After the banquet, Suwei was invited to visit the Garden of a Thousand Echoes,
A sacred section of the Imperial Palace where trees never lose their leaves...
And where a single flower blooms only in the presence of worthy blood.
The Lunar Dragon Flower.
An impossible flower: white petals with golden veins, center of liquid ruby.
It is said to have bloomed only three times in the Empire's history, and each time it was a harbinger of change.
Suwei walks, guided by monks from the inner temple.
The trees whispered with the wind.
The fountains seemed to sing his name.
And in the center... there it was:
The withered flower, trapped between black roots and stone.
—
"No one has managed to awaken it since the Era of Emperor Tian Rui (father of the current emperor)" —the priest whispered—.
"It's not part of the test. Just... observe it."
Suwei knelt down.
Not to attempt anything.
He just closed his eyes and breathed.
He remembered his mother's voice.
The fall of his house.
