🌙 Chapter 2 — This Body Isn't Mine
Rain still fell softly, tapping on the old wooden roof weathered by time.
The faint scent of incense mingled with the damp earth, piercing her senses.
Lian Yue Xiang slowly opened her eyes.
A dim glow from a stone lantern hung on the ceiling of the small room.
The walls were etched with strange, soft-blue symbols.
Water dripped from a corner—rhythmic and unnerving.
But that wasn't what made her chest tighten.
Her body… felt foreign.
She sat up slowly. Her hands trembled—her skin was paler, smoother than before.
Her usually short hair now reached her waist—wet and disheveled.
She touched her cheek, then stared at the faint reflection in a cracked mirror on the wall.
That reflection… wasn't her.
A girl with pale gray eyes stared back.
A faint scar below her left eyelid.
A torn red robe, stained with blood.
Her face was beautiful, but haunted by sorrow.
"It's not me... but I'm here. Who are you…?" she whispered inwardly.
She lowered her gaze, feeling a faint pulse in her chest.
Beneath her skin—something lived.
It didn't beat with blood… but with light.
Before she could think further, the old wooden door creaked open.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Yue Xiang tensed—instinct urging her to back away.
And then—she saw him.
Someone stood at the doorway.
A long white robe with thunder symbols at the cuffs, jet-black hair tied high, and eyes as cold as a frozen lake.
Jing Xuan.
The aura that emanated from him made the air feel heavier.
Even the lantern's light dimmed slightly as he entered.
"You're awake."
His voice was flat, emotionless.
Yue Xiang swallowed. "Who… are you?"
His gaze pierced through her, as if searching for something within.
"Jing Xuan. Guardian of the Eastern Sky Sect."
He stepped closer.
His movements slow, certain—like something that couldn't be stopped.
Yue Xiang tried to rise from the mat.
Her knees shook.
"I… I don't know who I am… or where I am…"
Jing Xuan didn't respond immediately.
He simply stared.
Then his right hand reached for the hilt of the sword on his back—Xuanlan, the legendary spiritual blade said to respond only to pure souls.
As he unsheathed part of the blade, it trembled—releasing a sound like whispered light.
Yue Xiang froze.
A soft white glow emerged from the blade and drifted toward her.
When the light touched her skin… something deep inside stirred.
Thump.
Jing Xuan frowned.
The sword glowed brighter.
"Impossible…" he murmured under his breath.
"This sword… only responds to a specific soul."
Yue Xiang looked down. Her hands trembled.
Her heart raced wildly.
"Why do I feel… like I've seen those eyes before? That voice… that sword…"
"As if… I once stood by his side."
But the memory was blurry.
Like shards of the moon shattered on water—untouchable, yet still drifting.
Soft footsteps echoed outside.
A young maid entered hurriedly, carrying a bowl.
She froze upon seeing Jing Xuan.
"Guardian Jing! Forgive me, I didn't know you were here…"
Jing Xuan gave a slight glance, nothing more.
The maid—Xiao Ruo—then approached Yue Xiang with a gentle, sympathetic look.
She placed the bowl of warm water beside her and softly said,
"Your name… is Yue Xiang, isn't it?"
Yue Xiang furrowed her brows.
"…Why do you call me that?"
"That's the name of the body's owner, miss."
Xiao Ruo looked deep into her eyes.
"But your soul… is different. You cried even before you awoke."
Yue Xiang couldn't respond.
She clutched her chest, where pain and emptiness twisted together.
Jing Xuan observed from the corner of the room, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"We don't know who you truly are."
"But the elders believe… you are part of the Cursed Moon Prophecy."
Yue Xiang shivered.
"Prophecy…?"
Jing Xuan finally spoke again—short and cold.
"You will be brought to the Eastern Sky Sect's center. A soul evaluation will be done."
Yue Xiang looked up in panic.
"You think I'm a demon?"
Jing Xuan stared at her blankly.
But something flickered in his gaze—subtle, barely visible.
"If you are a demon… then why does this sword not reject you?"
Yue Xiang closed her eyes.
She didn't know who she was.
But this body… this world… that sword…
Everything was pulling her into something far greater.
Something she had once forgotten.
And within her chest, a voice whispered softly from a time long past:
"If you are reborn… I will still find your soul.
Even if you hate me…"
She looked at Jing Xuan's back as he turned and walked away.
Her heart trembled.
"You…"
"…were you the one I once loved… or the one who once killed me?"
🌑 End of Chapter 2