the floor. Her blood.
And for the first time in centuries, Dracon felt it.
Regret.
The cave outside the cursed woods was quiet—Arin had set up a temporary barrier to keep them hidden while they tended to Wu Mei. She lay still on a makeshift bed, wrapped in cloaks, her skin deathly pale.
Qin Yangzhou hadn't moved from her side. He knelt there, one hand holding hers, the other brushing hair from her face again and again.
"She'll live," Shao Wei said softly, bandaging Wu Mei's wound. "The arrow missed the heart by inches. If she's strong enough… she'll wake up."
Arin stood near the fire, her arms crossed, watching the flames. "Dracon didn't mean to strike her."
"That doesn't matter now," Qin Yangzhou muttered. "He still did."
Silence fell.
Shao Wei looked at him. "You heard what she said, right? She's pregnant…"
His eyes welled again. " I know,but we didn't tell this to you."
"And that means you have to keep fighting—for both of them."
He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I will."
He looked back at Wu Mei, brushing her hand with his thumb. "You're going to wake up, Mei. You're going to meet our child. I won't let anything happen to either of you."
Outside, the wind howled, and the moon drifted behind the clouds again.
Back at the castle, Dracon stood alone in his chambers, staring at the empty bed where Wu Mei had once sat. Her scent still lingered in the air—wild roses and something warm.
He clenched his fists.
The ghost of her voice echoed in his head.
"I want to go home."
And now she had.
But why did it feel like something in him had cracked wide open?
Why did the silence feel so unbearable?
For the first time, Dracon didn't know if his power—his kingdom, his darkness—meant anything anymore.
Because he had let her bleed.