—
The forest was drenched in the smell of blood and rain.
Thunder rolled across the dark sky, echoing between the mountain cliffs.
Mist rolled across the ground, heavy with the scent of burnt wood and iron.
—
A white horse stood under the towering shadows of the pine trees, its mane wet and gleaming under the faint moonlight.
Upon it sat a woman — tall, elegant, wrapped in layers of gold-threaded crimson silk.
Her robe, heavy with phoenix embroidery, shimmered faintly whenever the wind caught it.
The heavy silk shimmered faintly under the storm's dying light.
Her face was hidden behind a silver mask carved with cloud patterns, only her cold, narrow eyes visible through it.
—
"That useless fool," she murmured, her voice low and sharp as a blade. "He boasted… swore that he'd deliver me the dragon's blood, and now he lies in ashes. What a waste."
The masked woman's tone was calm, but her hands clenched around the reins until her knuckles whitened.
"He even cost me half my men," she muttered. "If His Majesty learns of this failure…"
The horse shifted uneasily beneath her.
She gripped the reins tighter, her gloved fingers trembling with restrained fury.
—
Her words trailed off. The air grew heavy.
Beside her, astride a black warhorse clad in dark iron armor, sat a man—tall, stern-faced, his armor engraved with the insignia of the Crimson Guard, the Queen's personal army.
His cloak, heavy with rain, hung behind him like a shadow.
He had served under her for decades—General Liang Fei, a man whose loyalty was as deadly as his sword.
His sharp eyes studied the Queen silently, but he didn't need to ask what she was thinking.
He already knew.
The Queen needed that dragon's blood.
It was the key to destroying the trouble that threatened her position in the palace — the child she despised, and the woman who refused to die.
She needed the dragon's blood to eliminate them
Liang Fei bowed slightly.
"Your Majesty," he said, voice deep and respectful. "We can still turn this loss to advantage."
—
Her gaze flicked toward him, cold and questioning.
He gestured forward, toward the faint glow of blue light in the distance—where the massive shadow of the dragon still lingered between the trees.
"The beast is still here," he said. "What we need is it's blood. Not it's whole body."
The Queen tilted her head slightly, her voice calm but dangerous.
> "And how do you propose to retrieve the blood, General?"
Liang Fei's eyes hardened.
—
He looked to the three soldiers waiting silently on horseback behind him—young men, faces pale beneath their helmets, eyes flickering between fear and obedience.
"You know what to do," he said quietly.
They hesitated.
The oldest among them swallowed hard before bowing.
"Yes, General."
Liang Fei's tone deepened.
"Do your duty. Do not fail your Queen. Serve well, and your families will be rewarded."
—
The men exchanged grim looks, then dismounted.
Mud splashed beneath their boots as they landed.
One of them trembled but straightened quickly, gripping his sword tighter.
From her white horse, the Queen's cold eyes watched their every movement.
She didn't need to speak; her silence alone was command enough.
—
The men stepped out from the cover of the forest, their armor clinking softly as they approached the clearing where smoke still curled from the scorched ground.
Ahead of them, the colossal form of Zhu Yuan, the Celestial Dragon, glowed faintly against the fading rain.
Its scales shimmered like molten silver, reflecting the dying embers of the firestorm it had unleashed.
On its back, a small figure moved—Mù Xuán, the child.
The girl's eyes were red and swollen from crying.
Her hands clutched her parents' blood-soaked robes.
She looked so fragile against the beast's size, her silver hair matted by rain, her tiny face pale and streaked with tears.
."Now," one whispered and they nodded.
—
She was about to settle back on the dragon's neck when she froze—her gaze catching the flicker of movement from the corner of her eye.
Three men.
Running straight toward her.
Towards them.
Towards— Zhu Yuan?!?
Swords drawn!!!
"Zhu Yuan!" she screamed.
—
Her voice was small, trembling, but it pierced through the air like thunder.
The dragon reacted instantly.
With a furious roar that shook the heavens, it unfurled its massive wings, the gust alone throwing trees backward.
The ground cracked beneath the pressure of its power.
The men barely managed to raise their blades before the first wave of wind slammed into them, hurling one backward into the rocks.
But one of them—a soldier desperate and mad with fear—lunged forward.
His blade struck the dragon's chest. Sparks exploded.
For a heartbeat, blood—the color of liquid moonlight—splattered the ground.
Zhu Yuan roared angrily, and flames the color of pale white jade erupted from its jaws.
The world turned white.
The soldiers screamed, but only for a moment—then silence.
Ash drifted where they stood.
—
The little girl stared, frozen in shock.
Then, her tiny feet stumbled off the dragon's back, and she ran toward its chest.
The wound was already closing—silver light knitting the flesh back together.
She reached out with trembling hands and touched the still-warm scales.
"Zhu Yuan…" she whispered. "You're hurt…"
—
The dragon's massive head lowered, its eyes softening as it looked at her.
Its breath rumbled deeply—gentle, almost sorrowful.
The girl wiped her tears with the edge of her mother's robe, leaving red stains across her cheeks.
"It's okay," she said, voice breaking. "It's okay now."
—
She turned, climbed back up the dragon's tail, and sat between the sharp ridges of its back.
Her hands gripped the fabric tightly—her only memory of her parents.
She looked once more at the scorched earth where her family's blood still glistened faintly in the rain.
Her voice trembled as she whispered, "Zhu Yuan… let's go home now."
—
The dragon rumbled in answer.
Its wings spread wide, glowing softly in the moonlight.
With one powerful motion, it rose into the air, carrying the child away into the mist.
Soon, only silence remained.
——
From the shadows of the forest, the Queen watched the dragon vanish into the horizon.
Her gloved hand tightened on the reins, the leather creaking beneath her grip.
"Is this what you meant, General?"
From their position, they'd not seen the dragon had been injured.
General Liang Fei trembled in fear.
Was his head a goner?
He saw how her expression beneath the mask twisted in restrained fury.
Rain dripped from her veil, but her gaze never left the empty sky.
—
He quickly dismounted without answering and walked slowly toward the clearing.
He hoped to find something.
Anything.
"Please, Heavens. Be on my side."
—
The ground still smoked, the air thick with burnt qi.
He stepped carefully among the ashes until he reached what was left of the soldiers.
Only fragments of their swords remained—bent, half-melted.
He crouched, his gloved fingers brushing the blackened ground.
—
Then he froze.
There—on the blade of one sword—was a faint smear of shimmering silver-white blood.
The general's eyes widened slightly. He touched it with his gloved fingertip.
It gleamed faintly, refusing to fade even against the rain.
Dragon blood.
A slow, triumphant smirk tugged at his lips.
"It seems," he murmured, "they weren't entirely useless after all."
The Heavens was on his side.
—
He lifted the sword carefully and turned back toward the forest.
When he returned, the Queen looked up sharply, her voice cool.
"Well?"
He bowed slightly, presenting the sword with both hands.
"Your Majesty, it seems the beast was wounded after all."
—
The Queen's eyes glinted dangerously. She leaned forward, her veil shifting as she examined the faint shimmer on the blade's edge.
Even through the mask, her excitement showed.
Her lips curved into a slow, wicked smile.
"So… it bleeds."
Her laughter was soft—low and sharp like the sound of silk tearing.
"Good. Very good. With this, that wretched woman and her bastard son will finally meet their end."
—
General Liang Fei smiled faintly, watching her.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. With your beauty and your bloodline, you were always meant to rule. His Majesty's heart will have no room left for her."
—
The Queen's eyes glowed with mad satisfaction behind the mask.
She straightened her back, her voice dripping with icy command.
"We return to the palace."
" Yes, Your Majesty. "
"Alchemists," she said, "do their best work with the rarest fuel. This will buy us leverage we haven't had in a generation."
Liang Fei's throat worked. "It is dangerous, Your Majesty. Dragon-blood is not like other reagents. Even the scent—"
"Fine," she cut him off, smiling under the mask. "Bring my court alchemist. Be sure the Cauldron Masters prepare the Spirit Furnace. If they fail—" she let the sentence hang like a blade.
The general bowed deeply.
"As you command."
—
He mounted his horse once more, holding the sword tightly and carefully.
The Queen pulled on her reins, her white horse turning in silence.
As they rode deeper into the misty forest, the crimson of her robe trailed behind her like a river of blood—fading slowly into the shadows.
—
After a long silence, General Liang Fei finally spoke, his tone careful.
"Your Majesty… what of the dragon? And the child?"
The Queen didn't even look at him. Her laugh was soft—cold.
"Do I look suicidal to you, General?"
Her words cut through the rain like steel.
He bowed his head quickly, saying nothing more.
Only the faint sound of hooves echoed through the forest as they vanished into the storm.
—