Pov Author
The chamber of Lord Shou Feng was carved from black stone, cold and severe, yet the air within it was strangely warm.
He lay across the wide bed, unmoving, one arm draped loosely over his eyes. The curtains were drawn, keeping the outside world away. Darkness suited him. Silence obeyed him. And still—his room was not empty.
The sheets beneath him carried a scent that did not belong to this place.
Anna.
It clung stubbornly to the pillows, to the fabric beneath his fingers, to the very air he breathed. Soft. Faint. Human. As though she had left part of herself behind, intentionally or not. Shou Feng did not order the servants to change the bedding. He did not open the windows to let the wind erase it.
He allowed it to stay.
Even without her presence, she lingered—like a quiet defiance of his control. The room remembered her, even if he refused to acknowledge what that meant.
Footsteps echoed softly as the door slid open.
Kiyoshi entered.
Shou Feng did not look at him. Did not move. His breathing remained slow, controlled, as though nothing in the world could disturb him.
"We need to talk," Kiyoshi said.
"Talk," Shou Feng replied, his voice calm, empty.
Kiyoshi stepped closer, his sharp gaze scanning the room—the subtle changes, the traces left behind. "What is going on with you?"
Silence answered him.
"Are you falling for Anna?"
Shou Feng's eyes opened.
"No."
The answer came without hesitation, but Kiyoshi was not convinced.
"You say that," he said carefully, "but you don't look like yourself."
Shou Feng shifted, sitting up slowly. His long black hair spilled down his back, unbound, shadowing his shoulders. "I don't love," he said coldly. "You know that."
"I do," Kiyoshi replied. "But something is different."
Shou Feng turned his gaze toward him. "Like what?"
"You let her live in Tsukigawa Kingdom," Kiyoshi said. "You let her argue with you. You smile with her." His voice dropped. "You laugh with her. And you killed for her."
Shou Feng stood abruptly, the air around him rippling faintly with restrained power. "So what if I smile with her?" he snapped. "I smile with you. With Yuvan. With Mong." His eyes hardened. "And killing? I only killed Shoto."
Kiyoshi's expression sharpened. "You didn't kill Shoto when he stood against you. When he disrespected you. You wanted him—you saw value in him."
Shou Feng's jaw tightened.
"You spared him," Kiyoshi continued. "But then something changed. He made Anna cry. And suddenly, you killed him. That is not the Shou Feng I know."
"Shoto had to die someday," Shou Feng said flatly. "I saw potential in him. A leader. I thought he might change his mind. He didn't."
"And the end came," Kiyoshi said quietly, "when he hurt her."
"Why do you keep bringing her into this?" Shou Feng demanded.
"Because she is already in everything," Kiyoshi replied.
Shou Feng froze.
"She is in this room," Kiyoshi continued. "She changed it to purple—and you said nothing. She is in the painting hall—there is a massive portrait of her right beside us. You gave her your mother's necklace."
Shou Feng turned sharply. "Understand what?" he snapped. "And did she tell you all this?"
"Yes," Kiyoshi said. "She was grateful. Truly. And she doesn't know that you killed Shoto."
"She doesn't need to know."
"You are in love with her."
"No."
"Then why are you acting like this?"
"Acting like what—"
The door burst open.
A maid rushed in, breathless. "Lord Feng—Miss Anna—she's not in the garden. She disappeared after sending me for water."
The room went still.
Shou Feng's head snapped up. "What?"
He rose in one swift motion, dark energy flaring briefly before snapping back under control.
"Damn it."
---
The market buzzed with life, but Anna barely noticed.
She moved through the crowd, eyes searching every corner, every face. "Shoto?" she called softly. "Shoto?"
Nothing.
Her heart tightened. She checked the narrow paths, the quiet alleys, the spaces between stalls. After a while, a figure approached her.
"I can take you to Shoto," the man said.
Anna hesitated. "Really?"
"But you must promise," he continued, "no sound. And you must come quickly."
She nodded.
As they walked, unease settled over her. "Are you a citizen of Tsukigawa?" she asked. "I didn't mean to free Lord Shou Feng. Are there more people alive?"
The man said nothing.
They left the market behind, entering a quiet land of rocks and shadowed trees. "The citizens are waiting," he said at last. "They are not angry. They want a reason."
"I'll give them one," Anna replied.
She stepped into the jungle.
Darkness fell quickly. The air grew cold. A faint glow flickered behind her—but vanished when she turned. She promised herself five minutes.
Then she reached the waterfall.
Black rocks rose sharply, slick with mist. Water thundered down, crashing into a dark pool below. Fog curled through the air, chilling her skin. It was beautiful. And empty.
She turned—
—and bumped into someone.
"Oh—sorry," she said.
"It's alright," the man replied. "Are you lost?"
"No. I'm looking for a friend."
"You've come far," he said. "Need help returning to the palace?"
"Who are you?"
"A friend of Shou Feng," he replied. "Renji."
Her eyes widened. Shou Feng had spoken of him.
"I can go alone," she said, stepping back.
She turned—
—and black smoke surged around her.
It closed in fast, curling like living shadow. She tried to move, but wherever it touched her skin, pain flared sharply.
Renji's voice echoed through the darkness.
"Did you truly believe the god of destruction was the only monster watching you?"
---
Shou Feng tore through the land in fury.
He searched relentlessly, summoning his dragon without hesitation. Kiyoshi watched in silence—he had never seen Shou Feng do this for anyone.
An old woman pointed them toward the Dark Wood.
Shou Feng stopped suddenly.
At his feet lay a small flower.
The one Anna always wore in her hair.
Something inside him snapped.
The earth trembled.
---
End of Chapter