The clang of steel spread across the borderland clearing as Lianyi's soldiers surged in, their armor glinting faintly under the pale moonlight.
Though they were brave, they have never experience this kind of battle before.
The first soldier screamed as a vampire's claws tore through his shield as if it were parchment. Another staggered back, his blade trembling, his eyes wide with terror. They had trained for wars against men, not nightmares that moved like shadows.
"Hold the line!" Lianyi roared, slashing down one of the creatures with a desperate cry. His voice cut through their fear, but even so, he felt the same shiver crawling up his spine.
Then his gaze shifted—toward Lian Yu.
The boy did not fight like a soldier. He moved like the creatures themselves—swift, ruthless, instinctive. His sword was only half the weapon; his claws ripped into an attacker's chest. His strength was terrifying; where five men struggled to push one vampire back, Lian Yu hurled his opponent against a tree with bone-shattering force.
The battlefield seemed to twist around him, a dance of predator and prey—and he was not prey.
Lianyi's heart hammered. His soldiers faltered when they noticed it too—some staring in awe, others in fear, whispering among themselves even as fear took of them.
He's not… human. Lianyi murmured, his eyes wide. mind raced. His thoughts flashed back to the prophecy he had once read in the Royal Library, the words etched into his memory:
"From the forgotten bloodline shall rise a prince—neither man nor beast, but the bridge between worlds. When darkness spreads, his blade shall decide the fate of kingdoms."
His knuckles tightened on his sword. Sweat mixed with the blood on his face as the realization struck him like a blow.
The prophecy… it wasn't just a tale. It's him.
Lian Yu never planned to let anyone discover the truth about him. But these vampires… they were nothing like the ones he had faced before. They were stronger, faster, and the more he cut them down, the more shadows spat out fresh monstrosities. His blade flashed, clean and merciless, severing a vampire's head from its shoulders.
Ji Woo truly knows how to plan a war, he thought grimly, eyes narrowing as he noticed how every strike seemed aimed at Lianyi. They weren't after him, nor Leng Yue—their target was clear.
When the soldiers of Xiyue saw their prince standing tall in the thick of the slaughter, fighting without fear, something shifted within them. Their terror gave way to courage. One by one, they steadied their trembling hands, their swords no longer wavering as they roared and charged. Fear turned to fury, and they fought with all they had.
The battle raged for hours. Screams and steel, Finally, when the last vampire crumbled into the dirt with a strangled hiss, silence slowly descended.
The ground was littered with bodies vampires and humans alike. Some of Xiyue's soldiers lay still, their blood soaking the soil, but many still stood, panting, their armor torn and faces streaked with grime.
Lian Yu lowered his blade, its edge dripping black blood. Leng Yue's breathing was heavy but steady, his eyes scanning the horizon for any lingering shadows.
"We move," Lian Yu said at last, voice sharp and commanding. "Lianhua awaits."
Lianyi nodded, his gaze lingering briefly on the corpses of his men before turning toward the path ahead. The surviving soldiers gathered, weary but unbroken, and together with the three men, they began their march toward Lianhua.
The night had been long, but dawn wait them.
As Leng Yue led them to the palace of Lianhua, Emperor Zixuan welcomed Prince Lianyi and his men warmly.
"It is fate that brought you here," the emperor said, walking alongside the prince toward his private library. "I had long planned to visit Xiyue and speak with your father, but time has never permitted me. Then Leng Yue told me you would come here chasing a shadow… so I decided to wait for this day. What I am about to tell you is a secret. No ear must hear it except His Highness—your father. Tell him that the Forgotten Bloodline has risen… and he now dwells in Lianhua."
Prince Lianyi's breath caught. He had only suspected it before, but never thought the legend could be real.
"Lian Yu…" he whispered in shock.
"Yes," Emperor Zixuan nodded gravely.
"B-but my men… they all saw him," Lianyi stammered.
"Do not worry about that," the emperor replied. "The one chosen by fate has already erased their memory from their minds."
The prince froze, unable to move. Slowly, he murmured, "If Lian Yu is from the past… and he is married to Yuyan—?"
He lifted his eyes, staring at the emperor in disbelief.
"Yuyan… she too is of the Forgotten Bloodline," Emperor Zixuan said softly.
The words struck Lianyi like thunder. His mind spun, trying to piece it all together.
"Yuyan… the witch princess of history… the one who sacrificed herself for the vampire prince," he muttered, his eyes wide, his voice trembling.
"No wonder…" he whispered, "no wonder she is different. There has always been something about her… something magical I could never place my hand on."
The emperor placed his hand firmly on Prince Lianyi's shoulder, his voice low but heavy with the weight of truth.
"The creatures you fought at the border are not ordinary vampires. They were creations of Fang Leng—the very Fang Leng the old legend speaks of. That is why we must unite and protect Lian Yu, the vampire prince, or else the darkness will swallow mankind whole."
Lianyi's throat tightened. His voice cracked as he stammered, "B-but… I thought Fang Leng was long dead."
Emperor Zixuan gave a grave nod. "That is true. But months ago, Leng Yue saw a vision—one that chilled even me. Hei Xiezhi, the infamous Black Scorpion, ventured into the Frozen Spine, that cursed place feared even by death itself. No mortal should have ever survived that journey. Yet somehow, he returned… and with him, the shadows stirred. Only Heaven knows how he managed it, but he succeeded in raising Fang Leng—and his companion, Ji Woo."
The words struck Lianyi like lightning. His breath caught in his chest as disbelief and horror battled in his mind. "This… this can't be…" he whispered, his fingers trembling against his sword hilt. The air around him seemed to grow heavier, pressing down on his shoulders as the revelations tangled in his thoughts.
Before he could speak further, Leng Yue's calm, cold voice cut through the suffocating silence. He stepped into the library, his presence carrying both reassurance and dread.
"To shorten the tale," he said, his eyes glinting with a knowing darkness, "Fang Leng no longer walks in his own body. He has possessed Hei Xiezhi."
Lianyi's heart thundered in his chest. His mind screamed at him to reject what he had just heard, but the threads of fate were too tightly woven. His hands clenched into fists, his body trembling with the weight of truths he had never imagined.