Because the veiled woman in the air finally lowered herself to the ground with ethereal grace—her feet landing like a whisper on stone. The beads on her veil jingled faintly as her robes curled around her like a protective flame.
Then, for the first time… she spoke.
Her voice was soft. Cold. Ageless.
"Hmm…" she began, her tone wrapped in amusement and disdain."I'm the one who solved these problems. I purified your puppets. I protected your realm from things you didn't even see coming."
She lifted her chin slightly, her fiery phoenix eyes glowing behind the veil.
"And yet humans…""You always complain.""So full of noise, fear… and pity."
Silence fell like a blade. Everyone froze.
Her gaze slid briefly toward Roa, then Chen.
"You label what you don't understand as evil," she said, stepping forward."But the true monsters... are often the ones who speak loudest of justice."
Chen's eyes locked with hers.
There it was again—that storm. That ache. That familiarity.
Why do I feel like I know her?Why does her voice… hurt?
Roa gritted her teeth.Chen remained still, watching the Queen as if she might shatter his entire reality.
And Yunxi, masked and magnificent, turned once more toward the heavens.
"Call me what you want.""But remember this—without me, you'd all be ash."
With a final flick of her sleeve, flames burst around her feet, lifting her back into the air.And then—
Just as the air tensed and silence crackled after Yunxi's chilling words...
A dark mist rolled in from the forest—silent and eerie.
From its depth, figures cloaked in shadow stepped forth—elegant, swift, and kneeling the moment their feet touched the ground. Their black robes bore silver embroidery, flickering like starlight in motion.
"Your Majesty," the lead shadow whispered, kneeling."We greet the Crimson Phoenix Queen."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Shadow Clan. Feared and forgotten. Rumors whispered of their exile, of ancient secrets. And yet now—they bowed like loyal subjects before this veiled woman.
"We are sorry, Queen," the shadow leader continued, lowering his head further."These puppets were cursed by a hidden Taoist. They sealed the village long ago in dark magic. We only wished to free our people. We… we called for help."
His voice cracked.
"But we didn't know… that you had been reborn."
A murmur spread.
The people looked to the Shadow Clan. Then to the Queen. Then back.
Roa's brows furrowed. For the first time, doubt flickered in her gaze.
And Yunxi—calm, radiant, untouchable—stepped forward, her golden-crimson veil glowing under the evening sun.
She turned her eyes to Roa, sharp and blazing like fire kissed by godhood.
"All demons are not evil," she said firmly. Her voice echoed not just through the air—but through souls."See with their eyes. Connect with their hearts."
Her gaze swept the crowd, then settled back on Roa.
"Everyone here… is living in pain, in curses, in silence. "You, woman—do not judge the world because you've only seen one side."
Roa flinched.
And then—
With the flap of a sleeve and a shimmer of golden light, the Phoenix Queen disappeared into the wind, leaving flames that curled like lotus petals in her wake.
Chen's eyes widened.
He didn't breathe.
His heart beat once—loudly.
She's not a threat…She's… saving everyone.And that voice... those eyes...
He turned sharply, already stepping toward the place she vanished.
"I want to see her again," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
His mask of coldness cracked for the first time in years.
And now, nothing else mattered.
"The Veiled Song"
The forest held its breath beneath the fading light.
Prince Chen moved silently among the shadows, drawn by a melody that seemed to pull at something buried deep inside him.
A soft pipa floated through the air, its notes weaving like silk and fire.
He looked up — to find a figure seated on a high branch of an ancient sakura tree.
Draped in crimson robes that fluttered like flames, her face hidden behind a delicate red-gold veil.
Her fingers danced across the strings, and her voice rose — haunting and beautiful, filled with sorrow and strength:
"Dragons are meant for fire,But sometimes they burn alone,In skies no one dares to fly…"
Chen's heart faltered at the words, the sadness within them resonating with a loneliness he could not admit.
She sang on:
"And this phoenix wants to cure,And sacrifice herself."
His gaze fixed on the veiled queen's fiery eyes, glowing beneath the veil like embers in the dusk.
He didn't know who she was.
But he knew — she was no ordinary woman.
The fire in her eyes, the grace in her movements, the weight of her song — all spoke of power, of sorrow, of something fiercely alive.
Chen whispered to the cooling wind,"Who are you?"
The veiled queen's lips curved slightly — a secret smile — but she did not answer.
With a flutter of crimson sleeves, she vanished into the twilight, leaving Chen standing beneath the Sakura tree, the echo of her song burning in his soul.
The veiled queen landed gracefully before him, her crimson sleeves fluttering like wings.
Chen's eyes narrowed, but his breath caught at the sight of her fierce beauty and the fire glowing behind the veil.
She smiled—enigmatic, confident.
"I'm the ancient dragon's fiancé," she said softly.
Chen froze.
The words hit him like a blow. "Fiancé?" he repeated, voice low. "Ancient dragon?"
Her gaze held his without flinching.
"Yes. And I know why you're here."
Chen's voice was a mixture of suspicion and disbelief.
"Who are you searching for?"
Her eyes sparkled like embers.
"You don't know? Then why do you follow shadows and seek flames you cannot touch?"
Chen's heart pounded harder.
"Wait—how do you know I'm searching?"
The queen stepped closer, her presence overwhelming.
"Because I am searching too. For the same fire."
Chen's face tightened with confusion and wariness.
"Fire...?"
She smiled again, a secret held just beyond reach.
Chen stepped forward, tension crackling in the air.
"What is this song to you?" he demanded. "Where did you learn it?"
The veiled queen's voice was like ice over flame.
"I didn't learn it," she said slowly, clearly."I created it. It's mine."*
Her eyes flashed like molten gold beneath the veil.
"It's not a curse. It's not a warning. It's a story."
She turned slightly, her long crimson sleeves catching the wind like wings preparing to take flight.
"A story you don't understand.""A story you don't need to understand."
Then—just as Chen stepped forward, reaching out instinctively—
She vanished.
A blur of flame and wind. Gone.
"Wait—" Chen called after her, his voice rough, desperate."Say that again... what story? Who are you?!"
But the forest only whispered in reply, carrying the last line of her song:
"In skies no one dares to fly…"