The forest still stank of the wolf's corpse. Leo's hands wouldn't stop trembling, no matter how much he washed them in the river. Blood clung to him — not just on his skin, but in his mind.
His father sat across the fire, sharpening his blade with slow, deliberate strokes. Sparks danced, but Fang Tian's eyes never left his son.
"You hesitate," he finally said.
Leo clenched his fists. "I killed it, didn't I? What more do you want from me?"
"You killed a beast," Fang Tian replied coldly. "But you fought like prey. Fear still clings to you."
The words cut deeper than any wound. Leo looked away, shame burning his cheeks. "I… I felt something inside me. Like fire. Like rage. It wasn't me swinging the blade — it was something else."
For a long moment, silence ruled. Then Fang Tian stood, his shadow long and sharp under the blood moon's glow.
"That is the blood you were born under. The curse. The gift. The reason the legends slaughtered your people."
Leo's eyes widened. "So… you knew?"
Fang Tian's jaw tightened. He sheathed his blade with a click. "Of course. I feared it since the moment I first held you in my arms. But I chose not to cast you aside like the elders wished."
He stepped forward, his voice rising with the crack of the flames.
"You are my son. You will not run from this power. You will master it — or it will drown the world in ruin."
Leo's chest tightened. A thousand emotions swirled inside him — fear, anger, pride, sorrow. He fell to his knees, tears streaking his cheeks.
"Father… what if I fail?"
Fang Tian knelt before him, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. His eyes softened, just barely.
"Then I will kill you myself, before the world suffers for it."
The fire popped, sparks flying into the night.
Leo's tears dried, replaced by something harder. He wiped his face with his sleeve and looked into the flames, his reflection wavering in the glow.
"I won't fail." His voice was steady, almost frightening. "I'll master it. I'll become stronger than anyone… stronger than the legends who feared you. Strong enough to make even gods bow."
Fang Tian studied him in silence. For the first time in years, he almost smiled.
"Then tomorrow, your training begins again. But know this — strength without resolve is nothing. The more power you claim, the more the world will try to break you."
Leo nodded, his blue eyes glimmering faintly in the firelight.
That night, under the watchful blood moon, a vow was forged — not of mercy, but of defiance. A child cursed at birth would walk a path soaked in blood and fire, until the world itself would tremble beneath his steps.
End of chapter 6