The Prophecy of Twin Blood
In the ancient city of Cheng, during the reign of its twenty-eighth emperor, a prophecy long buried beneath silence stirred once more.
Eochhul Seongol, Song Jun Namjin.
If an emperor gives birth to twins, no male prince shall survive.
It was a prophecy deemed too cruel to be remembered — and so it had been forgotten by men, though never by Heaven.
On a storm-ridden night, Emperor Xu Chai Bai welcomed twin sons into the world.
Thunder rolled across the sky as the infants cried within the imperial chambers. What should have been a moment of unmatched joy instead plunged the palace into dread. Servants lowered their heads, physicians exchanged fearful glances, and messengers were sent in haste for the High Priestess, interpreter of Heaven's will.
When she arrived and confirmed the truth, her expression hardened.
"Your Majesty," she said, kneeling before the throne, "the forgotten prophecy has come to pass."
The Emperor's hands trembled as he gazed at the two cradles.
"They are my sons," he said hoarsely. "What does Heaven demand?"
"The twins must be killed," the High Priestess replied without hesitation. "Only then will the dynasty be spared."
Silence fell like a blade.
The Emperor rose abruptly.
"No," he said. "I will not murder my own children."
The High Priestess looked up at him — not with anger, but with cold certainty.
"Then Heaven will take them itself."
That night, she secretly dispatched assassins to seize the infants and carry out the will of the prophecy.
But fate intervened.
Under the cover of darkness, the Emperor summoned Bai Li — the greatest martial artist beneath Heaven, revered across the land as Gukseon. Kneeling before him, the Emperor entrusted one of his sons into his care.
"Take him far from Cheng," the Emperor pleaded. "Protect him with your life."
Before dawn broke, the Emperor made his choice.
He kept one child by his side and handed the other to Bai Li. When court officials gathered, he announced that only one prince had been born.
The child was named Xae Rin.
The High Priestess sensed deception immediately. Enraged, she ordered her assassins to hunt down the missing prince while she prepared to eliminate the one within the palace herself.
That same night, she stormed the imperial chambers with six assassins, cutting down the guards without mercy. She seized the infant from the Empress and raised her dagger.
"I warned you," she said coldly. "All male princes will die."
As she brought the blade down, a blinding light descended from the heavens.
Her arm froze mid-air.
Pain seared her eyes, forcing her to retreat. At that moment, an assassin rushed in with urgent news.
"The other child has escaped!"
The High Priestess turned back to the infant and examined his neck, searching desperately for a sign — a scar.
There was none.
Her face darkened.
Grinding her teeth, she realized the truth: the child with Bai Li must be killed first. Only then would Xae Rin fall to fate.
She dropped the infant and stormed out, ordering her assassins to continue the pursuit.
Bai Li traveled relentlessly, slaying his pursuers in moments whenever they drew near. He fled far from Cheng, eventually settling beyond its reach. But the High Priestess' vengeance did not end there.
Her assassins descended upon Yix Village, Bai Li's home, and slaughtered its people to the last child. Only a handful survived — wounded, broken, and scattered.
Carrying the child westward, Bai Li finally found refuge in Que Dynasty, where he sought shelter with an old friend. There, he named the boy according to the father's wishes.
Bai Xiao Xing.
Though his true name was Qu Xiao Xing.
And so, beneath Heaven's watchful eye, the twin princes were separated —
one raised in splendor,
the other in blood and shadow.
The prophecy had not been averted.
It had merely begun.