Yunxi's steps slowed as she spotted the lone flower blooming on the edge of the cursed village — delicate, bright, untouched by the shadow that once haunted the land.
Drawn by something she couldn't explain, she walked toward it, the wind whispering like old memories.
But then… she paused.
Someone was already there.
A figure in a dark cloak stood with their back to her, facing the flower as if it held the weight of an answer.
Yunxi narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you here?"
The figure turned slightly, lowering their hood just enough to reveal the familiar, sharp glint in her eyes.
It was Cheonsa.
A smile ghosted across her lips — unreadable as always.
"Why are you here?" she asked, voice cool, calm.
The silence between them deepened like a pause in time.
Both knew the other carried secrets.
Both knew the flower meant more than just beauty.
Neither was ready to say why they had come.
Wind rustled the petals gently as if urging one of them to speak.
But they didn't.
Not yet.
They simply stood there, two veiled truths in one quiet moment — the Phoenix Queen and the Shadow's whisper — watching the flower sway between them.
The Flower and the Queen
The wind carried the scent of the lone flower between them. Petals shimmered in the soft light like embers waiting to burn.
Cheonsa tilted her head slightly, her voice low but laced with knowing.
"Are you here for the flower, Queen Phoenix?"
The title hung heavy in the air.
Yunxi's eyes flickered — not in fear, but in caution.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she knelt beside the flower, brushing a fingertip against its petals without harming it.
"Do I need a reason?" she replied, her tone calm, unreadable.
Cheonsa gave a soft laugh — more breath than sound.
"You always do things for a reason, Yunxi. Even when you pretend not to."
Silence again.
The flower swayed between them, fragile but rooted.
Yunxi finally looked up, her voice quiet:
"Then tell me… why are you here, Cheonsa?"
This time, Cheonsa said nothing.
But her gaze was sharp — not with suspicion, but with something like understanding.
In that moment, neither was just who they appeared to be.A phoenix cloaked in secrecy.A shadow guarding truths no one else dared to touch.
And the flower?
A quiet witness to the meeting of two masks — both hiding fire.
Yunxi's fingers hovered over the flower, the soft breeze brushing her veil.
Cheonsa took a slow step closer, her cloak fluttering like a shadow trailing a secret.
"You have a lot to ask," she said, voice smooth, unreadable."But only some questions ever get answers."
Yunxi didn't flinch, but her eyes darkened just a little — not in anger, but in reflection.
"Then tell me which ones I should stop asking."
Cheonsa gave a faint smile, one that never reached her eyes.
"The ones you already know the answers to… but are afraid to admit."
The wind whispered between them again, as if echoing old truths.
For a moment, it was quiet.
The flower trembled.
Then Cheonsa turned.
"We're not so different, you and I. We both wear veils. We both carry fire."
She started walking away, her back to Yunxi.
"Just be careful who you burn, Yunxi… sometimes the fire you control might choose its own path."
And just like that, she vanished into the mist of the forgotten village — leaving Yunxi alone with the flower, the silence, and too many thoughts.
Yunxi's voice cut through the quiet, sharp but steady.
"Who are you exactly, Cheonsa?"
Cheonsa paused mid-step.
The mist curled around her figure like it, too, was waiting for her to speak.
"What are you up to?" Yunxi asked again — not with anger, but with weight. With fear, maybe. With curiosity laced in steel.
Cheonsa didn't turn around at first.
She simply stood there, back facing Yunxi, as if the question wasn't unexpected… just inconvenient.
Then she turned, slowly, and met Yunxi's gaze.
Her eyes held stars — and shadows.
"Would you believe me," she said softly,
"I'm not your enemy, Yunxi."
"Then what are you?"
Cheonsa's expression softened, her voice like a thread of silk over steel.
"I'm the shadow behind you. The one who walks beside your flame, so you don't burn alone."
Yunxi blinked, stunned by the honesty.
"Then why all the riddles, the games—"
"Because this story… may backfire on you." Cheonsa cut in, her voice low and steady."You're trying to finish the tale the system gave you, but the threads are tangled. Something is wrong."
Yunxi's breath caught.
"What do you mean?"
Cheonsa stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"Chen. He is not just a character. There's a secret tied to him—one even he doesn't know.""You have to uncover it before the final arc.
"You're both caught in something deeper. I don't understand it," she admitted."But I know this — I'll be your shadow. Behind you, not in front. I'll watch. I'll guard. But…" she paused, eyes dark,"be careful. Some fates come disguised as choices."
Yunxi's breath caught. She wasn't sure if it was fear… or hope.
"So what should I do?"
Cheonsa glanced at the flower.
"Start with Chen," she said. "There's something about him… something hidden. I don't know what it is. But if you want to protect everyone — and yourself — find it."
"Even he doesn't know?" Yunxi asked.
"Especially him," Cheonsa replied.
The Cloak and the Flower – The Flower Rejects Her
The cursed flower stood alone at the center of the ruined village, glowing faintly beneath the misty light. Its petals shimmered like fire sealed in crystal — beautiful, untouchable.
Cheonsa and Yunxi stood beside each other, the tension between them like a blade balanced on wind.
Yunxi's eyes, hidden behind her veil, narrowed as she stepped toward the flower.
"It doesn't look cursed," she muttered.
Cheonsa remained silent, watching her.
Yunxi reached out carefully. Her fingers hovered above the glowing petals.
The air around her shifted — heavy, humming, alive.
"Be careful," Cheonsa warned.
But it was too late.
The moment Yunxi's fingers brushed the edge of a petal, a surge of golden force exploded outward. A ring of power rippled through the ground, and Yunxi's body was lifted into the air like a leaf in a storm.
"Ah—!" she gasped, arms instinctively crossing as she was thrown backward several feet.
Cheonsa's cloak flared as she rushed to catch her — and she did, steadying Yunxi before she hit the ground.
"It rejected you," Cheonsa said, steady but confused.
Yunxi stood still, her chest rising and falling beneath her crimson robes. The veil over her face trembled slightly.
"Why?" she asked. "I wasn't trying to harm it."
Cheonsa turned to the flower again. Her eyes were calm, but there was unease in her tone.
"That's not an ordinary flower. It's older than the village.""Maybe it doesn't need protection. Maybe it's guarding something of its own."
Yunxi dusted off her sleeve, frowning. For a moment, she looked almost offended — not by the flower, but by the truth in Cheonsa's words.
"Then I need to find out what it's hiding."
Cheonsa looked at her for a long time, then said slowly:
"Just promise me you won't burn yourself in the process."
Yunxi met her gaze. Something flickered behind her veil — pain, pride, or determination.
"Even phoenixes burn when it's their time to rise."