Pov Author
The kingdom of Shou Feng revealed itself at dusk.
It did not rise suddenly like a fortress meant to intimidate. It unfolded.
Layer by layer, roof by roof, lantern by lantern—until the valley below them glowed like a living constellation. Golden lights traced bridges and waterways, spilled down tiled rooftops, reflected in winding canals that carried boats heavy with silk and laughter.
Anna stopped walking.
She didn't mean to. Her feet simply… refused to move.
"Oh," she breathed.
Mong grinned immediately. "Ah. Yes. That face. I remember that face."
Kiyoshi chuckled softly beside her. "Most people forget how to speak the first time."
The wind carried the scent of warm food, incense, river water, and night-blooming flowers. Bells chimed somewhere deep within the city. Paper lanterns drifted upward like slow-moving stars.
This was not a kingdom of destruction.
This was a kingdom that lived.
Shou Feng stood slightly apart from them, hands folded behind his back, expression unreadable. But Anna noticed the subtle shift in him—the way his shoulders eased, the way the shadows at his feet no longer pressed so close.
"This is…" She searched for the word. "Beautiful."
Mong gasped dramatically. "She called it beautiful. SHOU. DID YOU HEAR THAT. WRITE IT DOWN."
Shou Feng shot him a look. "Walk." He already knows.
But his voice lacked its usual bite.
As they descended toward the city gates, the sound grew louder—music, chatter, laughter. Guards bowed as they passed, not stiffly, but with familiarity. Vendors paused mid-sale to stare, eyes widening before dropping respectfully.
Anna felt it then.
Not fear.
Curiosity.
Life brushed against her senses in warm waves. Children ran past with glowing paper animals. A woman laughed as she scolded someone in rapid speech. Somewhere, a stringed instrument sang a lazy, joyful tune.
Mong leaned closer to Anna. "Rule one: if someone offers you honey dumplings, say yes. Rule two: never ask what's in them."
"I feel like those rules contradict each other."
"Welcome to the kingdom. Again"
They crossed a bridge arched with red pillars and hanging lanterns. Below, boats drifted slowly, their occupants singing softly. Reflections shimmered, doubling the lights, the city, the sky.
Anna's chest tightened—not painfully, but with something close to awe.
"I've never seen a place like this, I mean this part." she said.
Shou Feng glanced at her. "It was rebuilt. Many times."
She looked at him then. "After wars?"
"After losses."
She nodded, understanding more than he had said.
At the palace gates, Yuvan waited.
He stood tall and composed, dressed in deep green and gold, the lantern light catching in his hair. When he smiled, it was warm—unforced.
"You took your time," he said.
Mong scoffed. "Some of us almost died, Prince Green Flag."
Yuvan laughed. "I heard. The kingdom felt it."
His gaze shifted to Anna—not assessing, not suspicious. Simply kind. "Anna , how are you feeling ? Good?."
She inclined her head awkwardly. "I am."
"Thank you," he said sincerely. "For bringing him back."
Shou Feng frowned. "I was never gone."
Yuvan smiled wider. "That's debatable."
The palace courtyard bloomed with sound and color. Servants moved efficiently but cheerfully. Food appeared—steaming bowls, skewers glazed in gold, sweet breads dusted with sugar. Someone pressed a warm cup into Anna's hands without asking.
She took a sip and nearly sighed aloud.
Mong watched her with satisfaction. "See? Conversion complete."
Kiyoshi sat beside her at a low table, serene as ever. "You look lighter."
"I feel lighter," she admitted. "Like the world isn't pressing so hard."
Shou Feng stood nearby, speaking quietly with Yuvan. Anna didn't listen to the words—only the rhythm. There was trust there. Responsibility shared.
She realized then that this place knew him—not as a god of destruction, but as something else.
A protector, perhaps.
Mong suddenly leaned across the table. "So. You kissed him."
Anna choked.
Kiyoshi calmly handed her a cloth. "Mong."
"What? The wind told me."
"The wind lies," Shou Feng said flatly.
Anna's face burned.
Mong clapped. "CONFIRMED."
Despite herself, Anna laughed.
The sound surprised her.
It sounded… free.
Night deepened. Lanterns multiplied. Music swelled. Someone coaxed Mong into a drinking game he loudly regretted five minutes later. Kiyoshi played a soft melody that stilled the crowd around him, peace settling like snowfall.
For a moment—just one—it felt like they had stepped outside the story.
Like this was a pause.
Shou Feng joined Anna at the edge of the courtyard, overlooking the river of lights.
"You're quiet," he said.
"I'm remembering this," she replied. "In case it doesn't last."
His gaze sharpened. "It will."
She looked up at him. "You don't sound certain."
He was silent.
Then—very quietly—"Something is moving."
Her fingers curled around the cup in her hands. "What kind of something?"
"The kind that doesn't belong to this world."
Far away—unseen, unfelt by the city—the wind changed direction.
In another place, candles flared higher than they should have.
Red symbols pulsed.
A seam in reality thinned.
And somewhere between worlds, something listened.
Anna shivered.
Shou Feng felt it instantly.
The pause was end.
---
Far away—far beyond mountains, realms, and gods—the red witch stood alone.
The chamber around her was swallowed by darkness, its edges undefined, as if reality itself refused to linger there. Symbols burned into the air around her—red , ancient, shifting—circling her body like a living sigil. They pulsed once.
Then again.
She lifted her head.
Her eyes opened.
The irises were no longer human.
They glowed a deep, bleeding crimson.
The symbols froze.
And the world answered.
—
In another place.
Another world.
A modern room lit by dull evening light.
Zara lay sprawled across a sofa, a black magic book resting loosely in her hand, its pages whispering even though there was no wind. Her breath hitched suddenly—sharp, involuntary.
Her eyes flew open.
Red flooded her vision.
Her irises burned red, the color spreading like ink in water as pain tore through her veins. The book slipped from her grasp as dark energy surged violently through her palm.
She screamed.
Blood streaked down her hand as she collapsed to the floor, the sound raw, terrified—human.
The lights flickered.
The book snapped shut.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" she screamed.
---
To be continued...