The Balcony's Silence
Lanterns swayed against the wind, their flames shivering but refusing to die. The northern balcony had held arguments, kisses, vows, and fractures. Tonight, it held something heavier: inevitability.
Hei Long stood in the center, his shadow bending toward the three women who waited. None spoke. The silence pressed on them until it became unbearable.
"Come closer," Hei Long said.
And they did.
The Sword's Relentless Need
Qingxue stepped forward first. Pride still wrapped around her like armor, but her hand trembled as it brushed his sleeve. "If I burn," she whispered, "then burn me brightest."
Hei Long tilted her chin up, his lips claiming hers once more. Her heart raced — not because it was tender, but because it was inevitable. She kissed him as though to carve her name into the fire itself.
When she stepped back, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
The Fox's Hunger
