The golden mask sat quietly in its sealed box.
But Shen felt it.
Even as he walked back through the village, he could feel the ancient fire humming beneath his skin — like it had nested within him. Waiting.
Hu Meilin ran up to him, eyes wide. "Shen-ge! You're back! Elder Qin says someone's waiting at the gates—he looks like a city noble!"
Shen blinked. "Another guest?"
"No… this one's weird. He called you 'Your Highness'—then offered his neck like a dog."
At the village gates
The man knelt on both knees, robes rich but torn from travel.
"I greet the True Flame, Heir of the Forsaken Phoenix."
Shen's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The man's voice trembled. "I am Ru Chen of the Crimson Archivists. We have served your bloodline in exile for thirteen generations."
"Crimson Archivists?" Yueyin said behind him. "They're a heretical cult. Disbanded centuries ago."
Ru Chen did not flinch.
"We were not destroyed. Only hidden. Waiting. For him."
His forehead pressed to the ground.
"You have awakened the Phoenix Mask. Its song echoes across the sealed shrines. The other Archivists felt it. They will come."
That night
Shen opened the box in silence.
The golden mask shimmered, faintly breathing.
"Why did you choose me?" he whispered.
It responded.
Visions.
Flashes of a throne room set ablaze.Two infants—twins—one hidden, one raised.A crying mother torn between duty and love.An imperial edict ordering the second son's erasure.
And the mask… sealing itself beneath the shrine with a single vow:
"The bloodline shall burn again. When betrayal repeats."
Shen gasped.
The memory wasn't someone else's.
It was his.
The next morning
Yueyin met him at the training ground.
"You're different."
"Am I?"
"You're… sharper. Louder. Even when silent."
She approached. Close.
"I liked you better before."
Shen tilted his head. "Before what?"
"Before you remembered you were a king."
He didn't respond.
She smiled.
"But I'm curious to see what kind of king you'll become."
Meanwhile, in the Capital…
In the palace under moonlight, a black-clad messenger knelt before the Empress.
He whispered, "My Lady… the sealed shrine at White Root has awakened."
The Empress's hand trembled.
She clutched her wine cup tighter.
"Send the Black Veil."