The days passed heavily…
Especially for our girl.
But why, you ask?
She sat alone in the corner of the training grounds, staring at a small piece of cloth — the same one torn apart by Wu Xin's whip.
She sighed, lost in thought.
He hasn't appeared since that night... where has he gone this time?
Is he still not healed? Or has he vanished into oblivion once again?
She murmured softly, her voice laced with sadness:
"Where did you go? Why didn't you say anything before you left?"
Then, an idea struck her.
She walked toward Mei, who was training under the dim sunlight, her sword flashing with every strike.
Without preamble, she asked:
"Where is Wu Xin?"
Mei turned slowly, unable to hide her mocking smile.
"Oh… you mean the Grand Master Wu Xin? Haven't you heard? He went to the Beast Kingdom. There's a rebellion there — a conflict between the rebels and their king. He went to assist the king, according to the treaty between our realms."
Huo Feng fell silent for a moment.
Then Mei added with a teasing smirk:
"Why do you ask? Planning to go help him, oh brave one?"
Huo Feng replied calmly, her tone sincere yet sharp:
"Why not? Aren't we the elite of the elite? Let's call it… another test."
Yue, who had been listening from afar, shouted in alarm:
"But the Council won't allow it! It's interference in another kingdom's affairs — especially without permission!"
Huo Feng shrugged indifferently.
"Since when have I ever asked for permission? And who said we need it just to go for a little… stroll?"
Suddenly, her eyes gleamed with the spark of adventure.
"We'll go… tonight!"
That night, twelve students — the elite of the academy — flew silently through the southern skies, slicing through the darkness like fallen stars.
Among them were Yue, Suo, Mei, Huo Feng, and her closest friend.
Midway through the flight, Huo Feng turned to Mei, her tone calm yet tinged with irony:
"You like being in control… so you'll lead this mission."
Mei's eyes lit up with concealed delight; she lifted her chin proudly.
"A wise choice. I'll lead us to victory."
Then she surged forward as if she were about to open the gates of triumph herself.
In the Beast Kingdom, the daylight was stained crimson —
as if the sky itself had been painted with the blood of the fallen, or cursed by divine wrath at dawn.
Across plains heavy with the scent of metal and ash, beasts clashed — not demonic, not human, but legendary.
Creatures born to fight… and to die.
Some had stone-like skin and three eyes deep as wells, breathing gray fumes like volcanic smoke.
Others were massive reptilian beings, armored in scales harder than rock and sharper than thorns, shrieking like wailing ghosts.
Above them glided delicate winged beasts, translucent and beautiful, their bodies swollen with light that burst into silent, slicing beams.
Huo Feng watched and realized — none of these beings seemed evil.
Each fought fiercely, desperately defending something, as though this war were a cry for justice rather than conquest.
Amid that chaos, the students' auras grew heavy.
Suo muttered as he watched:
"This isn't a war… it's a massacre."
Mei smirked, eyes alight with thrill.
"Finally, a real battle worthy of my power!"
But Huo Feng stood silent — expressionless.
Something in this land felt familiar... hauntingly so.
She raised her gaze to the scarlet sky and whispered:
"I feel like the past of this land is calling me… but I don't know why."
As soon as their feet touched the battlefield, the roars of war erupted from every side.
The beasts turned toward them, eyes burning with ancient hatred, fangs dripping with vengeance.
Battle exploded.
Yue darted forward, saving a Sky Soldier from a beast's deadly claws before launching into graceful, deadly attacks.
Suo struck from above, his glowing spears piercing through the air.
The rest of the students joined in, hesitant at first, then swept up by the momentum — perhaps thinking it their duty… or that they were on the right side.
But not Huo Feng.
She stood motionless — as if her soul did not belong to this place, but to its memory.
Everything moved around her in silence. The earth screamed, but she couldn't hear it. The sky wept thunder, but she felt no tears.
Then — it appeared.
A grotesque creature with twelve arms, towering so high it brushed the clouds, its eyes pitch-black and hollow — blind, or perhaps beyond sight.
It reached out, seizing the students one by one, as if grasping helpless puppets.
They screamed — the sound echoing like a dying echo.
They fought — but in vain.
Only two escaped its grip: Mei, who fought like a woman possessed, and Huo Feng — who stood utterly still, like a statue.
"Huo Feng! The sword! Give me the sword — please!"
Mei's voice broke through the chaos, desperate and trembling.
Huo Feng turned toward her, calm, detached — she didn't even hear her.
Because she wasn't there anymore.
She walked through the battlefield — between corpses and fury, through the haze of death and confusion.
She looked into the faces of dying beasts and men alike, searching for something unseen — something missing.
Mei's screams turned to sobs.
But Huo Feng didn't wake from her trance.
Then, she stopped before a small beast, dying quietly, clutching another dead one in its arms.
It wasn't fighting — only protecting.
It pressed its face against its companion's and kissed it gently before the light in its eyes faded.
Huo Feng whispered:
"This isn't a battle… it's a slaughter. It's injustice."
She lifted her gaze to the crimson sky.
"Who's the enemy here… them, or me?"
Behind her, the twelve-armed monster crushed the students, Yue screaming, Su bleeding, Mei barely standing —
and still, Huo Feng didn't move.
Then he appeared.
Wu Xin — but his call couldn't reach her.
Huo Feng faced another beast — hideous, yet strangely noble.
It didn't fight, only watched — with silent, regal wisdom.
Their eyes met.
And she knew.
This is the King of the Rebels.
A strange, ancient right awakened within her.
"This throne… belongs to me."
She stepped forward.
The beast didn't resist.
Her spirit slipped inside him — like a soul returning to its shell.
A royal roar thundered from its throat — not his, but hers.
The cry of rightful dominion.
For a single heartbeat, the beasts froze.
Then chaos resumed — rebellion renewed.
Suddenly, a comet split the horizon — descending fast.
Not a comet… the Furnace Elder.
He landed lightly.
The warring beasts parted for him as he passed.
Even in fury, they paused, only to resume once he was through.
He walked straight to the Rebel King — to Huo Feng within.
Without hesitation, he grabbed its ear.
To others, it seemed he held the beast itself — but he was seizing her.
He pulled her out.
Her spirit slipped free, obedient despite her power.
"Come,"
he said — a voice that allowed no defiance.
She followed silently, like a child caught in mischief.
But when she saw Wu Xin still fighting amid the chaos, bleeding yet unyielding — she stopped.
Hovering in the air, radiant like a statue of light, she closed her eyes.
Then her voice echoed across the battlefield — heard only by the beasts.
A voice not of command, but of divine decree:
"You have no choice but to obey.
From this moment — he is your king.
Rebel again… and I will erase you."
The ground trembled.
Then, one by one, the beasts dropped their weapons —
as if remembering who she was.
The ancient blood within them bowed to its rightful heir.
Even the Sky Soldiers fell silent — and then, they too, knelt.
The beasts roared as one — a cry of loyalty, a proclamation of their new king:
the small beast, the rightful heir.
But Huo Feng did not stay.
She turned away, leaving them behind — leaving everything behind.
Even the eyes of her friends, watching her go,
filled with awe… confusion… and perhaps, disappointment.