The courtyard quieted again as Su Leilong departed into the shadows. Su Mengtian remained behind, rooted to the stone floor as the silence grew heavier. Yet it was not empty.
The moon hung low and full, bathing the Crimson Sky courtyard in silver light.
The wind had calmed, the echo of thunder fading into the mountains. Su Leilong had withdrawn to give them space, and only the soft rustle of bamboo remained.
Su Mengtian stood at the edge of the pond, staring into the rippling water. The reflection staring back at him looked older than his years. Weathered. Determined.
Behind him, a presence lingered. He heard soft footsteps.
He didn't turn.
Long Xiumei walked toward him, the moonlight catching in her dark hair. She was dressed simply, without her courtly veil or noble ornaments. Tonight, she wasn't the last daughter of the Great Long Clan. She was just a mother.
"You're still awake, Mother," Mengtian said gently.
She smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "And so are you, my son. The weight you carry tonight... I can feel it from across the halls."
"I could say the same to you." His mother's voice was gentle, rich with emotion. "But how could I sleep tonight?"
He looked over his shoulder.
"So much like your father. And so much unlike him, too."
Mengtian lowered his gaze. "I always wondered why you never told me. About the army. About your life in the Great Long Clan.
A faint laugh escaped her lips, though tears shimmered at the corners. "Because we didn't know if you would survive. Not as you are now. Not as who you were born to be."
Behind her came two shadows—lighter this time, youthful.
Su Tianlei's voice rang out cheerfully as he entered, arms behind his head. His unruly dark hair and mischievous grin contrasted starkly with the tension in the air.
Beside him, Su Lingyue walked quietly, her silver-blue robes trailing behind. Her expression was more composed than her twin's, but her bright violet eyes glimmered with concern.
Su Tianlei stood with a solemn face, fists clenched at his sides, his blue eyes a mirror of Mengtian's resolve. Su Lingyue clung to their mother's sleeve, her usual sass replaced by quiet worry.
Mengtian offered a soft smile. "You brought the whole court."
"I brought your family," Long Xiumei corrected.
She came to his side, brushing her fingers against his shoulder before pulling him into a hug. He froze, caught off guard—but only for a moment.
Then he let her hold him.
It was the first time since he entered Crimson Sky Academy.
Her fingers tightened around his back. "I'm proud of the man you've become. But I'm still your mother. And I'm terrified."
"We heard everything," Tianlei said, stretching. "About the army. About our father."
Lingyue added softly, "And about your choice."
Su Mengtian's eyes moved between them, taking in their features—both bearing hints of their mother's regal bearing, and their father's unbreakable presence. After all, the three of them had shared a bloodline .
He gently pulled back, enough to meet Long Xuimei's eyes.
"You raised me to be more than just your son. You raised me to lead" He said.
Tears welled at the corners of her eyes. "I didn't raise you to walk into a storm alone."
Mengtian smiled faintly.
"I'm not alone."
He turned to Tianlei and Lingyue.
His younger brother stepped forward, his jaw tight. "We should've fought beside you sooner," Tianlei replied, no longer joking.
Lingyue stepped closer, reaching out to take Mengtian's hand. "We were raised in secret. For our safety, Mother said. But also for this moment. To stand with you."
He looked at them—truly looked. His brother's eyes burned with martial spirit. His sister's aura shimmered faintly, light and spiritual, like the heavens themselves bowed to her will. They weren't just family.
They were strength.
"You both inherited much from our mother," Mengtian said with pride. "The Great Long bloodline runs deep in you."
"And in you," Xiumei added gently. "Even if you don't show it with dragon fire. You carry it in your bones. In how you endure. In how you lead."
Mengtian closed his eyes for a moment. The storm within him softened.
"Then stand with me," he said. "The Thunder Qilin Army may be awakening—but I won't lead it as a conqueror. I will lead it as a protector. Of our family. Of our world."
Tianlei grinned. "Dibs on the vanguard."
Lingyue giggled. "Only if I get to take command of the rear formations."
Tianlei asked Mengtian "You're really going into the Thunderclad Basin?"
"Yes."
Tianlei looked down and said "I want to go with you."
Mengtian shook his head. "Not yet. You have your own path to walk."
"I'm not weak," Tianlei insisted.
"I know," Mengtian said, walking to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "And one day, you'll stand at my side. But if something happens to me…"
Tianlei's eyes widened. "Don't say that."
"…If it does," Mengtian continued, "then it'll be you who protects Mother and Lingyue."
Tianlei's voice cracked. "Don't talk like you're not coming back."
Mengtian leaned in, resting their foreheads together.
"I will come back. I have a family to return to. A future to build. And people I love."
Tianlei's hand clenched his robe. "…Promise me."
Mengtian nodded. "I promise."
He looked down at his little sister.
Lingyue sniffled, trying to hold back tears, her eyes shining in the moonlight.
"You said we'd watch the shooting stars together tonight."
Mengtian smiled and crouched before her. "We still can. Tomorrow night. After I return."
"You always say that," she mumbled.
He gently reached out and touched her forehead. "Then this time… I'll prove it."
Lingyue threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "You better. If you break your promise, I'll punch you with both fists."
He laughed softly. "Deal."
Long Xiumei watched them in silence, then stepped forward again.
She held something wrapped in blue silk. Reverently, she unfolded it.
Within lay a pendant—a crystal shaped like a thundercloud, etched with an ancient character that shimmered with internal lightning.
"This belonged to your grandfather," she said. "The founder of the Thunder Qilin Army. He forged it himself from the first shard of Stormsteel he ever mined."
Mengtian took the pendant gently.
"Let it remind you," she whispered, "that you carry all of us into that storm. Not just the Thunder Qilin name… but every moment, every love, every prayer we've given you."
He tied it around his neck.
And felt it pulse with warmth.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Mengtian stood.
"I'll see you all again. At dawn."
Long Xiumei nodded, tears trailing silently down her cheeks.
Tianlei raised a fist.
Lingyue wiped her eyes.
And Su Mengtian walked into the dark, toward the trial that would shape the future of a forgotten army—and the world.