Legend: Yin, the dark side, embodying shadow and the unknown, and Yang, the bright side, symbolizing light, warmth, and goodness. Together they formed the Tao of the Universe, an unbreakable balance that brought peace and prosperity to all beings. But in a moment of carelessness, the unthinkable happened. A disastrous incident between the Celestial Realm, the shining home of the heavenly beings, and the Demon Realm, the home of the dark beings, shook the very foundations of this balance. From a misguided sense of honor, a violent conflict arose that ended in a bloody war. The daughter of the former celestial ruler and the lord of the demons were killed. Nobody knew who the murderer was, as all involved had suffered a manipulation of their minds and lost all memory of the truth. It was suspected that the murderer himself had twisted the memories of everyone.
Chapter 1
A Typical School Day
In a large, simple yet elegantly furnished room, a fifteen-year-old girl sat on a soft cushion wearing a green hemp robe. In front of her lay a colorful assortment of school supplies on a knee-high polished wooden table. Her name was Yaga. Her chocolate-brown hair fell gently over her shoulders as she contentedly chewed a mooncake.
"This is truly the best mooncake I've ever eaten!" Yaga thought as she savored each bite. For a moment, she felt completely in her own universe, until suddenly the door opened and her two best friends, two teenagers, entered the classroom.
Koschey, dressed in a long black Hanfu robe, with long black hair, pale blue skin, and sapphire-green eyes. Dracula, also in a long black robe, was a tall, slender vampire with shoulder-length black hair and red slit eyes. As they walked past her, Koschey didn't hesitate to snatch a mooncake from her plate. Dracula followed suit.
"Hey!" Yaga snapped at him angrily, looking between them in disbelief. "A little respect would be appreciated!"
Koschey rolled his eyes and chewed on the mooncake unabashedly. "Your name isn't on it," he said as they both sat down on their cushions next to her, placing their school supplies, notes, a few scrolls, and worn quills in front of them.
Just as Yaga was about to continue arguing, the rest of his classmates stormed into the room, all wearing their robes. As everyone unpacked their school supplies, sat down at their desks, and the classroom filled further, Yaga strengthened her protection around the mooncakes, pulling them closer to herself.
"I will not allow you to take any more of my mooncakes!" she thought determinedly, waiting for anyone to dare approach her stash. The atmosphere in the room was full of life, with chatter, laughter, and discussion, until suddenly the school principal entered, and everyone went silent.
Her principal, Mr. Dekan, was an elderly immortal man with long snow-white hair tied in a carefully arranged silver Hanfu hair crown. He had white eyebrows, pale gray shimmering eyes, and a short white pointed beard. Additionally, he wore long white boots with silver shining soles. His long white Hanfu robe was flawless and radiated an authority that immediately captured everyone's attention.
"Silence, dear students," his voice called softly across the room. All students bowed before him.
"Today we will speak of myths and gods, stories that shape the soul of the world!"
After a while, as Mr. Dekan began speaking about legends and divine worlds, a student named Chu Fua played a prank, placing a cartoonish depiction of a naked woman on Mr. Dekan's back as he turned to the board. A quiet giggle spread through the rows. In the next moment, the principal made a subtle hand gesture, and the image disappeared magically. He turned slowly to face the students with an ironic smile.
"How amusing," he said in a tone of irony, shaking his head.
"I just wonder what you will become if you continue like this."
Then Mr. Dekan continued speaking with a captivating voice about ancient myths, legends, and martial arts, although most students were bored. At some points, he raised his hand to emphasize the importance of his words. Yaga, resting her head on her hands out of boredom, felt a wave of inner restlessness and spoke loudly,
"Mr. Dekan, why are you telling us all this? Gods don't even exist! It's all just myths anyway!" she exclaimed bluntly.
A shocked murmur went through the classroom, and a reverent silence fell, except for Koschey and Dracula, who both grinned at Yaga, seemingly curious to see how their principal would react. No one dared to disrespect Mr. Dekan. He only smiled mysteriously and regarded Yaga with a knowing look, as if he knew something.
"Yaga, myths are much more than stories. They are expressions of experience and insight, deeply rooted in the psyche. One should never underestimate them."
Yaga looked at him, unsure how to interpret his cryptic answer.
"I don't understand how this could matter," she thought, remaining silent and letting his words fade. The lesson dragged on.
When it finally ended, the trio—Yaga, Koschey, and Dracula—walked through the school corridors. The polished corridor walls were painted in soft white, complemented by subtle accents of light pink and orange, creating a harmonious and inviting atmosphere. On the left side, large windows extended along the corridor in the same soft tones, offering views of the blue sky and lush nature.
Yaga walked with a dream in her eyes, speaking of a wish she had long harbored.
"One day I will become the most successful witch and rich!" she began to gush.
Yaga grinned and let her thoughts wander. She closed her eyes and pictured the scene she dreamed of. Suddenly, Koschey stopped with a bewildered expression, staring at something.
"What are they doing?" he wondered, noticing three students near one of the windows. They had placed a phone on the windowsill and were performing one of the so-called "TikTok trends." Loud music blared from the device as they danced mischievously and made comical movements.
Yaga's eyes widened in surprise. Phones were rare in this school, considered "cheap devices of ordinary people," and few possessed them. Curious, the trio stepped closer. Koschey raised an eyebrow and asked mockingly,
"What are you doing? Is this really necessary?"
He could barely hide his displeasure at the foolish movements of the dancers. A student in a light-orange Hanfu robe with matching long hair turned triumphantly, holding the phone in his hand. It was the same student who had played the prank on Mr. Dekan earlier. Chu Fua was his name and he was known as the class clown, often mocking the principal. He held the phone as if it were a precious artifact.
"This is the latest hit! Everyone loves these things. If you don't join in, you're old-fashioned!" he boasted, gesturing exaggeratedly with the phone.
Koschey looked past them. "I used to respect technology, but now I see it only makes people dumb," he muttered, shaking his head. Chu Fua pouted angrily and tried to impress him. "But hey, look at how many followers we have! And people love to see these trends!" he insisted, his voice full of conviction. Koschey remained clearly unimpressed.
"It's simply ridiculous," Koschey said, observing the others with crossed arms. "This has nothing to do with real life."
Yaga could not help but be fascinated by the phone display. The colorful, pulsating videos held her in a spellbound gaze.
Dracula leaned casually against the wall, rolling his eyes, trying to appear unaffected.
Meanwhile, in a completely different place, an invisible veil unfolded. Behind it lay a deserted, gloomy landscape. A blackened sky stretched over a vast, desolate desert of gray sand, while scattered, twinkling stars watched like ghostly eyes from the darkness. In the distance, a sinister castle loomed, its massive walls like clusters of shadows that devoured light. The entrance was guarded by eerie, grotesque sentries, their iron armor glinting in the faint moonlight, their faces hidden behind ornate raven masks.
Inside the castle stood a tall, grim figure on a small pedestal. His long cloak flickered softly, as if fleeing with the shadows around him. Long, slender hands, gloved and adorned with strange ornaments, emerged from the dense folds of his robe. His hair fell in shiny strands over his shoulders, held by an ornate Hanfu hair crown that was almost hypnotic. The male figure was a silent observer, still and composed, while the room was bathed in a whispering silence. Before him floated a transparent portal, through which he had been watching Koschey unnoticed for some time. This portal was a common technique in the divine world to observe others from a distance without being detected, known as "The Divine Eye."
From the darkness, a trembling guard appeared, his knees knocking as fear distorted his face. He bowed to the figure.
"My lord, I have failed, I could not carry out my orders!" His inhuman voice was a desperate whimper, echoing in the silent room.
The figure did not even bother to turn to his subordinate. The guard continued pleading for his life, trembling, his voice breaking. "I... I beg for your understanding..."
Unnoticed, a chill swept through the air. The figure remained with his back turned, saying nothing, moving no limbs.
"Please! I will not do it again!" the guard gasped as the feeling of helplessness wrapped around him like a tight band. He began to choke. Finally, his body gave way, and a painful sound escaped his throat. Blood dripped from his lips as he fell to his knees. The guard was now reduced to scattered body parts and organs, which eventually dissolved into the air.
"Naive, worthless creature," the figure spoke for the first time in a ghostly, deep voice, as if the shadows themselves whispered the words.
"Not even this one task were you able to complete," he continued, addressing the bloodstains. "You were truly so naive to believe I seriously needed your insignificant help."
He then turned his attention back to the portal.
"Soon... My dear nephew... Very soon you will be mine..."