Secrets in the Shadows
The courtyard was deceptively quiet, but Lin Yue could feel the tension crawling along the edges of the night. Every whisper of wind, every distant clatter of shutters, seemed amplified beneath the crimson moon.
Shen Wei's eyes scanned the perimeter, sharp and unblinking. "Stay close," he instructed, his voice low. "The city holds more than you realize, and not all of it wishes you well."
Lin Yue followed, her senses heightened. She had never felt so alive and yet so vulnerable at the same time. The stories her grandmother had told her—the ones she had laughed off—were alive now, twisting through the streets like smoke.
"Who are the families?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.
Shen Wei's jaw tightened. "Old bloodlines. Powerful, secretive, ancient. They maintain balance in Xiangcheng, but balance comes at a price. Betrayal is punished swiftly, and secrets… are more dangerous than swords."
Lin Yue shivered. She had always thought of herself as ordinary, yet here she was, caught between forces she could barely comprehend, walking beside a man whose presence alone commanded authority and danger.
A shadow flickered across the courtyard, and Lin Yue jumped. Shen Wei's hand moved instinctively, brushing against hers again, grounding her.
"Shh," he whispered. "We are not alone."
From the darkness, a figure stepped forward—a woman draped in black silk, eyes sharp and calculating. "Shen Wei," she said, voice smooth but edged with steel. "You've brought her."
"Yes," Shen Wei replied evenly, his hand never leaving Lin Yue's. "She is marked by the moon. She carries what the city has been waiting for."
The woman's gaze flicked to Lin Yue, appraising. "The moon chooses many, but not all survive its call."
Lin Yue's stomach churned. "Survive… what?"
The woman ignored her. "The families will be watching, Shen Wei. You know what is at stake. One misstep…"
"…could cost us everything," Shen Wei finished, his tone grim.
Lin Yue stepped forward cautiously. "I need to know… why me? Why now?"
The woman's eyes softened just slightly. "Some destinies are written before we are even born. And some blood cannot be hidden. The city has been waiting for you, Lin Yue. Waiting for the one who can change its fate."
A distant howl cut through the courtyard like a blade. The woman's eyes darkened. "And the hunters are already moving. You have little time."
Shen Wei released Lin Yue's arm, letting her take a steadying breath. "Come," he said, urgency creeping into his voice. "We must leave. Secrets will follow, but action… action can keep you alive."
Lin Yue nodded, heart pounding, and stepped beside him. As they slipped back into the twisting alleys of Xiangcheng, the crimson moon shone down, a silent witness to the city's hidden war—and to the destiny that had chosen her.