The cave is so silent that even breathing feels too loud.
The old Chief lowers herself onto a stone seat, her hands resting on her knees as if the weight of the past has finally become unbearable. When she speaks again, her voice is no longer that of a ruler—but of a witness.
"The Beast King did not abandon the throne," she says quietly. "He never intended to rule alone, nor to conquer. Everything he did… he did for his family."
Feng Lihan's throat tightens. "Then why did the world fall apart?"
"Because fear is louder than truth," the old Chief replies.
She lifts her gaze, and the air in the cave seems to thicken.
"When the Demon Clan learned of the child," she continues, "they understood something the other clans did not. The child born of a Beast King and an otherworld man would carry a power no single race could control."
Lin Yue's fingers curl tightly into his robes.
"If the Demon Clan consumed that child," the old Chief says, "they would gain unimaginable strength. Enough to bend all clans to their will. Enough to rule the world."
A ripple of dread moves through those listening.
"So they attacked," Feng Lihan says hoarsely.
"Yes," she answers. "Relentlessly."
The old Chief's eyes grow distant, reflecting a battlefield long turned to dust.
"The Beast King hid his husband and child at first," she says. "He moved them from place to place, shielding them with his own body, his own blood. But the Demon Clan did not stop. They hunted with desperation."
Lin Yue swallows. "Did… did they try to fight together?"
"They did," the old Chief says softly. "Your father was not weak. Though he was not a beast, he carried otherworld strength and wisdom. He fought beside the Beast King when he could."
Her voice lowers.
"But only the Beast King possessed the power to truly stand against the Demon Clan."
The cave grows colder.
"In the final battle," she says, "the Demon Clan surrounded them. Thousands against one."
Feng Lihan's wings twitch painfully.
"The Beast King stood at the center of the battlefield," the old Chief continues. "He ordered his husband to flee with the child. But he refused."
Lin Yue's eyes sting.
"He said," the old Chief murmurs, "'If we die, we die together. But I will not leave you alone.'"
A sharp breath escapes Feng Lihan's chest.
"They fought back to back," she says. "For a time, it was enough. The Demon Clan fell in waves. The sky burned. The earth cracked."
Her hands tremble.
"But then… betrayal."
Feng Lihan's head snaps up. "Betrayal?"
The old Chief nods slowly. "A blade from behind. Poisoned. Struck when the Beast King turned to shield his husband."
The cave seems to tilt.
"Who?" Feng Lihan demands.
"The name was erased," she says. "Intentionally. To prevent vengeance. But the wound was fatal."
Silence crashes down.
"The Beast King did not fall immediately," she continues. "He stayed standing long enough to push his husband away. Long enough to shout one final command."
Her voice breaks.
"Run."
Lin Yue covers his mouth, tears slipping free.
"Your father saw him fall," the old Chief says, eyes shining. "And something inside him broke."
Feng Lihan's heart pounds violently.
"He took the child," she continues, "and with a scream of grief, he slaughtered demons without mercy. He fought like a storm that had lost its sky."
"But demons do not tire," she says quietly. "And men do."
The old Chief bows her head.
"They killed him too."
A sharp, broken sound escapes Feng Lihan's throat.
"But not before he fulfilled the Beast King's final wish."
She lifts her eyes again.
"He escaped."
Lin Yue's breath shakes. "With… the child?"
"Yes," she says. "Wounded, dying, he carried the child across mountains and fire. He knew the clans would sense the bloodline. So he chose the Hawk Clan."
Feng Lihan's vision blurs.
"He left the child at the border," she continues. "Hidden. Protected by ancient seals. And then… he died."
The cave trembles—not with magic, but grief.
"That child," the old Chief says softly, "was you, Feng Lihan."
Feng Lihan sinks to one knee without realizing it.
"You were not abandoned," she says. "You were saved at the cost of two lives."
Lin Yue moves to him, holding him as his wings shudder.
"And now," the old Chief adds, lifting her gaze to Lin Yue's abdomen, "history breathes again."
Lin Yue looks down, terrified and awed. "Then our child…"
"…carries the same blood," she finishes. "The same danger. And the same hope."
Feng Lihan lifts his head slowly, fire burning through his grief.
"No one will touch my family," he says, voice shaking but unbreakable.
The old Chief nods. "The Demon Clan will sense it again. They always do."
Outside the cave, the wind rises—not in warning, but in recognition.
The world remembers.
And this time, the child will not stand alone.