The Dragon Palace gleamed with pearls and jade, its beauty unmatched beneath the waves. Yet within those polished walls, whispers twisted like serpents.
Since the cavern raid, Taiyi's name had become both shield and dagger. Some courtiers hailed him as savior of the East Sea, the youth who had dared expose rot festering within. Others spat curses in silence, blaming him for turning brother against brother.
And Ao Shen? His pride was cut deeper than any blade.
---
That morning, the court assembled again. Ministers filled the jade hall, their voices buzzing like gnats. The Dragon King sat on the throne, silent as a mountain, his gaze sweeping the chamber.
"Bring forth the matter of the northern trenches," one elder declared. "The rebels are restless still. We must decide who will march."
Ao Shen stepped forward immediately, his face a mask of arrogance. "Father, allow me to lead. My spear thirsts for war, and the clans doubt me no longer. Grant me this chance, and I will crush them."
The ministers murmured approval. Many still favored Ao Shen as the rightful heir.
But before the King could reply, Taiyi moved. He bowed, his expression respectful, his tone soft as ever.
"Your Majesty, if I may…"
The hall fell silent. Taiyi raised his head, his blue eyes calm, though beneath them coiled a storm.
"Let Prince Ao Shen lead, as is his right. But allow me to serve as his strategist once more. The rebellion is no longer a simple uprising. It is a serpent with many heads. To fight blindly is to lose more than we gain."
Ao Shen scoffed, slamming his spear against the jade floor. "You think me blind, boy? I do not need your riddles."
Taiyi's smile was faint, unshaken. "Then prove it, brother. Let me advise you, nothing more. If you succeed, glory will be yours alone. If you fail… the East Sea will pay the price."
The ministers stirred again, voices clashing. Some saw humility, others saw cunning.
The Dragon King finally raised his hand. "Enough. The decision is made. Ao Shen will command. Taiyi will advise. The rebellion must be ended."
Ao Shen's jaw clenched, his pride bruised again, but he could not defy his father's decree. He shot Taiyi a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
Taiyi only bowed, calm as the tide.
Inside, however, his blood boiled. This is no longer a matter of glory. This is survival. If I do not seize control soon, I will be swallowed whole by their hatred.
---
That night, Taiyi returned to his chamber, where the jade map awaited him. The candles flickered against his silver hair, casting his shadow across the walls like a beast unfurling its wings.
White and black stones lined the map once more, forming patterns only he could read. Every stone was a plot, a pawn, a hidden blade.
As he moved one piece, a vision stabbed his mind. The battlefield again—blood, fire, lightning tearing through sky and sea. A voice calling his name. And then—soft, high laughter, like a child playing in the distance.
Taiyi staggered, clutching his chest. His heart thundered.
"Why… why do I hear her?" he whispered. "Whose voice is this?"
No answer came. Only the ache, the burning ache that refused to fade.
He pressed his palm against the map, his nails digging into the jade. "If fate hides my answers, then I will tear them from its throat."
---
Meanwhile, in the Phoenix Realm, Feng Jiu's fire had not yet calmed. Her breakthrough lit the skies for three nights, forcing the clans into restless council.
Elders demanded restraint. "She endangers us all. Power without guidance will draw calamity."
Others whispered, awestruck. "She is the flame reborn. Perhaps the seal itself trembles because of her."
Feng Jiu stood before them, wings folded, her gaze unyielding.
"You speak of danger," she said, her voice echoing through the molten chamber. "But what life is worth living in a cage? If the barrier weakens, it is not to frighten us—it is to call us. And I will answer."
Her defiance sent the council into uproar. Feng Xia silenced them with a single gesture, her gaze fixed on her sister.
"Then prove it, Jiu'er. If you wish to challenge fate, you must first master the fire within. Tomorrow, you will enter the Trial of Ashes."
Gasps rippled through the chamber. The Trial was no ceremony—it was death sharpened into ritual. Only those who survived its flames could be acknowledged as true heirs of the Phoenix bloodline.
Feng Jiu did not flinch. "Very well."
---
That night, she stood alone at the edge of the barrier. The sealed sky shimmered faintly above, mocking her with its unreachable vastness.
Her flames curled around her body, restless, fierce. She closed her eyes—and the visions came again.
A battlefield drowned in chaos. A silver-haired youth, his eyes like oceans. And… laughter. A child's laughter, soft and warm, like sparks dancing in the wind.
Her chest tightened. Tears threatened to fall, though she could not explain why.
"Who are you?" she whispered. "Why does my heart… ache when I see you?"
The barrier gave no answer, but the flames surged, answering in her stead.
"If storms come, then I will burn through them," she said, her wings unfolding wide. "And if the world outside dares to deny me… then let it try."
The fire roared upward, scorching the sky. Across the realm, phoenixes woke trembling, for the blaze carried not only defiance—but longing.
---
Thus, in the East Sea, Taiyi tightened his net, preparing to strike.
In the Phoenix Realm, Feng Jiu spread her wings, ready to embrace the storm.
And in dreams, their daughter's laughter echoed louder, no longer a whisper but a thread pulling them both toward the same fate.
Unknowing, they moved closer with each step.
Unknowing, their paths were already bound.
The sea's fangs. The sky's flame.
And the bond that once shattered… now sought to be reborn.