The light outside Prince Wen Zhi's carriage was very bright. Jinyang, the capital city, was full of energy. He could see tall white towers that looked like giant bones reaching for the sky. Every building was decorated with gold. There were patterns of flowers and clouds that sparkled in the sun. It was beautiful, but it hurt his eyes to look at it.
Back home in the Eastern Frost, things were simpler. There were only clean snow and clear ice. Jinyang was not like that. The city felt warm and heavy. The air smelled like new perfumes and strong spices. There was also a salty breeze from the sea. Everything felt new and alive.
Wen Zhi breathed on the carriage window, and it got foggy. He wiped it with his glove to see the city better. He was not here to look around, though. He was here for work. He had to represent his home in the capital. As he thought about his cold home, he felt a familiar feeling. His eyes started to feel heavy.
It started with a soft silver light. It looked like morning mist, but it wasn't fog. This light was Wen Zhi's secret. He could see five minutes into the future. It was a heavyweight to carry. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't always change it.
The carriage wheels rolled quietly on the clean road. Soon, he saw the huge gates of the Imperial Palace. The gates were made of dark metal, with carvings of dragons and clouds. Guards stood very still in shiny armor. They looked like part of the beautiful buildings.
As the carriage went through the gates, a silver blur filled Wen Zhi's eyes. It was like looking through moving water. He could see the present, but he could also see what was about to happen next.
The arrival hall was huge. It felt like another world. High above, the ceilings had paintings of old battles. Sunlight shone through colorful glass windows, making red and blue spots on the floor. The room was busy. Important people wore silk, and servants moved fast. The air smelled like wood and flowers, but also like metal. This metal smell felt wrong.
Wen Zhi got out of the carriage. He felt strange in his plain wool clothes. Everyone else wore bright colors. His guards stood close and watched the crowd. Then, the silver mist in his eyes got thicker. Suddenly, he saw a clear picture of the future in his mind.
In this vision, Wen Zhi saw a young servant. The servant was nervous and carried a tray of dark, bubbly drinks. Wen Zhi noticed a small stone sticking up from the floor. In the vision, the servant tripped on that stone. The drinks splashed all over a very important man in white robes. The man looked angry, and the servant looked terrified.
It was only a small accident, not a big battle. But it felt like a crack in a quiet moment.
Wen Zhi walked forward and looked around. He saw the loose stone on the floor. Then he saw the same servant from his vision. The young man held the tray tightly. He was only twenty steps away from the big man in white.
Five minutes was not a long time, but it was enough to change things. Wen Zhi wanted to avoid a mess. He stayed calm and watched the servant get closer to the loose stone.
Just as the servant was about to trip, Wen Zhi moved. He walked slightly into the servant's path. It was a small move that no one else noticed.
The servant's foot hit the stone. He stumbled, but because Wen Zhi was there, he regained his balance quickly. The tray stayed steady. No drink spilled on the important man's robes. The man kept talking, and the servant hurried away, feeling lucky.
Wen Zhi watched the silver mist fade. He had changed the future. It was a small win, like steering a boat away from a wave.
He kept walking through the crowd. His eyes saw the room, but his mind saw new silver images. He saw a guard look away from a door. He saw someone sneak past. He saw a servant drop important papers.
These were small problems, the kind of things that happen every day. But in this palace full of power, Wen Zhi felt that even small things mattered. The city was bright, but his vision showed him the shadows underneath. The metallic smell and the silver mist felt like warnings.
He reached the main area. Important people from all Nine Realms were there. They wore expensive clothes and sparkling jewels. They smiled and spoke softly, pretending everything was peaceful.
But Wen Zhi saw the truth. The silver mist was very strong here. He saw a handshake that was too hard and caused pain. He saw a few wrong words that would start an argument. He saw a flash of anger hidden behind a polite smile.
In his vision,
Wen Zhi saw something else. A long, dark shadow spread across the hall. It was a future he did not understand. He felt a deep worry that was much worse than a spilled drink.
He stopped for a moment to look at the room. People talked softly, and glasses clinked. The air felt warm and thick. His guards stood nearby, quiet and alert. He was
Prince Wen Zhi, and he was here to represent his home. He was supposed to watch and be a part of this big event.
But his mind was already busy. He tried to understand the small warnings in his silver vision. Jinyang was beautiful, but Wen Zhi felt a hidden tension. It felt like a string pulled too tight, ready to snap. With his strange power, he was there to watch it happen.
He stood up straighter and scanned the room. He wasn't just seeing the people; he was seeing what they would do in the next five minutes. The silver mist was always there. He saw a young woman with dark hair in a simple, elegant dress. She was talking to some scholars. In his vision, she turned her head, and the light from a window caught her eyes. He felt a strange pull toward her. He felt that their lives were meant to cross in a very important way.
He took another breath. The hall smelled like spices, flowers, and wood. The sound of voices was like a constant river. Wen Zhi walked into the heart of the busy city. His silver vision of the future was always humming in his mind. This was Jinyang, and his journey was just beginning.
He walked across the smooth black floor. It reflected the lights like a dark lake. In his vision, Wen Zhi saw strange marks appear on the stone. It looked like something was being dragged. Then, a dark stain began to spread. He didn't know what it was yet, but it looked wrong.
He looked back at the servant with the tray. The servant was now very close to the important man. The man was a Duke, and he was talking loudly with a red face. In his vision, Wen Zhi saw the servant trip. He saw the tray tilt and the liquid start to fall.
Wen Zhi knew he couldn't stop everything. If he tried to fix every little problem, he would get overwhelmed. He had to choose which moments were truly important. Usually, a spilled drink didn't matter.
But then, Wen Zhi noticed something in his vision. The spilled liquid was getting darker. It looked like it was soaking into the stone floor, not just sitting on top. And the servant's face didn't just look embarrassed. He looked deeply afraid. It was a fear much bigger than just making a mess.
That was enough to make him act. Wen Zhi moved closer to the servant. His guards followed him quietly like water.
The servant's foot hit the stone, and the tray tilted. Because Wen Zhi was near, the stumble was small. The drink splashed onto the floor instead of the Duke's white robes. Only a few drops hit the Duke's boot.
The Duke stopped talking and looked down. "Careless," he grumbled. He didn't even look at the servant. The servant cleaned up the cups and apologized. He looked pale, but the deep fear Wen Zhi had seen was gone. It was just a mess now, not a disaster.
Wen Zhi looked at the dark stain on the floor. It was still spreading. The color was very dark and did not look like wine. Then, he smelled that sharp metal scent again. It was stronger now, and it was coming from the spill.
Wen Zhi made a mental note of everything: the servant, the stone, and the strange dark stain. These were the details his power always highlighted.
He walked into the main hall. The silver shimmer was still there, whispering about the future. He saw a messenger about to trip and a lady about to lose an earring. He did not stop these things because they were too small. But the servant's fear and the strange stain felt different. They were worth his help.
He moved near the group of scholars. He recognized the young woman from his vision. She was Princess Cao Zhen. People knew her for being very smart. Her voice was clear and strong as she talked about her ideas. Wen Zhi listened to her, even while his silver vision showed him many other futures at once.
He saw a nervous scribe hiding a piece of paper in a corner. He also saw a guard near a fancy door looking away. In five minutes, someone important would walk through that door without being noticed.
But Wen Zhi kept looking back at Zhen. She was very focused and excited about her work. She did not seem to notice the tension in the air. To Wen Zhi, that tension felt stronger every second because of his silver sight.
Then, as if she felt him watching, Zhen turned her head. Her smart, dark eyes met his across the room. For a second, Wen Zhi's silver vision changed. It didn't just fade; it was as if she pushed the silver mist away.
Suddenly, his vision was perfectly clear. The hall was just a hall, and the people were just people. There were no silver images of the future. For one tiny moment, he only saw the real present. It felt like breathing fresh air after being underwater.
Then the silver mist rushed back, stronger than before. The next five minutes of the future swirled around him like a storm. But he could not forget that clear moment.
He wondered why it happened. Was it the light? Did his power fail? Or was it something else?
He looked at Zhen again. She was talking to the scholars again and looked thoughtful. She didn't seem to notice anything happen.
Wen Zhi shook his head slightly. He was the Prince of the Eastern Frost, and he saw the future. It was his gift and his burden. He didn't understand why his vision cleared, but he knew Jinyang was full of secrets. The silver mist was now showing him a future that was more dangerous than he thought. The city was bright, but Wen Zhi felt a cold shadow starting to grow.