The forest was quiet that morning, broken only by the soft rhythm of breathing and the low crackle of embers. Aren sat cross-legged beside the remains of a fire, his chest bare, body traced with faint red lines that pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
The first meridian had opened, but the victory felt hollow. Each inhalation sent pain lancing through his limbs, as if molten metal flowed beneath his skin.
"Again," Mira ordered, pacing in a lazy circle. "Control the heat. Don't let it control you."
Aren grimaced, exhaling slowly. "It feels like my veins are on fire."
"They are. You forced open a sealed gate that's been shut since birth. Most would die from that. Consider yourself unusually stubborn."
He managed a weak smile. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
Mira sat on a rock, tail swishing. "It should. You survived the first step. Now we test whether your body can take another."
He stared at her. "Another meridian? Already?"
"You think the Heavens will wait politely for you to recover?" Her tone sharpened. "Every day you delay, the curse tightens. Your only chance is momentum—break through before it crushes you."
Aren nodded slowly. "Then tell me what to do."
"Focus inward. Follow the heat where it wants to go. Let it burn a new path."
He obeyed, closing his eyes.
Inside his body, the Ember Cycle stirred. The warmth at his core began to spin, pulling in the Qi around him. It poured through his opened channel, searching for new routes.
For a moment, everything felt smooth. Then—
Pain. Sudden, violent, all-consuming.
Aren gasped, clutching his chest as a flood of crimson energy surged backward through his veins. The world tilted; he collapsed, coughing blood.
Mira darted forward, flames rising around her. "Stop! You're forcing it!"
"I—can't—control—it!"
The fire inside him erupted outward, a column of red light lancing into the sky. Trees caught fire, the ground split open, and thunder rolled above the canopy.
When the light faded, Aren lay still, smoke rising from his skin.
Mira hissed under her breath. "So it's true… even a single breakthrough draws their gaze." She looked up, ears flattening as the clouds above twisted into spirals. Lightning crackled—then dissipated, leaving only silence.
A weak laugh came from the boy. "Did… I make it?"
She bent close, eyes narrowing. "You opened the second meridian. But your body nearly tore apart doing it."
Aren coughed, rolling onto his back. "Worth it."
"You're insane."
"Maybe," he whispered. "But I'm still here."
Mira regarded him for a long moment. There was something in his eyes she hadn't seen in centuries—unyielding defiance.
"Rest," she said finally. "Your meridians need time to stabilize."
He nodded, exhaustion claiming him.
Hours passed. When Aren awoke, twilight painted the forest in shades of gold and violet. Mira sat nearby, grooming her fur with slow precision.
"Tell me about the curse," he said quietly.
She stopped mid-lick, ears flicking. "You really want to know?"
"I have to."
Mira sighed. "The Condemned Physique isn't random. Long ago, the Sovereigns—those who reached beyond the Heavens—tried to rewrite fate itself. The gods couldn't kill them, so they cursed their bloodlines. Every heir born after carries that mark."
Aren's hand went to the pendant at his chest. "So my mother…"
"She was one of them," Mira said softly. "A descendant of the Phoenix Sovereign. The pendant is what kept the curse dormant this long."
He sat in silence, trying to process the words. "So that's why they hung me. The empire… they knew?"
"Maybe not the empire," Mira said. "But the curse draws those who sense imbalance. The moment you began to change your fate, the world pushed back."
Aren stared into the dying fire. "Then there's no escape."
"No," she agreed. "Only forward."
For a while, neither spoke. The night deepened, stars glimmering through the smoke-stained sky.
Aren finally broke the silence. "When you said the Heavens would notice me… what does that mean?"
"It means," Mira said, voice low, "that every time you grow stronger, something will come to test you. A beast, a spirit, a calamity. It will never end until you either die or become strong enough that even the Heavens cannot reach you."
He met her gaze. "Then I'll reach that point."
Mira's eyes glowed faintly. "Bold words for a boy with two meridians."
"Two today," he said. "More tomorrow."
She chuckled, the sound like a crackle of flame. "You really are your mother's son."
He smiled faintly. "You knew her?"
"Once," Mira said, her tone distant. "She burned brighter than anyone I've ever seen. But even she couldn't outrun the curse forever."
Aren looked at the pendant again. "Then I'll finish what she started."
Mira stood, stretching. "Ambitious. I like that. Tomorrow, we start refining your control. If you can't shape your Qi, you'll cook yourself from the inside out."
"Sounds pleasant."
"It isn't. Sleep while you can."
He lay back, staring up at the stars until his eyes closed.
Somewhere far above, the clouds shifted again—silent, watching. A single spark of lightning danced across the heavens before fading into the night.
End of Chapter 3 – Cursed Meridians