The gorge narrowed until even the wind seemed trapped.
Black cliffs rose high on both sides, their jagged edges clawing at the sky. Mist hung heavy in the air, swallowing sound.
Zhen Yu slowed his horse. Mei Lian stopped beside him, her crimson eyes scanning the rocks, her pale hand tightening on her robe.
Her fingers signed once, sharp.
It's here.
Zhen Yu dismounted, silver sword in hand. His boots sank into damp earth. The silence pressed down so hard he almost welcomed the sudden hiss that slithered through the gorge.
The mist shifted. A shape moved within it.
Then the monster appeared.
A serpent, thick as a temple pillar, its scales gleaming like wet emerald stone. But worse were its eyes — dozens of them, stretched along its coils, each one unblinking, each one reflecting something wrong.
One eye caught Zhen Yu's gaze.
He saw himself — tall, cloaked in gold, seated on the Dragon Throne. The crown on his brow gleamed beneath the sun. Below him, courtiers bowed low, and even his brother, King Zhen Jian, knelt.
The serpent hissed, its voice layered and many.
"Yours. It was always yours. Born under the King's Star… yet denied."
Zhen Yu tore his eyes away, jaw tight. But another eye pulled him in.
This time he saw himself again — smaller, bowed, forever guarding a throne that was not his. His brother's laugh echoed, cruel and sharp.
"Always a shadow," the serpent whispered. "Always the servant. Why protect those who stole from you? Why not take what fate promised?"
The words slid through his veins like poison. His sword arm shook. His breath grew ragged.
Then — cold fingers brushed his wrist.
Mei Lian.
Her crimson eyes glowed brighter, veins crawling faint beneath her skin.
She signed quickly, sharp as a command.
Don't look. Fight.
Her presence broke the serpent's illusion just enough. Zhen Yu roared and slashed. His silver blade struck scale — sparks burst, black-green ichor splattered, sizzling on stone.
The serpent shrieked. Its coils whipped, smashing rock apart. Zhen Yu was thrown back, ribs rattling from the impact. Pain flared, but he forced himself up.
The serpent lunged again, eyes flashing. Visions crashed into his mind — his brother's face, a crown slipping just out of reach, whispers of unworthy, lesser, nothing.
For a heartbeat, he almost believed them.
Mei Lian stepped forward.
She raised her pale hand, veins blazing red. Darkness gathered at her palm, pulling the serpent's gaze. The monster coiled in fury, its whispers faltering as her power wrapped around it.
Zhen Yu seized the moment. With a shout, he drove his sword deep into the serpent's side. The blade bit through scale, tearing flesh. The serpent writhed, smashing against the cliffs, stones raining down around them.
Still it lived. Still it hissed. Still its eyes gleamed.
Mei Lian pressed her hand harder. Her body trembled, her crimson eyes burning. Shadows coiled tighter, crushing against the serpent's mind. One by one, its many eyes snapped shut, blood weeping from them.
The serpent's body thrashed one last time before dissolving into black mist. Its dozens of unblinking eyes flickered and vanished, leaving only silence in the gorge.
Mei Lian stood at the center of it, trembling. The crimson veins in her skin now burned with a sickly green light, spreading like fire. Her chest heaved as though every breath cut her lungs.
Her knees gave way.
"Mei Lian!"
Zhen Yu darted forward, catching her before she struck the ground. She was cold — colder than snow — yet her skin burned where the veins glowed. She tried to push him away, but her strength faltered; her fingers curled weakly into his cloak instead.
He held her steady.
"I've got you."
Her crimson eyes met his for a heartbeat — weary, furious, and ashamed.
Then she shut them tight, surrendering to the pain