Chapter 11: The Relic of Moonfire ✦
In the forgotten depths of the forest, hidden beneath centuries of vines and stone, Fu Sheng was drawn to a place she couldn't name—but her soul recognized it.
A small, overgrown shrine. Ancient. Cracked by time and silence. At its center, covered in moss, lay a shimmering object: a silver hairpin shaped like twin phoenixes, wings unfurled.
Her fingers trembled as she reached for it.
The moment her skin touched the relic, visions consumed her—
She stood in heavenly robes, hair flowing like dark silk, this very pin resting in her hair as she looked over a battlefield below. At her side stood Xie Changye, armored and radiant, swearing to protect her even if the heavens fell.
Then came fire. Betrayal. Blood.
And a voice—her own—screaming as she gave her power to seal something ancient away.
She collapsed to the ground, breath ragged.
From the shadows, Bai Jiu appeared and lifted her gently in his arms.
— "You were never meant to find it alone," he whispered. "But now… the past has truly returned to you."
—
That night, the relic glowed faintly beside her bed. And when she dreamt, she no longer saw fragments.
She saw everything.