A Northern Exile
Centuries before Feng Jian's rise, during the height of the Great Monster War, the northwestern reaches were wastelands of frost. Refugees from the Central kingdoms fled into the frozen wilderness, among them the Steel Family, once humble blacksmiths.
Their caravan was ambushed by Frostwarden Behemoths, monstrous titans who carried the blizzard in their bones. With nowhere else to run, the Steel Family hid in ice caverns, forging crude weapons from salvaged scraps, fending off frost arachnids in the dark. Hunger gnawed; hope waned.
Then came salvation: the wings of wyverns blotted out the sun. Lord Aurelius Draconis, patriarch of the Wind Dragon Clan, descended with his riders, sweeping the Frostwardens aside. The Steel Family emerged into pale sunlight, alive but broken.
In gratitude, they forged a blade for the Dragon Lord, inlaid with dragon motifs, a vow made in steel:
"We will serve the Wind Dragons. Our forges will never cool."
From that pact, they founded Iron Fall City, at the mouth of a canyon where iron-rich waterfalls thundered. With dragon caravans supplying ore and their hammers unceasing, Iron Fall grew into a fortress of fire and steel.
Reunion at the Plaza
Year 4129, Month of Summer Rain, Day 30Iron Fall City
The skyship descended, crystalline propellers slowing as refined Shadow Snake Qi thrummed through its sails. Sparks from the forges lit the dusk, and hammer-song echoed across the plaza.
Mark hopped down first, spreading his arms wide.Mark: "Iron Fall! Smells like smoke and iron. My lullaby."
Jian followed, blindfold wrapped, ears sealed. His gait was calm, steady.
A tall woman strode forward, her braid catching forge-light, frost runes etched into her robes. Her sword shimmered faintly with ice Qi. Maria, Mark's elder sister—renowned for her cold discipline and sharp tongue.
Maria: "So, my brother returns. And he brings… him."
Mark pulled her into a hug before she could resist.Mark (laughing): "Still sharp as ever. Missed you too, sis."
Maria's gaze cut toward Jian, lingering on his bindings.Maria: "Blindfolded. Ears sealed. Tell me, is he broken—or dangerous?"
Jian (flat): "Training."
Her lips twitched.Maria: "Prove it."
Duel of Ice and Gale
The crowd cleared. Apprentices and smiths gathered, muttering. Maria drew her frost blade; mist curled from its edge, spreading across the heated stones.
Jian unsheathed only the Natural Qi Blade: a plain double-edged sword, shorter, unadorned. His Wind Blade remained sheathed.
Mark (grinning, to himself): "Cautious. Smart."
Maria exhaled, frost rippling outward. He's blind. Deaf. Short blade. This will be quick.
Her sword cut, shards of ice bursting forward. Jian pulsed Natural Qi outward—a three-dimensional ripple, sonar-like, mapping the shards in space. His foot shifted once. Blade flicked. The shards split harmlessly.
Gasps erupted.
Maria (inner):Impossible. He moved before the shards even reached him.
She pressed harder. Ice pillars erupted, long arcs of frost slashing across the plaza. Jian's blade moved minimally, each strike deflecting, redirecting.
Maria (inner):He waits. He listens… no. He's mapping me. With Qi.
She feinted right, her dominant arm leading, then whipped left with a frost crescent aimed at his blind angle.
For a heartbeat, triumph surged. He can't see this.
But Jian had already pivoted. His sonar painted the feint, the imbalance in her stance. He slid past, striking low and fast toward her neglected left side. His blade stopped just short of her ribs.
Silence.
Apprentices shouted in disbelief. Maria froze, then lowered her blade, chest rising and falling.
Maria (inner, stunned):He… read my blind spot. Blind. Deaf. Yet he fought in tandem with every move I made.
She extended her hand, a wry smile cracking the frost.Maria: "Well fought. Speed without purpose is wind without direction. You have clarity—sharpen it with purpose."
Jian (nodding): "Understood."
Mark slapped his thigh.Mark (laughing): "Knew you'd like him."
The Hallway
Later, Maria stood alone in the corridor, frost blade at her side, eyes clouded with frustration. Mark approached quietly.
Mark: "Still chewing on it?"
She said nothing.
Mark: "Listen. The world is bigger than Iron Fall. Stronger swords, fiercer blades. Loss isn't failure—it's the whetstone. Don't despise it. Use it."
Her grip on her sword eased.
Mark (firm): "As Jian leaves for the Academy, remember this for yourself. Our journey is long. Take this as a beginning, not an end."
He walked on, leaving her with silence—and new weight in her thoughts.
Forging the Blades
In the great forge hall, fires roared. Sparks cascaded as Huo Tian, soot-streaked elder smith, hammered meteorite steel and core-forged iron. Jian stood beside him, channeling Qi into the molten blooms.
At last, two blades cooled on the racks:
Natural Qi Blade: shorter, double-edged, gray steel. Solid. Balanced.
Wind Qi Blade: longer, katana-like, its cutting edge lined in emerald metal, spine black as shadow. A blade of storm and silence.
Huo Tian then revealed a bundle. Two jet-black daggers, edges pulsing faintly with dark aura.
Huo Tian: "Born from the Shadow Snake. They are evolving blades—growing as you do. But their true power sleeps."
Jian tilted his head.Jian: "When will they awaken?"
Huo Tian's gaze was grave.Huo Tian: "Only when you inherit the Asura System."
Jian's brows furrowed beneath the blindfold.Jian: "The Asura System?"
Mark cut in, voice light but final.Mark: "You'll find out soon, kid. Not now."
The daggers pulsed faintly in Jian's hands, like living shadows waiting for the day to wake.
Departure
Two days later, the skyship awaited. Jian stood at the docks, Wind and Natural blades strapped at his sides, twin daggers hidden beneath his cloak.
Maria clasped his forearm, frost-blue eyes steady.Maria: "Go. Show them what storms can do."
Jian: "I will."
Mark leaned lazily against the rail, grinning wide.Mark: "Academy City's not ready for you."
The ship rose, sails glowing green and black. Iron Fall's forges shrank beneath the clouds. Ahead lay the Seven-Star Academy—and the crucible that would test wind, shadow, and steel.