The night had already arrived, when Ji Woo led them out of the kingdom, the sky was sealed in heavy clouds, the kind that pressed down on the world as if it wanted to crush it.
Vampires and witches moved in an uneasy lines behind her and Fang Leng. None dared speak. Even the wind felt wrong, whispering in low, restless murmurs.
Ji Woo did not look back at them. Her face was calm, almost peaceful, but her eyes burned with hunger and purpose.
"Remember this," she said coldly as they passed beyond the kingdom border. "Anyone who turns back will die by my hand. Anyone who slows us down will be left behind for the spirits to tear apart.
You are all tools to me. If you break, I will simply replace you."
Fear trembled through the witches, but the vampires remained silent.
-----
Days passed, and no matter what Yuyan tried, Leng Yue did not wake. He lay as still as death itself. The only time his fingers twitched or his breath shifted was when Mei spoke to him or fed him water.
"You can fight this, Leng Yue," Mei whispered after helping him drink. Her voice trembled. "We are all waiting for you."
The empress turned to Yuyan, sorrow filling her eyes. "Is there truly nothing more you can do?"
Everyone in the room looked at her with quiet hope.
"Ji Woo would not trap a seer without a purpose," Tian Yu said, staring at Leng Yue's pale face. "She must be planning something far worse."
Yuyan hesitated. "There is one thing I can try," she said slowly. "But if it fails, I may lose two souls instead of one."
The emperor stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"I must send the soul of someone he loves into his body to pull him back," Yuyan explained.
Mei's eyes widened. Without waiting another second, she stepped forward. "Then use mine."
"Mei, it is too dangerous," Yuyan said quickly. "If anything goes wrong..."
"I don't care," Mei cut in, tears spilling over. "He once risked his life to save me. If he dies, I will not live either."
The emperor shook his head. "Your father is already searching for your mother. If you die...what will I tell him?" he stammered.
Mei did not look away. "Tell him I chose this."
She said simply.
Yuyan gripped her shoulders. "If anything happens to you, Leng Yue will never forgive me."
Mei met her eyes through her tears. "Then trust him to bring me back. I am not asking you to trust me… I am asking you to trust Leng Yue."
-----
Their destination lay far beyond the border of any living kingdom. For seven days and seven nights, they crossed lands where even birds would not fly. Forests stood twisted and black, their trees bent like broken bones. The ground often gave way beneath their feet, swallowing two witches whole on the third night. Fang Leng did not stop. He only glanced once at the sinking figures and walked on as their screams were swallowed by the earth.
On the fifth night, shadows began to move on their own. The ancient protection of the former Witch Queen had awakened.
Things without shape crawled out of the dark, half smoke, half flesh. They slipped into bodies, snapping bones from the inside. Screams tore through the ranks as witches were dragged screaming into the trees. Vampires fought back with claws and fangs, ripping the creatures apart, but every one they killed seemed to give birth to two more.
By dawn, only half their number remained.
By the seventh night, they reached the edge of the cursed land.
Before them stretched a vast chasm, so deep no bottom could be seen. Black mist rolled endlessly from it, carrying heat, ash, and something far worse, a breath that did not belong to the living world. Carved into the ancient stone at the edge of the abyss were words written in blood that had never dried.
The resting grave of dragon fire. The egg was inside.
The bridge that crossed the abyss was made of bone, thousands upon thousands of fused skeletons forming a narrow path. Some snapped underfoot as they crossed. One witch lost her balance and fell screaming into the darkness. The sound did not fade. It stretched on and on, as if she were still falling.
Inside the abyss, the temperature rose until skin burned and lungs ached. Rivers of molten rock flowed beneath cracked stone paths. The protection of the Witch Queen tightened like a living will. Illusions struck their minds, dead loved ones calling their names, lost memories rising from graves. Three vampires tore their own heads apart in madness. Two witches stabbed themselves to escape what they were seeing.
At the very center of the abyss, behind a wall of living flame, the dragon egg rested on a throne of burning black crystal.
It was massive, larger than any beast's heart should ever be. Its shell was dark gold, threaded with deep crimson lines that pulsed slowly, like veins. The power pouring from it bent the air around it.
"We have found it," Ji Woo whispered, her voice shaking for the first time, not with fear, but excitement.
Only eight of the soliders were remaining.
Before anyone could react, Ji Woo turned.
With a single spell, she shattered the ground beneath two witches, dropping them screaming into fire. Fang Leng moved at the same time, tearing through three vampires as if they were paper. Blood sprayed across the burning crystal floor. Their bodies fell without even understanding they had been betrayed.
The last remaining witch fell to her knees, eyes wide with horror. "You never planned to take us back…"
Ji Woo stepped forward and crushed her throat with a wave of her hand.
When only Ji Woo and Fang Leng remained, the abyss fell silent.
"They were never needed," Fang Leng said calmly, wiping blood from his lips.
"They were offerings,"