The collision of fire and lotus split the heavens.For a heartbeat, the entire valley glowed as though the sun had descended into its heart. Flames roared, azure petals spun, and the night sky itself seemed to fracture.
Li Yan's scream was swallowed by the storm. Her body trembled violently as the serpent of fire coiled tighter, threatening to devour not just the emissary's lotus but everything within reach.
The emissary of the Azure Lotus Sect stood unmoved, robes fluttering in the scorching wind. His eyes narrowed. "So the blood sings louder than we imagined…"
The stranger's voice rose above the chaos, hoarse but unyielding: "Li Yan, fight it! Don't let the fire consume you!"
But the flames didn't heed him. They surged higher, licking the heavens. The serpent opened its blazing maw, swallowing the lotus whole in a burst of sparks that blinded the world.
When the light faded, the valley was unrecognizable. Stones had melted into glassy black shards. Trees were nothing but charred silhouettes. The once-crimson river steamed into mist.
And Li Yan—she stood at the center, hair floating in fiery currents, eyes glowing like twin stars of blood. She no longer looked like the frightened girl from a forgotten village. She looked like something else entirely.
The emissary's expression shifted from cold disdain to wary calculation. "If she learns to control this… even the sects will tremble."
The stranger staggered forward, planting his cracked sword in the ground to hold himself upright. His voice shook with urgency. "Yan, listen to me. This power—it doesn't define you! You're more than your bloodline!"
Her heart twisted. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to throw the fire away, to return to being no one. But the fire whispered otherwise. More. Stronger. The world should kneel.
"No!" she cried, clutching her chest as if to tear the voice out.
The emissary raised his hand. Another lotus formed, larger than before, pulsing with authority. "Struggle all you wish, cursed child. In the end, heaven's chains bind all things."
He thrust his palm forward. The lotus descended like a divine decree.
The stranger roared, forcing his broken body to move. His sword blazed silver as he intercepted the lotus, sparks cascading as steel clashed with qi. The impact flung him back, blood spraying into the air, but he did not release his grip.
For a moment, Li Yan saw it—the way his figure, battered and trembling, still stood between her and the emissary. And something inside her cracked.
"Why?" she whispered.
Through blood-streaked lips, the stranger smiled faintly. "Because once… someone stood for me."
The lotus pushed harder, and his knees buckled.
Li Yan's flames surged, answering her turmoil. But this time, they did not erupt wildly. They coiled inward, wrapping around her form, shaping into wings of crimson light. Her body lifted, hovering above the ruined ground.
The emissary's eyes widened. "She… she's resonating with the Crimson Vein. Impossible!"
The fire pulsed with her heartbeat. Every inhale stoked its fury, every exhale spread its hunger. And yet… she felt a thread of control, thin as silk but unbreakable.
She raised her hand. The serpent of fire reformed, larger, sharper, its eyes reflecting her own. With a cry, she hurled it at the emissary's lotus.
The world exploded again.
This time, the emissary staggered back, his robes scorched, his hair disheveled. He had not expected resistance so fierce. His smirk vanished.
"You… will not leave this valley alive," he hissed.
The stranger coughed blood and forced himself upright once more. "If you want her… you'll have to kill me first."
Li Yan's flames dimmed for a moment as fear pierced through her rage. She turned to him. "Why do you fight for me? You don't even know me!"
His eyes, weary yet fierce, met hers. "Because once, I was cursed too. And no one stood for me. I won't let history repeat."
Her chest tightened. The fire inside wavered, torn between hunger and sorrow.
Before she could speak again, a new sound split the air.
A horn. Deep, ancient, reverberating through stone and bone alike.
The emissary froze. "No… not them."
From the far ridge of the valley, figures emerged. Dozens—no, hundreds—clad in obsidian armor inscribed with crimson runes. Their banners bore a coiling serpent devouring the sun.
The stranger's face drained of color. "The Serpent's Fang Sect…"
The emissary cursed under his breath. "Why would they come here?"
Li Yan's flames flickered uncertainly. She felt their eyes on her, hungry, reverent, as if she were not a girl but a relic they had sought for centuries.
The leader of the armored host stepped forward, his voice booming. "At last, the heir awakens. The blood of the Betrayer returns to us."
Her knees trembled. "Heir…?"
The emissary growled. "She belongs to the Azure Lotus Sect!"
The serpent-armored leader laughed, a chilling sound that echoed across the valley. "You? Keep what is rightfully ours? The heavens themselves sealed her line, and now the chains are broken. She returns to us, whether she wills it or not."
The stranger moved instinctively, stepping closer to Li Yan, his broken sword raised though it could hardly cut air.
The emissary shifted his stance, azure lotus still glowing at his palm.
And Li Yan stood between them all—flames licking her skin, fear strangling her heart.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to vanish. But most of all… she wanted to choose. For the first time in her life, the world was not ignoring her—it was tearing itself apart to claim her.
The serpent leader raised his hand. "Come, child of the Betrayer. Or we shall take you by force."
The emissary raised his lotus. "Over my dead body."
The stranger whispered, "Yan… trust me."
The night shuddered as three powers converged. The valley could not contain such wrath. The heavens themselves seemed to lean closer, watching.
Li Yan's flames erupted again, spiraling into the sky, tearing clouds apart. Her voice rang through the chaos:
"I am not your heir! I am not your weapon! I am—"
Her words cut off. Pain stabbed her chest. The flames coiled violently, twisting into chains that wrapped her arms and legs.
She screamed.
The emissary's eyes widened. "Heaven's Chains… the curse awakens fully!"
The serpent leader laughed triumphantly. "Yes. The heavens may bind, but only we can break those chains. Only we can set her free!"
Li Yan collapsed to her knees, crimson fire hardening into shackles of light around her body. The power that had felt limitless now became her prison. She clawed at the chains, but they burned her skin.
The stranger rushed forward, desperate. "Yan!"
But a hundred spears from the Serpent's Fang leveled against him.
The emissary stepped closer, azure lotus poised to strike.
And Li Yan—bound, burning, trembling—felt the fire scream inside her.
Not for freedom.
For blood.
The chains shattered.
Her scream became a roar. Flames erupted in a tidal wave that devoured valley, sect, and sky alike.
And in that blinding inferno… everything vanished.